Author Archives: Jim

Symposium: ‘Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianities in Australia.’

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You are invited to join us at the symposium ‘Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianities in Australia.’  The symposium is convened by Cristina Rocha, Mark Hutchinson and Kathleen Openshaw, scholars at the Religion and Society Research Cluster, Western Sydney University. Keynote speaker: Prof Paul Freston (Wilfred Laurier University). It will take place on 11-12 August at WSU Parramatta city campus.
Registration is free, but needed for catering purposes. For the programme, registration, and more details see https://pccinaussymposium.wordpress.com

Cheers,
Cristina
Associate Professor Cristina Rocha
ARC Future Fellow
Director of Religion and Society Research Cluster
Western Sydney University

2nd Islamic Education Summer School 24-26 September 2017

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Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit
Centre for Education Studies
Faculty of Social Sciences University of Warwick

‘Divine Word in a Secular World’ Developing Contextual Pedagogies of the Qur’an within the European Muslim Diaspora

The second Islamic Education Summer School will focus on exploring the challenges informing the teaching and learning of the Qur’an within the minority Muslim context of the European Muslim diaspora. The aim is to create an opportunity for practitioners to reflect on their experience of teaching the Qur’an by critically considering the strength and weaknesses in their underlying models of teaching the Qur’an and thereby identifying areas for further research and development. This reflective dialogue will include perspectives of RE practitioners, specialists in Religious Studies, Islamic/Qur’anic Studies and the wider community of researchers and educators interested in exploring different aspects of traditional and contemporary pedagogies of the Qur’an.

Further information on how to apply:

  • Cost: £375 including accommodation and food. £175 excluding accommodation.
  • Venue: Arden Conference Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry.
  • Please note the number of places are strictly limited to 25 bookings allocated on a first come first served basis. If you wish to make a presentation please submit an outline (max 500 words) of your paper.
  • Please e-mail to a.sahin@warwick.ac.uk  by 18 August 2017 to reserve a place.

Details and registration are available at:

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ces/  and http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ces/news/islamiceducationsummerschool2017

2nd Islamic Education Summer School 24-26 September 2017

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Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit
Centre for Education Studies
Faculty of Social Sciences University of Warwick

‘Divine Word in a Secular World’ Developing Contextual Pedagogies of the Qur’an within the European Muslim Diaspora

The second Islamic Education Summer School will focus on exploring the challenges informing the teaching and learning of the Qur’an within the minority Muslim context of the European Muslim diaspora. The aim is to create an opportunity for practitioners to reflect on their experience of teaching the Qur’an by critically considering the strength and weaknesses in their underlying models of teaching the Qur’an and thereby identifying areas for further research and development. This reflective dialogue will include perspectives of RE practitioners, specialists in Religious Studies, Islamic/Qur’anic Studies and the wider community of researchers and educators interested in exploring different aspects of traditional and contemporary pedagogies of the Qur’an.

Further information on how to apply:

  • Cost: £375 including accommodation and food. £175 excluding accommodation.
  • Venue: Arden Conference Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry.
  • Please note the number of places are strictly limited to 25 bookings allocated on a first come first served basis. If you wish to make a presentation please submit an outline (max 500 words) of your paper.
  • Please e-mail to a.sahin@warwick.ac.uk  by 18 August 2017 to reserve a place.

Details and registration are available at:

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ces/  and http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ces/news/islamiceducationsummerschool2017

New Book: Religion and the Global City

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Edited by David Garbin & Anna Strhan

Bloomsbury 

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/religion-and-the-global-city-9781474272438/

This is the first book to explore how religious movements and actors shape and are shaped by aspects of global city dynamics. Theoretically grounded and empirically informed, Religion and the Global City advances discussions in the field of urban religion, and establishes future research directions. The book brings together a wealth of ethnographically rich and vivid case studies in a diversity of urban settings, in both Global North and Global South contexts. These case studies are drawn from both ‘classical’ global cities such as London and Paris, and also from large cosmopolitan metropolises  such as Bangalore, Rio de Janeiro, Lagos, Singapore and Hong Kong – which all constitute, in their own terms, powerful sites within the informational, cultural and moral networked economies of contemporary globalization.

“By taking on what makes a city truly religiously ‘global’ and what makes a global religion truly urban outside the west, on a variety of scales and in a variety of places, Garbin and Strhan’s edited volume successfully reframes our understanding of the urban religion-globalization nexus.” 

Peggy Levitt, Wellesley College, USA and author of God Needs No Passport: Immigrants and the Changing American Religious Landscape (2007) 

“This volume opens up the world of urban religions, showing how they connect globalization and urbanization through everyday acts of place-making, co-operation and conviviality. Impressive in its geographical purview and inter-disciplinary ambition, this is an important collection and one that deserves to be read by all those interested in the state of our cities.” 

