IPSA RC 43 - Religion and Politics

To content | To menu | To search

Calls for papers

Entries feed

06Jan

Cfp: Section on 'Transnational Religion, Conflict and Dialogue", 2015 EISA Conference

15:20 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

Call for papers: 9th Pan-European Conference of the European International Studies Association (EISA), Section 55 on ‘Transnational Religion, Dialogue and Conflict’, convened by Jeff Haynes and Luca Ozzano. Wednesday 23 – Saturday 26 September 2015, Giardini Naxos, Sicily, Italy, http://www.paneuropeanconference.org/2015/

Deadline: January 15, 2015

Prospective participants can propose a paper, by submitting an abstract of up to 200 words by email to the convenor(s) of the panel of your choice by January 15, 2015.

PANELS LIST (please check below for the panel abstracts):

1. ‘Religion in the Arab-Israeli conflict’, convened by Guy Ben-Porat, GbP@som.bgu.ac.il

2. ‘Religion and European Integration’, convened by Simona Guerra, gs219@leicester.ac.uk

3. 'Turkey-Originated Transnational Islamic Movements and Institutions', convened by Erdi Özturk, erdiozturk86@gmail.com, and Luca Ozzano, luca.ozzano@unito.it

4. ‘Catholic Church and the Holy See: Empirical and theoretical perspectives on the biggest religious transnational actor in world affairs’, convened by Mariano Barbato, mariano.barbato@uni-passau.de

5. ‘What is a “War of Religion”?’, convened by Rodolfo Ragionieri, r.ragionieri@uniss.it and Debora Spini, deb.spini@gmail.com

PANEL ABSTRACTS:

1. ‘Religion in the Arab-Israeli conflict’, convened by Guy Ben-Porat, GbP@som.bgu.ac.il

Abstract: The Arab-Israeli conflict and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in particular have been described as multidimensional, underscored by territorial, economic, national and religious dimensions. In recent years the religious dimension seems to have taken prominence as fundamentalism, Muslim and Jewish, has risen, and the conflict has been described in religious terms manifested, among other things, in the conflict over the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif. The local developments are influenced also by regional developments like the rise of the Islamic State, the Iranian quest for regional power, as well as the involvement of Christian Evangelical movements. The salience of religious discourse and the involvement of religious leaders in the conflict are significant to the present and future dynamics of the conflict and the potential for its resolution. The majority of scholars perceive the salience of religion as having a negative influence on the ability to resolve the conflict, if not the potential for dangerous escalation. Other scholars, however, suggest that religious dialogue has the potential to resolve the conflict and therefore should be part of the resolution process. This panel calls for papers that will examine different aspects of religious influence on the Arab-Israeli conflict and the potential for religious war and peace. These include the influence of religious ideology and identities, religious fundamentalism, religious dialogue and the impact of global religions.

2. ‘Religion and European Integration’, convened by Simona Guerra, gs219@leicester.ac.uk

Abstract: This panel invites paper proposal that would seek to examine why, when and how religion can use a Eurosceptic narrative. As stressed in the literature, comparative research on the involvement of religious actors across societies is quite infrequent. Anna Grzymala-Busse (2012) suggests that the role of religion itself is fundamental to examine identity, the state and institutional actors in comparative political studies. This is critical in the post-Communist region where the repression of the Churches from the Communist regime froze affiliations, but did not halt people’s beliefs. The process of democratization provided the opportunity to the Church to reorganize itself and fill the possible political vacuum left by the Communist regime; on one hand, at the EU level, religious communities opened their offices in Brussels, while on the other, at the domestic level, the rewriting of the past could trigger a new religious revival across the former communist region. Although Catholicism never represented a determinant factor impacting on negative attitudes the EU integration process, it could become a source for EU opposition and influence a Eurosceptic narrative in the religious public discourse.

3. 'Turkey-Originated Transnational Islamic Movements and Institutions', convened by Erdi Özturk, erdiozturk86@gmail.com, and Luca Ozzano, luca.ozzano@unito.it

Abstract: It is well known that political theory and practices have often been feeding each other. In other words, there are two ways of interaction between theory and praxis; either there is an existing practise and on its basis a theory is built, or there is a developed theory and the implementation of this theory takes place in life. In this respect, the last two decades of the twentieth century have witnessed the return of religion to the mainstream of political life in an array of settings around the world. Moreover, since almost two decades religion got brought into international relations by transnational actors. Furthermore, not only Christian- and Jewish-oriented, but also Islam-oriented transnational actors are playing a more and more prominent role in word politics. Although they are often seen in a pejorative way, as sources of conflict and violence, they are organising philanthropy, education and inter-cultural dialogue activities and also developing mainly in relation to the role of the diaspora communities. In this context, Turkey has a particularly favourable position among other Muslim-majority countries because of its Western relations, a developing economy, and a relatively high rate of young population. As a consequence, Turkey-originated Turkish Islam is rapidly spreading throughout the globe. This panel aims to discuss the main activities of Turkey originated transnational Islamic actors and movements (such as for example the Hizmet movement of Fethullah Gülen and the Milli Gorus). Moreover, we welcome contributions about the transnational dimension of state institutions, such as the Diyanet.

4. ‘Catholic Church and the Holy See: Empirical and theoretical perspectives on the biggest religious transnational actor in world affairs’, convened by Mariano Barbato, mariano.barbato@uni-passau.de

Abstract: While the papacy and the Catholic Church were a source of legitimacy at the beginning of the global European expansion, the emergence of the sovereign territorial state in the 16th and 17th century undermined papal and Catholic influence, and the secular nation state of 19th century seemed to annihilate it. Despite secularization processes, the 20th century saw a revival of the papacy that can be measured in dramatically increased numbers of diplomatic relations (with almost all states and international organisations) and an equally dramatically increased numbers of faithful (the global number of Catholics went beyond the one-billion-threshold). Now the church and the pope are one of the biggest and most powerful transnational actors at the intersection of a global public sphere and the international world of states. The panel welcomes papers that address the papacy and the Catholic Church as a case study from various perspectives of International Relations with either a more theoretical or more empirical interest. Papacy and Catholic actors played a role at the beginning and at the end of colonial empires and the Cold War, at peace settlements, reconciliation processes but also by legitimising resistance and war. They were engaged in the spread of norms from social justice to sexual behaviour, at times supporting and at times challenging liberal cosmopolitanism and capitalism. While Catholicism lost influence in home regions, itgained new grounds elsewhere thereby engaging with other religions and world views in intercultural and interreligious dialogue but also defending its stance and facing persecution. Accepting religious freedom as a virtue only since the second half of the 20th century, it turned into one of the loudest advocates of religious freedom. Studies of the papacy and the Catholic Church can help to conceptualize the notion of the Transnational as ascribed to an actor but also to a community. They can serve as a transnational case study in the field of Sociology of International Relations with a particular focus on historical sociology of international relation. A focus on the institution and bureaucracy can analyse how the biggest transnational actor organizes itself. They can explain how a transnational practice can work and how it constitutes (soft) power, how religious actors resist the process of secularization, and how they manage keep or re-gain political influence in a transnational world.

