Author Archives: SISR/ISSR General Secretary

NSRN Annual Lecture: 28 November 2012, by Matthew Engelke

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The Nonreligion and Secularity Research Network (NSRN) is very pleased to announce the NSRN Annual Lecture for 2012:

NSRN Annual Lecture 2012

In Spite of Christianity: Humanism and its Others in Contemporary Britain
By Matthew Engelke

What do we talk about when we talk about religion? What do we recognize as essential and specific to any given faith, and why? In this lecture, I address these questions by drawing on fieldwork among humanists in Britain, paying particular attention to humanism’s relation to Christianity. In one way or another, humanists often position themselves in relation to Christianity. In a basic way, this has to do with humanists’ commitment to secularism—the differentiation of church and state. In more complex ways, though, it also has to do with an effort to move “beyond” Christianity—to encourage a world in which reason takes the place of revelation—while often, at the same time, recognizing what’s worth saving and even fostering from the legacies of faith. All these various relations and perspectives suggest how we should understand social life in contemporary Britain as what it is in spite of Christianity—and not.

*** Matthew Engelke is a Reader in the Department of Anthropology and co-ordinates the School’s recently launched Programme for the Study of Religion and Non-Religion. His research career has focused on the connections between religion and culture (amongst other things) but he has recently completed pioneering ethnographic fieldwork working with British humanists. In this lecture, Matthew will reflect upon the various and complex dynamics between contemporary British humanism and Christian cultures, past and present.

The NSRN Annual Lecture for 2012 will be held at the Conway Hall in London on Wednesday 28 November at 6.30pm (doors from 6pm; the lecture will be followed by a drinks reception). This event is free to attend, but places are limited. To register, please email Lois Lee at l.a.lee@kent.ac.uk<mailto:l.a.lee@kent.ac.uk>.
Full details of the event can be found at the NSRN Online<http://nsrn.net/2012/10/30/nsrn-annual-lecture-announced-dr-matthew-engelke-in-spite-of-christianity-humanism-and-its-others-in-contemporary-britain/>. ______________________________________________________

Dr Lois Lee Associate Lecturer | Religious Studies and Sociology, University of Kent Founding director | Nonreligion and Secularity Research Network (NSRN)<http://www.nsrn.co.uk/index.html>
Editor | NSRN Online<http://www.nsrn.net/>
Editor | Secularism & Nonreligion<http://www.secularismandnonreligion.org/>
Features editor | Studies in Ethnicity and
Nationalism<http://www.wiley.com/bw/journal.asp?ref=1473-8481&site=1>

Continuity & change in Islamic Societies

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CALL FOR PAPERS

“Continuity & change in Islamic Societies”

American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies Seton Hall University South Orange, New Jersey April 5-6, 2013

The topic of the 30th Annual Meeting of the American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies (ACSIS), to be held on April 5-6, 2013 in The Chancellor’s Suite, Student Center, Seton Hall University is “Continuity and Change in Islamic Societies.”

Islamic societies refer to regions and communities that identify with the religion and culture of Islam, but may approach politics, economics and certain social issues in different ways. Unlike what the late Professor Samuel Huntington may have thought, Islamic societies are far from being monolithic or even universally engaged in an ongoing cultural clash with the West. While Muslims worldwide embrace the concept of ummah, they also possess and express characteristics of diversity. Muslims live under monarchies and republics and come from a number of ethnic and linguistic backgrounds.
Scholars from all disciplines of the humanities and social sciences are encouraged to submit proposals. Please include full name, title, and institutional affiliation with your proposal (max. 250 words). We invite proposals dealing with the following topics as well as others not specified:
1. Political, economic and social relations within and between Muslims and other communities.
2. Political, economic, social and philosophical movements within Islamic societies/communities.
3. The impact of globalization on specific Muslim societies/communities.
4. The interplay of Islam with commerce, finance, technology, and education.
5. Religious minorities in Islamic societies and Muslims as minority groups.
6. The press, social networks, and communication within Islamic societies/communities.
7. Islam in America or American Islam? Defining a religion in the American context

