Author Archives: Jim

Oxford Symposium on Religious Studies

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Invitation to the Oxford Symposium on Religious Studies, 2015, at the Old Library in the Oxford University Church Of St Mary

We are pleased to invite you to participate in the Oxford Symposium on Religious Studies. You may register for the Summer Session (3, 4 & 5 August) or the Fall Session ( 7, 8 & 9 December). The meeting will be held at The Old Library in the Oxford University Church Of St Mary.  Constructed in 1320, The Old Library is the first university (as opposed to college) building in Oxford and therefore uniquely important; this is where the nascent University began.

The sessions will be hosted by Canon Brian Mountford, Vicar of St Mary’s. Dr. Mountford is a Fellow and Chaplain of St Hilda’s College in the University of Oxford.

You are invited to present a paper on an aspect of religious studies, or you may wish to attend as an observer.

For more information visit our website Oxford Symposium on Religious Studies

The post Oxford Symposium on Religious Studies appeared first on ISA Research Committee 22.

CFP: “Contemporary Religious Concepts of Knowledge”

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Dear Colleagues, 

I would wish to draw your attention to this CfA for a conference titled 

‘Texts, Sounds, and Images from the Divine Sphere – Contemporary Religious Concepts of Knowledge in Competition’

It is going to be held on 29, 30 September 2015 at St. Paul’s University, Kenya. 

Here is the weblink on the conference. 

https://www.zmo.de/Ausschreibungen/calls%20for%20papers/Limuru_call%20for%20papers.pdf

Kindly circulate among interested parties. 

Best, 

Halkano Abdi Wario

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CFP: Ethnicity, Race and Citizenship: Place of Indians in the New South Africa

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Conference : Call for Papers: Celebrating 155 years of Indians in South Africa

Theme: Ethnicity, Race and Citizenship: Place of Indians in the New South Africa

  • Conference Dates: 11-15 November, 2015
  • Venue: Howard College Campus, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa
  • Conference Registration Fee: $120 (USD)
  • Early Registration Fee: $100 (USD) before 30 October, 2015
  • Student Registration Fee: $75 USD
  • Abstract Submission Deadline: 31 July, 2015

The arrival of Indians since 1860 some as indentured workers and others as independent passengers with an intention to trade has fundamentally changed not only the demographic landscape of South Africa, but also had a deeper impact culturally, socially and religiously. On 16 November 2015 it will be 155 years of their presence in the country. Their experience extends from the colonial history to apartheid and finally culminating in the new South African dispensation. As such, their memories, their social history, their cultural and religious outlook has been shaped by these three key phases of history. In as much as they have shaped the memories of other cultural groups, they have been profoundly affected by their interactions with the rest of the South African population groups. This conference seeks to understand and appreciate as well as to conceptualise their presence in South Africa and also to assess and take stock of their contributions to the South African way of life as a whole, their troubles and anxieties not only of the past but also of the present. The conference aims to bring together researchers and academics to engage in critical discussion on a range of themes and topics that relate to South African Indians.

Although the focus is on South Africa, we also invite scholars working on Indian diaspora in other countries to offer papers and participate in the conference proceedings. The participation of scholars beyond South Africa will enable all of us in the field of diaspora studies to reflect on broader theoretical issues in conceptualising the Indian diaspora.

We therefore invite scholars and academics both from South Africa as well as beyond to submit papers for a 3 full day-long conference in Durban. Durban is a city that has the largest concentration of Indians outside of India. It is a coastal city with vibrant beaches and plenty of tourist attractions in and around the greater metropolitan area.

Listed below are some of the sub-themes covered. Although participants are encouraged to submit under these themes, papers outside the scope of these themes are also invited as long as they relate to the Indian diasporic experience.

