Dr. Scott Dunbar is a Lecturer (equal to Assistant Professor in North America) at Monash University, Australia, where he teaches courses on World Religions and contemporary religious responses to secularism, science, interfaith-dialogue, terrorism, and pluralism.
He specializes in both comparative religion and interreligious dialogue with a particular interest in the interdisciplinary examination of religious ethics, dialogue, religious conflict and terrorism. Dr. Dunbar has taught courses on World Religions, South Asian Religions, Gandhi, Religious Ethics, Interreligious Dialogue, Religious Violence, Global Issues, Indian Philosophy, and Religion in Popular Culture. He also serves as the academic co-editor of the Journal of Religion and Popular Culture published by the University of Toronto Press. Additionally, Dr. Dunbar has been appointed as an Associate to the UNESCO Chair in Interreligious and Intercultural Relations (Asia Pacific) at Monash University as well as the Honours Coordinator in Religious Studies.
His research examines comparative religious justifications and motives for violence, especially among South Asian communities. He is particularly interested in how religious supporters attempt to legitimize or restrain radicalization and terrorism by ideas of justified or justified struggle. His Ph.D. dissertation examined notions of “Righteous Warfare” (dharma yuddha) in Hindu legal jurisprudence and warrior ethics. Additionally, Dunbar’s research investigates the potential of interfaith dialogue to mitigate religious radicalization and extremism by building networks of openness, trust and respect among religious adherents.
