Public Lecture: The Religion and Politics of Cruelty

The U.S. Embassy in Armenia and the Political Science and International Affairs Program of the American University of Armenia (AUA) presents a public lecture on the “Religion and Politics of Cruelty” by Professor Ivan Strenski of the University of California, Riverside. The lecture will take place on Wednesday, May 8 at 6:30 PM at the Alex and Marie Manoogian Hall, located in PAB 106E at AUA (40 Marshal Baghramyan Ave., Yerevan, Armenia). The language of the talk will be in English with simultaneous translation into Armenian. ABOUT THE SPEAKER Ivan Strenski is Holstein Family and Community Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Riverside.  He holds a BA with First Class Honors (University of Toronto) and a PhD (University of Birmingham, England), studying under the late Ninian Smart. In 2007, he was awarded the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Lausanne.  From 1979-2004, he served as North American Editor-in-Chief of the international journal, Religion. Strenski is the author of fourteen books and over 50 articles, many of which attempt to locate various efforts in theoretical thinking, such as about myth, gift or sacrifice, within the larger social, political and religious contexts of modern European life.