  • Issues of ethnicity within the South African Indian society and beyond
  • Inter-racial relations between Indians and other population groups in South Africa
  • Issues of Indian citizenship in South Africa
  • Issues of definition—South African Indian and Indian South African
  • Cultural and Religious Contributions to South Africa
  • Significant Public Personalities of Indian descent in South Africa
  • Political Future of Indians in South Africa
  • Affirmative Action and South African Indians
  • Social and Cultural Geographies of South African Indians
  • Media, Theatre, and Art
  • Indian Diaspora as Transnationals
  • Indian Diaspora beyond South Africa
  • Caste, Gender and Religious Identities in the Indian Diaspora
  • Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Identities in the Indian Diaspora

Scholars are invited to submit an abstract of 150 words along with the title of the paper. Postgraduate students working on any aspect of Indian diaspora are also invited to submit papers. We are in the process of setting up a website for the conference and in the mean time you can check for updates at the following website.

www.idc2015.ukzn.ac.za

You can submit your abstract on the email mentioned below. For more details and for submission of abstracts please contact:

P. Pratap Kumar (Professor Emeritus)
School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics
Howard College Campus
University of KwaZulu Natal
Durban 4041
South Africa

Email: diasporasa@yahoo.co.za
Tel: 027-31-260-7539/7303
Fax: 027:31-260-7286

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Call for Papers: “Regulating Religion: Normativity and Change at the Intersection of Law and Religion”

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Call for Papers
Regulating Religion: Normativity and Change at the Intersection of Law and Religion
14 – 15 December 2015
Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore (Bukit Timah Campus)

Submission Deadline: 31 May 2015

In most eras and cultures, law and religion relate dialectically. Every major religious tradition strives to come to terms with law by striking a balance between the worldly and the spiritual, the structural and the mystical, the rational and the sacred. Every major legal tradition struggles to align its formal structures and processes with the beliefs and values of its people. Thus, while law and religion can be conceptualized as distinct spheres of human life, they do not exist independently but are constantly interacting with and influencing each other.

This workshop will engage emerging scholarship on the influence of religion on legal systems, both historically and currently, and vice versa. Regulation is our key focus. In simplest terms, we will consider how law regulates religion, and how religion responds to such regulations. The more complex question we ask is how the normativity becomes diversified and drives the regulatory dialectics between law and religion after the institutional development of the latter two. The workshop seeks to approach this question in three streams:

  1. Socio-political norms regulating religion. What social and political assumptions are we making when we make claims about the legitimate role of religion in public debate? What overarching social and political goals underlie how the law deals with issues of freedom of religion and freedom of religious expression? With the resurgence of religion into issues of public debate, how might religious considerations influence the formulation of contemporary legal norms, if at all?
  2. Constitutional and legal norms regulating religion. What can we learn from the different constitutional legal experiences and contexts of Asia and other parts of the world, given the importance of constitutional structures in framing, defining and governing the interactions of religion and law? What alternative models of arranging state and religion exist vis-à-vis the dominant constitutional model separating state from religion? How has the resurgence of public religion opened up the area of constitutional thinking?
  3. Religious norms regulating religion. What type of legal structures do religions have? How do religious traditions and communities perceive their interaction with religious laws? What demands do such internal rules make upon their religious faith and worship? Are all traditions ‘religio-legal’, i.e., as having claims that take the form of law over their adherents and others? What varying forms do they take? How do believers negotiate these internal rules and how can religious traditions change within this legal framework?

Submission:
Paper proposals should include a title, an abstract (no more than 200 words), an outline of the proposed paper with section titles and brief section descriptions, and a personal biography (no more than 100 words). Submissions should be emailed to regulatingreligion@gmail.com by 31 May 2015.

Successful applicants will be notified by 15 July 2015 and would be required to send in a completed draft paper (7,000 – 10,000 words) by 15 November 2015. Depending on the availability of funds, partial or full funding may be granted to paper presenters. Full funding covers air travel to Singapore by the most economical means and reasonable accommodation for the duration of the workshop.

Convenors:

Dr. Arif A. Jamal Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore

Dr. Jaclyn L. Neo Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore

Associate Professor Daniel P.S. Goh Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore

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Call for Papers for an edited volume on: Authority, Agency and Islam

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Introduction
The relationship between Muslims and the world is in crisis-mode, and the effects are felt in many ways and in many different instances. One of the themes that often succumbs to ideological cooptation is the issue of authority in Islam and for Muslims. What role is there for Muslims within a minority context both as agents in charge of their own destiny, or as demanders of social justice, and recognition and representation in time, place, and public space? Is there space for and actions of solidarity transcending boundaries, either geographic or socio-cultural? To what extent can Muslims engage with non-Muslims and state authorities, whether as minorities in non-Muslim territories or in countries with a Muslim majority? Are there limits for Muslims in its ability to practice their faith in a secular state? What texts are to be considered authoritative when approaching these questions? And is there one locus or multiple loci for legitimate interpretive authority?

