Author Archives: Jim

Fellowship in Religious Studies, Millsaps College

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MILLSAPS COLLEGE announces a Fellowship in Religious Studies beginning August 2015 for a postdoctoral or ABD scholar-teacher. This is a one-year teaching fellowship with the possibility of renewal for a second year. The half-time teaching load of 3 courses for the year will allow the recipient to strengthen teaching skills while also working on professional publications. The Fellow will be expected to engage actively in the intellectual life of the college and department and will have opportunities to participate in teaching colloquia and writing workshops and to be part of and lead discussions for a collegial department.

Specialization should be in the areas(s) of Islam and Qur’an; secondary areas could include comparative study of Scriptures in religious traditions, such as Christianity and/or Judaism and/or Hinduism. The teaching load will include two departmental Religious Studies courses and one Humanities core course with a focus in religion. Teaching experience is a plus, and ability to engage undergraduates vital.

We offer a competitive salary including health and other benefits, a travel and research stipend of $2000, reimbursement for moving expenses. Employment will be contingent on complete background verification.

Send letter of application and C.V. via email to James E. Bowley at james.bowley@millsaps.edu<mailto:james.bowley@millsaps.edu>. Have graduate school transcript and three letters of reference also sent via
email.

Review of applications will begin on 1 February 2014.

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Book Announcement: Grace Davie “Religion in Britain: A Persistent Paradox”

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Grace Davie  Religion in Britain: A Persistent Paradox.

Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell 2015

http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1405135964.html

Religion in Britain: A Persistent Paradox describes and explains the religious situation in twenty-first century Britain.  It explores the country’s increasing secularity alongside religion’s growing presence in public debate, and the impact of this paradox on different aspects of British society (religious organizations, politics, the law, education and welfare).  It is based on the highly successful Religion in Britain Since 1945 (Blackwell, 1994) but has been comprehensively re-written to reflect the current situation.

Table of Contents

  • List of Figures and Tables ix
  • Preface xi
  • Part I Preliminaries 1
  • 1 Introduction: A Framework for Discussion 3
  • 2 Contexts and Generations 19
  • 3 Facts and Figures 41
  • Part II Religious Legacies 69
  • 4 Cultural Heritage, Believing without Belonging and Vicarious Religion 71
  • 5 Territory, Politics and Institutions 91
  • 6 Presence: Who Can Do What For Whom? 113
  • Part III Shifting Priorities: From Obligation to Consumption 133
  • 7 An Emerging Market: Gainers and Losers 135
  • 8 Proliferations of the Spiritual 155
  • Part IV Public Religion and Secular Reactions 175
  • 9 Managing Diversity 177
  • 10 Religion in Public Life 197
  • Part V Thinking Theoretically 219
  • 11 Religion and Modernity Continued 221
  • References 237
  • Index 255

Grace Davie is Professor emeritus in Sociology at the University of Exeter, UK and a former President of the ISA RC 22 Research Committee

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Call for Papers to the 6th Annual Islamophobia Conference

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Deadline Jan. 31st, 2015
https://www.academia.edu/9975951/Call_for_Papers_for_the_6th_Annual_Islamophobia_Conference_UC_Berkekey
University of California, Berkeley Call for Papers to the 6th Annual Islamophobia Conference

Islamophobia Studies: The State of the Islamophobia Studies Field UC Berkeley Center for Race and GenderIslamophobia Research and Documentation Project is hosting the sixth annual International
Islamophobia Conference and invite’s Scholars, Researchers, Artists, Poets, Media Producers, Artists, Activists and Community Organizations to submit an abstract for a mutli-medium engagement in the Islamophobia Studies field. The conference’s theme this year is focused on assessing the Islamophobia studies field from a broader multi-disciplinary and transnational perspectives. As the Islamophobia Studies Field has witnessed rapid expansion in the past 15 years, an assessment and exploration of the research already done, in progress and existing gaps needing scholarly attention is the focus of the 6th annual conference.