Please send abstracts by e-mail attachment to:
Robert Hazan, Ph.D.
Chair and Professor of Political Science
Metropolitan State University of Denver                               
hazanr@msudenver.edu

Deadline for submission of proposals: January 15, 2013.
Further details of the conference and accommodations will be posted on the website.
For other inquires contact Robert Hazan hazanr@msudenver.edu;
Vivienne Angeles angeles@lasalle.edu 
or Gisela Webb Gisela.webb@shu.edu

Notice of acceptance by January 25. 2013
_______________________________________________

Call for papers

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The Impact of Religion
Challenges for Society, Law and Democracy

An interdisciplinary conference at Uppsala University
Uppsala, Sweden, 20-22 May 2013

This conference offers a forum for sharing recent research on the role of religion in both the public and the private sphere – locally, nationally and internationally. Its design reflects the work of its host: a multi-disciplinary research programme at Uppsala University known as the Impact of Religion: Challenges for Society, Law and Democracy. This programme pays particular attention to the links between religion, law and wider social developments. For example, extensive migration has brought new forms of religion to European societies (including the Nordic countries) for many different reasons; their presence raises new issues for lawyers, healthcare workers and other service providers. At the same time, European populations live longer; their families reconstitute themselves in new ways; the workplace changes in nature; and the explorations of science render commonplace what was unthinkable one or two generations earlier. All these shifts interact with the changing nature of religion to make new demands on our understandings of democracy, law, family life, healthcare, well-being, welfare and science itself. Why, for instance, does legal pluralism appear to challenge the democratic order considerably more than its cultural equivalents? And how can we understand better the role of religious agents in a modern liberal democracy?

Religion, it is clear, has become a crucial research area in a wide variety of academic disciplines. The Uppsala conference provides an opportunity to disseminate, share and obtain results within this expanding field. We expect contributions from lawyers, human rights experts, social scientists, specialists in social policy, health and welfare, philosophers and scientists as well as those engaged directly in theology and religious studies. We are particularly interested in how religion (in all its diversity) influences different sectors of society and how they in turn influence religion.

Among the plenary speakers are:
Katarina Boele Woelki, Netherlands
Effie Fokas, Greece
Grace Davie, UK
Ayelet Shachar, Canada
Yilmaz Esmer, Turkey
Linda Woodhead, UK

Call for papers
Submissions are invited on the following themes, which – broadly speaking – mirror the Impact programme. Further sub-themes will be developed as the submitted papers arrive; these will be displayed on the conference website. Papers on comparative research are particularly welcome. Theoretical, methodological and substantive issues will be given equal weight. The conference language is English.

A variety of formats are envisaged: plenary sessions, paper sessions, roundtables, academic exchanges and policy debates. Please indicate your preference when you submit your abstract. Pre-organised sessions are welcome.

* Religious and social change – including the role of the media in these shifts
* Integration, democracy and political culture
* Families, law and society
* Well-being and health
* Welfare models – their organization and values
* Science and religion

Deadline for the submission of abstracts (max 200 words): 30th November 2012
The conference is hosted by The Impact of Religion programme and Uppsala Religion and Society Research Centre at Uppsala University.
Up to date information on the programme, registration, abstract format, venue etc. is available at: www.impactofreligion.uu.se, where you also find more details about The Impact of Religion programme itself.

