This collection of essays draws from two conferences that were organized at Columbia University thanks to the support of the Alliance Program (Columbia University, Sciences Po, Polytechnique, and Paris 1—Sorbonne). These meetings were hosted by the Center for Democracy, Toleration, and Religion, now a part of the Institute for Religion, Culture, and Public Life (IRCPL).
These meetings would not have been possible without the personal involvement of Alfred Stepan, who engaged with the participants in the most stimulating way on both occasions. Melissa Van, assistant director of IRCPL, played a key role in the organization of these conferences and in the finalization of the book. Karen Barkey, the successor of Al Stepan at the helm of the IRCPL, and Walid Hammam, her assistant director, subsequently made the publication of this book possible.
Last but not least, the formatting of this volume owes much to Maryam Mastoor, whose dedication to the cause of scholarship impressed me when she worked at the Centre de Recherches Internationales (CERI), at Sciences Po, my alma mater in Paris, as an intern.