This year’s conference committee is attentive on creating a collaborative approach to forging more critical scholarship in the Islamophobia Studies Field and expanding the existing networks of
researchers across disciplined and the geographical areas of the world. We encourage themes and panels covering specific academic disciplined, quantitative and qualitative research, specific case studies in countering Islamophobia, curriculum and course designs, as well as comparative approaches to Islamophobia in different countries and settings. Abstracts should be no more than 300 words, include a title for the paper and a short bio to be used for the conference program if selected. Please the abstract should be in Microsoft word document and sent to the attention of Dr. Hatem Bazian: hatemb@berkeley.edu

Abstract Deadlines: January 31st , 2015 Invite Letters: Feb. 27th, 2015
Conference Dates: April 23-25, 2015 Location: Boalt Law School, UC Berkeley

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Book Announcement: The Orphan Scandal: Christian Missionaries and the Rise of the Muslim Brotherhood

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The Orphan Scandal: Christian Missionaries and the Rise of the Muslim Brotherhood
Beth Baron
Stanford University Press, July 2014
http://www.combinedacademic.co.uk/orphan-scandal

On a sweltering June morning in 1933 a fifteen-year-old Muslim orphan girl refused to rise in a show of respect for her elders at her Christian missionary school in Port Said. Her intransigence led to a
beating—and to the end of most foreign missions in Egypt—and contributed to the rise of Islamist organizations.

Turkiyya Hasan left the Swedish Salaam Mission with scratches on her legs and a suitcase of evidence of missionary misdeeds. Her story hit a nerve among Egyptians, and news of the beating quickly spread through the country. Suspicion of missionary schools, hospitals, and homes increased, and a vehement anti-missionary movement swept the country.

That missionaries had won few converts was immaterial to Egyptian observers: stories such as Turkiyya’s showed that the threat to Muslims and Islam was real. This is a great story of unintended consequences: Christian missionaries came to Egypt to convert and provide social services for children. Their actions ultimately inspired the development of the Muslim Brotherhood and similar Islamist groups.

In The Orphan Scandal, Beth Baron provides a new lens through which to view the rise of Islamic groups in Egypt. This fresh perspective offers a starting point to uncover hidden links between Islamic activists and a broad cadre of Protestant evangelicals. Exploring the historical aims of the Christian missions and the early efforts of the Muslim Brotherhood, Baron shows how the Muslim Brotherhood and like-minded Islamist associations developed alongside and in reaction to the influx of missionaries. Patterning their organization and social welfare projects on the early success of the Christian missions, the Brotherhood launched their own efforts to “save” children and provide for the orphaned, abandoned, and poor. In battling for Egypt’s children, Islamic activists created a network of social welfare institutions and a template for social action across the country—the effects of which, we now know, would only gain power and influence across the country in the decades to come.

Beth Baron is Professor of History at City College and Director of the Middle East and Middle Eastern American Center at The Graduate Center, CUNY. She is the author of Egypt as a Woman: Nationalism, Gender, and Politics (2005) and The Women’s Awakening in Egypt: Culture, Society, and the Press (1994).

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Appel à nominations: Le prix SISR su meilleur article; Le Prix SISR du premier article.

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Le prix SISR du meilleur article

La SISR invite à proposer les nominations des articles en sociologie des religions pour le Prix SISR du meilleur article. Des articles publiés dans des journaux scientifiques en 2013/2014 en Français ou en Anglais peuvent être désignés par l’auteur ou par les membres de la SISR en envoyant une lettre de nomination ainsi que l’article, en forme électronique, au Président du Comité pour le Prix SISR du meilleur article (mkoenig@gwdg.de ). Les lauréats recevront leur prix lors de la Conférence de la SISR en 2015 à Louvain-la-Neuve. Le délai de dépôt des nominations est le 31/1/2015.

Le prix SISR du premier article

La SISR invite à proposer les nominations des premiers articles des doctorants ou de jeunes post-doctorants. Des articles publiés en 2013/2014 en Français ou en Anglais peuvent être désignés par l’auteur ou par les membres de la SISR en envoyant une lettre de nomination ainsi que l’article, en forme électronique, au Président du Comité pour le Prix SISR du premier article (joerg.stolz@unil.ch ). Les lauréats recevront leur prix lors de la Conférence de la SISR en 2015 à Louvain-la-Neuve. Ils recevront aussi un remboursement des coûts de transport pour assister à la Conférence (1.500,- EUR maximum). Le délai de dépôt des nominations est le 31/1/2015.