Religion, Law and Policy Making: European Norms and National Practices, in Eastern Europe and the Russian Federation

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INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP

Religion, Law and Policy Making: European Norms and National Practices in Eastern Europe and the Russian Federation

Date: 13-14 June 2013
Site: Tartu, Estonia
Organizer: Center for EU-Russia Studies (CEURUS), University of Tartu, Estonia

Topics: The goal of the Workshop is to advance the multidisciplinary study of the processes-cultural, economic, political, and legal-of European integration related to the patterns of interaction among ‘religion, policies and law’ in post-communist countries of Eastern Europe.
The complex interplay among European and national law, and law, policy and religion at the levels of nation and European Union is approached from jurisprudential, religious, sociological, cultural, historical, and political (comparative politics, political theory, IR) perspectives.
Language: English
Deadline: 11 February 2013. Abstracts of 300-600 words as well as a short bio (100 words) should be sent to:
<alar.kilp@ut.ee>.
Contact:
Dr. Alar Kilp (University of Tartu);
Prof. Jerry G. Pankhurst (Wittenberg University, USA);
Prof. William B. Simons (University of Tartu).
E-mail:
<alar.kilp@ut.ee>;
<jpankhurst@wittenberg.edu>;
<william.simons@ut.ee>.
Internet:
<http://ceurus.ut.ee/conferences/call-for-papers-religion-and-politics-workshop/> _______________________________________________

International interdisciplinary conference to honour the work of Professor Lauri Honko (1932-2002)

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Call for Papers – 2nd Announcement

The Departments of Folkloristics and Comparative Religion at the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, together with the Donner Institute, are organizing an international interdisciplinary conference to honour the work of Professor Lauri Honko (1932-2002)

THE ROLE OF THEORY IN FOLKLORISTICS AND COMPARATIVE RELIGION
21-23 August 2013
University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University, Finland

The language of the conference is English.

Timetable:
Call for papers, deadline 31 March 2013
Registration, deadline 31 May 2013

For more detailed information concerning the conference see the attached documents or visit our website: http://honkoconference.utu.fi/ Also now on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/416180771776969/
On behalf of the Organizing Committee,Björn DahlaThe Donner Institute

The 5th Israeli Conference for the Study of Contemporary Religion and Spirituality

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Dear colleagues,
I’m happy to announce that we are ready to call for papers for the the 5th Israeli Conference for the Study of Contemporary Religion and Spirituality, which will be organized by the Program in Religious Studies at Tel Aviv University, 28-29 May 2013.

This conference will continue the tradition which was formed at the University of Haifa over the last four years, and which from now on will take place at Tel Aviv University. This event can be a good opportunity for researchers working outside of Israel to learn more about the country’s bustling New-Age ‘scene’ and about development in the research on contemporary spirituality in Israel.

The conference will include Keynote Lectures by Prof. Ronald Hutton (University of Bristol, UK), Prof. Jeffrey J. Kripal (Rice University, US) and Prof. James R. Lewis (University of Tromso, Norway).
We will of course be very happy to receive your own proposals by December 15 2012, addressed to Mr. Shai feraro (Conference Coordinator), spirituality.tel.aviv@gmail.com

Thomas H. Lake Chair in Religion and Philanthropy, Indiana University

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Thomas H. Lake Chair in Religion and Philanthropy

The School of Philanthropy at Indiana University invites nominations and applications for a tenured or tenure-track Associate or Full Professor (10-month appointment) beginning in the 2013-14 academic year, with expertise in faith and philanthropy. The candidates backgrounds may come from Philanthropic Studies, Sociology, History, Religious Studies or other appropriate disciplinary areas.

The successful candidate will be a recognized scholar in the area of research in religion and philanthropy. Teaching expectations are one course per semester primarily at the graduate level as well as doctoral student advising. The Lake Chair holder will also serve as an Associate Director of the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving. As an Associate Director s/he will coordinate the work of the Research Committee of the Lake Institute and the allocation of research funds available through the Lake Institute. Indiana University and IUPUI are well known for their research units working in religion, including the IU Committee on Research in Religion, Society, and Ethics; the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture; The Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions; and research-intensive departments in Indianapolis and Bloomington. For a full description of academic programs, see http://www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/why-study-at-the-center.