5. ‘What is a “War of Religion”?’, convened by Rodolfo Ragionieri, r.ragionieri@uniss.it and Debora Spini, deb.spini@gmail.com

Abstract: Theoretical and empirical research on war and conflict has substantially argued that war is a multicausal event. Howwever, war is always political: if we assume Hedley Bull's (or Norberto Bobbio's) definition of war as organised violence between political groups, this is a tautology. Thus, all wars labelled in history and contemporary politics as “wars of religion” have had a substantial political issue, like control of territory or decision about power within a state. As examples of typical wars of religion, we can bring respectively the insurrection in the Flanders and the civil war in France, both in the second half of the XVI century. However, how can we state when and whether religion is among the causes of a certain war? First of all, what does it mean that a belief system is a “cause of war”? We could argue that this happens when a belief system concurs to give shape to the identity, and thus to the subjective motivations of war, of at least one of the parties. As O'Cavanaugh puts it in his The Myth of Religious Violence (2009), “Historians generally acknowledge—as political theorists do not—that other factors besides religion were at work in the wars of religion: political, economic, and social factors. The question then becomes: what is the relative importance of the various factors? Are political, economic, and social factors important enough that we are no longer justifi ed in calling these wars 'of religion'?” This question does not refer obviously only to the wars usually labelled as “wars of religion”, but to any war where religious identity plays a role. I agree with Cavanaugh that it is impossible to separate strictly religion from other causes of wars, but I also think that this does not exclude religions from the causes themselves.

This panel aims at discussing the definition and the typology of this type of wars and the interplay, in this framework, of religion, identity, power and violence. Subjects could be: 1. Religion as a main cause of war (Hutchinson) vs. “the myth of religious violence” (O'Cavanaugh). 2. Are some religions more war-prone than others (e.g., Assman and monotheism)? 3. The role of religions in the constructions of non-negotiable identities 4. Defining a “religion war” with respect to war aims 5. Defining a “religion war” with respect to actor's identities 6. Typologies of “religion wars” .

27Oct

Call for Papers: Global Halal

14:59 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

Call for Papers

Global Halal

An International Conference on Muslims and the Cultural Politics of the Permissible

February 19-21, 2015

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Confirmed Keynote Speakers: Kecia Ali, John Esposito, Sherman Jackson, and Ingrid Mattson

Global Halal is an international conference organized by the Muslim Studies Program at Michigan State University in partnership with the UK-based Muslim, Trust and Cultural Dialogue Program. The conference topic addresses a range of cultural, economic and political concerns associated with the principle of halal, especially in relation to contemporary food, banking, and lifestyle. Often associated with Muslim dietary practices, the concept of halal applies to that which is permissible to Muslims and serves as one of the key ethical concepts in Islamic theological doctrines. Yet as with any religious principle, concepts like halal and its antithesis haram, are subject to interpretation and variation, especially in the contemporaryglobal era. Muslim practices today are conditioned by a wide-range of technological and contextual influences that raise many questions about what constitutes halal. While the term halal refers to all that is permitted, its specific associations with Islamic restrictions underscore the cultural politics of religious practices at a time of growing awareness among Muslims of the ethics of consumption, the diversity of cultural values, the changing nature of interpersonal relations, and the globalization of financial interactions.

In the majority Muslim regions of the world, halal is embedded in daily life, but it nevertheless raises other issues, for example in regard to the rights of non-Muslim minorities. In contexts where Islam is the minority religion, adaptations of daily practices have been historically necessary to the establishment of Muslim communities. With the growing number of Muslims in Europe and North America, there has been increased demand for halal options, especially with regard to the availability and marketing of halal meats, which has caused some controversy in the United States, Britain, France, among other countries. These controversies illustrate the centrality of the halal concept in contemporary discussions of Muslimness, national belonging and ethics.

This conference will provide a forum for exploring the principle of halal within a global context, emphasizing the complexities of the permissible and the impermissible (haram).

Please send abstracts in MS Word or PDF format to the organizers at the following addresses: hassans3@msu.edu and khalilmo@msu.edu.

Abstracts should be no more than 200 words, and should include a title, correspondence address, and institutional affiliation. Deadline for receipt of abstracts is 1 November 2014.

27Oct

CFP for Workshop on Migration, Transnationalism and Catholicism

14:53 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

CFP for Workshop on Migration, Transnationalism and Catholicism

Workshop date: 25 February 2015

Place: Middlesex University, London, UK

Deadline for abstracts: 15 November 2014

This workshop will explore the various ways in which contemporary international migration and transnationalism affect Catholicism both as practices and institutionally. The focus is on the diversity of ways in which international migration makes an impact: as individual faithful bring their religious practices to new contexts; as the faithful in immigrant societies relate to changes due to migration; and, with regard to transnational religious flows and exchanges within the Catholic Church. In relation to an exploration of the ways in which the practices of the faithful are affected by migration and transnationalism, it is also pertinent to ask, how Catholicism institutionally, whether in the Vatican, at bishop conference or diocese or parish level, is impacted by migration and transnationalism, and how the Catholic Church as an institution responds. The geographic scope of the theme is explicitly global, and perspectives beyond the Global South to Global North movement of migrants are necessary. Furthermore, the global religious landscape is also changing, and there are interesting comparisons to be drawn for example between the ways in which migration and transnationalism may affect Catholic and Pentecostal parishes as well as the individual faithful in particular geographic contexts.

Abstracts for papers on particular case-studies which illustrate dimensions of the diversity of ways in which migration and transnationalism are making their mark on Catholicism are welcome, whether focusing on individual or institutional perspectives globally, with a theological perspective, adopting a comparative approach between contexts or denominations or religions, and using qualitative or quantitative methods. There is no charge for the workshop but we are unable to offer any support for travel and accommodation.

Please send abstracts (200 words + title), together with your name, position, institutional affiliation and discipline to Dominic Pasura (d.pasura@mdx.ac.uk) and Marta Bivand Erdal (marta@prio.no) by 15 November 2014.

Decisions about selected abstracts will be communicated by 1 December 2014. All participants will be expected to submit full papers of 7 000 – 9 000 words, including references, no later than 15 February 2015.

