Author Archives: SISR/ISSR General Secretary

The Diaspora of Brazilian Religions

Posted on by

New book:
THE DIASPORA OF BRAZILIAN RELIGIONS
Cristina Rocha & Manuel A. Vásquez

http://www.brill.com/diaspora-brazilian-religions

The Diaspora of Brazilian Religions explores the global spread of religions originating in Brazil, a country that has emerged as a major pole of religious innovation and production. Through ethnographically-rich case studies throughout the world, ranging from the Americas (Canada, the U.S., Peru, and Argentina) and Europe (the U.K., Portugal, and the Netherlands) to Asia (Japan) and Oceania (Australia), the book examines the conditions, actors, and media that have made possible the worldwide construction, circulation, and consumption of Brazilian religious identities, practices, and lifestyles, including those connected with indigenized forms of Pentecostalism and Catholicism, African-based religions such as Candomblé and Umbanda, as well as diverse expressions of New Age Spiritism such as the John of God Movement, and Ayahuasca-centered neo-shamanism like Vale do Amanhecer and Santo Daime.

Table of Contents
Introduction: Brazil in the New Global Cartography of Religion Manuel A. Vásquez and Cristina Rocha
SECTION I: BRAZILIAN CHRISTIANITY: CATHOLICISM AND PROTESTANTISM
Ch 1: Edir Macedo’s Pastoral Project: A Globally Integrated Pentecostal Network Clara Mafra, Claudia Swatowiski, and Camila Sampaio
Ch 2: Brazilian Churches in London: Transnationalism of the Middle Olivia Sheringham
Ch 3: The ‘Devil’s Egg’: The Football Players as New Missionaries of the Diaspora of Brazilian Religions Carmen Rial
Ch 4: Brazilian Pentecostalism in Peru: Affinities between the Social and Cultural Conditions of Andean Migrants and the Religious Worldview of the Pentecostal Church “God is Love”Dario Paulo Barrera Rivera
Ch 5: Catholicism for Export: The Case of Canção Nova Brenda Carranza and Cecília Mariz

SECTION II: AFRO-BRAZILIAN RELIGIONS
Ch 6: Umbanda and Batuque in the Southern Cone: Transnationalization as cross-border religious flow and as social field Alejandro Frigerio
Ch 7: Pretos Velhos across the Atlantic: Afro-Brazilian Religions in Portugal Clara Saraiva
Ch 8: Transnational Authenticity: An Umbanda Temple in Montreal Deirdre Meintel and Annick Hernandez
Ch 9: Japanese Brazilians among Pretos-Velhos, Caboclos, Buddhist Monks and Samurais: An Ethnographic Study of Umbanda in Japan Ushi Arakaki
Ch 10: Mora Iemanja? Axé in Diasporic Capoeira Regional Neil Stephens and Sara Delamont

SECTION III: NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS
Ch 11: Building a Transnational Spiritual Community: The John of God Movement in Australia Cristina Rocha
Ch 12: The Valley of Dawn in Atlanta, Georgia: Negotiating Gender Identity and Incorporation in the Diaspora José Cláudio Souza Alves and Manuel A. Vásquez
Ch 13: The Niche Globalization of Projectiology: Cosmology and Internationalization of a Brazilian Parascience Anthony Fischer D’Andrea
Ch 14: Transcultural keys: Humor, Creativity and other Relational Artifacts in the transposition of a Brazilian Ayahuasca Religion to the Netherlands Alberto Groisman

Islam in the Hinterlands: Muslim Cultural Politics in Canada

Posted on by

Islam in the Hinterlands: Muslim Cultural Politics in Canada Jasmin Zine UBC Press, 2012

http://www.ubcpress.ca/search/title_book.asp?BookID=299173665

About the Book
Muslim communities have become increasingly salient in the social, cultural, and political landscape in Canada largely due to the aftermath of 9/11 and the racial politics of the ongoing “war on terror” that have cast Muslims as the new “enemy within.”

Islam in the Hinterlands features empirical studies and critical essays by some of Canada’s top Muslim Studies scholars who examine how gender, public policy, media, and education shape the Muslim experience in Canada. Touching on much-debated issues, such as the shar’ia controversy, veiling in public schools, media portrayals of Muslims, and anti-terrorism legislation, this book takes a distinctly anti-racist, feminist standpoint in exploring the reality of the Muslim diaspora.

