R. Scott Appleby delivers the conference keynote address in Old Main. (Photo/Morning Glory Farr)

By Joanie Kindblade

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication officially inaugurated the Center for Media, Religion and Culture at the International Conference on Fundamentalism and the Media on Oct. 10-12 in Boulder.

The three-day conference brought together more than 80 participants ranging from practicing journalists to clergy and academic scholars to discuss the complexities of religious fundamentalism and its use of the media and representation by the media.

The World Association for Christian Communication co-sponsored the conference.

"Looking at how fundamentalist groups use media and also how media interpret fundamentalism to the general public is very important," said Professor Stewart Hoover, conference director. Hoover directs the Center for Media, Religion and Culture.

"This conference is unique because it brought people from different religions and different countries together to discuss topics that can be polarizing," said doctoral student Nadia Kaneva, associate director of the conference.

"There are a lot of new ways you need to think about what fundamentalism is when you think about it happening in an age dominated by mass media," Hoover said.

The invited speakers addressed issues related to specific religions such as Islam, Christianity and Hinduism. Examples of topics discussed and debated during plenary sessions included a historical perspective on Christian fundamentalism in the United States and religion and politics in Africa.

Conference keynote speaker R. Scott Appleby, director of the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, spoke to a full audience about ways to wage peace through the media.

R. Scott Appleby talks with Shareen Gokal, managing director for Women's Human Rights Net. (Photo/Morning Glory Farr)

"The role of the media in forming collective identity and providing opportunities for fundamentalist and other minority organizations to frame the news and get their messages out is a vital topic in today's public debate," Appleby said.

By focusing on religious fundamentalism, the conference dialogue encompassed a timely topic. Religious fundamentalists are receiving a great deal of attention in the media, particularly in conflicts in the Middle East and election coverage in the United States.

"Fundamentalisms of various kinds are increasingly important to religion, politics and international relations, and they are largely powerful because of the way they are covered and how they themselves use the media," Hoover said. "The way we know about other religions and other political movements is through the media."

The conference featured an advanced screening of the PBS documentary, "Knocking: Fundamentalism and Freedom Meet at the Front Door," which tells the story of Jehovah's Witnesses. Following the viewing, the film's director, Joel P. Engardio, and co-producer Tom Shepard participated in a panel discussion about the film.

While the conference brought focus to a little debated topic that is timely, it also put a spotlight on the center.

"One of the most important things we can do is to create these types of venues where scholars, activists, policy makers and citizens can share their experience and work toward greater understanding of each other, our cultures and the different challenges facing populations around the world," said Monica Emerich, post-doctoral fellow and conference participant. "That the Center for Media, Religion and Culture was able to facilitate such a meeting is deeply gratifying."

Appleby agreed. "No other center is tackling this question of social mobilization through media with the kind of insight into religion and culture on display at the Center for Media, Religion and Culture," he said. "The conference was an ideal showcase for their expertise."

The center was created to examine one of the critical challenges of the 21st century: the evolving relationship between religion and media. Research and scholarly activities in this emerging field have been a signature effort of the School since 1991, gaining the University a global reputation.