Phil Hubbard, Professor of Urban Studies, King’s College London, UK

Post-Doctoral Position: “Islamic Activists in Exile”

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Please find below the call for application for 2 year post-doctoral position based at CEFRES (Prague)  on the topic “Islamic Activists in Exile: Europe, Middle East and South-Asia. Deadline: 23 August 2017. 

Topic 3: “Islamic Activists in Exile: Europe, Middle East and South-Asia”

This research project will associate one post-doctoral researcher with CAS researcher Giedre Sabaseviciute.

Description: Candidates will be expected to contribute to the project on the contemporary exiled Islamic activists in European, Middle Eastern and South-Asian cities. The project aims to research the ways in which the experience of exile affect the trajectories of activism, focusing on how different national context influence their career choices, which vary between the continuation of activism, involvement into different causes, or disengagement. Possible research topics include but are not restricted to 1- circulation of ideas, norms and activism through human networks; 2- patterns of activist network formation; 3- relationship between the exiled activists and their host countries; 4- continuities and ruptures in individual trajectories of activism. Candidates are expected to have conducted their doctoral research in one of the regions covered by the project (The Gulf, Turkey, South-Asia), to be proficient of one of its languages (Turkish, Arabic, Malay), and have an important knowledge of the fieldwork. Interdisciplinary approach is preferred, as well as some experience in ethnographic and biographical research, media studies, and discourse analysis.
Applicants may contact Giedre Sabaseviciute before applying for any relevant questions on their application. Please write to: saba@orient.cas.cz

More information can be found on http://www.cefres.cz/en/6214

CFP: “Exploring Contemporary Muslim Art, Culture, and Heritage in Britain”

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Call for Papers
MUSLIM ART CONFERENCE
Exploring Contemporary Muslim Art, Culture and Heritage in Britain
14th September 2017, Birmingham

Art and culture provide a means of communication, an alternative platform to share stories, celebrate contributions to society and challenge misconceptions and stereotypes. In Britain, Muslim art and culture are in transition as we see interchange between artists inspired by the traditional Islamic arts and those who are finding new ways of weaving together their British and Muslim identities. A rising generation is using artistic forms such as music, film, literature, photography, poetry and comedy to express themselves. As well as celebrating the diversity of British Muslim identity, these artists and cultural producers explore difficult issues and help bridge divides between communities.

This new world creates exciting opportunities but also uneasy tensions as to where these practices can fit in the traditional canons of visual and performing arts, the heritage and museum sectors, in literature and even popular culture in Britain. British Muslims often find it difficult to present their work in mainstream arts and cultural establishments such as theatres, galleries and museums. Many upcoming Muslim artists work alone and often struggle to fund their work. Furthermore, the persistence of stereotypical representations of Muslims in popular media and cultural industries makes it harder for Muslims in the arts and cultural sectors to reach a wide audience.

This one-day Muslims in Britain Research Network conference will create space for critical dialogue and community exchange by bringing aspiring and established Muslim artists and cultural producers together with eminent scholars and researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs and arts funders. The conference will provide a space to discuss, inform, connect and engage through a program of lectures, presentations, panel discussions and workshops. Cultural experts will share insights into the key factors affecting Muslim arts and culture in Britain and will address the practical questions facing Muslim artists in the UK – from applying for their first grant to running an arts organisation, from creating social change to establishing and receiving commissions for national and international work.

We invite the submission of papers, presentations, talks, session proposals, panel discussions, lightning talks, short performances to be presented on Thursday 14th September 2017 at a Birmingham venue (to be confirmed). We welcome proposals from scholars, curators, artists, cultural producers and programmers, and students and independent researchers. Sessions that include a mixture of scholars/researchers and practitioners are particularly encouraged. Although all paper proposals should speak to the theme of Muslim art and culture, we welcome submissions from individuals from any faith background and none.

Themes we hope to cover in the conference include:
• How are Muslims in Britain exploring identity, belonging and social change through art, culture and heritage?
• How are Muslim art and culture represented in the cultural sector in Britain? Are the cultural industries responding to British Muslims’ demand for culture?
• What does contemporary ‘Muslim’ and ‘Islamic’ art mean?
• How does contemporary British Muslim cultural production compare/relate to the past and to other cultural contexts?
• How are Muslim arts in Britain developing?
• What strategies are needed to grow, fund, and sustain Muslim cultural production without compromising on beliefs and creativity?

Individual presentations/responses should last no longer than 10-12 mins, and a full panel session no longer than one hour including audience Q&A.