A timely collection addressing some of the most hotly contested issues in recent cultural history, Islam in the Hinterlands will be essential reading for academics as well as general readers interested in Islamic studies, multiculturalism, and social justice.

About the Author(s)
Jasmin Zine is an associate professor of sociology and the Muslim Studies Option at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Table of Contents
List of Tables
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Muslim Cultural Politics in the Canadian Hinterlands / Jasmin Zine

Part 1: Gender and Cultural Politics
1 Unsettling the Nation: Gender, Race, and Muslim Cultural Politics in Canada / Jasmin Zine
2 The Great Canadian “Shar’ia” Debate / Itrath Syed
3 Toward a Framework for Investigating Muslim Women and Political Engagement in Canada / Katherine Bullock

Part 2: Media and Representation
4 Colluding Hegemonies: Constructing the Muslim Other Post-9/11 / Yasmin Jiwani
5 Marketing Islamic Reform: Dissidence and Dissonance in a Canadian Context / Meena Sharify-Funk
6 Toward Media Reconstruction of the Muslim Imaginary in Canada: The Case of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Sitcom Little Mosque on the Prairie / Aliaa Dakroury

Part 3: Education
7 From Mosques to Madrassas: Civic Engagement and the Pedagogy of Islamic Schools / Nadeem Memon
8 Unveiled Sentiments: Gendered Islamophobia and Experiences of Veiling among Muslim Girls in a Canadian Islamic School / Jasmin Zine

Part 4: Security
9 The Security Certificate Exception: A Media Analysis of Human Rights and Security Discourses in Canada’s Globe and Mail and National Post / Jacqueline Flatt
10 The Anti-terrorism Act and National Security: Safeguarding the Nation against Uncivilized Muslims / Shaista Patel

Contributors
Index

Reviews
“I cannot think of a religious community more in need of study than Canadian Muslims, who have, until now, received scant scholarly attention. This book examines the hybridity of Canadian Islam, and discusses the various ways in which Muslims have, and have not, adapted to their contexts. Timely and cutting-edge, it will be of great interest to students and scholars of religion, sociology, and anthropology, as well as cultural, legal, and gender studies.”
Amir Hussain, Editor, Journal of the American Academy of Religion

Dissemination of Call for papers – Summer School on Democratization and Political Transitions in the Arab World: Actors, Challenges and Policy Options for

Posted on by

Call for Papers
*Summer School on Democratization and Political
Transitions in the Arab World: Actors, Challenges and Policy Options** for the EU* (17-19 July 2013).

Summer School on Democratization and Political Transitions in the Arab World: Actors, Challenges and Policy Options for the EU
University of Minho – Braga, 17-19 July 2013

Course aim
By bringing together and contrasting a broad range of approaches, this Summer School intends to increase insights, find new inroads and illuminate the complexity behind the many transitions that are taking place in the Arab world.
The Arab Spring has reinvigorated discussions of democratic change. Thus the question of transitions to, and from, democracy remains a pressing issue in world politics. Understanding the meaning of democracy and the causes of transitions toward and away from democratic path is a major subject of scholarly research and policy practice. The Summer School offers participants a unique opportunity to experience a highly stimulating, intellectual environment by attending lectures, panel debates, working groups and engaging in in-depth debates. Renowned experts, academics as well as practitioners will offer their insights and analysis, and experience joint intellectual and social activities.

Course formats
The Summer School integrates various formats, alternating between panel discussions and working group sessions. As to the working group sessions, four groups will be held: the first dealing with “The Arab Spring: Revolutions or Stalemate?”, the second with “Challenges during Political Transitions and Comparative Lessons for the Middle East and North Africa”; the third with “The Fall of Authoritarianism and the New Actors in the Arab World: The Challenges of Political Inclusion” and the fourth with “A New Mediterranean Democracy Agenda for a New Mediterranean Political Setting”. Every participant is expected to deliver a presentation of 15 minutes (a paper of around 5000 words) during the working group session on one of the four thematic blocs. For the purpose of applying, the candidate should also specify a second thematic bloc that he/she would be willing to address in the presentation. We will decide on the final topic.

