Elizabeth Shakman Hurd (born 1970) is an American scholar and author who studies religion and politics globally. She is professor of political science and religious studies at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Academic career

Hurd was educated at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

(B.A.),

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

(M.A.), and

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

(Ph.D). She has taught at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

since 2002. Hurd is known for her work on

Religion and politics in the United States Religion in the United States is remarkable in its high adherence level compared to other developed countries. The First Amendment to the country's Constitution prevents the government from having any authority in religion, and guarantees the ...

, religion and

Foreign policy of the United States The officially stated goals of the foreign policy of the United States of America, including all the bureaus and offices in the United States Department of State, as mentioned in the ''Foreign Policy Agenda'' of the Department of State, are ...

, and religion and

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

. She also studies relations between the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, particularly Turkey and Iran. Her writings have appeared in ''Boston Review'', ''Public Culture'', ''The Atlantic'', ''Chicago Tribune'', ''Foreign Policy,'' and ''The Washington Post''. Her research has been supported by the Henry Luce Foundation and the

American Council of Learned Societies The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is a private, nonprofit federation of 75 scholarly organizations in the humanities and related social sciences founded in 1919. It is best known for its fellowship competitions which provide a ra ...

/Luce Program in Religion, Journalism and International Affairs. She is a core faculty member of th
Program in Middle East and North African Studies at Northwestern University
and co-director of the
Global Religion & Politics Research Group

Selected publications

(University of Chicago Press, 2025). *
Beyond Religious Freedom: The New Global Politics of Religion
' (Princeton University Press, 2015) *
The Politics of Secularism in International Relations
' (Princeton University Press, 2008) *
Theologies of American Exceptionalism
' (open access, co-edited, Indiana University Press, 2020) *

' (co-edited, University of Chicago, 2015) *
Comparative Secularisms in a Global Age
' (co-edited, Palgrave Macmillan, 2010)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurd, Elizabeth Shakman Wesleyan University alumni Yale University alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni 1970 births Living people Northwestern University faculty American women political scientists American political scientists 21st-century American women writers American women social scientists American women academics