Global Religion & Public Life
The 2025 Boniuk Institute Religious Literacy Series brought together scholars, teachers, and workplace professionals during our annual professional development seminar that explores the dynamic role of religion in public life - at work, in classrooms, online, and across global communities.
BI's Aishwarya Lakshmi kicked off the full-day seminar by stressing the importance of religious literacy as a knowledge-based and linguistic competency. BI director Elaine Howard Ecklund emphasized the workplace as one of the most common sites of interreligious encounter and encouraged workplace leaders to proactively consider religious accommodation. Religion scholar, Greg Han equipped educators with tools and the confidence to teach about religion in the classroom, noting the urgency to discuss religion's role in both history and public life.
The series also highlighted how religion shapes identity and community. BI graduate scholar, Akpan Ubong-Abasi showed how African immigrants in the US use religious identity as a strategy of belonging, challenging racial stereotypes. BI faculty fellow Judith Brunton explored how religious worldviews influence environmental action, while Zwan postdoctoral fellow Sana Patel examined how Muslims creatively use digital space for expression and resistance.
The scholars of the 2025 Boniuk Institute Religious Literacy Series affirmed that religious literacy is essential - not only for understanding the past, but for navigating contemporary life. From classrooms to cyberspace, religion remains a powerful force shaping human experience.