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Call for Nominations: ISSR Best Article Award; ISSR Best Student Paper Award

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ISSR Best Article Award

The ISSR invites nominations for an award to the best article on the sociology of religion. Journal articles published in 2013-2014 in French or English may be nominated by the authors or ISSR members by sending a nomination letter and the article in electronic format to the Chair of the ISSR Best Article Award Committee (mkoenig@gwdg.de). Winners will receive their awards at the 2015 ISSR Conference  in Louvain-la-Neuve. The deadline for nominations is 31/1/2015. 

ISSR First Paper Award

The ISSR invites nominations for the first published paper by a graduate student or early postdoct. Papers published in 2013-2014 in French or English may be nominated by the authors or ISSR members by sending a nomination letter and the article in electronic format to the Chair of the ISSR First Paper Award Committee (joerg.stolz@unil.ch). Winners will receive their awards at the 2015 ISSR Conference in Louvain-la-Neuve and travel costs incurred for attending the Conference will be reimbursed in the amount of up to 1.500 EUR. The deadline for nominations is 31/1/2015.

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CFP: InterAmerican Postgraduate Forum: Politics of Entanglement in the Americas

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The Center for InterAmerican Studies of Bielefeld University invites scholars to participate in the 7th International Postgraduate Forum that takes place at Bielefeld University from June 25 – 27, 2015.

This three-day conference addresses an international community of postgraduate and early-career researchers with perspectives from across the humanities and the social sciences. The conference is integral part of the project “The Americas as Space of Entanglement”, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). We welcome paper proposals that address the overarching theme of the conference: Politics of Entanglement in the Americas. Thereby we want to explore entanglements in their diachronic and/or synchronic dimensions and to contribute to a relational and historically grounded thinking of hemispheric Area Studies in a global context.

For a full description, please see the attached PDF.

Basic Information:

With the transdisciplinary approach – that characterizes the CIAS – we welcome post-graduate and early career contributions from the fields of cultural, literary, and media studies; history and sociology; postcolonial and global studies, social anthropology, geography, and political sciences that have a focus on the Americas. We are especially interested in papers that alongside with an empirical case-study provide conceptual reflections on entanglement in the Americas. Presentations of 20 minutes can be held in English or Spanish.

The Center for InterAmerican Studies invites all interested doctoral students and early-career researchers to submit abstracts in English or Spanish, which should not exceed 500 words, as well as a brief CV. The deadline for paper proposals is February 15, 2015.

A limited number of partial travel grants is available. Please submit your proposals to: cias@uni-bielefeld.de Organizer: Prof. Dr. Olaf Kaltmeier

For further information also contact Dr. Lukas Rehm Center for InterAmerican Studies Bielefeld University P.O. Box 10 01 31 D-33501 Bielefeld cias@uni-bielefeld.de Phone: ++49 (521) 106-6956

The post CFP: InterAmerican Postgraduate Forum: Politics of Entanglement in the Americas appeared first on ISA Research Committee 22.

Call for Papers: Sociology of Religion Group of the American Academy of Religion

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American Academy of Religion Annual Conference
Atlanta, Georgia
November 21-24, 2015

Sociology of Religion Group

Call for Papers:

The Sociology of Religion Group (SOR) aims to bridge the gap between sociology of religion and religious studies. For the most part, these fields have been isolated from each other with scholars from each existing in separate departments, attending different meetings, and publishing in different journals. We believe that this cloistering has hindered the development of both fields and that only a cross-fertilization that transgresses departmental boundaries can foster progress in research. Therefore, we invite scholars from both sociology of religion and religious studies to submit innovative papers pushing the boundaries of both fields.

We are open to both panel and paper proposals across a wide range of topics of interest to both the sociology of religion and religious studies and are particularly interested in papers, which speak to both thereby encouraging increased dialogue between them.

