MSU hosts conference on global radicalism

Contact: Arthur Versluis, Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures: (517) 355-3282, versluis@msu.edu; or Kristan Tetens, University Relations: (517) 355-5633, tetenskr@msu.edu  

Jan. 22, 2007

EAST LANSING, Mich. — The first-ever North American conference exploring the multiple forms of contemporary and historical radicalism in an international context will take place Jan. 25-27 at Michigan State University.

Keynote speakers include Frank Furedi, professor of sociology at the University of Kent and author of “Politics Of Fear: Beyond Left And Right” (Continuum Press, 2005), and Michael Barkun, professor of political science at the Maxwell School, Syracuse University, and author of “A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America” (University of California Press, 2003).

Furedi will present “Beyond the Politics of Fear: Humanism in the 21st Century” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, in the Kellogg Center Auditorium. Barkun will present “American Apocalypticism and Conspiracy Theories - Beyond Left and Right?” at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26, in the Kellogg Center Auditorium.

“MSU is uniquely suited for an academic conference on global radicalism,” says Arthur Versluis, professor of writing, rhetoric, and American cultures. “The new international journal JSR: Journal for the Study of Radicalism is edited and published at MSU, there is considerable MSU faculty expertise in this area, and MSU Libraries hosts one of the premier special collections on radicalism in the country.”

Admission to the keynote lectures and paper presentations is free and open to the public.Conference registration is required for individuals wishing to receive conference materials, a copy of the Journal for the Study of Radicalism and banquet tickets.

The conference is sponsored by the College of Arts and Letters; the American Studies Program; JSR: Journal for the Study of Radicalism; the American Studies Graduate Student Association; the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies; the Office of the Provost; and the MSU Press.

For more information and a conference schedule, visit http://www.msu.edu/~jsr.

###

Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 14 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.