A talk by Monica Ringer, Associate Professor of Middle East Studies, Amherst College
Moderated by Professor Allison Busch

Ringer tells the story of a major intellectual revolution in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century India and Iran, one that radically transforms the role of religion in society. Ringer demonstrates how rational and enlightened religion, characterized by social responsibility and the interiorization of piety, was understood as essential for the development of modern individuals, citizens, new public space, national identity, and secularism. 

Monica Ringer is co-editor of Comparative Studies of South Asia Africa and the Middle East. She teaches Middle Eastern history at Amherst College

Co-sponsored by the Middle East Institute and the South Asia Institute.