To participate please send a 200 word abstract to the email address below by Monday 31st July 2017 along with a biography of no more than 50 words (per speaker)

Abstract submissions and any general questions should be sent to the conference organisers atmuslimsinbritainrn@gmail.com

Selected academic papers and practitioner responses will be considered for publishing in a conference report and/or recorded and placed online.
http://www.mbrn.org.uk/muslim-art-conference-2017-cfp/

CFP: The New Subjectivities of Global Capitalism: Spirituality, Personal Development, and the World of Work

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THE NEW SUBJECTIVITIES OF GLOBAL CAPITALISM: SPIRITUALITY,PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE WORLD OF WORK

Guest speakers:

  • Emma BELL (The Open University, UK)

  • Ekaterina CHERTKOVSKAYA (Lund University,Sweden)

  • François GAUTHIER (University of Fribourg, Switzerland)

  • Scott TAYLOR (University of Birmingham, UK)

Conference organized by the Sociology Department of Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Conference Dates: 18th – 20th of September 2017
Venue: Cluj-Napoca, Sociology Department, BBU       
Deadline for abstract submission:  7th of August 2017Notification for acceptance: 15th of August 2017

Abstracts of papers should be submitted to the following email addresses:

The current neo-liberal transformations of global capitalism have produced throughout the world lasting and significant changes. At the same time, they have generated new cultural ontologies, institutions and social practices which are embedded, appropriated and sometimes resisted in local political, religious and social contexts. This conference focuses on the emergence of new forms of subjectivities that encourages individuals to govern themselves by becoming more creative, competitive and entrepreneurial. An important aspect of the contemporary neo-liberal governmentality is represented by the role played by the various embodiments of a new spirit of capitalism based on an ethic of self-transformations that instills in its subjects a sense of responsibility,autonomy and most of all an immanent desire for authenticity. In this context we have witnessed in the past decade the emergence of new alternative religions and spiritualities, workshops for personal development, integrative and trans-personal psychologies, popular therapeutic expertise on management of thes elf; these new technologies of care for human resources that aim at socializing new subjectivities have spread not only in work environments and governmental agencies but also in educational establishments, healthcare and social work programs.

The aim of this conference is to explore on one hand the religious changes in contemporary society and the way these new spiritualities (yoga, theta healing,meditation, holotropic breathing, familial constellations, reiki. etc.) are becoming an important component not only of popular culture but of various professional fields (management, psychology, psychotherapy, medicine, sport,etc.) and shape a culture of neo-liberal subjectivities. On the other hand we want  to analyze the transformative changes of theneo-liberal economic environment, especially those sectors that experiment witha new spirit of capitalism through innovative forms of management of individuals and creative policies for developing human resources.

This conference aims to bring together scholars from a broad field of social sciences (anthropology, sociology, religious studies, political science,critical management studies) that are interested in the contemporary flourishing of new forms of subjectivities and in the role they play in contemporary capitalist societies. The goal of the conference is to discuss local instances of how neo-liberalism is reproduced through what appears as transformative ethics of self-realization and to analyze the mechanisms of generating ‘enterprising’ and ‘competitive’ subjectivities that are engaged in transforming their inner selves and their social environments in accordance with the prevailing economic rationalities. 

We welcome papers that:

  • explore the new landscapes of religion and spirituality and ways in which these new cultural ontologies are appropriated by global capitalism;

  • explore the role played by the spiritual and personal development programs in shaping a new sense of self that is adapted to the contemporary social and economic conditions;

  • explore how the neoliberal economic transformations are contested and resisted by traditional religions and the way moral communities are creatively reframed in order to engage with these vast social and economic transformations.

  • explore the transformations within the psy-disciplines and the role they have played in the implementation of technologies of intervention and in the popularization of devices self-production through the mass consumption of psychological expertise(therapies, clinical mediation, self-help literature); ·   

  • explore the role played by the spiritual and personal development sector in further legitimizing the understanding of individuals as fully responsible for their employability and the outcome of their attempts to better position themselves within organizations or in the labor market.  ·   

  • explore changes in the world of work through recent processes like de-proletarianisation or re-proletarianisation and the subsequent transformations of the workers’ sense of the self;

  • analyze how the reconfiguration of regions as economic units transform the nature and experience of work. ·    any other topic related to neoliberal subjectivities in religions, organizations, work environments and popular culture. 

Participation, abstracts and registration

  • The conference is open to all academics and MA/PhD Students working on related topics.

  • Please submit an abstract of no more than 200 words before 7th of August 2017 to the following email addresses: Sorin Gog (soringog@yahoo.com) or Anca Simionca (ancasimionca@gmail.com).

  • The authors will be notified about the acceptance of their abstracts before 15thof August 2017. There is no registration fee for this conference.

