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class="post-sharer"> <span class="tag">Share</span> <a class="" onclick="window.open('http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=From%20%40BennettInst%20%E2%80%94https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk%2Fblog%2Fwhat-is-the-future-of-religion%2F', 'newWindow', 'width=500,height=300'); return false;" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=From%20%40BennettInst%20%E2%80%94https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk%2Fblog%2Fwhat-is-the-future-of-religion%2F" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" title="Share this on Twitter" ><i class="fab fa-x-twitter fa-lg"></i><span>Tweet</span></a>  <a class="" href="http://linkedin.com/shareArticle?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk%2Fblog%2Fwhat-is-the-future-of-religion%2F" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" title="Share this on LinkedIn" ><i class="fab fa-linkedin-in fa-lg"></i><span>Share</span></a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="meta categories flex"> <a class="tag" href="https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/blog/category/democracy/">Democracy</a> </div> <h1>What is the future of religion?</h1> <article> <p class="text-large"><strong>Rory Cellan-Jones talks to Iza Hussin and Paul Seabright about recent trends in world religions, the interplay between politics and religion, and the economics of religion. </strong></p> <figure class="featured-image"><img width="1440" height="810" src="https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Visual_CC_S2Ep10-1440x810.webp" class="attachment-classic-image size-classic-image wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Visual_CC_S2Ep10-1440x810.webp 1440w, https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Visual_CC_S2Ep10-300x169.webp 300w, https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Visual_CC_S2Ep10-1024x576.webp 1024w, https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Visual_CC_S2Ep10-720x405.webp 720w, https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Visual_CC_S2Ep10.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px" /></figure> <p>This episode unpacks the widespread belief that religion is in decline and explores why this view is mistaken. Leading experts discuss the intersection between religion and politics, the rivalry within and between religions, and how wider socioeconomic trends are both impacted by and impacting religious movements. </p> <p>This episode is hosted by Rory Cellan-Jones (former technology correspondent for the BBC), and features guest experts Iza Hussin (University of Cambridge) and Paul Seabright (IAST). </p> <p></p> <p><a href="https://pod.fo/e/181844" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Listen to this episode on your preferred podcast platform</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/CC-S2-EP10-transcript.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Season 2 Episode 10 transcript</a></p> <p>For more information about the podcast and the work of the institutes, visit our websites at <a href="https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/">https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/</a> and <a href="https://www.iast.fr/">https://www.iast.fr/</a>.</p> <p>Tweet us with your thoughts at <a href="https://twitter.com/BennettInst">@BennettInst</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/IASToulouse">@IASToulouse</a></p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/> <p>Audio production by Steve Hankey</p> <p>Associate production by Stella Erker</p> <p>Visuals by Tiffany Naylor</p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/> <p><strong>More information about our guests:</strong></p> <p><strong>Iza Hussin</strong> is Associate Professor of Asian Politics at the University of Cambridge and Mohamed Noah Fellow at Pembroke College. Her research and teaching are in the areas of comparative politics, Islam and Muslim politics, law and society and religion and politics. Her recent book,<a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.press.uchicago.edu%2Fucp%2Fbooks%2Fbook%2Fchicago%2FP%2Fbo22340539.html&data=05%7C01%7Cse457%40cam.ac.uk%7Cb33ff46029dd47d78c4208db5574523c%7C49a50445bdfa4b79ade3547b4f3986e9%7C1%7C0%7C638197730297759097%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=qrTcCh3xD2iO4%2BJ7iUQ5UHmyjQxIvLDqpTPnAeK2NoU%3D&reserved=0"> <em>The Politics of Islamic Law: Local Elites, Colonial Authority and the Making of the Muslim State</em></a><em> </em>(University of Chicago Press 2016), explored the construction of Islamic law in colonial India, Malaya and Egypt. She is Editor of the Cambridge University Press series Asian Connections, and a member of the Editorial Boards of the Social Science Research Council’s <em>The Immanent Frame</em>, and of the University of London SOAS <em>Indonesia and the Malay World</em>. She holds a PhD from the University of Washington, an MA from Georgetown University and an AM and AB from Harvard University.</p> <p><strong>Paul Seabright</strong> is a professor of economics at the Toulouse School of Economics and a two-year fellow at All Souls College, Oxford, from 2021 to 2023. He was Director from 2012 to 2021 of the inter-disciplinary  Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse. Paul did his undergraduate and doctoral studies at the University of Oxford. Paul’s current research lies in the intersection of behavioral economics and the economics of organizations, including firms and networks. He is working on a book about the economics of religious rivalry that will be published in March 2024 by Princeton University Press.</p> <p><strong>Rory Cellan-Jones</strong> is a former technology correspondent for the BBC. His 40 years in journalism saw him take a particular interest in the impact of the internet and digital technology on society and business. He has written multiple books, including his latest “Always On” which was published in 2021. <a href="https://twitter.com/ruskin147">@ruskin147</a></p> <hr class="wp-block-separator disclaimer-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"> <p class="disclaimer"> <em>The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy.</em> </p> </article> </div> </section> <section data-section="archive"> <div class="layout"> <div class="title-container" data-theme="light"> <div class="layout"> <div class="group flex-align-center"> <div class="md:col-8"> <h3 class="notch-primary pl-1">Related Podcasts</h3> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="group"> <div class="post-item col-12 sm:col-8 md:col-6 lg:col-3"> <div class="card"> <span class="tag">Podcast</span> <a href="https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/blog/are-countries-becoming-harder-to-govern/" class="media opacity-11"> <img width="720" height="405" 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