Key Points

THE CONFERENCES

The GCG 2009 Chicago conference, hosted by Loyola University, is the 8^th in an annual series. (Oxford 2002; St Petersburg 2003, Dubai 2004, Kenya 2005, Honolulu 2006, Istanbul 2007, Melbourne 2008).

• Each conference has been locally organized and funded – most often by regional organizations working in tandem with a university – in cooperation with Globalization for the Common Good (GCG), Dr. Kamran Mofid, and the GCG Board of Advisors (current list attached). For more information on the GCG Initiative, visit the web site: http://www.globalisationforthecommongood.info

• The 7^th Annual Conference of Globalization for the Common Good was held at Trinity College, University of Melbourne, Australia, July 5-9, 2008. Visit the web site: http://www.globalisationforthecommongood.info/conferences/australia-conference-2008

• The Conference Series has gradually built up a strong core of devoted participants, including scholars, activists, NGO leaders, and religious leaders. The principal aim is to create networks, share “best practices”, generate regional and global attention to key issues, formulate vision, objectives, and strategies for the implementation of initiatives dedicated to globalization for the common good, and continue to develop the synergy of cooperative common action between secular scholarly and activist groups on the one hand and global and regional religious communities on the other. To get a good sense of the spirit of the work of GCG, read the Istanbul Conference Declaration (2007), available on this site, under "Conference Declarations".

GCG publishes an online journal, The Journal of Globalization for the Common Good: http://www.commongoodjournal.com

The 2009 Chicago Conference, Hosted by Loyola University

• The Conference Chairs are: Dr. William French (Loyola University), Mr. Jim Kenney (IEP21), Dr. Yahya Kamalipour (Purdue University), and Dr. Kamran Mofid (GCG).

• The Conference is Convened by four organizations: The Interreligious Engagement Project (IEP21), the Center for Ethics, Loyola University Chicago, the Center for Global Studies at Purdue University Calumet, and Globalisation for the Common Good.

• At least two Partner Organizations will play major roles in the process.

o   Common Ground (founded 33 years ago as an adult study center by Dr. Ronald Miller, Chair of the Department of Religions, Lake Forest College, and Jim Kenney) will make a financial commitment and will provide key volunteers, staff, and conference assistance.

o   The International Interreligious Peace Council has worked since 1995 to bring prominent religious leaders together to be present and to listen and learn in areas of conflict around the world. The Peace Council trustees have committed to make the effort to bring as many of these remarkable leaders as possible to Chicago. The Council would take principal responsibility – in cooperation with IEP21, Loyola, and other organizations – for shaping the interfaith dimension of the conference. Leaders likely to attend include Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire (Northern Ireland), Don Samuel Ruiz Garcia (Bishop Emeritus, Chiapas), Fr. Gonzalo Ituarte (Provincial, Dominican Order, Mexico), Dr. Chandra Muzaffar (JUST International, Malaysia), Fr. Thomas Keating (Snowmass Abbey), Sr. Joan Chittister (BenetVision), Rev. Marcus Braybrooke (President, World Congress of Faiths, UK), Samdhong Rinpoche (Secretary of State, Tibetan Government in Exile), Dr. Chung Hyung-kyung (Union Theological), Dr. Paul Knitter, Paul Tillich Chair of Theology, Union), and several others.

• Co-Sponsoring Organizations will be recruited primarily to assist with participant outreach. We are confident that we will be able to engage at least 20-30 such organizations. Already on board: Department of Religion and the Interfaith Center, Lake Forest College; the center for Islamic World Studies, Lake Forest College.

• Participants: we hope to engage between 200 and 300 participants, with 75 or more presentations. Participants will be drawn from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America

• Registration and Accommodation fees will be as reasonable as possible. Registration: approximately $200. Room and Board: approximately $70-90/day. Information will be posted on this site very soon.

The Conference Theme: Globalization – The Challenge to America

The Conference will focus primarily on a thoughtful exploration of the role of the United States in the current dynamic of world affairs. We will examine the positive and negative dimensions of America’s global stance. Finally, we will explore some of the very real challenges that America must meet if globalization is to be guided toward the common good, both within the US and in the larger world.

Other thematic areas will also be addressed. They include (but are not limited to) the following:

·      Globalization, Civilizational Dialogue, and the Role of the Global Interfaith Movement

·      The Global Environment: Climate, Habitat, Water, Energy, and All Life

·      The Struggle for Social and Economic Justice and Universal Human Rights

We invite proposals from activists, organizers, officials, scholars, students, and others specializing in a range of disciplines, including education, theology, philosophy, ethics, history, political science, international relations, conflict analysis and peace research, economics, law, sociology, psychology, health sciences and medicine, environmental studies and geography. Proposals are also invited from persons in government, education, diplomacy, law, the media, the health professions and business, as well as those involved in religious, interreligious and non-governmental organizations. Proposals that adopt an interdisciplinary, intercultural or interreligious perspective are especially welcome. See the Call for Presentations on this site.