MONTREAL/October 1, 2003—
Moral Diversity, Cultural Conflict and Relativism
MONTREAL/October 1, 2003 ñ Concordia University will launch its Peace and Conflict Resolution lecture series on Thursday, October 2, with Moral Diversity, Cultural Conflict and Relativism, presented by Steven Lukes. It will take place in room 070 in the Faubourg Ste. Catherine (1616 Ste. Catherine St. West) at 6 pm.
The lecture will address the role of pluralism ñ or religious, cultural and moral diversity ñ in generating deep moral and political conflict, both local and international and the possibilities of resolving such conflicts through public deliberation and action.
Lukes is currently a professor of sociology at New York University, and is the author of numerous books and articles in political and social theory. He covers subjects such as the sociology of Durkheim and his followers, individualism, the notion of the 'good society', the concept of power, rationality and relativism, the category of the person, Marxism and ethics, and moral conflict and politics. He has also been working on the history and continuing relevance of the division between left and right in politics. His current main interest, however, is the subject-matter of a lost tradition once at the centre of sociology and anthropology: the sociology of morals or morality.
The Peace and Conflict Resolution series, coordinated by Dr. Elizabeth Sacca, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, was created to sponsor academic activities and speak to peace initiatives and the management of deep-rooted conflicts. It was established as part of an action plan developed following the events of September, 2001, which led to the cancellation of a speech at Concordia by former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This lecture is the first in a series of at least 32 to be presented during the 2003-2004 academic year.
For more information about this specific lecture, please contact Dr. Avery Plaw at (514) 848-2424 (ext. 2133). For updates about the series, please contact Laurie Lamoureux Scholes at peace@alcor.concordia.ca or (514) 848-2424 (ext. 3816).
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