27Oct

Call for Papers: Religion, Gender and Body Politics

14:33 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

Call for Papers: Religion, Gender and Body Politics Post-secular, post-colonial and queer perspectives

International conference on behalf of the international research project “Interdisciplinary Innovations in the Study of Religion and Gender: Postcolonial, Post-secular and Queer Perspectives”, at Utrecht University, The Netherlands, 12-14 February 2015.

Call for papers

At this conference we welcome contributions that:

· use theoretical approaches drawing from insights in post-secular, postcolonial, queer and gender theories, clarifying body practices as a contested site of religious and secular practices;

· either theoretically or empirically challenge the secular/religious and public/private binaries in understanding contemporary body politics;

· do not only explore expressions and accounts of ideal religious and secular practices and norms, but also their manifold articulations with all the lived ambiguities and ambivalences;

· suggest, imagine or develop innovative methodologies in order to understand the complex ways in which religious and secular identities are formed through bodily practices.

Moreover, at this conference we encourage an interdisciplinary approach, welcoming insights from, amongst others, gender studies, men and masculinity studies, disability studies, theology, religious studies, anthropology, history, literature, cultural studies and media studies.

Key-notes

Minoo Moallem, Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies, University of California, Berkeley Yvonne Sherwood, Professor of Biblical Studies and Politics, University of Kent Ulrike Auga, Professor of Theology and Gender Studies, Humboldt University, Berlin Scott Kugle, Associate Professor of South Asian and Islamic Studies, Emory University, Atlanta Sarojini Nadar, Professor of Gender and Religion, University of KwaZulu-Natal Please find the preliminary program with key-note lectures attached to this email and on our website: http://projectreligionandgender.org/programme

Practical Information

Panel sessions · Paper or panel proposals need to be submitted on the project website before 1 December 2014 (http://projectreligionandgender.org/submission). The conference organisation will inform all applicants about its decision before 15 December 2015.

· Individual paper proposals should include your name and institutional affiliation, the title of your paper and an abstract of max. 250 words.

· Besides individual papers it is also possible to submit proposals for a pre-arranged panel session of one and a half hour. A panel consists of maximum three to four paper presentations. Please provide the following information (max. 1.000 words): title of the panel session; name of the chair of the panel session; names, titles and abstracts of the papers.

Poster sessions · There is also the possibility to present your research via a poster presentation. Poster proposals need to be submitted on the project website before 1 December 2014 (http://projectreligionandgender.org/submission). The conference organisation will inform all applicants about its decision before 15 December 2015.

· Poster proposals should include your name and institutional affiliation, the title of your poster and an abstract of max. 100 words.

· During the ceremony on the second day (see programme), a prize of €200,- will be awarded for the best poster presentation.

Finances · The conference fee is €200,- and includes an annual membership of the International Association for the Interdisciplinary Study of Religion and Gender (IARG).

· For students or researchers with a low budget, we can provide a small reduction of the conference fee.

Contact · For more information you can contact the project assistant Jorien Copier (projectreligionandgender@gmail.com).

24Jul

Call for Book Chapters: Resistance versus promotion of globalization

16:20 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

Edited Book project – contributions needed for specific chapters:

Resistance versus promotion of globalization: contrasting roles of religious activism in the global economy

The study of religion in international relations has focused on the relationship between religion and modernity, the impact of religion on the secular state system, on both religious and secular violence, and on the role of religious actors in world politics. There is however an absence of inquiry into how religious social movements relate to global capitalism. This is surprising given that politics of austerity, flexibility and economic liberalisation have spread throughout the world further entrenching a global economy. The book will discuss the relationship of religion to global capitalism by taking a novel approach to the study of religious actors. Instead of taking an essentialist definition of religion as its starting point, the authors in the book utilise the close study of specific religious movements and investigate how they see neoliberal globalization. The book will thus show that religion is not an explanatory variable since there are religious social movements that promote and resist neoliberal globalization. Instead the book promotes a constructivist approach to the study of religion and employs concepts from the study of global social movements to study how religious activists frame global political economy questions.

For this book project to be more representative – I need a chapter on prosperity religion, if possible on the African continent, a study of the Hindutva movement, specifically its economic success in Gujarat (alongside its authoritarianism), and a study of indigenous thought developing on the American continent with notions such as buen vivir and a completely different conceptualisation of the role of an ‘economy’.

So far we have covered the Gülen movement, Ennahda in Tunisia, AKP in Turkey, the Interfaith initiative in Tanzania against mining regulations, US evangelical groups activism to prevent global climate change, religious groups in the occupy movement and World Social Forum. Interestingly enough, the Christian movements we covered are all opposing neoliberal globalization whereas the Islamic activists are promoting further integration into the global economy. But I do not want to have another chapter on the anti-capitalist Muslims in Turkey, they will be integrated in the general discussion of the Turkey/AKP chapter. The list also shows that we utilize a broad understanding of social movements.

We have received an informal expression of interest from a publisher but need a stronger proposal to actually submit this to a preliminary review. Your commitment would only be finalised once we have a positive feedback from the publisher. If this works out, a first, rough, draft of the chapter would have to be submitted within 9 months.

Please contact Sabine Dreher, Department of International Studies, Glendon College, sdreher@yorku.ca if you are interested in contributing to this project.

18Jun

Cfp: Diasporic and Migrant Identities

09:59 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

International Conference: "Diasporic and Migrant Identities: Social, Cultural, Political, Religious and Spiritual Aspects", Sarajevo, 23-24 April 2015

The conference will open up the floor for dialogue about diasporic and migrant identities of Balkan Muslims and also establish a network of scholars and researchers working on these issues.

Information http://www.iitb.ba/content/call-for-submission-of-papers-for-the-international-conference/297

18Jun

Cfp: Religion, Diversity and Governance

09:31 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

Religion, Diversity and Governance

Annual Conference of the Australian Association for the Study of Religion (AASR)

in partnership with the

Centre for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University

School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deakin University

Religion and Society Research Centre, University of Western Sydney

Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry, Australian Catholic University

Deakin University Melbourne City Centre Campus 3 - 5 December 2014

Keynote Speakers

Professor Lori Beaman, University of Ottawa Professor Gary D. Bouma, Monash University Professor Matthew Clarke, Deakin University Dr Cathy Byrne, Southern Cross University

Many countries, such as Australia, are becoming increasingly religiously diverse and, at the same time, non-religious. This has resulted in a re-thinking of the place of religion in late modernity and of what constitutes a secular society. These developments have also led scholars to devise frameworks for the management (Bouma 1995, 1999) or governance (Bader 2007) of religious diversity. This conference will explore the following research areas:

  • Religion and Education
  • Interreligious Relations
  • Religion and Gender
  • Religion and Sexuality
  • Spirituality
  • Indigenous Culture
  • Religion and Authority
  • Religion and Development
  • Religion and the Environment
  • Digital Religion
  • Religion and Philosophy
  • New Atheism

Call for papers

Please submit a 250 word abstract with your name, title, and affiliation to anna.halafoff@deakin.edu.au by June 30, 2014. Please indicate if you are a PhD student, and if so, at which University. We will consider abstracts on the above themes and also the wider field of religion research.

