Dr Naomi Haynes presented ‘The Global Rise of Christian Nationalism’ moderated by Dr Moyukh Chatterjee.

This in-person event on Oct 23 2026 reviewed Dr Haynes’s case study of Zambia which declared itself a Christian Nation in 1991. This lively presentation not only revealed to the audience the experience of an anthropologist living and working in Zambia, but also related the story of Christian Nationalism to today’s heated international political climate.

Questions to Naomi included a reference to how Christian nationalism presented itself in Zambia noting that Christian nationalism in the USA and increasingly in the UK takes on military and avowedly aggressive language. Yet the story from Zambia seems different in tone. Naomi agreed to think more about this issue so expect more from this thought provoking question!

She was also asked to reflect on Nationalism and religion in the Scottish context. Here Naomi asked us to consider the difference between Christian nationalism (the ideology of Christianity underpins the nation state with Christianity in the headline spot) and Nationalist Christianity (the idea that a state should exist independently which embraces Christian values but not necessarily overriding or dominating - so Nationalism is the headline spot).

Participants enjoyed discussion with each other and the presenters in an informal drinks interval before regrouping for this thoughtful Q and A.