معرفی
Elizabeth Shakman Hurd is Professor and Chair of Religious Studies and Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. She holds joint appointments in the Department of Political Science and Department of Religious Studies, and is affiliated with the Middle East and North African Studies program. Hurd co-directs the Global Religion & Politics Research Group and serves as a core faculty member in MENA Studies.
Her educational background includes a B.A. from Wesleyan University (1992), M.A. from Yale University (1996), and Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University (2002). Hurd has established herself as a leading scholar at the intersection of religion, politics, and international relations.
Hurd's research centers on the politics of religion in US foreign and immigration policy, the global politics of secularism and religious freedom, religion and American borders, and the intersections of critical political theory with political theology. Her work critically examines how religious freedom frameworks operate globally, challenging conventional understandings of secularism and religious governance. She approaches these topics through interdisciplinary methods drawing from political theory, international relations, religious studies, and political ethnography.
Analysis of Hurd's publications reveals a consistent focus on how religious categories are constructed and deployed in international politics. Her work demonstrates increasing attention to the relationship between borders, religion, and governance, with recent publications examining political asylum theologies and American border religion. She has developed a distinctive critical approach that questions the universal applicability of Western religious freedom frameworks.
- Member, American Society for the Study of Religion (2024-present)
- Northwestern Buffett Faculty Collaboration Grant (2024)
- Northwestern Weinberg Center for International & Area Studies Grant (2023)
- ACLS/Luce Fellowship in Religion, Journalism and International Affairs (2019-2020)
- Hubert Morken Award for Best Book in Religion and Politics (2008-2010)
- Congressional testimony on global religious freedom (2021)
Hurd advises graduate students interested in religion and politics, international political theory, political ethnography, methods in the study of religion and politics, and Middle East politics. She has received numerous research grants including multiple Luce Foundation initiatives and Buffett Institute grants. Her public engagement includes frequent media commentary and congressional testimony, particularly on religious freedom policy and US immigration policy. Hurd also manages the Teaching Law & Religion Case Archive and has been involved in radio programming about religion and government.
Her scholarly work has established important research teams and collaborations, most notably the Global Religion & Politics Research Group which fosters interdisciplinary work on religion's role in international affairs. She has developed significant scholarly partnerships with researchers like Winnifred Fallers Sullivan and Nadia Marzouki, producing influential collaborative works that challenge conventional frameworks in the study of religion and politics.
