The Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman will host a public lecture, Religious Environmentalism: Franciscans and Jesuits in the Philippines and Asia Pacific, on Saturday, 27 September 2014, 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the China Hall, Hall of Wisdom, GT-Toyota Asian Cultural Center, Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman.

In this lecture, which is based on an exploratory study, Jiska Gojowczyk argues that while some studies have shed light on the role of religious groups in international negotiations and in localized political struggles, environmentalism remains under-investigated as an internal goal of religious communities.

Focusing on the Philippines as a hub of religious environmentalism, Gojowcyzk inquires how religious orders, such as the Society of Jesus and the Order of the Friars Minor, construct and pursue the goal to evaluate practices based on environmental concerns in the Philippines. She illustrates how, in pursuit of this goal, actors make use of local, Philippine, Asia-Pacific, and global experiences and structures. She draws on the narratives of the members of the Jesuit and Franciscan orders, and discusses legitimation frames and strategies of coordination, negotiation, and harmonization used by these religious groups .

Seats are limited and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. To register, please click here. For inquiries, kindly contact Janus at 981.8500 local 3586 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. A vicinity map of the Asian Center may be viewed here.

Jiska Gojowcyzk is a doctoral student at the International Max-Planck-Research School on the Social and Political Constitution of the Economy in Cologne, Germany. She is a member of the “Governance across Borders” research group of the Max-Planck-Institute for the Study of Societies in Cologne. At present, she is Visiting Research Fellow at the UP Asian Center.