Calvin to Host Religion, Terrorism and Surveillance Expert

February 23, 2005 == MEDIA ADVISORY

The second annual Byker Lecture at Calvin College will be on a timely topic:
religion, terrorism and current trends in surveillance.

The lecture will be given by David Lyon, a professor at Queen's University in
Kingston, Ontario, and the director of that university's Surveillance Project.
His talk will be free and open to all, and will be held March 8 at 7:30 pm at
the Meeter Center Lecture Hall.

The talk is sponsored by the Gary and Henrietta Byker Chair in Christian
Perspectives on Political, Social and Economic Thought at Calvin.

Lyon is a world-renowned surveillance expert and author of several books on
the topic, including "The Electronic Eye: The Rise of Surveillance Society" and
"Surveillance After September 11."

His main area of research and expertise is the sociological consequences and
Christian approaches to surveillance in a world in which terrorism and security
are on every country's political agenda. Currently Lyon is working on a book
on negotiating, resisting and limiting surveillance.

"Surveillance," says Lyon, "is not simply about large organizations using
sophisticated computer equipment. It is also about how ordinary people -
citizens, workers, travelers, and consumers - interact with surveillance. Some
comply, others negotiate and yet others resist."

His talk at Calvin will focus on not only surveillance, but also touch on his
work in the sociology of religion, seen notably in his books "The Steeple's
Shadow: The Myths and Realities of Secularization" and "Jesus in Disneyland:
Religion in Postmodern Times."

The Byker Chair and the Byker Lecture are named for former Michigan State
Senator Gary Byker (now deceased) and his wife Henrietta, parents of current
Calvin president Gaylen Byker.

The Byker Chair's express purpose is to "provide a comprehensive, Reformed
Christian approach to the ways in which human interactions and structures are
shaped and influenced by the dynamics of creation, the fall, redemption and
historical development."

For more of this story see www.calvin.edu/news
Media may contact Lyon at lyond@post.queensu.ca or 613-533-6000, x74489

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Received on Wed Feb 23 14:34:45 2005