Participants will be notified whether their paper has been accepted or not by July 31, 2014.

Post-Graduate Essay Prizes

The AASR and Equinox both award a post-graduate prize of $500 to the two best abstracts submitted by PhD students to assist them to attend the conference. The winners' full papers will also be considered for publication in the AASR's Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, which is published by Equinox.

18Jun

Cfp: Explaining Nonreligion and Secularity in the US and Beyond

09:27 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

Nonreligion and Secularity Research Network - 3rd International Conference Call for Papers | 19-20 November 2014, Pitzer College, Claremont, CA

EXPLAINING NONRELIGION AND SECULARITY IN THE U.S. AND BEYOND Conveners: Ryan Cragun (ryantcragun@gmail.com), Christel Manning (manningc@sacredheart.edu), and Phil Zuckerman (phil_zuckerman@pitzer.edu)

Keynote speakers: Professor Darren Sherkat (Sociology, Southern Illinois University) Professor Lori Beaman (Classics and Religious Studies, University of Ottowa)

The study of nonreligion and secularity, long neglected by religion researchers, has recently become a growing field of inquiry. The NSRN is an international, interdisciplinary association of scholars from various fields (religious studies, sociology, anthropology, political science, psychology, history, etc.) who are interested in nonreligion, atheism, secularity, secularism, secularization – and related issues. Since the NSRN convened its first international conference in 2009 at the University of Oxford, UK, research and publications dealing with nonreligion and secularity have continued to increase and diversify. The third NSRN conference will reflect upon accumulated and newly emerging empirical work and focus attention on how these diverse phenomena can be explained. To what extent do they fit into existing theoretical frameworks, such as secularization theories, ‘desecularization’ theories and pluralist or ‘postsecular’ models? Do we need to refine these models, or even generate new theories altogether in order to understand the occurrence and nature of contemporary secular populations and nonreligious cultures?

The conference welcomes papers that further expand our understanding of nonreligion and secularity, including topics such as:

Theoretical development in the study of secularity and nonreligion The explosion of the so-called “Nones” in the United States in the last two decades Nonreligion and secularity in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East Cross-cultural comparisons/contrasts of nonreligion and secularity Secularism and politics in the USA and around the world Intersections of non-religion and secularity with race, class, and gender The varieties of nonreligious experience Typological development in the analysis of secular people and secular movements Neurological and emotional aspects of secularity Secularity and sexuality Prospects for the further development of secular studies Ritual and community within secular culture Secular-religious conflict and cooperation Apostasy and religious rejection

Abstracts for panels and presentations should be submitted to Ryan Cragun by 1 June 2014. Abstracts should be 250 words long and accompanied by a short biographical note.

Registration will open in April 2014. Full conference (includes all meals, does not include accommodations) is $155.

17Jun

Cfp: Global Halal

15:18 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

Global Halal

An International Conference on Muslims and the Cultural Politics of the Permissible

February 19-21, 2015

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Global Halal is an international conference organized by the Muslim Studies Program at Michigan State University in partnership with the UK-based Muslim, Trust and Cultural Dialogue Program. The conference topic addresses a range of cultural, economic and political concerns associated with the principle of halal, especially in relation to contemporary food, banking, and lifestyle. Often associated with Muslim dietary practices, the concept of halal applies to that which is permissible to Muslims and serves as one of the key ethical concepts in Islamic theological doctrines. Yet as with any religious principle, concepts like halal and its antithesis haram, are subject to interpretation and variation, especially in the contemporary global era. Muslim practices today are conditioned by a wide-range of technological and contextual influences that raise many questions about what constitutes halal. While the term halal refers to all that is permitted, its specific associations with Islamic restrictions underscore the cultural politics of religious practices at a time of growing awareness among Muslims of the ethics of consumption, the diversity of cultural values, the changing nature of interpersonal relations, and the globalization of financial interactions.

In the majority Muslim regions of the world, halal is embedded in daily life, but it nevertheless raises other issues, for example in regard to the rights of non-Muslim minorities. In contexts where Islam is the minority religion, adaptations of daily practices have been historically necessary to the establishment of Muslim communities. With the growing number of Muslims in Europe and North America, there has been increased demand for halal options, especially with regard to the availability and marketing of halal meats, which has caused some controversy in the United States, Britain, France, among other countries. These controversies illustrate the centrality of the halal concept in contemporary discussions of Muslimness, national belonging and ethics.

This conference will provide a forum for exploring the principle of halal within a global context, emphasizing the complexities of the permissible and the impermissible (haram).

Please send abstracts in MS Word or PDF format to the organizers at the following addresses: hassans3@msu.edu and khalilmo@msu.edu.

Abstracts should be no more than 200 words, and should include a title, correspondence address, and institutional affiliation. Deadline for receipt of abstracts is 1 November 2014.

15May

Cfp: SISP Conference - Panels on Religion and Politics

12:47 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

XVIII SISP ANNUAL CONFERENCE

UNIVERSITY OF PERUGIA – Department of Political Science - UNIVERSITY FOR FOREIGNERS OF PERUGIA - Department of Human and Social Studies

11 – 13 September 2014

Deadline for paper proposals: 15 May 2014

http://www.sisp.it/conference

Panels on Religion and Politics:

1) Religion and Political Parties (Luca Ozzano and Massimiliano Livi)

2) Religion and International Relations (Valter Coralluzzo)

3) Religion and Local Politics (Xabier Itzcaina and Alberta Giorgi)

4) Religion, Secularism and Politics in 21st Century Turkey (Luca Ozzano)

For more information on the section, see the website:

http://www.religione-politica.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=228:conferenza-sisp-sezione-politica-e-religione&catid=4:conferences&Itemid=4

08Apr

Cfp: Addressing the Asylum Crisis

11:50 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

CALL FOR PAPERS: Addressing the Asylum Crisis: Religious Contributions to Rethinking Protection in Global Politics

A British Council-sponsored workshop (Bridging Voices program)

University of Kent, Brussels School of International Studies, Brussels, 26th and 27th of June 2014

Deadline for abstract submission (250 words max): April 24, 2014

Convenors: Luca Mavelli (Kent) and Erin Wilson (Groningen)

We are organizing a British Council-sponsored workshop (Bridging Voices program) on ‘Addressing the Asylum Crisis: Religious Contributions to Rethinking Protection in Global Politics’. The workshop which will take place at the University of Kent, Brussels School of International Studies, Brussels on the 26th and 27th of June 2014.

