Professors Driessen and Rensmann Present at International Conferences in September

Professors Driessen and Rensmann

Political Science Professors Michael Driessen and Lars Rensmann presented papers at the American Political Science Association (APSA) Annual meeting in Washington, DC last week. Prof. Driessen organized a panel on New Patterns of Muslim Democratization and presented a paper entitled, “Religion-State Arrangements and Demand for Muslim Democracy.” Prof. Rensmann presented a paper entitled, “Polis 2.0? Arendtian Publics and Politics after the Digital Revolution.” The conference is the most important and competitive political science event of the year. Prof. Rensmann and Prof. Driessen were joined in Washington by Professor David Levy of JCU.

Prof. Rensmann then presented a paper at the midterm conference of the European Sociological Association’s Research Network 31, “Antisemitism and Racism in the Shadow of the Holocaust,” held at the University of Vienna from September 4-6. His lecture focused on “The Frankfurt School and beyond: Political authoritarianism, antisemitism, and genocidal threats in current global politics.”

While in Washington, Prof. Driessen was also called upon by the US Department of State to brief the new US Ambassador to Algeria, Joan Polaschik, on the political crises in North Africa. This weekend, Prof. Driessen is also presenting a paper on “New Trends in Muslim Democratization” and chairing a panel on “Religion and International Affairs” at the Società Italiana di Scienza Politica’s annual conference in Perugia, where he will be joined by Prof. Pejman Abdolmohammadi who will present a paper entitled, “The Islamic Republic of Iran as a Hybrid Regime.”

Learn more about the Department of Political Science and International Affairs at John Cabot University.

Photo by Nadeem Rifai