Abstract
In this seminar, a range of responses to religious extremism are explored―from ignoring it to using legal challenges to employing methods of violent confrontation. We will look at case studies of how religious extremism has erupted and how it has come to an end. This survey will show that using strong-arm tactics against religious extremism seldom is effective, and often makes matters worse. The most successful solutions are those that work within the communities supporting the extremists and find ways of bringing the mass of followers into a harmonious reconciliation with society.

About the Speaker
Professor Mark Juergensmeyer is director of the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, professor of sociology and global studies, and affiliate professor of religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is a pioneer in the field of global studies and writes on global religion, religious violence, conflict resolution and South Asian religion and politics. He has published more than three hundred articles and twenty books, including the recent Global Rebellion: Religious Challenges to the Secular State (University of California Press, 2008). An earlier version of this book was named by the New York Times as a notable book of the year.