Within the framework of short-term programs, PhD, Professor of Kansas State University (USA) Jonathan Mahoney was invited to the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. He deliveres a course of lectures “The Politics of Religious Freedom: Liberalism, Toleration and Muslim Majority Societies” and conducts consultations for students from the contingent of students, undergraduates or postgraduates of doctoral students from December 1 to December 28, 2022 at the Department of Religious Studies and Cultural Studies.

Area of research by Jonathan Mahoney: religion and tolerance, history of modern philosophy, ethics, international education. He has published a number of works on religion, identity, politics and religious freedom, secularism, human rights, etc. in international peer-reviewed journals. He is the owner of the following international projects: International Fulbright Grant (Kyrgyz Republic, 2018-2019, 2014-2015), International Prize in Education (2016), International Cooperative Learning Grant (KSU): to create collaborative learning for a course in Kyrgyzstan and a course at Kansas State University (summer 2016), a grant from the US Embassy for a conference on politics in Central Asia (Turkish Mana University, June 2015), etc. Upcoming publications: “Wedding Cakes and Muslims: Religious Freedom and Politics in American Legal Practice”, “Pluralism and Toleration”. He is international supervisor for doctoral students of the specialty “Islamic Studies” Shanbayeva A., Mukan A. (2022-2025 academic year).