Religious Fundamentalists in the Political Mainstream. American Club #3: L. Janion, S. Obirek

About the event

A dense network of influences has enveloped America: leaders of evangelical churches, activists working on their behalf, businessmen, lobbyists, and think tank employees. The goal? Transforming the United States into a theocratic state. During the third meeting of the American Club, we will discuss Katherine Stewart's "The Power Worshippers" (trans. Jarek Westermark). Participants in the book discussion will include: - Dr. Ludmiła Janion - Prof. Stanisław Obirek from the American Studies Center at the University of Warsaw 📅 When? October 2 at 6:00 PM 📍 Where? Czarne Bookstore, al. Jana Pawła II 45A, corner of Nowolipki Christian nationalists, supported by billionaires, are shaping the mainstream of American politics today. Their demands have reached Congress and the White House. They seek influence over various areas of social life: banning abortion, permitting corporal punishment of children, and restricting minority rights. Stewart travels across the United States, from California to North Carolina. She speaks with participants of pro-life marches, attends far-right conventions, tracks money flows and international alliances. She also delves into history—presenting profiles of the first evangelical radicals and their long march through institutions. Dr. Ludmiła Janion - cultural studies scholar, assistant professor at the American Studies Center at the University of Warsaw, member of the Gender/Sexuality Research Group. She teaches American Studies and the newly opened Gender and Sexuality program. Her academic interests focus on the cultural and social transformations of the 1990s in Poland and Europe, sexuality studies, and queer theory. She is currently working on a project about the neoliberalization of masculinity. Prof. Stanisław Obirek – lecturer at the University of Warsaw's American Studies Center. He studies the role of religion in contemporary culture, interreligious dialogue, the consequences of the Holocaust, and possibilities for overcoming religious, civilizational, and cultural conflicts. Since August 2025, he has been hosting a YouTube program "Obirek at High Noon on Sunday," available at: https://www.youtube.com/@stanis%C5%82awmicha%C5%82obirek The American Club, organized in collaboration with the American Studies Center at the University of Warsaw and Czarne Publishing House, is a series of meetings centered around prose and non-fiction books that help better understand the social, political, and cultural processes occurring in the United States. Free admission. The project is co-funded by the "Excellence Initiative – Research University" (IDUB) program.