Wednesday 24 June 2026 12:00pm to 4:30pm
Update: On Zoom
The annual student-led symposium — registration is now open. Read on for an overview of the programme and practicalities.
Air bubbles under the sea, a Pixabay image courtesy of Pexels.com
About
Since 2023, CIP has hosted an annual symposium, designed by and for Cambridge students to discuss religion-related thought and research at any level and across different disciplines.
For 2026, the convenors are Geneva Blackmer (Divinity), Hannah Peterson (Sociology) and Songzan Xu (Divinity).
Important update
Due to the forecast of extreme temperatures, this symposium will now take place online and in a condensed format. Information on how to join will be sent by email to those registered to attend.
Sessions
12:00 Freedom through a philosophical lens
Popular secularisation and aestheticisation of the absurd: reframing Kierkegaardian faithful freedom through either/or, Elliott Smith, and their interpretations | Caitlin Lucia Dela Cruz
Christomorphic pluralism: a Schleiermacherian approach to religious freedom | Amen Gashaw
13:00 Discussion: Negotiating religious freedom as a student/academic
Opening provocation: Negotiating religious freedom in the doctoral journey | Maryam Bham
14:30 Freedom and morality
Chechnya’s Black Widows: piety, political struggle and despair in contexts of protracted violence| Artom Banissi
When enemies become friends: unexpected encounters and the disruption of moral hostility | Elise Harboldt
15:30 Freedom in space, place and speech
For God and country: a discourse construction of medemer as a hegemonic project in Ethiopia | Tezera Tazebew
Materialising the everyday: spatial imaginaries and domestic appropriations in the Mexican Vecindad | Aislinn Maria Cordoba Fernandez
For titles and abstracts, please download the PDF below.
Practicalities
Capacity is limited and registration is required.
Zoom information will be sent via email to registered participants. Watch out for messages from events@interfaith.cam.ac.uk.