Author Archives: Jim

CFP: Summer Workshop on Faith-Based Violence

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We would like to draw your attention to the call for applications for the 2015 UCSIA summer school on “Religion, Culture and Society: Entanglement and Confrontation”. This summer school is a one-week course taking place from Sunday 23rd of August until Sunday 30th of August 2015 (dates of arrival and departure). This year the programme will focus on the topic of Is Faith-based Violence Religious?

Topic:

Despite the predicted secularization process that would make religion less salient in the global world, the topic of faith biased violence remains hugely relevant, both from a societal and an academic perspective. Whether the movements are pro-democracy or pro-theocracy, religious movements are often instrumental in political change. Political tensions mapped onto religious discourse may also de-contextualize historical events, mythologize agendas and transform neighbours into ‘others’ while the struggle for ‘Truth’ renders defence into an act of aggression. Given UCSIA’s mission to delve into academically timely and challenging topics we will approach this phenomenon from an interdisciplinary perspective. More specifically, the UCSIA summer school  will investigate both sides of the subject matter: Is religion inductive of or instrumental for violence?

Guest lecturers are Jonathan Fox (Religion and State Project, Faculty of the Political Studies, Bar-Ilan University); Peter Neumann (Department of War Studies, King’s College London, and  International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation); Marat Shterin (Department of Theology and Religious Studies, King’s College London); & Thijl Sunier (Cultural Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, VU University Amsterdam).

Practical details:

Participation and stay for young scholars and researchers are free of charge. Participants should pay for their own travel expenses to Antwerp.

You can submit your application via the electronic submission on the summer school website. The completed file as well as all other required application documents must be submitted to the UCSIA Selection Committee not later than Sunday 19 April 2015.

For further information regarding the programme and application procedure, please have a look at our website: http://www.ucsia.org/summerschool.

Please help us to distribute this call for application among PhD students and postdoctoral scholars who might be interested in applying for this summer school.

For all further information, do not hesitate to contact us on the address below.

Best regards,

Sara Mels

Project coordinator

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The Donner Research Prize 2015 awarded to Per Faxneld

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The Donner Institute for Research in Religious and Cultural History in Turku has awarded Dr Per Faxneld from Stockholm University the 2015 prize for outstanding research into religion. Dr Faxneld is awarded for his dissertation Satanic Feminism: Lucifer as the Liberator of Woman in Nineteenth-Century Culture (2014).

The Donner Institute Prize is awarded annually for outstanding research into religion conducted at a Nordic university. It is intended for researchers in the field of religious studies for a significant and relatively newly published monograph or article in print or digital form. The prize sum is 5,000 Euros.

More information: http://www.abo.fi/forskning/News/Item/item/9689

On behalf of the Donner Institute Board,

Turku, 16 March 2015

Ulrika Wolf-Knuts
Chairman

Ruth Illman
Secretary

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Science and Religion: Exploring the Spectrum Workshop

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Science and Religion: Exploring the Spectrum Workshop

York University Toronto, 26th-28th May 2015

Early Career Researcher Bursaries:

We have a number of bursaries available for Canada based PhD students and Early Career Researchers to attend and participate in the Science and Religion: Exploring the Spectrum workshop. These bursaries will cover the cost of your registration, accommodation, all workshop meals and a significant contribution to some or all of your travel costs up to a value of $650 CAD.

‘Early-Career Researcher’ is defined as up to five years post-PhD (or equivalent taking into account career breaks for childcare etc.)

We welcome applications from researchers who are just starting to develop an interest in this field as well as those who existing research directly relates to the project content.

To apply for a Travel Bursary for the workshop at York University, Toronto please send a short 2 -3 page copy of your CV together with a statement of up to 300 words on why you are interested in attending the workshop and how your research intersects with its themes (see below for details) to:

James.Thompson@staff.newman.ac.uk

The closing date for applications is: 16th April 2015

The post Science and Religion: Exploring the Spectrum Workshop appeared first on ISA Research Committee 22.

Conference: Young Muslims Growing up in Scandinavia and the West

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Young Muslims Growing up in Scandinavia and the West

University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

7-8 May 2015

http://sockom.helsinki.fi/ceren/english/newsarchive/youngmuslims_programme.pdf

The two day seminar brings together scholars from all over Europe to discuss young Muslims in Europe. The seminar covers themes from religion, radicalisation, and media to faith and fashion. On Thursday afternoon there will also be a panel discussion with the topic Dreams, Hopes & Hurdles: Young Muslim’s Aspiration for a Good Life. The panel discussion is organised together with the Doctoral Programme in Theology, University of Helsinki.

