Register now at this link.

Please Note: There has been a change of venue for this event.
It will now take place in the Maison Française in Buell Hall.

In his newest book, Beyond Individualism: The Challenge of Inclusive Communities, George Rupp pushes modern individualism beyond its foundational beliefs to recognize the place of communal practice in our world.  While individualism is a powerful force in Western cultures and a cornerstone of Western foreign policy, it elicits strong resistance in traditional communities. Drawing on decades of research and experience, Professor Rupp advocates new solutions to such global challenges as conflicts in the developing world, income inequality, climate change, and mass migration.

Professor Rupp will speak about the challenge of inclusive communities, then discuss the issues raised with a panel of guests, including Kenneth Roth, Scott Pelley, Wayne Proudfoot, and Kati Marton.  Following the event, we will have a reception, with copies of the book available for sale and signing.

This event is sponsored by the Institute for Religion, Culture, and Public Life and by Columbia University Press.

This event is free and open to all.  Registration is appreciated, but not required.  Please register now at this link.

 is Columbia University President Emeritus, former President of the International Rescue Committee, and Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Institute for Religion, Culture, and Public Life.  He is also Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, and a founding principal at NEXT: Transition Advisors, a consulting partnership for academic, cultural, and social service organizations.  He is the author of numerous articles and five books, including Globalization Challenged:  Commitment, Conflict, and Community (2006).  George Rupp and his wife Nancy have two adult daughters, both professional anthropologists, one with a specialization in Japan and the other with a focus on Africa, and six grandchildren.

Kenneth Roth is the executive director of Human Rights Watch, one of the world’s leading international human rights organizations, which operates in more than 90 countries. Prior to joining Human Rights Watch in 1987, Roth served as a federal prosecutor in New York and for the Iran-Contra investigation in Washington, DC. A graduate of Yale Law School and Brown University, Roth has conducted numerous human rights investigations and missions around the world. He has written extensively on a wide range of human rights abuses, devoting special attention to issues of international justice, counterterrorism, the foreign policies of the major powers, and the work of the United Nations.

Scott Pelley is the anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News, for which he has been awarded a George Foster Peabody award, an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Silver Baton, a George Polk award, three Emmys and three Edward R. Murrow awards; and a correspondent for the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes, where his work has been recognized with 24 Emmys, five Edward R. Murrow awards, three George Foster Peabody awards, two Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Silver Batons, a George Polk award, as well as honors from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Overseas Press Club of America, Investigative Reporters and Editors and the Writers Guild of America.  Pelley serves on the board of directors of the International Rescue Committee, the refugee relief agency headquartered in New York City.

Wayne Proudfoot is Professor of Religion at Columbia University, specializing in the philosophy of religion. His research interests include contemporary philosophy of religion, the ideas of religious experience and mysticism, classical and contemporary pragmatism, and modern Protestant thought. He teaches courses on eighteenth and nineteenth century European religious thought, theories and methods for the study of religion, philosophy of religion, and pragmatism and religion. His publications include God and the Self and Religious Experience. His current research is on pragmatism and American religious thought. He has published articles on Charles Peirce and William James and is currently working on a book on that topic.

Kati Marton, an award-winning former NPR and ABC News correspondent, is the author of Enemies of the People: My Family’s Journey to America, a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. Her other books include The Great Escape: Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World, Hidden Power: Presidential Marriages That Shaped Our History, Wallenberg, The Polk Conspiracy, A Death in Jerusalem, and a novel, An American Woman.