Although the focus of the public discourse remains on the headlines, this book aims to offer a much deeper insight into examining the relationship between authority and agency for Muslims and Islam today.

Objective of the Book
The overall mission is for this book to be one of the leading  publications within the area of contemporary Islamic and Muslim studies. We envision this book to be a key reference at a number of levels, across a wide variety of fields both within and outside of academia. The main objective is to bring together academic minds from a variety of fields all connected by an interest in understanding the role of authority and the dynamics of agency in contemporary Islam as lived by Muslims today.

Paper proposals to be included may engage the above theme from any perspective appropriate for this cross-disciplinary book. A list of suggested topics is the following:

  • Religious vs. State authority
  • Effects of cosmopolitanism and multiculturalism
  • Institution-building and citizenship
  • Geopolitics, power, and economic interests
  • Race and gender
  • Authority in a historical perspective (particular interest may go out to the effects that can be felt in the post-Ottoman, nationalist and post-colonial setting).
  • Health and behavioural change through social changes felt by Muslims
  • Islam and business (e.g. Islam and financial authority, commodification of Muslims, effects of marketing, branding, human resource training and motivation, sales, crowdsourcing and product
    development)
  • Environmental issues
  • Islam and Muslims in the news and as journalists, authority of public perception and reproducible images
  • Cross-cultural issues
  • Privacy, risk, ethics, and legal issues facing Islam and Muslims domestically or globally

The above list is meant to be illustrative, not exhaustive. Individual papers will be combined to form thematic but multi-layered approach to the relationship between Authority, Agency and Islam and/or Muslims.

Submission Procedure
The editors invite papers from diverse disciplines interested in expanding the body of knowledge in this intriguing area to submit chapters for publication consideration. Individuals interested in
submitting chapters should submit a 300-word abstract in a Microsoft Word or pdf document, with a short bio, to either  laurens.de-rooij@durham.ac.uk or law.ilm@durham.ac.uk by March 22nd, 2015.

Notification of Abstract acceptance will be March 30th, 2015. Following that a letter of interest, including your name, affiliation, and chapter proposal should be sent electronically by April 19th, 2015.

Proposals (2-3 pages) should provide a descriptive outline and clearly explain the purpose and contribution of the chapter. Definitive acceptance notifications will be sent by April 27th, 2015. We also
invite advanced graduate students and recent PhDs to submit proposals that address one or more of the themes above. Upon acceptance, authors will have until August 31st, 2015 to prepare a chapter of approximately 6,000 and 10,000 words, including notes and references. Each chapter will be subject to a peer review process and must not have been published, accepted for publication, or presently under consideration for publication elsewhere. Guidelines for preparing the final chapter will be sent upon acceptance notification.

Note: No late abstracts will be accepted. The final papers are due August 31st, 2015. We look forward to reading your abstracts.

Important Dates

  • Abstract Deadline: March 22nd, 2015
  • Abstract Notification: March 30th, 2015
  • Full Chapter Proposal Due: April 19th, 2015
  • Definitive Acceptance Notifications: April 27th, 2015
  • Full Chapters Due: August 31st, 2015

The post Call for Papers for an edited volume on: Authority, Agency and Islam appeared first on ISA Research Committee 22.

New Book: “Identity and Political Participation among Young British Muslims”

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Identity and Political Participation Among Young British Muslims: Believing and Belonging, by Asma Mustafa

Palgrave Macmillan, January 2015

http://www.palgrave.com/page/detail/identity-and-political-participation-among-young-british-muslims-asma-mustafa/?K=9781137302526

The integration of British born young Muslims into wider society is one of the most topical issues challenging policy makers in modern Britain. As citizens with diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds they have aspirations, values and interests which may seem difficult to accommodate within a Western European social and political context. For an intelligent and well informed analysis of the dynamic nature of social and political integration, we need to listen to the voices of young British Muslims, males and females; and record the diversity of their experiences as citizens. Understanding their motivations and political concerns are key factors in illuminating their identity and predicting their political action. The challenge for informed policy-making is to avoid simple stereotyping of faith communities and examine more deeply the key drivers of identity formation and political engagement of young British Muslims.