Please register since the number of seats is limited.

https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/59326/lomake.html

The deadline for registration is Wednesday April 22nd.

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Elphinstone Scholarships

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A number of Elphinstone PhD Scholarships are available across the arts, humanities and social sciences, linked to specific, individual research projects. These Scholarships cover the entirety of tuition fees for a PhD student of any nationality commencing full-time study in October 2015, for the three-year duration of their studies.

Islam and Ambivalence

Project 1: Muslims and non-Muslims: The “other” as a source of cultural and religious knowledge/ threat The purpose of this project is to identify, discuss and analyse in Islamic literary, historical and/ or religious sources depictions of and references to various forms of relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims. The project will ideally focus on a specific context of such relations, and examine the form of discourse it involves, and the extent to which the “other” are depicted as a source of cultural and religious knowledge on the one hand, and a threat on the other. Such contexts might include societies where Muslims are/ were Muslims, such as Muslim Spain, as well as cases in which Muslims live as a minority, e.g. China. Another possible direction could be minorities and majorities within Islam (e.g., between Sunna and Shi’a).

Project 2: Islamic portrayal of pre-Islamic prophets This project aim at examining the portrayal of one (or more) prophetic figure within the Muslim sources, the construction of their character(s) within the Islamic context, possible motivations for these constructions, manners of settling the internal tensions within their character(s), etc. The research will involve a detailed textual study of medieval Islamic sources and their analysis, available through libraries around the U.K.

Project 3: Northern Europe in Medieval Arabic Sources The proposed project will analyse Arabic texts dealing with the North and contextualise them in their literary tradition. It will provide biographies of the Arabic authors and contexts for their texts, and evaluate their information in terms of trustworthiness in order to extract information about the Vikings and Nordic countries from the eighth to the 13th centuries. Whenever possible the information contained in the Arabic sources will be compared to western Latin sources to produce a composite picture of the events and polities in the period.

How Do I Apply?

To apply for an Elphinstone PhD Scholarship, you should apply for a PhD via our online system, in the Programme Details Section:

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply.php

For further details please contact Dr Zohar Hadromi-Allouche

(zohar@abdn.ac.uk)

Dr Zohar Hadromi-Allouche

Lecturer in Islam

Coordinator, MLitt Islamic Studies

University of Aberdeen

School of Divinity, History and Philosophy King’s College, Aberdeen AB24 3UB Scotland, United Kingdom

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Book Announcement: The Muslim Struggle for Civil Rights in Spain

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The Muslim Struggle for Civil Rights in Spain Promoting Democracy through Migrant Engagement, 1985–2010

Aitana Guia

Sussex Academic, 2014

http://www.sussex-academic.com/sa/titles/history/Guia.htm

In this history of Spain since 1975, with the collapse of dictatorship and transition to democracy, Aitana Guia demonstrates that a key factor left out of studies on the period—namely immigration and specifically Muslim immigration—has helped reinvigorate and strengthen the democratic process. Despite broad diversity and conflicting agendas, Muslim immigrants—often linking up with native converts to Islam—have mobilized as an effective force. They have challenged the long tradition of Maurophobia exemplified in such mainstream festivities as the Festivals of Moors and Christians; they have taken to task residents and officials who have stood in the way of efforts to construct mosques; and they have defied the members of their own community who have refused to accommodate the rights of women.

Beginning in Melilla, in Spanish-held North Africa, and expanding across Spain, the effect of this civil rights movement has been to fill gaps in legislation on immigration and religious pluralism and to set in motion a revision of prevailing interpretations of Spanish history and identity, ultimately forcing Spanish society to open up a space for all immigrants.

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Job Opening: Associate Professor/Professor in Biblical Studies

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Associate Professor/Professor in Biblical Studies at the Department of History and Religious Studies. Arctic University of Norway TROMSØ

http://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/111849/associate-professor-professor-in-biblical-studies-at-the-department-of-history-and-religious-studies

Application deadline: 27. April 2015

Applications must be marked: Ref. 2015/339

The Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education has an opening for a permanent 100% position as Associate Professor/Professor from May 1, 2015. The position is affiliated to the Department of History and Religious Studies.

For further information about the position, contact Head of Department, Fredrik Fagertun, tel. +47 776 46176, email: fredrik.fagertun@uit.no.

The application must be submitted electronically via the application form available on this paga (www.jobbnorge.no).

