, the Marilyn Keough Dean of the , is the recipient of the 2019 Religion and International Studies Distinguished Scholar Award.
Appleby accepted the honor at the annual (ISA) convention in Toronto. The celebration featured an academic roundtable dedicated to Appleby鈥檚 scholarship and its contribution to the field of international studies.
鈥淪cott Appleby鈥檚 work has brought religion to the attention of academic audiences and clarified how religion matters in the world,鈥� said the committee from the ISA Religion and International Relations Section, which presented the award. 鈥淗is research has inspired and will continue to inspire debate and scholarship across multiple disciplines.鈥�
The roundtable discussion highlighted Appleby鈥檚 development of key concepts in the study of religion and international relations, including fundamentalism; the role of religion in conflict and peacebuilding; sustainable peace; religious engagement; interreligious dialogue; religious engagement in foreign policy; and strategic peacebuilding, a set of practices that aims to transform a society from a state of violence or deep injustice to one of peace.
鈥淪cott Appleby has shown that, while religion can promote political violence and conflict, it can also promote nonviolent civic engagement, development, conflict resolution and reconciliation,鈥� said Scott M. Thomas, associate professor of international relations at the 听University of Bath in the United Kingdom, one of nine scholars participating in the roundtable. 鈥淚nformed by this multifaceted understanding, he has pioneered a policy-oriented approach of the role of religion in international relations.鈥�
Appleby also won praise from colleagues for establishing new and innovative research programs, including , a major, multi-year project that examines interaction among Catholic, Muslim and secular forces in the modern world; and the , a group of academics and practitioners that fosters the study and practice of Catholic peacebuilding in conflict-ridden areas. Appleby developed these initiatives during his 14-year tenure as the director of the .
鈥淒irecting a peace institute for over a decade and being constantly challenged by the realities of human suffering has grounded Appleby鈥檚 work in the dialectic tension between theory and practice,鈥� said , Keough School associate professor of religion, conflict and peace studies, who participated in the roundtable.
Appleby was named founding dean of the Keough School of Global Affairs in 2014. 91吃瓜鈥檚 first new school in nearly a century, the Keough School includes nine international institutes and centers, including the , which opened its doors in October 2018.
A member of the 91吃瓜 faculty since 1994, Appleby is the author or editor of 15 books, including the widely cited volumes of 鈥淭he Fundamentalism Project鈥� (co-edited with Martin E. Marty and published by the University of Chicago Press); and 鈥溾�澨齅ost recently, Appleby co-edited (with Atalia Omer)听听He also serves as lead editor of Studies in Strategic Peacebuilding, an Oxford University Press series.
Appleby co-chaired the Chicago Council on Global Affairs鈥� Task Force on Religion and the Making of U.S. Foreign Policy, which released the influential report,听听
A fellow of the and of the , Appleby is the recipient of four honorary doctorates, from Fordham University, Scranton University, St. John鈥檚 University (Collegeville, Minnesota) and Saint Xavier University.