Posted on Mar 22, 2010

Internationally known Islamic studies scholar Jane Dammen McAuliffe will give the Wold Lecture on Religion and Conflict Wednesday, March 31 in the Nott Memorial. Her talk, “What’s the Point? Interreligious Dialogue in a Time of Terrorism,” begins at 4:30 p.m. with a reception to follow.

Jane Dammen McAuliffe

McAuliffe, president of Bryn Mawr College, previously served as dean of Georgetown College at Georgetown University, where she taught history and Arabic and Islamic studies. She also chaired the department for Study of Religion at the University of Toronto.

She received her bachelor’s degree in philosophy and classics from Trinity College, Washington, D.C., and her master’s in religious studies and doctorate in Islamic studies from the University of Toronto.

McAuliffe’s numerous publications have focused primarily on the Qur’an and its interpretation, on early Islamic history and on the multiple relations between Islam and Christianity. She has also written or edited four books, and recently completed the six-volume “Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an,” the first such reference work in Western languages. 

In addition to her authorial and pedagogical efforts, McAuliffe’s been active in various forums of Muslim-Christian dialogue on national and international levels. She has served on the Vatican’s Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims, and on the board of the American Academy of Religion.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For additional information, call 388-6056.