Call for papers for working groups
Abstract Submission:

    • All abstracts and papers need to be presented in English by 1 June
      The maximum length of abstracts is 300 words
      Email your abstract as an attachment to: nepasproject@gmail.com

    • Please include the following information in your email:
      Name
      Institutional affiliation and a short CV
      Contact information (including preferred email address)

        Authors whose full abstract has been accepted will be asked to deliver a full paper and register.

        For this purpose the following steps are envisaged:
        1 June 2013: call for papers closes
        01-08 June 2013: review of submitted abstracts and selection by the Scientific Committee
        09 June 2013: communication of results
        15 June 2013: conference registration opens
        July 2013: call for full papers closes
        15 July 2013: announcement of conference programme

          A number of selected papers (conference proceedings) will be published in an E-Book and, possibly, also in hard copy.

          Prospective participants

          We are looking for recent graduates, PhD and master students and young scholars. Applicants should have an academic background in the fields of political and/or social sciences and be interested in the topics outlined in the programme. The Summer School’s participants will be selected on the basis of their academic achievements, relevant civil and political activities, and language proficiency (working language is English). Special emphasis is placed on adequate representation of participants from Arab countries. The NEPAS Summer School will cover the costs of a limited number of students, that is, fees, accommodation, meals and materials. To apply for a scholarship, please send the following documents to Estela Vieira, EEG´s Mobility Officer ((estelav@eeg.uminho.pt):

          – The filled-in application form;
          – A one-page letter of motivation in which you express your motivation and highlight your relevant qualifications;
          – Abstract of your presentation.

          A registration form can be found at the project´s website: http://nepas-project.net/call-for-papers/.

          Course fee
          EUR 120 € – participation fee excluding travel & accommodation costs
          Accommodation
          The University can provide accommodation in the Lloyd Braga´s student residence and off-campus housing.

          Contact

          Please do not hesitate to contact Estela Vieira (estelav@eeg.uminho.pt) or nepasproject@gmail.com, should you have any further questions or concerns.

        Maria C. Pinto(University of Minho – Portugal)
        Profª Associada c/ Agregação/ (Assoc. Prof. with “Agregação”)
        Directora do Departamento de Relações Internacionais e Administração Pública – DRIAP Head of the Department of International Relations and Public Administration Gab. 119
        School of Economics and Management (EEG)
        University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar,
        Braga, 4710-057, Portugal
        Phone: +351 253 604523Fax: +351 253 601380

        IIS World Congress in Uppsala, 9-10 June, 2013

        Posted on by

        Dear All,
        Call for Papers to be presented in the Regular Session: Religion, Reason and Science.

        The 41st World Congress of the International Institute of Sociology (IIS) will take place in Uppsala, Sweden, on 9-10 June, 2013. The theme of the congress is Sociology in Its Global Contexts: International Institute of Sociology at 120. Both on Sunday, 9 June, and Monday, 10 June, there will be room for a large number of parallel regular sessions. Each session is 90 minutes long and consists of an oral presentation of 3 to 5 papers.

        REGULAR SESSION INFORMATION
        Title of Session: Religion, Reason and Science
        Name of Session Convener(s): Irena C. Veljanova, University of Western Sydney, Sydney Email:
        i.veljanova@uws.edu.au<mailto:i.veljanova@uws.edu.au>

        Abstract: The understanding that intrinsic intellectual conflict exists between religion and science postulates that science holds the primacy over logic and rational thinking, whereas religious knowledge is unscientific, and by extension, irrational and illogical. Stephen Fuller’s (2007) argument for scientific creationism challenges this understanding stating that creationism has ‘multiple
        meanings, … [some of which] have been historically instrumental (and perhaps even conceptually necessary) for the emergence and maintenance of rationality and science’ (Fuller 2007: 27-28). While not identical, science and religion are not mutually exclusive knowledge paradigms, nor are they irreconcilable cultural forces rather they are differently institutionalised (ibid.). Considering the above, the session convenor welcomes, but is not limited to, papers with theoretical and empirical focus that explore the notion of rational and logical thinking within the religious domain.

