IPSA RC 43 - Religion and Politics

Christianity and World Affairs: Building Blocks for an International Order Where Justice and Peace Embrace

Second Amsterdam Kuyper Seminar

23 & 24 January, 2014

Aurorazaal, Hoofdgebouw Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1105, Amsterdam

Contact: prof. dr. Govert Buijs (VU-Amsterdam) g.j.buijs@vu.nl

Theme

Our world becomes smaller and more interconnected. At the same time, people start to behave much more on a national or regional basis. The interests at stake are huge: the world faces climate change, territorial conflicts over scarce resources, the spread of nuclear weapons, poverty and terrorism. States become more intertwined with one another, with overlaps on the transnational, regional and international levels. Next to this the “international community” is no longer the exclusive domain of states but embraces various non-state actors – especially civil society groups – that help shape and influence the direction of international law, international relations and international politics. Terms such as global society, world politics, transnational civil society are used to give an adequate description of these developments. All these changes mean a lot for the way in which NGOs, diplomats, and heads of state have to operate in the world.

Challenges for academic research and debate

How can these challenges be addressed? What concepts, images or ‘theories’ do we use to understand and explain international affairs? Are our assumptions about the world of the twenty-first century still adequate? What can we learn from the Christian tradition in this respect? This seminar Christianity and World Affairs brings together colleagues from all over the world that are interested in the relationship between Christianity and international affairs.

Papers

We would like to invite papers, esp. from young scholars and from people who are engaged in international affairs, on the following subthemes: European integration, development cooperation, human rights, global civil society, international law, foreign policy, defense, international politics, peace building, political economy, globalization, international relations theory and Christian democracy. As international relations often are an interdisciplinary affair, contributions from various disciplines are invited such as political science, history, development studies, international economics, anthropology, theology, philosophy, and others.

Paper proposals (approximately 500 words) should be sent to g.j.buijs@vu.nl by October 1, 2013. You will be notified of acceptance before October 15. The language of the conference will be English.

Religion in International Relations Theory. Interactions and Possibilities

By Nukhet Sandal, Jonathan Fox

Published 16th May 2013 by Routledge – 228 pages

Series: Routledge Studies in Religion and Politics

There is a growing realization among international relations scholars and practitioners that religion is a critical factor in global politics. The Iranian Revolution, the September 11 attacks, the ethno-religious conflicts such as the ones in the former Yugoslavia and Sri Lanka are among the many reasons for this increased focus on religion in international affairs. The rise of religious political parties across the world ranging from the Christian Democrats in Europe to Bharatiya Janata Party in India similarly illustrated religion's heightened international profile.

Despite all this attention, it is challenging to situate religion within a discipline which has been dominantly secular from its inception. Only a few existent works have ventured to integrate religion into core international relations theories such as Classical Realism, Neorealism, Neoliberalism, Constructivism and the English school. This work is the first systematic attempt to comparatively assess the place of religion in the aforementioned theoretical strands of international relations with contemporary examples from around the world.

Written in an accessible and systematic fashion, this book will be an important addition to the fields of both religion and international relations.

Nukhet A. Sandal is Assistant Professor in the Political Science Department at Ohio University.

Jonathan Fox is Professor in the Department of Political Studies at Bar Ilan University, Israel.

ISA World Congress – Yokohama 2014

Religion and Social Inequality

Program Coordinators

· James V. SPICKARD, University of Redlands, USA, jim_spickard@redlands.edu

· Esmeralda SANCHEZ, University of Santo Tomas, Philippines, emysanchez2001@yahoo.com

Call for Papers for RC 22 Open Session

Please find the list of sessions and submit your paper proposal directly to the ISA at:

http://www.isa-sociology.org/congress2014/rc/rc.php?n=RC22

AND ALSO

send a copy to the session organizer(s)

On-line abstracts submission

Deadline: September 30, 2013 24:00 GMT.

CALL FOR PAPERS

Inform (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements) Anniversary Conference MINORITY RELIGIONS: CONTEMPLATING THE PAST AND ANTICIPATING THE FUTURE

London School of Economics, London, UK

Friday 31st January 2014 – Sunday 2nd February 2014

Inform is celebrating over a quarter of a century of providing up-to-date and unbiased information about minority religions with an Anniversary Conference at the London School of Economics in London, UK. It will commence on the evening of Friday 31st January and continue over the weekend of February 1st and 2nd.