The School of Philanthropy located on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus was recently approved by the University Trustees and the Indiana Higher Education Commission. Building on the Center on Philanthropy’s 25 year history, the School values a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding philanthropy with faculty appointees trained in the humanities, social sciences and other fields. It offers degrees at the Ph.D., masters, and undergraduate level to educate the next generation of scholars and professionals. The School of Philanthropy research environment includes internal grants to catalyze new research, the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving, the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, The Fund Raising School, the Center on Philanthropy Panel Study on Giving and Volunteering, the Payton Philanthropic Studies Library, and the Ruth Lilly Archives. The Center for Service and Learning provides resources for civic engagement and service learning components in courses. The School has an aggressive hiring plan to increase the number of full-time faculty appointments in Philanthropic Studies.

IUPUI is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution M/F/D. With over 30,000 students, IUPUI is the third-largest campus in the State and confers more professional degrees than any other campus in Indiana. The School of Philanthropy has endorsed efforts to increase the diversity of its ranks, and accordingly, candidates from under-represented groups in the school are encouraged to apply. The School of Philanthropy is particularly interested in and values candidates who have experience working with students from diverse backgrounds, and a demonstrated commitment to improving access and the conditions in higher education for under-represented students.

Application materials should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, statement of research program and a vision of one’s role in further development of the Lake Institute, and three reference letters. Review of materials will begin on 30 November 2012 and continue until the position is filled.

For questions about the position, please contact the Search Committee Chair:
Dwight Burlingame, Professor of Philanthropic Studies: (dburling@iupui.edu) (317-274-8490)
To set up a time to speak at 2012 ARNOVA conference with a committee member, please contact: sopsrch@iupui.edu
We prefer to receive application materials electronically.
Please send these as a pdf to: sopsrch@iupui.edu
If you need to send written materials, please send these to: School of Philanthropy at Indiana University
ATTN: Lake Chair in Religion and Philanthropy Search 550 West North Street, Suite 301Indianapolis, Indiana 46202 www.philanthropy@iupui.edu
To read: Candidates must have strong disciplinary training combined with a willingness to engage with STUDENTS AND scholars from multiple disciplines sharing the goal of understanding philanthropic behavior

Call for papers, International Symposium: Europe and Hajj in the Age of Empires (Leiden University, 13-14 May 2013)

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International Symposium

Europe and Hajj in the Age of Empires: Muslim Pilgrimage prior to the Influx of Muslim Migration in the West
Leiden University, 13-14 May 2013
Leiden University Centre for the Study of Islam and Society (LUCIS)
In Corporation with
King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives in Riyadh
(Encyclopedia of Hajj and the Two Holy Mosques)

European connections to the Hajj have a lengthy history of centuries before the flux of Muslim migration to the West in 1950-1960. During the colonial age in particular, European and Ottoman empires had brought the Hajj under surveillance primarily for political reasons and interests in the control of steamship and the fear for the growth of Pan-Islamic networks. Another important motive for their scrutiny of Hajj was their anxiety for the spread of epidemic diseases in their colonies after the pilgrims’ return.

On the other hand, indigenous Muslims in Central and Eastern Europe, Muslim emigrants (especially in Great Britain, France and somehow in Germany) and European converts to Islam in other parts of Europe, were making their way to the Hajj and had left behind interesting accounts, such as diaries, published and un-published travelogues, press items in European newspapers, etc. European and non-European national and private archives enlist fascinating political, medical, religious and social reports of such narratives.

Having this background in mind, the symposium will invite a group of scholars in order to investigate these European connections with the Hajj on these various levels. A particular focus will be placed on new research methods and results on the basis on national and personal archives and contemporary writings that so far have widely been ignored in the study of Hajj as part of European history. Among the questions which will be addressed: What do first-hand primary sources (especially archives) tell us about the European political perception of the Hajj? How did the international character of the Hajj as a Muslim sacred ritual influence European policies in their struggle for supremacy on the Muslim world? How did Muslims in Europe experience the logistic, economic, religious and spiritual aspects of the Hajj?

Participants are expected to collect materials and analyze such themes as:
1) the Hajj-related documents and written works  in European states,
2) Hajj  travelogues, routes, means of transport, logistic situations and hygienic problems,
3) habits, festivities, social status and traditions observed upon preparing for the Hajj journey,
4) the socio-political, cultural and economic effects of Hajj on the pilgrims and their European homelands.

