Jason A. Springs

Jason A. Springs earned his Ph.D. in Religion and Society from Harvard University’s Committee on the Study of Religion (2005). His research and teaching broadly integrate religious ethics with moral philosophy, political and social theories in modern European and North American contexts. He is particularly interested in conceptions of religious toleration and the challenges posed by religious pluralism for transforming conflict; ethical, philosophical and theological dimensions of recognition, restorative justice and forgiveness in the wake of conflict; democratic theories and practices as frameworks for peacebuilding. His broader research interests include American Pragmatist thought and postliberal theology.

Springs is the author of Toward a Generous Orthodoxy: Prospects for Hans Frei’s Postliberal Theology (Oxford University Press, 2010), and co-author (with Atalia Omer) of Religious Nationalism: A Reference Handbook (ABC-CLIO, 2013).

Springs' current project examines dynamics of secularization in contemporary Europe and North America with specific attention to an apparent impasse between individual rights and universal values in opposition to multiculturalism and group rights. The project aims to identify and utilize the positive and constructive contributions religious traditions might make in conflict transformation and peacebuilding.      

Professor Springs’ articles appear in The Journal of Religion, Journal of Religious Ethics, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Modern Theology, and Contemporary Pragmatism. Prior to joining the faculty at Notre Dame in 2008, he held appointments as Fellow in Christian Thought and Practice at Princeton University’s Center for the Study of Religion, and as Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Religion at American University, Washington DC. He is a Faculty Fellow at Notre Dame’s Center for the Study of Religion and Society.