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Claiming the nation: Reflections on the state of religion and politics in the Philippines

Wednesday, April 24 at 5pm
Center for Teaching and Learning in the CASE building

Free and open to the public
Please register online at: 

That the Philippines is the only Christian nation in Asia is a claim widely rehearsed in and about Philippine society. It is, for one, often found in media commentaries about Filipinos and their spectacular religiosity. Even state agencies resort to this characterization. Beginning with this vignette, this talk introduces the concept of 'theological nationalism', which refers to discursive claims made by religious groups about the Christian identity of the Philippines. They do so by invoking religious resources (like Scriptures and spiritual encounters) to argue for the divine destiny of the country as the only Christian nation in Asia. To this end, I will draw on discourses emanating not just from the Catholic Church but also other religious groups, including megachurches like Victory (Every Nation), evangelical churches like Jesus is Lord (JIL), and indigenous and Restorationist churches like Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) and the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC). The talk will highlight some of the consequences of theological nationalism for social and political life in the country.

By Jayeel Cornelio, PhD
Professor of Sociology and Development Studies at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines
Visiting Professor, Center for Asian Democracy, University of Louisville

Echoes from Forgotten Mountains: A Conversation about Tibetan History and Politics with Jamyang Norbu

Friday, April 26 at 4 pm 
Hale 230

A reception will follow.

Join us for a conversation and book signing with critically acclaimed writer Jamyang Norbu about his just-released book – Echoes from Forgotten Mountains: Tibet in War and Peace. This magnum opus documents and comments on contemporary Tibetan history from an insider’s perspective. Ranging from detailed insights about aristocratic life to his personal experiences in the Tibetan resistance to invaluable analyses of Chinese and Tibetan government politics, Echoes from Forgotten Mountains offers perspectives gleaned over a lifetime of activism, criticism, and commitment. All are welcome to join us for this very special event.

Jamyang Norbu is the leading writer and critic of the Tibetan exile community. Novelist, historian, playwright, polemicist, and scholar, he is at the forefront of documenting and shaping contemporary Tibetan history. Author of The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes, former director of the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, online essayist extraordinaire at Shadow Tibet, Jamyang Norbu has been praised as the “Lu Xun of Tibet” and denounced by Beijing as a “radical Tibetan separatist.” He was a member of the Tibetan resistance force based in Mustang, Nepal in the 1970s and is currently founder and director of High Asia Research Center in New York City.

This event is free and open to the public.