        My best,
        Dr. Irena C. Veljanova
        Lecturer (Sociology)
        Sociology and Criminology TAR Group
        School of Social Sciences and Psychology University of Western Sydney

        New Book on Religion in Urban Spaces. Edited by Irene Becci, Marian Burchardt, and José Casanova

        Posted on by

        Topographies of Faith.
        Religion in Urban Spaces

        Edited by Irene Becci, Marian Burchardt, and José Casanova

        Based on ethnographic explorations in cities across the globe, Topographies of Faith offers a unique and compelling analysis of contemporary religious dynamics in metropolitan centers. While most scholarship on religion still sidelines questions of spatiality and scale, this book creatively draws on perspectives from urban studies to study the spatiality of religion in modern cities. It shows how globalization, transnational migration and urban expansion in big cities engender new religious forms and practices and their spatial underpinnings. Space affects urban religious diversity,religious innovations, decline or vitality. But it also shapes the relationships between religion and social equalities. Spanning distances between New York, Delhi and Johannesburg, the book also engages with issues of secularity and religious vitality in genuinely new ways.

        http://www.brill.com/topographies-faith

        Religion, Migration, Settlement: Reflections on Post-1990 Immigration to Finland

        Posted on by

        New Book:
        Religion, Migration, Settlement: Reflections on Post-1990 Immigration to Finland
        Tuomas Martikainen Brill, 2013

        http://www.brill.com/religion-migration-settlement

        In Religion, Migration, Settlement, Tuomas Martikainen provides an account of the impact of immigration on the field of religion in Finland since the 1990s. As a historical country of emigration that has turned into one of immigration, Finland provides an illuminating case study of the complexities of post-Cold War migration. The book analyses processes of migrant settlement from the viewpoint of religious organisations by applying theoretical perspectives to immigrant integration, global-local dynamics, governance of religious diversity, processes of migrant settlement and structural adaptation. The book is of relevance to those grappling with the impact of international migration on contemporary religious

        First Issue of Critical Research on Religion

        Posted on by

        The first issue of Critical Research of Religion is now available for free on line at:
        http://crr.sagepub.com

        To get this free access, you will first need to register with SAGE at:
        https://online.sagepub.com/cgi/register?registration=FTCRR

        There is also a CRR Facebook page. Please “Like” the page at:
        http://www.facebook.com/CriticalResearchOnReligion

        Finally, for extended, ongoing, and archived discussions of articles, please post your comments at:
        http://www.criticaltheoryofreligion.org/blog

        Post-doctoral researcher, Cardiff Centre for Chaplaincy Studies

        Posted on by

        Appointment of Post-doctoral researcher

        Cardiff Centre for Chaplaincy Studies seeks to appoint a Post-doctoral researcher to work on a project investigating the Church of England’s involvement in Chaplaincy.

        See link for more information: http://stmichaels.ac.uk/job-vacancies.php

        A letter of application and CV, with the names of two referees, should be sent to:
        The Rev’d Dr Andrew Todd, Director, Cardiff Centre for Chaplaincy Studies, St. Michael’s College, Cardiff Road, Llandaff, Cardiff. CF5 2YJ. ToddAJ@cf.ac.uk
        Closing date for applications: Friday 12th April 2013
        Interviews to be held: Tuesday 23rd April 2013 in Cardiff

        Chicago Catholic Immigrants Conference: The Italians

        Posted on by

        Chicago Catholic Immigrants Conference: The Italians November 8-9 Loyola University Chicago

        *Call for Papers:*

        The conference invites 20-30 minute papers that look at the late 19th and 20th century Italian immigration, with an emphasis on Chicago and the Midwest. Presentations may be given from the viewpoint of ethnic studies, urban and cultural history, literature and language, theology, and the sociology of religion. Italian-American artists are also welcomed to propose a topic or work of art for exhibition or performance.

        Topics for presentation include:
        – Italian American Migration
        – Italian Nationalism and Americanism
        – The demographics of Italian neighborhoods, then and now
        – The role Italian-American personalities and religious orders in the development of Catholicism in Chicago of the 19th and 20th century
        – Cult and Culture, Devotional practices of Italian-Americans
        – The Catholic Imagination in Italian-Americans: Music, Literature, Film, Painting

        *Please provide a title and a 200 word abstract for your paper by August 1, 2013.*
        Email it to Dr. Dominic Candeloro (dominic.candeloro@gmail.com) and Dr. Mark Bosco, SJ (mbosco@luc.edu). <http://blogs.lib.luc.edu/ccic/call-for-papers/>

        Sixth ISA Worldwide Competition for Junior Sociologists deadline May 1, 2013

        Posted on by

          1. The International Sociological Association (ISA) announces the organization of the Sixth ISA Worldwide Competition for Junior Sociologists. The winners will be invited to participate in the XVIII ISA World Congress of Sociology which will take place in Yokohama, Japan in July 2014.

