Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict

Home
United States
Tempe, AZ
Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict

Advancing multidisciplinary research and education on the religious dynamics of conflict and peace.

09/15/2026

Join us next Thursday, as we welcome 2026 Maxine and Jonathan Marshall Speaker, Paul Scherz, who will discuss the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and the fundamental questions it is raising about the human person: What does it mean to think? Why is human agency important?

📣AI and Human Agency in Catholic Thought
📅Sept. 24
🎤Paul Scherz | University of Notre Dame
📍ASU Tempe campus | West Hall 135
🔗asuevents.asu.edu/event/Marshall2026

This talk will explore how religious traditions, especially the Catholic tradition, have responded to these questions by considering how people develop moral judgement and what gives human work its value.

The Maxine and Jonathan Marshall Speaker Series on Religion and Conflict is an endowed lecture series that honors the life-long commitment of Maxine Besser Marshall ('76) and Jonathan Marshall to education, civil liberties and world peace.

09/08/2026

Our public events calendar is overflowing with opportunities to learn, reflect and engage with some of the most pressing issues shaping our communities and our world. This season’s public programs explore the legacy of 9/11, civic faith at America’s 250th anniversary, artificial intelligence and human agency, lessons in reconciliation from Northern Ireland and the role of religion, storytelling and repair after atrocity. Here are some of the events we have lined up this fall! Visit csrc.asu.edu/events for up-to-date event and registration details for all of our public programs.

07/24/2026

We are grateful for the support of the NEH for making this possible!

07/22/2026

It's been a long and rewarding day. Today, the exhibition officially opened.

After all the planning, preparation and installation, it was a joy to welcome visitors into the gallery and watch the artwork begin conversations.

One prompt in the exhibition asks: "What inspired you today?" It's a simple question, but art has a way of inviting us to pause, notice, and see familiar experiences through new eyes.

Cirrus's Field Notes: "Every work of art begins with someone paying close attention. Every viewer has the chance to discover something different."

Thank you to the National Endowment for the Humanities for the support and to everyone who joined us for opening day. We look forward to continuing to welcoming everyone throughout the week!

07/21/2026

From an empty classroom to an exhibition!

Today was all about preparation.

With artwork unpacked, easels assembled, measurements checked, and each piece thoughtfully placed, the gallery gradually came to life. Every exhibit begins with countless small decisions that visitors may never notice, the sum of which help create a welcoming space for reflection and conversation.

Cirrus was there every step of the way, from breakfast and blueprints to the final placement of the artwork (with a well-earned lunch along the way). ☕️📏🌯

Cirrus's Field Notes

"Preparation is part of the story. Before ideas can be shared, someone has to create a space to facilitate the experience."

Tomorrow, the gallery welcomes its first visitors.

07/20/2026

Meet Cirrus, CSRC's Tiny Traveling Scholar ✈️📚

Cirrus has arrived in Washington, D.C., where the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict will spend the week engaging the community through art and dialogue. See links in bio to join us.

Over the next several days, Cirrus will accompany us to our exhibition of works by our Artist-in-Residence, Dr. Mohammad Yousof Asefi, and a public panel discussion on freedom of expression/religion, while also exploring Washington, D.C. making new discoveries and maybe some unexpected friends along the way. 🐿

Cirrus's Field Notes

"Every journey begins with curiosity. Sometimes the first lesson comes from simply slowing down long enough to take in the world around you."

We hope you'll follow along as Cirrus discovers the people, places and conversations that make this journey meaningful.

07/11/2026

NEH is pleased to sponsor “Repression, Resilience and Renewal: Religious Freedom and the Art of Dr. Mohammed Yousof Asefi” organized by the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict at ASU, July 21-23, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Read more: https://shorturl.at/d5L1g

07/01/2026

NEH is pleased to sponsor “Repression, Resilience and Renewal: Religious Freedom and the Art of Dr. Mohammed Yousof Asefi” organized by Arizona State University's Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict , July 21-23, 2026, in Washington, D.C. The exhibition features oil paintings and a panel discussion with Asefi, a former physician and prominent Afghan artist who saved works of art from destruction by the Taliban by masking their contents. Read more: https://shorturl.at/d5L1g

04/22/2026

🍿Join us on Thursday for a free film screening with live music — part documentary, part live performance. We'll bring the popcorn. You bring a friend!

📽️ The Mormon Giant: Wrestling with Religion in 20th Century America
📅April 23 at 5 p.m.
📍Tempe campus | Biodesign Auditorium
🔗asuevents.asu.edu/event/giant

The Mormon Giant is a one-of-a-kind documentary experience, presented with live narration and an original musical score performed in real time. "A wonderful display of ‘academic nerdiness’ that ‘impossibly raised the bar of presentations,'" and "an innovative and entrancing blend of a traditional academic presentation with a multisensory performance.” We hope to see you there!

04/04/2026

Join us Wednesday, April 8, as we welcome 2026 Hardt-Nickachos Lecturer in Peace Studies, Jolyon Mitchell, Principal of St. John’s College, Durham, to the ASU Tempe campus. Mitchell will discuss how the stories we encounter every day — from films and novels to visual art — shape ways we understand conflict, justice and what peace looks like in our own lives. This year’s Peace Studies lecture launches a new research initiative in Peace Humanities.

Fun fact! Professor Mitchell's daughter, Jasmine, recently won The Great British Bake Off. 🍰

Register: https://asuevents.asu.edu/event/peace26

Address

1000 Cady Mall
Tempe, AZ
85287

Website

https://linktr.ee/asu_csrc, https://csrc.asu.edu/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The University

Send a message to Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict:

Want your university to be the top-listed university in Tempe?