The position’s affiliation

The Department of History and Religious Studies is part of the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education. The department has 16 permanent academic positions, of which 10 are in History and 6 are in Religious Studies. In addition there are two Ph.D. positions in Religious Studies at the moment. The academic staff of the department teaches and gives supervision to students at all levels from bachelor to Ph.D. Three of the permanent positions, including the position in Biblical Studies, are in Christian theology. Together with practical theology, these positions contribute to the education that qualifies individuals for service as a minister in the Church of Norway. Research and teaching in the theological disciplines are conducted in cooperation with the Religious Studies staff.

The position’s field of research/field of work

A prerequisite for the advertised position in Biblical Studies is basic theological education and a completed Ph.D. in either the Old or the New Testament. The position involves research within one’s own field of expertise, teaching and supervision. The position also involves responsibility for developing the theological discipline.

Applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. During the assessment process, emphasis will be placed on submitted academic work. Broad teaching experience, preferably in both the field of the Old and of the New Testament, is an advantage. The ability to initiate and successfully lead research projects and other relevant experience will also be an asset. Due to the resources available within the university, teaching experience in Biblical Hebrew will be beneficial. The successful candidate can be assigned teaching duties outside the field of Biblical Studies.

Qualification requirements

For appointment as an Associate Professor/Professor, it is required that the applicant has:

  • Norwegian doctoral degree in the subject area concerned or a corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognised as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree

or

  • competence at a corresponding level documented by academic work of the same scope and quality

Further, applicants must be able to document teaching qualifications in the form of university-level teaching seminars, other teaching education or through having developed a teaching portfolio. Alternatively, after carrying out an assessment of the applicant’s practical teaching skills, the committee may determine that this can be regarded as of equal value to formal teaching qualifications. For further information about requirements for teaching qualifications, read the website teacher training courses.

Personal suitability will also be taken into account.

Applicants should have a good command of Norwegian or another Scandinavian language. Non-Scandinavian speakers must have a good command of English and be willing to learn Norwegian within 2 years.

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Conference & Call for Papers: ““Religiones en cuestión: campos, fronteras y perspectivas””

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XVIII Jornadas sobre Alternativas Religiosas en América Latina
Mendoza, Argentina, Nov 16-19, 2015

Las XVIII Jornadas sobre Alternativas Religiosas en América Latina son realizadas por la Asociación de Cientistas Sociales de la Religión del Mercosur (ACSRM). La organización local estará a cargo de la Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales de la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Las XVIII Jornadas se realizarán en la ciudad de Mendoza, Argentina, entre los días 16 y 19 de noviembre de 2015.

A lo largo de los cuatro días, se desarrollarán mesas redondas, grupos de trabajo, coloquios, presentaciones de libros y actividades culturales. Normas para la presentación de propuestas de Grupos de Trabajo: Los Grupos de Trabajo deberán contar con dos coordinadores, de preferencia provenientes de dos países diferentes de América Latina. Al menos uno de los coordinadores deberá poseer el título de doctor y ambos deben ser, hasta el inicio del evento, asociados de la ACSRM.

Las propuestas deberán incluir:

  • Nombre del Coordinador/a 1:
  • Adscripción Institucional:
  • Título Académico:
  • Nombre del Coordinador/a 2:
  • Adscripción Institucional:
  • Título Académico:
  • Título del GT:
  • Fundamentación: (Entre 200 y 250 palabras )

Las propuestas de GT deben enviarse hasta el 31 de marzo de 2015 al siguiente correo electrónico: jornadas.acsrm@gmail.com

 

 

The post Conference & Call for Papers: ““Religiones en cuestión: campos, fronteras y perspectivas”” appeared first on ISA Research Committee 22.

Workshop & CFP: “Women’s Religious Agency

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Invitation and call for papers: Women’s religious agency: negotiating secularism and multiculturalism in everyday life

Department of Theology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, May 7-8, 2015.

This workshop is the first of a series of international workshops on the theme “Is secularism bad for women? Women, Religion and Multiculturalism in contemporary Europe” focusing on the relation between the role of religion in women’s lives and gender equality.  This is an important question to debate, given the increased visibility of religion in the globalized world of the 21st century. While some scholars and political actors argue that a form of political secularism is the best way to ensure gender equality, others consider secularism a bad political arrangement for religious people,  because it excludes them from the political and public sphere. Taking forward discussions initiated by Susan Moller Okin’s controversial 1997 essay ‘Is multiculturalism bad for women?’ and continued recently in works of scholars including Saba Mahmood, Joan Scott, Nilüfer Göle, Nadje Al-Ali, Linell Cady and Tracy Fessenden, these workshops address the following questions:

  • How can European societies secure religious women’s freedom and flourishing?
  • What political arrangements offer the most to those who are religious and female?
  • Is religion – at least some forms of it – an impossible impediment, something that must be destroyed in order for women to be free?
  • Or can religion be a positive force in women’s lives, something that enhances their wellbeing and aids social justice?

