The Pluralism Project at Harvard University
Barbara A. McGraw, J.D. Ph.D.Saint Mary’s College of California
Center for Engaged Religious Pluralism and The Prison Religion Project
Project Description
Dr. McGraw is Director of the Center for Engaged Religious Pluralism and Professor, Social Ethics, Law, and Public Life at Saint Mary’s College of California. Her ongoing work is dedicated to advancing the idea that the fundamental shared value and unifying principle of the American political system, as originally conceived, is pluralism itself. This idea is based on research of the documentary history of the founding era as applied to the current debate about the role of religion in public life and its role in shaping American values.
Dr. McGraw's work in this field includes The Prison Religion Project; a book entitled Rediscovering America's Sacred Ground: Public Religion and Pursuit of the Good in a Pluralistic America (Albany, New York: SUNY Press, 2003); an amicus curiae brief to the Supreme Court of the United States in the Pledge of Allegiance Case (Elk Grove Unified School District, et. al. v. Newdow), filed February 13, 2004; and her co-edited book, entitled Taking Religious Pluralism Seriously: Spiritual Politics on America's Sacred Ground (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2005). The table of contents and an excerpt from the first chapter are available online.
The ninth edition of her world religions book Many Peoples, Many Faiths: Women and Men in the World Religions (Prentice Hall, several editions), published fall 2008, includes entries on religion, governance, and political life as understood by those in the various world religions.
Dr. McGraw also serves as an advocate for prison inmates of minority faiths, and gives speeches in various venues on topics such as "Civil Discourse across Sacred Boundaries" and “The Founding Fathers’ Religious Reasons for Separation of Church and State.”