Asma Mustafa is a Research Fellow in the Study of Muslims in Britain and Senior Tutor and Senior Research Fellow, Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and Linacre College, University of Oxford, UK

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Open seminar on the role of religion in Sweden 1980-2009

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Välkommen på ett öppet och kostnadsfritt seminarium om religionens roll i Sverige, 1980-2009.Seminariet arrangeras av forskningsprogrammen Impact of Religion och NOREL, The role of religion in the public sphere: A comparative study of the five Nordic countries.

  • Vid seminariet presenteras och diskuteras  de svenska resultaten av NOREL-studien.
  • Tid: den 15 april, kl 14-17, följt av mingel 17-18 med dryck och lättare förtäring.
  • Plats: Centrum för forskning om religion och samhälle, sal 4-2007.
  • Anmälan senast den 10 april till info@crs.uu.se.
  • Mer information och program.

Welcome to an open seminar on the role of religion in Sweden 1980-2009, hosted by the research programmes Impact of Religion and The role of religion in the public sphere: A comparative study of the five Nordic countries (NOREL).

  • The research project NOREL presents the results from Sweden, April 15th, 14-17, followed by an informal reception 17-18, Uppsala Religion and Society Research Centre (CRS), room 4-2007.
  • Please register to info@crs.uu.se, no later than April 10th.
  • More information and program.
  • **********************

Ulrika Öster

Informatör/Information officer

Centrum för forskning om religion och samhälle/ Uppsala Religion and Society Research Centre

Uppsala universitet

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ISA RC-22: Call for Session Proposals (3rd Forum of Sociology)

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RC–22 Call for Sessions:
“Religion, Secularity and Post-Secularity:
Crafting Meaningful Futures”

The Third ISA Forum of Sociology
“The Futures we want: Global Sociology and the
Struggles for a Better World’’
to be held in Vienna, 10-14 July, 2016.

Programme Co-ordinator: Vineeta Sinha (University of Singapore: socvs@nus.edu.sg)
Assisted by Olga Breskaya (European Humanities University, Luthuania: olga.breskaya@ehu.lt)

PROGRAM  THEME: The world’s current socio-economic and political turmoil has a profound impact on religious expressions, sensibilities and worldviews.  Religious expressions and worldviews also affect the surrounding socio-economic and political spheres.   Such dramatic changes produce disquiet, tumult and agitation but also open opportunities to question the status and create novel social possibilities.
Sociologists of religion face a number of challenges in understanding these interactions.  Among these is the need to develop new theoretical and empirical approaches to our subject.  Sociologists have long argued about the continuing place and value of religions in a secularizing and globalizing world .  Although the notion of ‘post-secularity’ is hardly new, it has recently emerged forcefully (and somewhat fashionably) in attempts to theorise the visibility and relevance of religiosity in the world today.  This raises serious questions that deserve sociological attention.   Among these:

  • Do recent developments signal to some extent the passing of a ‘secularist’ moment?
  • What is meant by ‘post-secularity’?
  • Are we living in a post-secular age?  Or are we merely looking forward to one?
  • If so, what would religion look like is such a context?
  • What effect religion could religion have in a rapidly changing world?

The objective of these thematic sessions is to theorise the complex religious landscapes in the present and to contemplate if, where, how and with what effect religions will manifest and organize themselves in a rapidly changing socio-political landscape.

CALL FOR SESSION PROPOSALS:  We invite RC 22 members to propose sessions that deal with these complex issues.  We especially welcome sessions that include cross-cultural and cross-national comparisons.   Besides the thematic topics above, we also seek sessions that contribute to other recent debates within the field.  Here are some ideas:

  • any of the thematic ideas listed above
  • religion in the public sphere
  • popular religion
  • religion, gender and feminism
  • urban forms of religiosity
  • material religion
  • religious commodification and consumption
  • religious revivalism and religious innovation in a global context
  • other topics of interest.

Both thematic proposals and non-thematic proposals should address the multiple, complex and sometimes opposing strands and arguments on their topics in the social-scientific study of religion.

HOW TO PROPOSE A SESSION:

  • If you wish to propose a session before February 2nd, please send an abstract (no more than 300 words), your full name, institutional affiliation, e-mail and a short bio to Vineeta Sinha (socvs@nus.edu.sg)
  • Starting 2 February, 2015, you can submit your proposals online at the International Sociological Association’s website.  A link will appear at http://www.isa-sociology.org/forum-2016/
  • Session proposals must be in English, French, or Spanish.