Submissions for papers (maximum 200 word abstract and 150 word CV) on topics relevant to the title of the conference are now being accepted, please send these to inform@lse.ac.uk. The deadline for papers is 1st October 2013, with decisions by 1st November 2013. Unfortunately no subsidies can be offered to participants, who will be responsible for making their own arrangements for accommodation.

Registration will open on 1st November 2013.

The Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore is now inviting applications for the various research fellowships:

- Research Fellowships/Senior Research Fellowships - One-Year Visiting Research Fellowships/Senior Research Fellowships - Postdoctoral Fellowships - Three-Month Visiting Senior Research Fellowships

More details about the fellowships and their application procedures can be found on the ARI website at: http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/article_view.asp?id=6.

Applications will close on 1 September 2013. For enquiries, email joinari@nus.edu.sg.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS FOR BOOK CHAPTER DUE 25 MAY-

Call for Articles

2014 Volume of Religion and the Social Order

edited by the Association for the Sociology of Religion (ASR) in cooperation with the ESA RN Sociology of Religion

Religion in Times of Crisis

Editors:

Gladys Ganiel (Dublin-Belfast/Ireland)

Christophe Monnot (Lausanne/ Switzerland)

Heidemarie Winkel (Potsdam/Germany)

ASR Book Series

Religion and the Social Order

series edited by William H. Swatos, Jr.

Particularly papers are welcomed that discuss the following topics:

● Studies dealing with religion in crisis, i.e. the way religious traditions such as Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and the like – re-structure their organizations, beliefs, and practices and adopt, negotiate or resist processes of modernization, secularization and disenchantment.

● Studies dealing with the ways religion provides answers to existential crisis and, particularly, the crisis of modernity – i.e. how and why Islam, Christianity and other religious-spiritual groups formulate a critique of and alternative to modern science, capitalism, mass-consumption and individualism.

● Studies dealing with the way crisis increases the salience of religious identities and cultural polarization, i.e., in what particular ways religion gives meaning in everyday life and if, how and why religious identity-formations induce processes of inclusion and exclusion; social cohesion and religious conflict.

● Studies focusing on the way religion changes the modern world in Europe and beyond, i.e., how rapid social changes motivate the appeal and popularity of religion and if, how and why such religions transform private and public domains in Europe.

Instructions to authors and deadlines:

Please submit an outline abstract of 750-800 words (plus bibliographical indications; in .doc, .rtf or .pdf format) by 25th May 2013 to each editor (gganiel@tcd.ie; christophe.monnot@unil.ch; hwinkel@uni-potsdam.de) outlining the following:

• Title of proposed paper

• Contributing author/s and contact details

• Significance and importance of the research question

• Key concepts, research framework, aim and methodology

If provisionally accepted, full articles are to be submitted by 1st October 2013 for review in line with ASR policy. All contributors to the volume must be members of ASR and ESA’s Sociology of Religion Research Network. Submission of an abstract does not guarantee publication and no payment shall be received upon publication. Each contributor shall receive one copy of the publication.

The Turkish Journal of Politics has recently published a new issue about politics of minority and secularism.

Please find below the topics of interests and join us at http://tjp.fatih.edu.tr/

Turkish Journal of Politics - Winter 2012

Citizens' Perceptions of Left-Right Ideologies in Finland

The Kurdish Question and Social Theorization: The Way to Resolution

Towards a Muslim Secularism? An Islamic `Twin Tolerations' Understanding of Religion in the Public Sphere

Minority Groups: Bridgeheads in Nigerian Politics,1950s – 1964

Challenging the Leviathan? China and the Imperative of Empire in Africa

Transatlantic Security Partnership: The Nixon and Reagan Era

A Shift of Axis in Turkish Foreign Policy or A Marketing Strategy? Turkey's Uses of Its `Uniqueness' vis-à-vis the West/Europe

Faith-Based Participation in Civil Societies Call for papers - Consultative Workshop

Contrary to some expectations, on-going secularization in European societies has not led to a disappearance of religion. In many contexts religions are being rediscovered as tools of social cohesion and resources for social commitment According to Jose Casanova it is exactly the civil society (and not the sphere of politics) that can serve as the arena in which religions can have the opportunity to have a public presence. Religious communities in Europe, especially Christian Churches and Muslim communities can make their contribution in this arena drawing upon their different traditions for establishment of a common ground and society for all. This is also true for Christian and Muslim believers who through faith-based activism foster better understanding among different groups and call for joint actions.