This event will be the second of two transatlantic academic and policy dialogues (the first workshop will take place at Georgetown University, Washington DC, in May 2014) which aim to explore the current and potential future contribution of religious groups and traditions to addressing the asylum crisis and the development of policy strategies which may complement current modes of protection and asylum. In particular, the workshop aims to explore:

a. The role of religious traditions in promoting forms of solidarity that transcend state-centric approaches centred on border protection, legal rights and security. Are religious argumentations in the public sphere contributing to redefine the debate on migration? Is it possible to identify forms of convergence between different religions in their approach to the global migration crisis? Can religious approaches to migration promote inclusion, but also different forms of exclusion?

b. The role that religious organisations and institutions play in the global migration crisis. What are they approaches and how do they differ from state-centric approaches? To what extent do religious organisations fill gap left by states in the provision of asylum and protection? What are the existing forms of practice and cooperation between religious and secular organisations?

c. The crisis of secular modes of protection, based on logics of securitization, but also of profit, as witnessed by the proliferation of immigration detention centres run by private security firms. Is it the case, as Loïc Wacquant suggest, that multinational corporations are increasingly competing against ‘benevolent associations delivering services to the poor’? Can postsecular approaches to asylum act as a source of resistance against the pathologies of neoliberal modernisation?

The workshop will involve a selected group of scholars, policy makers, practitioners, and refugees with expertise and experience in religion, asylum, foreign policy, development and humanitarianism.

Among the confirmed speakers are: · John Milbank, Christian theologian and the Professor of Religion, Politics and Ethics at the University of Nottingham; · Alexander Betts, Director, Global Migration Governance project, University of Oxford · Katharina von Schnurbein, Adviser for the Dialogue with Churches, Religions and Philosophical and Non-Confessional organisations, European Commission; · Nava Hinrichs, Director, The Hague Process for Refugees and Migration · Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, Senior Research Officer at the University of Oxford and Research Fellow in Refugee Studies at Lady Margaret Hall. · Adrian Pabst, Senior Lecturer at the University of Kent · Sadia Kidwai, Policy and Research Analyst at Islamic Relief

We particularly welcome submissions from practitioners working with secular and faith-based NGOs in this sector, reflecting on the place of faith and spirituality.

PUBBLICATION OUTCOME: We are planning to publish the papers presented at the workshop in one special issue of an internationally recognised peer-reviewed journal or edited volume. In addition to academic publication outputs, we will produce a report and list of recommendations to be distributed to participants and interested stakeholders, as well as disseminating the findings of the two dialogues in a variety of media outlets including newspapers and blog posts.

Limited funding is available as a partial contribution to travel and accommodation expenses.

The deadline for abstract submission (250 words max) is April 24, 2014. Please send your abstract together with a short biographical note to Luca Mavelli (L.Mavelli@kent.ac.uk) and Erin Wilson (e.k.wilson@rug.nl).

08Apr

Conference: Explaining Nonreligion and Secularity in the US and beyond

10:54 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

NONRELIGION AND SECULARITY RESEARCH NETWORK

3rd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Call for Papers| 19-20 November 2014, Pitzer College, Claremont, CA

EXPLAINING NONRELIGION AND SECULARITY

IN THE U.S. AND BEYOND

Conveners: Ryan Cragun (ryantcragun@gmail.com), Christel Manning (manningc@sacredheart.edu), and Phil Zuckerman (phil_zuckerman@pitzer.edu)

Keynote speakers:

Professor Darren Sherkat (Sociology, Southern Illinois University)

Professor Lori Beaman (Classics and Religious Studies, University of Ottowa)

The study of nonreligion and secularity, long neglected by religion researchers, has recently become a growing field of inquiry. The NSRN is an international, interdisciplinary association of scholars from various fields (religious studies, sociology, anthropology, political science, psychology, history, etc.) who are interested in nonreligion, atheism, secularity, secularism, secularization – and related issues. Since the NSRN convened its first international conference in 2009 at the University of Oxford, UK, research and publications dealing with nonreligion and secularity have continued to increase and diversify. The third NSRN conference will reflect upon accumulated and newly emerging empirical work and focus attention on how these diverse phenomena can be explained. To what extent do they fit into existing theoretical frameworks, such as secularization theories, ‘desecularization’ theories and pluralist or ‘postsecular’ models? Do we need to refine these models, or even generate new theories altogether in order to understand the occurrence and nature of contemporary secular populations and nonreligious cultures?

The conference welcomes papers that further expand our understanding of nonreligion and secularity, including topics such as:

· Theoretical development in the study of secularity and nonreligion

· The explosion of the so-called “Nones” in the United States in the last two decades

· Nonreligion and secularity in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East

· Cross-cultural comparisons/contrasts of nonreligion and secularity

· Secularism and politics in the USA and around the world

· Intersections of non-religion and secularity with race, class, and gender

· The varieties of nonreligious experience

· Typological development in the analysis of secular people and secular movements

· Neurological and emotional aspects of secularity

· Secularity and sexuality

· Prospects for the further development of secular studies

· Ritual and community within secular culture

· Secular-religious conflict and cooperation

· Apostasy and religious rejection

Abstracts for panels and presentations should be submitted to Ryan Cragun at ryantcragun@gmail.com by 1 June 2014. Abstracts should be 250 words long and accompanied by a short biographical note.

Registration will open in April 2012. Full conference (includes all meals, does not include accommodations) is $155.

14Feb

Cfp: Rethinking Political Catholicism

11:06 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

Call for Papers - Rethinking Political Catholicism: Empirical and Normative Perspectives Rethinking Political Catholicism

International Conference John Cabot University Rome, May 22-23, 2014

Call for Papers

Although the study of religion and politics has blossomed over the past decade, the normative debates over the appropriate place of religion in modern democracies often remain divorced from the study of the actual practices and meanings of religion in these democracies. Consequently, many new normative concepts and arguments have not filtered down to the empirical study of religion, while normative debates are often inadequately informed by the empirical realities of contemporary religious practices and beliefs.