Please also note that you must become an RC22 member to have your session proposal accepted; you can join the Research Committee through the ISA website at http://www.isa-sociology.org/memb_i/index.htm

In order to be included in the programme, all participants (presenters, chairs, discussants, etc.) must join the ISA and register for the Forum by the early registration deadline of 1 April, 2016. Without early registration and membership, presenters, chairs, etc. will not appear in the Programme Book or in the Abstracts Book.

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Call for Papers: Sixth International Conference on Religion and Spirituality in Society

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Call For Papers

The Religion in Society community is pleased to announce the Call For Papers for the Sixth International Conference on Religion and Spirituality in Society to be held 23-24 March 2016 at The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C., USA. We welcome submissions from a variety of disciplines and perspectives and encourage faculty and research students to jointly submit proposals, discussing Religion in Society through one of the following themes:

Conference Themes
Theme 1: Religious Foundations
Theme 2: Religious Community and Socialization
Theme 3: Religious Commonalities and Differences
Theme 4: The Politics of Religion

2016 Special Focus: Religion in the Age of the Anthropocene: Towards a Common Cause?
2016 Special Focus
A new framework has been presented in recent years to periodize and interpret the effects of human life on the natural environment: the age of the ‘anthropocene’. By this definition, we are now in an era when human activities have become a key macro-determinant of the destiny of the ecosystems of Earth. Critical analyses of this age generally have one of two orientations. One perspective looks back, re-examining the relationship of human social, economic, and technical developments on the natural environment. Another looks forward, attempting to build alternative models of human development that put ecological sustainability as a foundational principle.
The natural environment presents itself as a ground for life and a gift of life in all communities of faith and spiritual meaning. In the ‘age of the anthropocene’, how might faith (and explicitly non-faith) communities productively engage in these critical discussions? Looking backward: could this be an opportunity for productive dialogues between principles of science, economics, and religion? Looking forward: in what ways might faith communities and other communities of spiritual meaning set agendas for personal and community action? What principles of stewardship, compassion, or mutual obligation might they offer? How might they provide leadership on issues of the environment, ecological sustainably, and climate change? Could addressing these concerns also offer a basis for productive inter-faith dialogue, a locus for the development of unified moral voice across differing belief systems? Could the age of the anthropocene, as a focal interpretive mechanism for understanding the intersection of human action, science, and faith, become a site for joining into a ‘common cause’ and a place to share imaginations for the future of human development? Not only might such an agenda have implications for our relations in the natural environment, but also such considerations of the future might prompt us to address related questions of inequality, poverty, and human suffering.

Proposal Submissions and Deadlines

The current review period closing date for the latest round of submissions to the conference Call For Papers (a title and short abstract) is 18 March 2015 *. Please visit our website for more information on submitting your proposal, future deadlines, and registering for the conference.
If you are unable to attend the conference in person, you may still join the community and submit your article for peer review and possible publication, upload an online presentation, and enjoy subscriber access to The International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society.
*Proposals are reviewed in rounds adhering to monthly deadlines. Check the website often to see the current review round.

The post Call for Papers: Sixth International Conference on Religion and Spirituality in Society appeared first on ISA Research Committee 22.

Book Announcement: The Sociology of Shari’a

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A. Possamai, J.T. Richardson, B.S. Turner (Eds.) The Sociology of Shari’a: Case Studies from around the World

Series: Boundaries of Religious Freedom: Regulating Religion in Diverse Societies, Vol. 1

  • Presents a comparative analysis of the application of Shari’a in contrasting countries with Muslim minorities and majorities
  • Provides a global analysis of Shari’a and views Islamic law from a sociological perspective
  • Explores some ground-breaking perspectives on the sociology of Shari’a, such as the application of the the theories of Chambliss and Eisenstadt 

This edited volume offers a collection of papers that presents a comparative analysis of the development of Shari’a in countries with Muslim minorities, such as America, Australia, China, Germany,  Italy, Singapore, South Africa and the Philippines, as well as countries with Muslim majorities, such as Malaysia, Bangladesh, Turkey, and Tunisia.

The Sociology of Shari’a provides a global analysis of these important legal transformations and  examines the topic from a sociological perspective. In addition, the third part of the book includes case studies that explore some groundbreaking applications of theoretical perspectives such as those from Chambliss and Eisenstadt.

See the attached flyer for information.

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