The Tradition Project was a three-year research initiative that explored the value of tradition for contemporary citizens and the relationship of tradition and change in today’s world. Conceived and co-directed by Professors Marc O. DeGirolami and Mark L. Movsesian, the Project developed a broad and rich understanding of what tradition—the received wisdom of the past—might continue to offer in cultivating virtuous, responsible, self-governing citizens. It brought together leading public figures, scholars, judges, and journalists for lectures, workshops, and sponsored research, including book chapters, journal articles, and curricular development.

The inaugural session of the Project, “Tradition in Law and Politics,” was held in New York in October 2016. Professor Michael McConnell of Stanford Law School delivered the keynote address, a video of which is available on our home page. In June 2017, the Project co-sponsored an academic conference, “Tradition and Traditionalisms Compared,” at the Fondazione Bruno Kessler in Trento, Italy. In November 2017, the Project hosted a session on “Tradition, Culture and Citizenship” in New York, with Sir Roger Scruton as the keynote speaker. In December 2018, the Project co-sponsored its third conference, “The Value of Tradition in the Global Context,” in Rome, with Justice Samuel Alito as the keynote speaker.

The Project was supported in part by generous grants from The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Achelis and Bodman Foundation, and the Notre Dame Program on Church, State & Society.