Longstanding presence of faith-based Christian initiatives in the Western European countries is definitely a place from which to start and learn. Additionally with societal changes and immigration the Muslim communities are today increasingly striving not only for their own interests but for the common good, although not without hurdles and barriers. While in Germany Muslims aim strongly at a formal recognition by the State, in the UK a process of informal partnerships and participation within civil society stands more in the foreground. In Bosnia and Herzegovina there has been a long experience of coexistence of different faiths but a historic and cultural developments were such that today the civil society is still in the process of formation, and even more so in terms of faith based organizations (FBOs). A presence of "European Islam" in BiH which since the Ottoman and Habsburg periods has been strongly associated with the State is also an interesting phenomenon worth consideration by the Western European countries. Issues of balancing between the civil society ethics, religious commitments and beliefs, religious communities and the common good of all are to be subtly discussed and analyzed.

Therefore this consultative workshop is meant to bring together members of these religious traditions, scholars and activists and offer them an opportunity for a joint platform for dialogue and exchange of experiences present in different countries in this regard. In most cases these issues are currently debated at the level of national states thus neglecting the possibility to learn from different contexts. The consultative workshop will also be followed by visits to some faith-based organizations in Sarajevo. Subject to the availability of funds workshop proceedings might be published in a volume after the event.

PAPERS ARE INVITED TO ANY ASPECT OF FAITH-BASED PARTICIPATION IN CIVIL SOCIETIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT EXCLUSIVE TO:

- Demise of welfare state and possible role of faith-based organizations: - The role of FBOs in promoting integrity and accountability in business, politics and public sector, - Faith-based organizations and social cohesion.

Abstracts of up to 300 words and CVs should be sent to cns@bih.net.ba before 1 June 2013.

Successful applicants will be notified by 15 June 2013. Full papers should be submitted before 10 September 2013. Working language (for the papers and the workshop) is English.

Center for Advanced Studies from Sarajevo will host the consultative workshop and provide for food, accommodation and travel expenses. The workshop is generously supported by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, BiH.

For more information please contact: cns@bih.net.ba or +387 33 716 040.

Djermana Seta +387 (0)61 792 739

RC 22 has posted its list of proposed sessions for the July 2014 World Congress of Sociology, to be held in Yokohama, Japan. You can find the list of sessions, abstracts, etc on the ISA website at http://www.isa-sociology.org/congress2014/rc/rc.php?n=RC22 . The site contains information about which sessions are open to papers and which ones have been pre-formed. Paper proposals open through the site on June 3rd, with a deadline for submission of September 30th. We have pasted a list of sessions below and have also attached the session list as a PDF file. We hope that you can participate in the conference.

Program Coordinators: Esmeralda Sanchez (emysanchez2001@yahoo.com) and Jim Spickard (jim_spickard@redlands.edu)

===========================================

ISA World Congress - Yokohama 2014: LIST OF RC22 SESSIONS

PART 1: Special Sessions 1. Presidential Address: Facing an Unequal Post-Secular World. Adam Possamai, RC22 President

2. Presidential Invited Session: Religion, Nationalism, and Transnationalism. Organized by Michel Patrick, Adam Possamai, & Bryan Turner.

3. RC22 Business Meeting

PART 2: OPEN SESSIONS: please submit your paper proposals at the ISA website. Links for doing so will be posted after 3 June at http://www.isa-sociology.org/congress2014/rc/rc.php?n=RC22 Deadline: 30 September, 2013.