  • Participants are expected however to cover for their travel to Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Upon request, the organizers can provide accommodation for a limited number of participants.

Call for Papers: “Religious Texts of Diversity Vs Exclusion”

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Colleagues

A reminder of the session I chair at the Sociology conference: https://isaconf.confex.com/isaconf/wc2018/webprogrampreliminary/Session9912.html :

Religious Texts of Diversity Vs Exclusion

RC22 Sociology of Religion 

Language: English

In the rising post-secular religio-cultural climate, exegetical eyes have been seeing anew that foundational Holy Texts often associated one-sidedly with social suppression in the ancient worlds had been read superficially, usually without much historical depth. However, in evolved libraries, as all Holy Texts and canons are, dominant religio-cultural ideals are as real as they are partial. Alternate voices are never fully silenced; some remain merely compromised through processes of canonisation and dominant interpretation. However, to see these competing theological streams in ancient texts requires eyes that see anew, with exegetes’ and other interpreters’ views having been steered by influential publications, events and trends or sensitivities within their societies. For this session, papers are invited that:

1. Analyse in foundational religious textual corpora (Holy Texts and key classical interpretative texts, moments and movements) the interplay between diversity and exclusion (with both latter terms which apply to all spheres of the human experience); and / or

2. Analyse key modern, post-modern and post-secular texts, moments and movements that have shaped the historical imagination of interpreters of these  foundational religious textual corpora; and / or

3. Bring aspects of 1 and 2 into interpretatively into play with one another.

Session Organizer:

Christo LOMBAARD, University of South Africa, South Africa, christolombaard@gmail.com

Please refer colleagues who might be interested, to this session.

More information at:

My best wishes

Christo

—

Prof. Christo Lombaard (PhD, DD)
Christelike Spiritualiteit        / Christian Spirituality
Universiteit van Suid-Afrika / University of South Africa

Public Presentation of Research Findings

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The Von Hügel Institute for Critical Catholic Inquiry at St Edmund’s College is delighted to invite you to the presentation of the key findings of the research project: 

The relevance of Catholic social thought and practice in the field of migration and asylum policy in the UK

Monday 24 July 2017 1.30pm (until around 3pm)

Speakers:

  • Dr Sara Silvestri (VHI, POLIS, & City, University of London)
  • Dr Elif Cetin (VHI & Wolfson College, Cambridge)

Okinaga Room (top floor in the tower) St Edmund’s College, Cambridge, CB3 0BN

Coordinated by Dr Sara Silvestri with the assistance of Dr Elif Cetin, this timely study addresses the practical and moral contribution of Christian values, and specifically Catholic social thought and practice, to the work that Catholic charities as well as policy makers do, in the UK, in the context of addressing the needs of migrants, refugees and host communities, as well as in shaping fair, humane, and responsible policies. Mainly funded by the Charles Plater Trust, this project also contributes to the wider ongoing debate on the role of religion and faith-based NGOs in public life, an reflects on the extent to which religious values can contribute to more ethical policies. Everyone welcome. Refreshments will be served afterwards Booking not required but it would help for catering.

For more information contact: ss384@cam.ac.uk

Call for Papers: “Complex Religion: Intersections of Religion and Inequality”

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Call for Papers

Special Issue – Social Inclusion

Volume 6, Issue 2

Title: Complex Religion: Intersections of Religion and Inequality

Editor: Melissa J. Wilde (University of Pennsylvania, USA)

Deadline for Abstracts: 15 September 2017
Submission of Full Papers: 15 to 31 January 2018
Publication of the Issue: May/June 2018

Information: Although scholars of American religion acknowledge religion’s deep interconnectedness with race, class, and ethnicity in the USA, we nonetheless typically study religion as a factor that is independent from other social structures. Likewise, we rarely systematically examine class, race or gender differences between or within American religious groups. This thematic issue will highlight research that moves beyond these weaknesses by publishing papers that intentionally examine aspects of inequality as they relate to religion. Papers that discuss both theoretical and methodological conundrums (and solutions) are welcome.

Instructions for Authors: Authors interested in submitting a paper for this issue are asked to consult the journal’s editorial policies and to send their abstracts (about 200-250 words, with a tentative title) by email to the journal’s editorial office (si@cogitatiopress.com) by 15 September 2017.

Open Access: The journal has an article publication fee to cover its costs and guarantee that the article can be accessed free of charge by any reader, anywhere in the world, regardless of affiliation. We defend that authors should not have to personally pay this fee and advise them to check with their institutions if funds are available to cover open access publication fees. Institutions can also join Cogitatio’s Membership Program at a very affordable rate and enable all affiliated authors to publish without incurring any fees. Further information about the journal’s open access charges and institutional members can be found here.