Professor of Religious Studies Heidi Ravven was recently interviewed by Marc Gopin for his Making Change podcast series. They discussed “the urgency of embracing election celebrations for the future of democracy.” Gopin is the director of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution and the James H. Laue Professor at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University.
The episode, titled “Election Celebration: An Essential Answer to Our Democracy Crisis,” focused on how Americans can “move beyond the political polarization of voting in elections itself and move it into something that would be a very positive experience that would make millions of people want to engage in the whole experience of voting … as a way of life.” The discussion stemmed from an article co-authored by Ravven and Gopin that appeared in The Hill in June.
In the interview, Ravven made a case for how much we actually have in common in terms of shared values of pluralism, respect, and equality, and how we need to use our shared love for our country as a first step in building a better relationship with the democratic process and elections to bring us together rather than pull us apart.
Additional Making Change episodes on this topic are planned.