This workshop will approach these issues focusing on the individual or everyday level; the second workshop at Coventry University, UK, will address the group level, and the third at University of Coimbra, Lisbon, will address the public and political context. In the Uppsala workshop, we wish to connect research on the growing fields of ‘lived’ or ‘everyday religion’ with research on the impact of debates on secularism and multiculturalism on women’s lives, rights and identity. In everyday life women perform religion in symbolic and material ways, for example through clothing, cooking and caring work. These practices link private and public spheres and identities, and are crucial to the process of transmitting and transforming religion and secularity – however, they are sometimes overlooked or misinterpreted. This workshop will explore similarities and differences between different religious and social contexts in the dynamics between gender, religion, spirituality, non-religion and secularism. How do women’s everyday practices of religion challenge understandings of religion, agency and change in sociology of religion and in society? How can we find analytical tools to analyze complexities of power and agency in women’s performance of religion?

Confirmed keynote speakers will be Professor Elina Vuola (University of Helsinki), and assistant professor Pia Karlsson Minganti (Stockholm University).

We invite papers that discuss these questions. Abstracts should be sent by 9th March. Abstracts should be written in English and not exceed 400 words. Notification of acceptance will be given before April 7th. Please send abstracts to: linnea.jensdotter@gmail.com.

Practical information:

The workshop will run from 4 pm on the 7th of May to 5 pm on the 8th of May. Papers will be presented in thematic, parallel sessions. Participation fee is 30 euros per participant or 15 euros for PhD,
post-doc or civil society organizations, which includes refreshments. The workshop is funded by the International Society for the Sociology of Religion and organized by Prof Mia Lӧvheim (Uppsala University), Dr Terhi Utriainen (University of Helsinki), Dr Kristin Aune (Coventry University), Dr Alberta Giorgi (Centre of Social Studies, University of Coimbra; GRASSROOTSMOBILISE, Eliamep) & Dr Teresa Toldy (Fernando Pessoa University, Porto; Centre of Social Studies, University of Coimbra). The workshop in arranged in cooperation with the research Programme The Impact of Religion: challenges for society, law and democracy, a Centre of Excellence at Uppsala University 2008-2018.

The post Workshop & CFP: “Women’s Religious Agency appeared first on ISA Research Committee 22.

CFP: “Intersections of the Popular and the Sacred in Youth Cultures”

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YOUNG (Nordic Journal of Youth Research) Special Edition Open Call Intersections of the Popular and the Sacred in Youth Cultures

Recent years have seen a growing interest in ”re-scripting the sacred” through popular culture. Although ”youth” as an age-based category has lost its privileged status within such studies of popular culture, young people remain vital (sub)cultural agents. There has also been renewed interest in the ubiquitous contestations and ambiguities around the notion of the ”popular” in light of the increasing commodification and standardisation of culture, the opposition this engenders, and the cultural drift into virtual worlds.

The special edition of YOUNG focusses on the interrelations between popular culture, the youth and the category of the sacred. The aim is to interrogate understandings of popular and youth cultures in relation to the contested phenomena of (post)secularisation, re-enchantment and the emergence of alternative spiritualities. Seeking to analyse the social and cultural changes accompanying these phenomena, the special issue will facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue between youth studies, cultural studies, religious studies and the broader social sciences.

The journal invites submissions that locate themselves at the intersection of the three contested concepts, seeking to re-examine and re-evaluate the dynamics within and between cultural phenomena prefixed with ”popular”, ”sacred” and ”youth”. This general theme may be approached from within any discipline or methodology.

The special edition will contain five articles of 5000-8000 words with a separate 3-5,000 word introduction written by the editors.

Manuscripts should be submitted in electronic form online at: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/young

Start the procedure by clicking the REGISTER button. We only accept articles (in English) that have not been published elsewhere and that have been anonymised. References in both the text and end notes should follow Harvard style whereby references should be cited in the text as (author, date: page) and an alphabetical references section follows the text.

Deadline for papers The deadline for submissions for this special edition is 31st May 2015.

Guest editors The Guest Editor will be Antti-Ville Kärjä.
Responsible journal editor: Anders Sjöborg.

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