Theory, Method, and their Application

Sociology of Religion as part of a larger discipline is marked by a canonization of its theory and its division by paradigms and methodologies–whether these be the classics (Weber and Durkheim), the old paradigm (functionalism and social constructionism), or the new paradigm (rational choice) on the one hand or quantitative, qualitative, or historical-comparative sociology on the other. As it intersects with sociology of religion, the study of religion has drawn from theories and methodologies in conversation with sociology, anthropology, critical theory, psychology, history, and other related disciplines. We are interested both in papers that utilize the theories of religious studies and bring them into the sociological canon as well as those that help religious studies gain a better grasp of the sociological theory of religion. We encourage papers that exploit both the theory and methodology of sociology of religion and religious studies and use them as frames for analysis of concrete cases. In particular, we request papers that touch upon social divisions examining race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, region, age, etc.

Internationalism and Diversity

Critics of sociology of religion have pointed out that the field is dominated by North Americans scholars primarily interested in Protestantism. The discipline of religious studies provides a clear antidote to these perceived limitations. Therefore, we encourage contributions from academics not only studying Protestantism in North America but those who study the various religious traditions around the world. In particularly, we would like submissions from scholars from all academic ranks across the lines of nationality, region, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc.

Topics:

Below is a list of potential topics in which we are interested. These are merely suggestions, and we are open to a broad range of topics as discussed above. Suggested topics are alphabetized to indicate no particular preference. We encourage submissions on any topic deemed relevant.

  • Critical Religion
  • Critical Sociology of Religion
  • Critical Theory and Religion
  • Feminism and Religion
  • Marxism and Religion
  • Postcolonialism and Religion
  • Queer Studies and Religion
  • Religion and Class
  • Religion and Conflict
  • Religion and Environmental Sociology
  • Religion and Gender
  • Religion and Ideology
  • Religion and Inequality
  • Religion and Political Power
  • Religion and Social Stratification
  • Religious Movements and Social Movements
  • Religion and Race
  • Secularization Theory
  • Sociology of Islam

Co-Sponsored Session

“No Method to the Madness? Sociological Approaches to the Study of Black Expressive Cultures”

We request paper submissions for a possible co-sponsored session with the Critical Approaches to Hip Hop and Religion Group. Topics should explore theory and method in the academic study of religion, in particular, sociological approaches to religion, with attention to race and class in urban contexts, in the domains of hip hop and black expressive cultures. We encourage proposals that consider/make use of varying cultural practices/data, cartographies and formats. The interpretation of cultural products and the analyses that come to bear on them have a tendency to rely on “meaning” (and religion) as/in self-evident ways. As such, this session proposes to wrestle with the challenges faced, overcome and unearthed through the scholarly handling of such materials through sociological/social scientific means.

Publication

The Sociology of Religion Group of AAR regularly co-sponsors panels with the peer-reviewed print and online journal Critical Research on Religion (CRR) (http://crr.sagepub.com). Published by SAGE Publications, over 2500 libraries worldwide have subscriptions to the journal. Presenters of promising papers in SOR panels will be invited to turn their papers into articles and submit them for peer review to CRR.

Submission

Please submit paper and panel proposal through on-line system at: http://papers.aarweb.org

Proposal Deadline: March 2, 2015

For further information, please contact SOR co-chairs:

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Book Announcement: The Politics of Mediated Presence Exploring The Voices of Muslims in Norway´s Mediated Spheres

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Sindre Bangstad
The Politics of Mediated Presence
Exploring The Voices of Muslims in Norway´s Mediated Spheres
Spartacus, 2014
http://www.spartacus.no/index.php?ID=Bok&ID2=806

An important contribution to the literature on freedom of expression, the public sphere and Muslim minorities in Europe. The increased public presence and visibility of Muslims in Europe has long been seen by many Europeans as a challenge to hegemonic conceptions concerning the secular nature of modern public spheres. In Norway, the past decade has seen an increase in the number of young, often well-educated and highly articulate «second-generation» Muslim youth engaging in public, controversial and highly mediatised debates on Islam, Muslims, immigration and integration. This  monograph is based on five years ethnographic research on the experiences of young individuals of Muslim background active in Norway’s mediated public spheres, and the mainstream liberal media editors who have provided them with access to these spheres.

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