Rethinking Political Catholicism aims to bridge this divide by focusing on the fertile case of political Catholicism in Italy. Empirically, the conference aims to take stock of political Catholicism in Italy today, compare it with Catholic and Muslim politics elsewhere, and use contemporary theoretical and normative insights to better understand its post-secular dynamics. Normatively, the conference aims to evaluate the practices of contemporary political Catholicism in Italy and elsewhere, and thus contribute to developing a more sophisticated debate about the proper roles of religious politics in contemporary democracies.

The empirical papers of the conference are invited to analyse the project and impact of political Catholicism in Italy and elsewhere today. Suggested themes include the following.

Current Catholic political groups, claims, or activism, in Italy or elsewhere; The normative meaning and grounds of ‘political Catholicism’; Catholic analyses of contemporary political issues; New challenges posed by Catholic political thought and practice to liberal democratic theory; The significant of the church-state relationship in Italy for theories of post-secularism; Comparisons with recent trends in Islamic political thought and practice.

Normative contributions to the conference are instead invited to consider such themes as the following:

Current Catholic political groups, claims, or activism, in Italy or elsewhere; The normative meaning and grounds of ‘political Catholicism’; Catholic analyses of contemporary political issues; New challenges posed by Catholic political thought and practice to liberal democratic theory; The significant of the church-state relationship in Italy for theories of post-secularism; Comparisons with recent trends in Islamic political thought and practice.

The working language of the conference will be English, and a collection of papers based on the conference will also be published.

The conference is part of the John Cabot University Summer Institute for Religion and Global Politics (May 19-June 20, 2014).

Confirmed speakers:

Paola Bernardini (Contending Modernities Project) Luca Diotallevi (Roma Tre) Agostino Giovagnoli (Cattolica, Milan) Paul Weithman (Notre Dame)

Submission guidelines

A 500-word abstract, of a paper suitable for presentation in 20 minutes, should be sent by March 15, 2014, to the organizers, Tom Bailey (tbailey@johncabot.edu) and Michael Driessen (mdriessen@johncabot.edu). Notice of acceptance will be provided by March 22.

Selected papers will be considered for publication in a collected volume.

Registration fee (includes lunches and refreshments): Faculty € 50, Students € 25

The conference is funded by John Cabot University.

05Feb

Cfp: The Politics and Poetics of Managing Tourism in Sacred Cities

16:52 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

Call for Papers for a Special Session:

The Politics and Poetics of Managing Tourism in Sacred Cities

Amos S. Ron - Ashkelon Academic College, Israel Daniel H. Olsen - Brandon University, Canada

RGS-IBG Annual International Conference 2014

26 to 29 August 2014, at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in London

Sacred cities are one of the oldest and most prevalent forms of urban organization and can be found in several cultures and locations throughout human history. Cities such as Varanasi, Lourdes, Mecca, Lalibela and Jerusalem have long attracted pilgrims, merchants, and other tourists. However, although there has been much written on sacred cities from various disciplines, such as comparative religion (e.g. Diana Eck on Varanasi), history (e.g. Ruth Harris on Lourdes) and anthropology (e.g. Abdellah Hammoudi on Mecca), very little has been written by geographers and tourism scholars. Furthermore, in studies on sacred cities the focus has been descriptive and case study-oriented with little focus on the management of pilgrimage and other forms of tourism.

This session therefore aims to bring together a range of papers that examine sacred cities from various theoretical, methodological and practical perspectives, in different historical, cultural and geographical contexts with a focus on tourism management. Submissions can be case study oriented, comparative or conceptual, and may address, but are not be limited to, the following areas:

  • The history of sacred site management
  • Challenges, problems and solutions in management of sacred destinations
  • Modern mass tourism to ancient sacred cities
  • Modernity, technology and visiting the sacred
  • Contested spaces in sacred cities
  • Sustainable development of sacred cities
  • Commodification in sacred cities
  • The resilience of sacred cities
  • The shared characteristics of sacred cities
  • Patterns of globalization in sacred cities
  • Spatial patterns of beggars and begging in sacred cities

Abstracts (max. 250 words) should be submitted by Sunday 23 February, 2014. For more details, and to submit an abstract, please contact:

Dr. Amos S. Ron, Department of Tourism and Leisure Studies, Ashkelon Academic College, Ashkelon, Israel: amosron@gmail.com

Dr. Daniel H. Olsen, Department of Geography, Brandon University, Brandon, Manitoba, Canada: olsend@brandonu.ca

05Feb

Cfp: Moderation and its Discontents

16:50 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

Moderation and its Discontents: religion, rights and social justice

Organiser: Dr Alexander Smith Department of Sociology, University of Warwick

Monday, 23 June - Wednesday, 25 June 2014

Keynote speakers Professor Bob Antonio (Sociology, University of Kansas) Professor Danielle Allen (Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton) Professor John Holmwood (Sociology, University of Nottingham) Dr Rowan Williams (ex-Archbishop of Canterbury)

Workshop With the rise of neoliberal globalisation in the early 21st Century, the world is undergoing complex and rapid economic and political transformations. The apparent arrival of a 'post-secular' moment in the West, in which religion has re-entered the public square in multicultural liberal democracies like Britain and further unsettled debates about rights, secularism and 'truth', further signals a world 'in flux'. The threat of both 'home-grown' terrorism and racist violence, as witnessed last year with the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich and Pavlo Lapshyn's attempted bombings of mosques in the West Midlands, intensifies again these anxieties and uncertainties. This has prompted some now to argue for a project of moderation to mitigate the effects of crisis and indeterminacy associated with market-based policies and the so-called 'culture wars' they have provoked. Indeed, moderation has been fiercely argued in relation to combating Islamic extremism and finding an enduring peace in the Middle East. It has also been the subject of US debate in relation to issues of electoral polarisation and Church-State separation.

But what does 'moderation' actually mean? And what might a reasoned project of moderation look like - intellectually, politically and in practice? This interdisciplinary workshop builds on the arguments of Alex Smith and John Holmwood in their edited volume Sociologies of Moderation: problems of democracy, expertise and the media (2013, Wiley Blackwell) to suggest that moderation is better understood as a disciplined engagement with divided publics rather than a doctrine devoid of intellectual commitment or moral courage. Papers are therefore invited from scholars working in any field of the arts, humanities and social sciences on issues relating to the conference theme. Working with an expanded definition of moderation, contributions on the following topics would be particularly welcome:

  • Democracy, multiculturalism and interfaith dialogue
  • Citizenship, human rights and social justice
  • Education, expertise and the media
  • Publics versus markets
  • Pragmatism and social theory
  • Religion, secularism and science

Please send abstracts to Dr Alexander Smith at alexander.smith@warwick.ac.uk no later than 17.00 on Friday, 7 February 2014. Those selected to give papers will be informed by the end of February. Abstracts should be no longer than 250 words and should be attached as a Word document with your institutional affiliation and position.

