What is the relationship between anti-democratic voices on the far-right and in pockets of European Christianity? The Alfred Landecker Programme is pleased to host the presentation of the ground-breaking book The Christian Right in Europe: Movements, Networks, and Denominations, edited by Gionathan Lo Mascolo. From LGBTQIA+ rights to abortion, traditionalism, and anti-Islamic sentiments, the book showcases the interwoven narratives and networks in over twenty European countries, providing a transnational perspective on the rise of the Christian Right in Europe.

This event will look both forward and back as 2023 marks five years since the breaking of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which involved personal data belonging to millions of Facebook users being collected without their consent and being used to assist political campaigns.

Panel 1: Cambridge Analytica, what happened and what have we learned? 14:05-15:10

Discourses of racial supremacy, with "white supremacy" employed as a campaign slogan by the conservative Democratic Party, metastasized in American politics during Reconstruction. The election cycles of 1868-1871, Varon argues, reveal the depths of white opposition to Black voting, the limits of Republican Party egalitarianism, and the rhetorical dilemmas and strategies of Black activists in the long freedom struggle.

Professor James will explore how the work of 17th century Dutch-born philosopher Baruch Spinoza can help us to examine questions of truth in our own time.

The Upton Lecture is named after Charles Barnes Upton, Professor of Philosophy at the College between 1875-1903. The lecture is held annually and alternates between philosophical and religious themes. This year’s lecture has been made possible by the generous support of The Sekyra Foundation.