Dissertation Defense -- "Fault Lines:" An Analysis of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, 1933-1948 by Victoria J. Barnett

This dissertation is a contextual and discourse analysis of the processes that occur within interfaith dialogue, using a historical case study, with the goal of yielding insight into the dynamics of religious discourse in conflict settings and the processes of change within religious organizations as the outcome of such dynamics.  These dynamics include the actual communications between representatives of different groups, changes in the moral and religious language that is used in the discourse, changes in the positions of the respective groups with respect to larger issues as well as to their relationship with one another, and the effect of these changes on the larger organization itself.  This dissertation will explore these dynamics in a historical case study of the National Conference of Christians and Jews (NCCJ), an interfaith organization in the United States that was founded in 1928.