The Alfred Landecker Programme's seminar series on religion, populism and democracy is pleased to welcome Nazila Ghanea (Oxford) to present her work on the protection of religious minorities through international law.

Many contemporary liberal democracies wrestle with their relationships with religious minorities. This relates to a wide scope of political issues, including religious headdress, religious symbols, claims of conscientious objections, religious schools, animal slaughter or circumcision. Nazila discusses how ambivalences in the protection of religious minorities through international law might facilitate a relative intolerance: first, because claims made by religious minorities tend to fall somewhere between the freedom of religion or belief and minority rights. And second, because politically motivated restrictions increasingly go beyond the limitations that can legally and legitimately be imposed on religious minorities. Ambassador Stephen Rapp (Visiting Fellow at the Blavatnik School of Government) provides a response based on his work in international human rights litigation.

About the speaker

Nazila Ghanea is Director of International Human Rights Law Programmes and Associate Professor of International Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford. She is the Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors of the Universal Rights Group. She has authored and co-authored a number of academic and UN publications including Freedom of Religion or Belief: An International Law Commentary (OUP).

Alfred Landecker Seminar Series: Religion, populism and democracy

In anticipation of a series of workshops and conferences in collaboration with Cambridge, Utrecht, Yale, Göttingen and Helsinki (autumn 2021–winter 2023), this spring, the Alfred Landecker Programme presents a series of seminars on the theme of religion, populism and democracy. Save the date for future events in the series:

• Securitisation and the protection of minorities with Beatrice de Graaf (Utrecht) and a response by Federica d’Alessandra (Oxford) – Tuesday 1 June, 17:30–19:00
• Religion, ethnicity and nationalism in Turkey with Gülay Turkmen (Graz) and a response by TBC – Tuesday 22 June 17:30-19:00.

Please note: The seminars are held as meetings via Zoom. For more information and to make a request to participate, please email marietta.vandertol@bsg.ox.ac.uk.