AAR AM: Roundtable on Religion, Race, and the 2016 Elections

This session was organized for the 2016 AAR Annual Meeting as a roundtable discussion between authors of recent major books that address issues of religion, race, and politics. Additionally, these authors have served as frequent public commentators on the 2016 election. Drawing upon on their research and experiences during the election cycle, the panelists discuss our understanding of the role that religion and race played in the election (e.g., the surprising white evangelical Protestant support for Donald Trump over Ted Cruz, the role of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric, the Black Lives Matter movement, etc.), the impact of changing demographics of the electorate, and prospects and resources for coming together after a political season that promises to be one of the most polarizing and divisive in the modern era.

Serene Jones, Union Theological Seminary, presiding

Panelists:
Kelly Brown Douglas, Goucher College
Robert P. Jones, Public Religion Research Institute
Stephen Prothero, Boston University
Jim Wallis, Sojourners
Responding:
Andrea C. White, Union Theological Seminary

This session (A19-100) was recorded during the 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, November 19–22, in San Antonio, Texas.