        2. By Junior Scholars we mean people who obtained his/her first Master’s degree (or an equivalent graduate diploma) in sociology or in a related discipline, less than 10 years prior to May 1st, 2013. In case of joint or multiple authorship, this rule applies to all authors of the submitted paper.

        1. Candidates must send
        * An original paper that has not been previously published anywhere.
        * The paper should be no more than 6,000 words typewritten double-spaced on one side of the paper with margins of 3 cm and the pages numbered.
        * An abstract (maximum 500 words) with five key words must be included in the paper.
        * Notes and the bibliography should appear at the end of the text. Papers which do not conform to these rules run the risk of being rejected. We prefer papers focusing on central sociological problems and/or socially relevant issues. The phenomena examined may be social, economic, political, cultural or of any other kind, but their interpretation or analysis must show a sociological orientation (for instance, through the identification of social processes underlying the phenomena under scrutiny, critique of commonsense interpretations or of well established theories, etc.).
        Empirical research papers must go beyond descriptive reporting of results to broader, analytical interpretations. Papers will be judged according to perceptiveness with which issues are treated, the quality of empirical materials presented, the consistency with which an analytic framework is used, the originality of ideas, and the clarity of style. Extensiveness of referencing or the use of advanced statistical methods will be considered to be of only secondary importance, so as to provide participants throughout the world with as equal an opportunity as possible. We are particularly interested in receiving papers from scholars in Third World Countries.
        The winners of the previous Competitions are not allowed to compete.

        1. Papers may be written in one of the following languages: English, French, Spanish as well as Arabic, Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Russian. Assessors will be appointed for each of these languages. To give a fair chance for participants whose mother tongue is none of the above, there will be assessors in English, French and Spanish, respectively, for papers submitted by authors, who use any of these as a foreign language. All other scholars may also make use of this option if they prefer.
        A revision has been made in the interest of inclusiveness as follows: Papers are expected to be written in one of the official languages of the ISA (English, Spanish and French). Papers written in other languages will be assessed by scholars competent in these languages. Where necessary the papers of finalists will be translated into one of the official languages of the ISA. [March 2012]

        2. An electronic file of the paper and a cover letter (in .doc or .pdf) should be e-mailed as an attachment to Yoshimichi Sato at ysato@sal.tohoku.ac.jp by Wednesday, May 1st, 2013. The subject of the message should be “Junior Competition 2014.”
        In order to protect anonymity during the selection process, authors should not put their name on the paper itself, but the cover letter should include their family name (capital letters), first name, sex, date of birth, mother tongue, degrees, e-mail address, mailing address where they can be reached and (optionally) their present occupation. All this information should be given in one of the official languages of the ISA (English, French, and Spanish). An electronic acknowledgement of the electronic submissions will be given.

        3. Initially, a Jury will consider which papers reach a sufficiently high standard to be issued with a letter of official commendation and be listed on ISA website. Each language Jury will then preselect (by September 2013) a maximum of three papers. These finalists will receive Merit Award Certificates, a four-year membership in the ISA, and a registration to the XVIII World Congress of Sociology in Yokohama, Japan in July, 2014.
        The ISA, however, cannot guarantee to cover costs for their travel and accommodations. All authors thus preselected will also be invited to participate in a five-day seminar prior to the Congress.

        Out of the preselected finalists, the Grand Jury chaired by the ISA President Michael Burawoy will select up to five winning papers. Their authors will be immediately invited, all expenses paid, to participate in the World Congress. In case of multiple authorship, the subvention will have to be shared. Additional information may be obtained from Yoshimichi Sato, ysato@sal.tohoku.ac.jp, Coordinator of the Competition.
        Committee of the Sixth ISA Worldwide Competition for Junior Sociologists:
        * Yoshimichi Sato, Chair, Tohoku University, Japan
        * Emma Porio, Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines
        * Habibul Khondker, Zayed University, United Arab Emirates
        * Benjamin Tejerina, Universidad del País Vasco, Spain http://www.isa-sociology.org/wcys/index.htm