University Core Welcomes New Fellow  

Prof. Roger Alfani, Ph.D.

The University Core welcomes the newest Core Fellow, Prof. Roger Alfani, Ph.D. Prof. Alfani has been an adjunct faculty member in the School of Diplomacy and the University Core for four years but will be joining the Core as a full-time Core Fellow and faculty member for the Fall 2022 semester. "Teaching at Seton Hall University for both the University Core and School of Diplomacy has not just been about sharing knowledge or conveying information" Alfani remarks, "it really means engaging with students that come from different majors and who are eager to learn and motivated to positively impact this world. That’s the kind of passion I witness at Seton Hall. Passion for excellence, passion to lead and to serve both locally and globally!"

Alfani comes to Seton Hall with a doctorate from the University of Montreal in Religious Studies and Peace-Building. He also has an M.A. from the same university in Biblical Studies and Theology, where his studies focused on the Hebrew word "Ruah" (meaning "breath" or "spirit") used in the Book of Judges. Afterwards, he continued his studies and obtained an Executive M.S. degree in International Affairs and Foreign Policy Analysis from Seton Hall’s School of Diplomacy.

Aflani’s book, Religious Peace-Building in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a study of the role of church groups on peace-building in war-torn Congo. This publication led to his role as a consultant to an ongoing documentary production on the Congolese struggle for independence. Alfani also recently collaborated with Prof. Jon Radwan of the Communications Department on an article "Communicating Transcendent Love: Interpersonal Encounter and Church–State Transitions in Fratelli Tutti," which appears in a special edition on "Catholic Church–State Relations in Global Transition" in the journal Religions.

A recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities Grant (NEH), Alfani is "so excited about the collaborative NEH grant my colleague Nicole Eggers and I have been awarded. This multi-sited (US and 3 Sub-Saharan African countries) and multi-confessional project focuses on the role of religion in the lives of Congolese refugees throughout their experiences of flight and resettlement or repatriation. One of the main outcomes of this fascinating project will be to produce a co-authored monograph that will not only make a significant contribution to the fields of refugee studies and religious studies but will also constitute a rich archive of stories from refugee lives." The timely topic of refugees through a religious lens will be a theme within a Core III course that Alfani is developing.

Known internationally as an expert in the history of Congolese politics, Alfani recently received two book offers from a leading university press in the UK. With a reading and writing knowledge of eight languages, including ancient Hebrew and Greek, Alfani also brings to his Core classes a depth of knowledge on diplomacy, culture and religion. The University Core is proud to welcome our dear colleague Prof. Roger Alfani to his new role as a Core Fellow and we look forward to his future contributions at Seton Hall University.

Categories: Education, Faith and Service