05Feb

Cfp: Social Science History Association Religion Network

16:46 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

Call for Papers: Social Science History Association Religion Network

Social Science History Association 2014 Annual Conference Toronto, Ontario, Canada, November 6-9, 2014 Conference Theme: "Inequalities: Politics, Policy, and the Past"

SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 14, 2014

The Religion Network of the Social Science History Association invites proposals for papers, panels, and book sessions for the 39th annual meeting of the Social Science History Association in Toronto, Ontario, November 6-9, 2014. We also are looking for volunteers to serve as panel chairs and discussants.

The SSHA is the leading interdisciplinary association for historical research in the US, providing a stimulating venue for explorations of how social processes unfold over time. The Religion Network serves as the home within the organization for scholars interested in religious history, religious mobilization, religious change, and religion's effect on social and political processes. Our network is interdisciplinary and cross-national in scope, and embraces all scholarship that examines how religion intersects with other social processes in historical perspective.

We encourage the participation of graduate students and recent PhDs as well as more established scholars from a wide range of disciplines and departments. Graduate students are eligible to apply for financial support to attend the annual meeting (see http://www.ssha.org/grants). Further details about the association, the 2014 annual meeting, and the call for proposals are available on the SSHA website: www.ssha.org.

The deadline for paper and/or panel submissions is February 14th, 2014.

We welcome and encourage papers and panel proposals on a wide array of issues related to the historical study of religion and religious movements. While complete panel proposals (consisting of 4-5 individual papers, a chair, and a discussant) are preferred, we also seek out high-quality individual paper submissions. Panels and papers may address the topics below, or any other relevant and related topic examining religion in a historical context:

  • Religion and Policy Development
  • Church/State Relations
  • Religion and Social Inequality
  • Religion and Politics
  • Religion and Social Movements
  • Religion and Law
  • Religion, Migration, and Identity
  • Religion and Nationalism
  • Secularization and Secularism
  • Religion and Empire
  • Missionaries and Social Change
  • Religion and Space

Please use the SSHA's web conference management system to submit your papers and panel proposals. Paper title, brief abstract, and contact information should be submitted on the site http://conference.ssha.org/.

Damon Mayrl (dmayrl@clio.uc3m.es) Sam Nelson (scnelson0@gmail.com) SSHA Religion Network Representatives

05Feb

Cfp: Muslims in UK and Europe

16:42 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

"Muslims in UK and Europe" Postgraduate Symposium, University of Cambridge, 17-18 May 2014 Organised by the Centre of Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge Centre of Islamic Studies invites applications from current Masters and PhD candidates to present their research on issues pertaining to Muslims in the UK and Europe, from any discipline. The postgraduate symposium, taking place over 17-18 May 2014, will be a platform for students to present and exchange current research on any topic in this field in a lively and dynamic forum. The symposium will take place at The Moller Centre, Cambridge. All travel and accommodation expenses will be covered by the Centre of Islamic Studies.

To apply please submit a 500-word abstract, with curriculum vitae outlining current research interests, to cis@cis.cam.ac.uk by *14 February 2014*.

Successful candidates will be notified by 28 February 2014 and invited to submit draft papers of no more than 5000 words by 10 May 2014.

For further information, please contact cis@cis.cam.ac.uk

For more information about the Centre of Islamic Studies please visit: www.cis.cam.ac.uk

05Feb

Conference: Missio Dei? Evangelicalism and the New Politics

16:40 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

Missio Dei? Evangelicalism and the New Politics

University of Chester, Hollybank

12th June, 2014, 10.00 – 4.00 pm

2nd Call for Papers – Deadline March 31st 2014

Aim and Context

The aim of this conference is to facilitate a space whereby the innovative mission, praxis and ecclesiologies of evangelical Christianity (including inner-urban areas and including Pentecostal and charismatic contributions) is enabled to enter into dialogue with emerging themes within contemporary Evangelical theology including new understandings of the concepts of Missio Dei, Kingdom of God, Incarnation, Atonement and Trinity.

The overall trajectory observable in many disciplines outside systematic theology (especially sociology of religion and human geography and public policy) suggests a shift within the evangelical Christian communities towards more activist and holistic models of mission, which are also characterised by a willingness to experiment in new ways of ‘being church’. There are also shifts in a different direction where instead of forms of rapprochement with the public sphere, a certain bifurcation emerges as a response to the new complexity and plurality of the public space. It is fair to say that both trajectories within contemporary British Evangelicalism (including Pentecostalism and Charismatic traditions) are having an increasing strategic impact on the political and social fabric of British society and public policy.

This conference will represent a unique opportunity to track and debate this shift at both theological and missional/ecclesiological levels, as well as from perspectives that lie outside the Christian tradition. Relevant perspectives or ‘lenses’ by which to track these shifts include doctoral level research from urban and missional practitioners within contemporary British evangelicalism, systematic and practical theologians and interdisciplinary perspectives. The event concludes with a public lecture by Revd Steve Chalke MBE and Founder of Oasis Trust on the theme of The Progressive Power of Religion in the Public Sphere from within the framework of a contemporary evangelical perspective. This lecture will be open to both conference delegates and the wider public.

Although emerging primarily from a British context, papers are welcomed from other contexts and situations outside the UKwhich reflect the ongoing and dialectical relationship between evangelicalism (including Pentecostalism and Charismatic experience), urbanisation, culture and politics.

Structure

The conference will feature 3 keynote lectures of 30 minutes reflecting the three perspectives of the conference:

Practitioner - Krish Kandiah, Evangelical Alliance;

Theology - Dr Stephen Holmes, University of St Andrews;

Sociology of Religion/Public Policy – Dr Anna Strhan, University of Kent

In between these lectures will be parallel paper sessions which further reflect on the theme of Missio Dei – Evangelicalism and the New Politics from the following perspectives: a missional/urban/ practitioner/integral mission strand; a theological strand; and a sociology of religion/public policy strand.

Central to the aims and outcomes of the conference will be papers on:

· New directions in evangelical theology

· New emphases in doctrine and biblical theology including Missio Dei, Kingdom of God, Incarnation, Trinity, atonement, Holy Spirit

· Influence of evangelicalism on politics – both past and present

· Spectrums within Evangelical practice, belief and ecclesiology

· Cutting edge issues within evangelicalism

· Role of evangelical worship and ecclesial/political formation

· Evangelicalism, politics and integral mission

· Emerging church and emerging Christianity

· New expression of urban mission and evangelical identity

· Black majority churches and the public sphere

· Charismatic churches and the public sphere

· Quantitative measurement of evangelicalism and its social impact

· Post evangelicalism and the new politics

· Evangelicalism and culture

· Evangelical/post evangelical geographies of religion

Call for Papers

For this call we are looking for 20 minute papers that respond to any of the above themes and can be accommodated into one of the disciplinary strands outlined above. This is a second call for papers – deadline for submission: March 31st, 2014.

