Abstract
Kristen Lucken, Brandeis professor of Religious Studies, International Global Studies, and Sociology, analyzes the dichotomy of religion and science. In her talk, Lucken discusses the role religion plays in this modern world as well as in her own life. Kristen Lucken chairs the Religious Studies program at Brandeis University and serves on the faculties of Sociology, International and Global Studies, and Religious Studies. Her research explores global migration, American immigration, ethnic and religious pluralism, social inclusion and nationalism.
Living and working in the Soviet Union and former Yugoslavia during a time of major historical change (1990-1998), Dr. Lucken witnessed the unexpected dissolution of multicultural states and investigated the rise of ethnic nationalism in the Balkans. Her research project on Bosnian refugees in New England investigated how religious and ethnic identities are maintained and transformed through the process of migration.