Date: Tuesday, October 28th, 2025, from 5:30-7:00PM  

Location: The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary 

Series: The Shifting Paradigms of American Religion

Speakers: Michael Graziano (University of Northern Iowa), Rucha Kaur (Sikh Coalition), and Kathryn Montalbano (University of Kentucky) 

Moderator: Justine Ellis  (Columbia University) 

From a keystroke to a commute, our seemingly private, and innocuous, actions rarely remain unobserved. Emerging digital technologies, changing forms of media, and new configurations of public spaces have made many aspects of our daily lives hyper-visible. American religious communities are no strangers to such visibility, with a long histories of entanglement with law enforcement and securitization, including as targets of surveillance or as requesters of increased monitoring to protect gathering spaces. IRCPL’s “American Religion is…Surveillance” helps us think together about what it means to watch, to be watched, and to witness, in our present moment.

Light refreshments will be provided

This series is made possible by generous support from the Henry Luce Foundation

Free and open to the public

Registration is required—Please register in advance to reserve your spot

All prospective attendees must register by 11:59PM on Monday, October 27. Registration will close at that time.

Columbia University makes every effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities. If you require disability accommodations to attend an event at Columbia University, please contact Disability Services (disability@columbia.edu or 212-854-2388) at least 10 days in advance of the event. Requests for CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) or sign language interpretation require two weeks' notice.