If you are willing to participate, please send us a provisional title and one page summary of the paper you intend to deliver before November 15, 2012; to u.ryad@hum.leidenuniv.nl.
We would also like to point out that it is our intention to publish a selection of the conference. We expect the full paper for the workshop no later than April 10, 2013. We are happy to fund your return flight/train (economy class/second class) and your hotel
accommodation.

Warm regards,
On behalf of the Organizers
Dr. Umar Ryad
Assistant Professor – Islam in the Modern World
Institute for Religious Studies
Faculty of Humanities
Leiden University
PO Box 9515
2300 RA Leiden
The Netherlands
Office: + 31 (0) 71 5272568
Homepage:

http://www.hum.leiden.edu/religion/organisation/institute-staff/ryad.html

Invitation – Westminster Faith Interviews

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WESTMINSTER FAITH INTERVIEWS

I am pleased to tell you that the AHRC/ESRC Religion & Society Programme is organising a series of interviews on “Faith in Public Life”, as a follow-up to the successful “Westminster Faith Debates” which took place in the spring (video and audio of the Debates available here): http://www.religionandsociety.org.uk/faith_debates

The first interviews will be with:

WEDS, 7TH NOVEMBER 2012 Professor Sir John Sulston (Nobel Prize Winner for his contribution to sequencing the genome), interviewed by Andrew Brown of The Guardian. This is to be held at RUSI, 61 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2ET. http://www.sixtyonewhitehall.co.uk/contact/

WEDS, 21ST NOVEMBER 2012 Baroness Shirley Williams (previous MP and Cabinet Minister, now in the House of Lords, author of “God & Caesar: Personal Reflections on Politics and Religion”, interviewed by Clifford Longley of BBC Radio 4 Moral Maze etc. This is to be held in The Westminster Suite, at The Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre, Broad Sanctuary, Westminster, London SW1P 3EE. http://www.qeiicc.co.uk/organising-an-event/our-location

WEDS, 5TH DECEMBER 2012 Delia Smith CBE (Cook, author, broadcaster and majority shareholder Norwich City FC), interviewer tbc This is to be held at the British Medical Association, BMA House, Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9JP. http://www.bmahouse.org.uk/bmahouse.nsf/Content/WhereToFindUs

ALL INTERVIEWS 5.30 – 7.00 FOLLOWED BY DRINKS. REGISTRATION FROM 5.00 P.M.

To register, please contact Peta Ainsworth p.ainsworth@lancaster.ac.uk  with the name, affiliation/institution (if applicable) and email address of each person who requires a place.
We hope to see you there, and please circulate this invitation to your colleagues.
With best wishes
Linda Woodhead and Charles Clarke
Professor Linda Woodhead Director, AHRC/ESRC Religion & Society Programme, Department of Politics, Philosophy & Religion, Lancaster University
The Rt Hon Charles Clarke

Few places still available – Digital Methodologies in the Sociology of Religion

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A few conference places and travel bursaries (for post-graduate students) are still available for the conference on DigitalMethodologies in the Sociology of Religion.
To register to attend the event, please visi
http://unishop.derby.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?modid=1&prodid=592&deptid=76&compid=1&prodvarid=0&catid=77 (Conference attendance has been subsidised by a grant from Digital Social Research <http://www.digitalsocialresearch.net/wordpress/> (DSR) and there is reduced registration charge of £30 + £6 VAT).
To apply for a travel bursary please contact us

Sariya & Suha

Dr Sariya Contractor Postdoctoral Researcher | Centre for Society, Religion & Belief<http://www.derby.ac.uk/health/social-care/research-groups/society-religion-and-belief-research-group> Faculty of Education, Health and Sciences | University of Derby Kedleston Road | Derby | DE22 1GB Tel: 01332 591558 | Email: S.Contractor@derby.ac.uk