Some papers from non-UK contexts on the themes of the conference will be welcomed. Please send an abstract of ca. 250 - 300 words to Dr Chris Baker (chris.baker@chester.ac.uk) or Dr Ben Fulford (b.fulford@chester.ac.uk)

Registration and enquiries

Please register by the 30th May, 2014. Secure online registration is available at:

http://storefront.chester.ac.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=289&zenid=npral1rnoj5jk7svqv28tccf65

For any enquiries, please contact Carly McEvoy: c.mcevoy@chester.ac.uk +44 1244 511031

Please visit http://www.chester.ac.uk/find-us and click ‘Chester Campus’ for travel and location instructions

05Feb

Conference: Society for the Scientific Study of Religion

16:38 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

2014 Annual Meeting Call for Papers

Society for the Scientific Study of Religion

October 31-November 2, 2014

JW Marriott, Indianapolis, Indiana

Building Bridges

SSSR's current web site notes:

The Society for the Scientific Study of Religion was founded in 1949 by scholars in religion and social science. Its purpose is to stimulate and communicate significant scientific research on religious institutions and religious experience. Scholars from all fields of study who are interested in the scientific exploration of religion are invited to join the Society. Membership in the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion gives scholars the opportunity to share their research and ideas with other scholars.

Our theme for the 2014 conference is “Building Bridges” between all those interested in the study of religion. This includes any disciplines that focus upon the study of religion as well as scholars from the widest possible geographical and cultural areas. Our intent is to build bridges between disciplines and cultures that have become isolated and communicate only among themselves and not to others with similar interests but from different perspectives. Suggestions for contributions include:

· the study of religion in diverse cultures and regions (Eastern, Central Europe, Asia, South America, etc.)

· the study of religion within diverse faith traditions (Islam, Christianity, Paganism, NRMs, etc.)

· inter-disciplinary studies of religion (religious studies & the social and behavioral sciences, etc.)

· new disciplines that study religion (cognitive science, evolutionary psychology, etc.)

· methodology interaction in the study of religion (quantitative, qualitative, creative, etc.)

· the study of non-belief and atheism

All session and paper proposals must be submitted via the on-line submission system that will be available on the SSSR’s web site, http://www.sssrweb.org. In addition to the session proposer’s full contact information, a session proposal requires a session title and an abstract of not more than 150 words describing the goal of the session and how the proposer expects the session to contribute to scientific knowledge about religion. Individual paper proposals require the name(s) of the author(s), first author’s full contact information, an abstract of not more than 150 words that succinctly describes the question(s) motivating the research, the data and methods used, and what the paper contributes or expects to contribute to the knowledge or understanding of religion. PLEASE NOTE NEW POLICY ON PREREGISTRATION OUTLINED BELOW.

Submissions Open: February 03, 2014 (see http://www.sssrweb.org)

Submissions Close: March 31, 2014

Decision Notification: April 30, 2014

In 2014, the SSSR/RRA Annual Meeting will require all program participants to preregister for the meeting, and to pay the non-refundable fees, by May 31, 2014. For submitted papers, the presenting author must pre-register, although co-authors not attending the meeting are not required to do so. For submitted sessions, the organizer and all presenters must pre-register and pre-pay. Online registration will open immediately after decision notifications are emailed. Those presenters and organizers who do not preregister will be dropped from the program.

Please direct questions to: Ralph Hood (UTC), Program Chair (Ralph-Hood@utc.edu)

Co-chair for Asia-Pacific region: Alphia Possamai-Inesedy (Alphia.Possamai@uws.edu.au)

Co-Chair for Western, Central, and Eastern Europe: Elisabeth Arweck (Elisabeth.arweck@warwick.ac.uk)

Special assistant for developing sessions on Islam: Besheer Mohamed (BMohamed@PewResearch.org)

Graduate Student Representative: Christopher F. Silver (Christopher-Silver@utc.edu)

22Nov

Cfp: International Society for Media, Religion and Culture

15:14 - By Administrator - Calls for papers

Call for Papers International Society for Media, Religion and Culture 4-6 August 2014 / post-conference workshop 7 August 2014

Over the past decade the study of media, religion and culture has broadened out from interests in media representation to thinking about the religious uses and aesthetics of media, the significance of media for religion in public life, and the role of media technologies for new forms of religious life and practice.

Building on this, the biannual conference of the International Society for Media, Religion and Culture will explore how we can understand societies in which much public encounter with religion takes place through media and in which religious life takes place through a multiplicity of mediated practices and networks. It will explore questions such as what difference do media content, aesthetics, technologies and networks make to the ways in which religion is understood and practiced? And how do we understand the nature of power in relation to these mediated networks and practices?

Keynote speakers will include Professor Jonathan Walton (Harvard), author of Watch This! The Ethics and Aesthetics of Black Televangelism, Associate Professor Kathryn Lofton(Yale), author of Oprah: The Gospel of an Icon, with an address also given by the inaugural President of the Society, Professor Stewart Hoover (Colorado).

Key information about the conference, including the call for papers which is open until 3 December 2013, registration and accommodation details and the conference programme, is available here. If you have any queries about the conference which are not answered in the information below then please email IMRC 2014.

We are accepting paper proposals of up to 350 words; panel proposals (which must include paper titles, 150 word abstracts for each paper, and names and titles of four participants plus a moderator/respondent); and proposals for exhibitions and/or workshops of up to 350 words. Sessions will be 1½ hours in length.

Some of the questions that may be addressed in paper, panel, workshop, or exhibition proposals include:

- The role of media in shaping religious and cultural understandings - Emergent networks of meaning, religion, and power - Theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of religion and media - The role of religious and humanitarian organizations in cross-national justice and media initiatives - Media and human rights - Media, religion, and authority - Religious conflict and media representation - Religion and film - Growing up multi-cultural and multi-religious in a mediated world - Religion, globalization and cosmopolitanism - The role of media in the emergence of global religious and cultural movements - Diasporic media and transnational religious communities - Media, religion and global politics - The mediatization of religion - Religion, media, and the global marketplace

Proposals should be sent to Professor Lynn Schofield Clark, University of Denver (Lynn.Clark@du.edu) by 3 December 2013. Notification of acceptances will be sent out from 15th January 2014.

- page 2 of 5 -