4. Sociology of Religion in Africa: Challenges and Prospects. Organized by Adogame, Afe

5. Uses of the Past: The Politics of Religion and Collective Memories. Organized by Burchardt, Marian & Koenig, Mattias

6. The Role of Religion in the Public Sphere. Organized by Furseth, Inger

7. Religion as a Factor in the Composition and De-composition of Ethnic Identities. Organized by Jevtik, Miroljub

8. Religious and Spiritual Capital: Reproducing, Overcoming or Going Beyond Inequality? Organized by Lombaard, Christo & Hämmerli. Maria

9. The Best of All Gods: Sites and Politics of Reli-gious Diversity in Southern Europe. Organized by Mapril, José

10. Religion and the Transition to Adulthood. Organized by Niemelä, Kati

11. Religious Diversity and Social Change in Contemporary East Asia. Organized by Okuyama, Michiaki

12. Welfare and Civil Society: The Role of Religion. Organized by Pettersson, Per

13. Religion in the Era of Climate Entropy. Organized by Rivas, Ver

14. Multiculturalism and Religion: Contemporary Challenges and Future Opportunities. Organized by Roose, Joshua

15. (Non)Religion in Question: Ethics, Equality, and Justice. Organized by Schenk, Suzanne & Schuh, Cora

16. Religion, Immigration, & Health (Co-Sponsored by RC 15 (Medical Sociology) and RC 31 (Sociology of Immigration). Organized by Ephraim Shapiro.

17. Roundtables on Religious Organizations (SEE NOTE BELOW)

a. New Forms of Religious Organization. Organized by Kern, Thomas & Pruisken, Insa

b. The Impact of Neoliberal Policies, Practices and Ideas on Religious Organizations. Organized by Martikainen, Tuomas

c. Facing Inequality from the Perspective of Islamic Organizations. Organized by Rosenow-Williams, Kerstin & Kortmann, Mattias

PART 3: INVITED SESSIONS: these sessions are NOT open for papers; their participants have already been invited.

18. Locating Religion in Civilizational Analysis. Organized by Arjomand, Said & Tiryakian, Edward

19. Civil Rights and Religious Freedoms in a Secular World. Organized by Blancarte, Roberto

20. Film: Haifa's Answer plus invited discussion. Organized by Cipriani, Roberto

21. Religion and Countering Gender Inequality. Organized by Halafoff, Anna, Tomalin, Emma & Caroline Starkey

22. Organized Conversations on Religious Research: (SEE NOTE BELOW)

a. Lessons For Studying Religion In The African Diaspora: Charles H. Long & Ruth Simms Hamilton. Organized by Dodson, Jualynn

b. The Sociology of Orthodoxy: Responses of Local Civilizations to the Challenges of a Globalizing World. Organized by Podlesnaya, Maria

NOTE ABOUT "ROUNDTABLES": We are allowed just 22 sessions, including the Business Meet-ing. We have therefore combined five sessions into "roundtable" sessions, which allow more than one session to take place at one time. WE HAVE NOT YET CHOSEN WHICH SESSIONS WILL BE ROUNDTABLES AND WHICH WILL HAVE FULL SESSIONS!! The ISA required us to assign sessions to these slots, and we did so. THESE PRELIMINARY AS-SIGNMENTS ARE NOT FINAL. We shall make the final assignments after all papers have been received. Our assignments will depend on several factors, none of which we can gauge now

Catholics, Conflicts and Choices An Exploration of Power Relations in the Catholic Church

Series: Gender, Theology and Spirituality Author: Angela Coco

DESCRIPTION: Many Catholics today are disenchanted with the Church’s continuing distrust of women and laity. But, despite this widespread dissatisfaction, traditional power relations have hardly changed over the last century. Catholics, Conflicts and Choices presents detailed interviews with lay people, priests, Sisters, and Christian Brothers, each discussing their personal struggles with church teachings and practices. The conversations are selected to illustrate different experiences of power relations – particularly different aspects of gender dynamics – within the organisational structures of the Church. The interviews are examined within a framework of feminist, sociological and psychological theory. Catholics, Conflicts and Choices reveals how, despite a long history of challenging official notions of authority and obedience and assumptions about intimate relationships, there is little potential for change if the established power relations of the Church are not confronted.

AUTHOR BIO: Angela Coco is Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences at Southern Cross University in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.

CONTENTS: Part I Experience and Knowledge 1. When this Story Began 2. Growing up Catholic 3. Thinking about Experience 4. Sharing Knowledge Part II Catholic Experiences of Power 5. Questioning the Catholic Institution 6. Engaging with other Catholics 7. Managing One’s Self Part III Gender Work in Christ's Household 8. Catholic Housework 9. A Most Un/natural Order Appendix Bibliography Index