Institute for Religion, Culture, and Public Life

Mark C. Taylor
Co-Director

Mark C. Taylor is the Chair of the Department of Religion at Columbia University. A leading figure in debates about postmodernism, Taylor has written on topics ranging from philosophy, religion, literature, art and architecture to education, media, science, technology and economics.

Taylor received a Doktorgrad (Philosophy) from the University of Copenhagen in 1981, a Ph.D. in religion from Harvard (1973), and a B.A. from Wesleyan University (1968). The many awards and honors he has received include: Wesleyan University Distinguished Alumnus Award (1998), Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Professor of the year (1995), Rektor’s Medal, University of Helsinki (1993), American Academy of Religion Awards for Excellence for his books Nots (1994) and Altarity (1998), and Guggenheim Fellowship (1979-80).

His many books include: Journeys to Selfhood: Hegel and Kierkegaard (1980), Erring: A Postmodern A/Theology (1984), Disfiguring: Art, Architecture, Religion (1994), Hiding (1997), About Religion: Economies of Faith in Virtual Culture (1999), The Moment of Complexity: Emerging Network Culture (2001), Confidence Games: Money and Markets in a World Without Redemption (2006), Mystic Bones (2007), After God (2007). In addition to his writing, Taylor has produced a CD-ROM, Motel Real: Las Vegas, Nevada, and has had an exhibition of the artwork accompanying his book, Grave Matters, at the Mass MOCA.

Alfred C. Stepan
Co-Director

Alfred C. Stepan is the Wallace Sayre Professor of Government at SIPA and Political Science as well as the Co-Director of the Institute for Religion, Culture and Public Life at Columbia University. Prof. Stepan received a Ph.D from Columbia and continued to teach at Yale University for thirteen years (1969-82). Later, he was Dean of the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University (1983–1991), the first Rector of Central European University (1993-1996), and the Gladstone Professor of Government at All Souls College, Oxford University (1996-1999).

His recent publications include: Alfred Stepan, Juan Linz, and Yogendra Yadav, Democracies in Multinational Societies: India and Other Polities (Johns Hopkins: 2007); Stepan, Arguing Comparative Politics (Oxford: 2001); Linz and Stepan. His recent publications relating to religion and politics include “The World’s Religious Systems and Democracy: Crafting the “Twin Tolerations”, in his Arguing Comparative Politics (his major writing project in the next few years is to expand this article into a book), “An ‘Arab’ More Than ‘Muslim’ Electoral Gap” Journal of Democracy (July 2003) and a Forum debating this in JoD (October 2004).

Working with Yogendra Yadav and Juan Linz, Prof. Stepan helped prepare the questions on religion and politics for the 50,000 person survey of the five countries of South Asia in 2005-6 and Stepan and Linz cooperate with Amaney Jamal, the PI, in the design of a Pew-sponsored Arab Barometer study. He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1991- present, and a member of the British Academy, 1997-present.

Norris Chumley, Media Director, is a writer, producer and columnist for Beliefnet. He recently directed Sophia Secret Wisdom, a documentary film on early Christian monks and hermits in Europe and the Middle East.

Emily Brennan, Assistant Director and Managing Editor. eb422@columbia.edu

Melissa Van, Assistant Director of the  Center for the Study of Democracy, Toleration and Religion. mav2121@columbia.edu

Joe Blankholm, Program Coordinator. jlb2210@columbia.edu

Frank Shepard, Designer and Web Manager.

Jacob Quinn, Research Assistant.

Brady Evan Walker, Editorial Assistant.

Tania O’Conor, Program Assistant.

Rosa Sabel, Program Assistant.