Thank you from the organizers of the Nordic Conference for the Sociology of Religion

Thank you!

We, the whole organizing team, wish to thank all the conference participants!

From our distinguished keynote speakers Anne Birgitta Pessi, Courtney Bender, Jörg Stolz and Nancy Ammerman to students and first time attendees, you were the ones who made the conference possible!

We also want to thank our supporters, who helped to make the conference an enjoyable experience:

  • Federation of Finnish Learned Societies
  • Church Research Institute
  • Helsinki Parish Union
  • Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
  • RelSoc

And finally, thank you to each and everyone of you and us, the friends of Nordic Sociology of Religion – whether you made it to this year’s meeting or not! We’re looking forward to the next conferences  – and all the fruitful collaboration in-between the meetings!
On behalf of the Finnish organizing team,

Kati Tervo-Niemelä and Jenni Spännäri

Nordic Journal of Religion and Society is happy to consider your articles for publication! Deadline for submissions November 15th. Click the link for more information!

The next NCSR will be organized in Oslo, 2.-4. August 2018. See you there!

European Academy of Religion launching event, Bologna, 5 December, 2016

Hon. Valerio Onida and Professor Alberto Melloni on behalf of the Foundation for Religious Studies, together with the Rector of the University of Bologna Francesco Ubertini and the Minister for Education, University and Research Stefania Giannini, are glad to invite you to join the launching event of the European Academy of Religion in Bologna, on December 5th 2016, under thePatronage of the European Parliament.

Scholars, Representatives of Scientific Societies and Academies, Research Centers, Journals,Publishers and Political Authorities are invited to the meeting,which will be honored by the presence and the keynote addresses of Commissioner Carlos Moedas, Special Envoy Ján Figel’, Professor Romano Prodi and Vice President David Sassoli.

The agenda of this meeting is very simple. Several thousands of Scholars coming from Europe and the Mediterranean Countries participate in the Fall to the Annual Convention of the American Academy of Religion. They are independent esteemed scientist, working in the field of law, history, philosophy, archeology, psychology, sociology, etc., concerning the religious experience in its variety and diachronic extension. As specialists, they are a real resource for the Euro-Med Countries, Unions and cultures, and their research can emerge if a research framework is available. The purpose of a Eu/ARE and the Bologna event is to make them visible and offer them a common framework, with an Annual Convention, to be held in the Spring, as a place of research, exchange and public engagement.

Therefore we kindly ask you: – to join us and the Bologna initiative, also giving a short address supporting this gathering of scholars, academic societies, research centers –to encourage in the most proper and persuasive way the participation/endorsement of national societies and academies as well as the greatest research institutions, scientific journals and specialized publisher which must be part of the initiative. To join the meeting please register at http://forms.fscire.it/app/form/ or write to melloni@fscire.it or events@fscire.it

Bourse postdoctorale — Fonds Gérard-Dion – Concours 2016 / Postdoctoral Fellowship – Fonds Gérard-Dion — 2016 edition

Le Fonds Gérard-Dion <http://www.fonds-gerard-dion.org>, consacré à la
recherche portant sur les faits religieux, annonce l’ouverture du concours
annuel de la bourse postdoctorale. D’une durée de 12mois, la bourse
s’adresse notamment à une personne provenant de l’extérieur et détentrice
depuis moins de trois ans d’un doctorat d’une université reconnue au Canada
ou à l’étranger. Les qualités recherchées sont l’aptitude au développement
d’un projet de recherche comparée (autre pays / Canada , Canada / Québec)
et le désir de se constituer chercheur ou chercheuse en résidence de
l’Université Laval (Québec, Canada).

Pour plus ample information : www.fonds-gerard-dion.org
<http://www.fonds-gerard-dion.org/prog_aide_recherche.aspx>
Date limite de dépôt des candidatures : 1er mars 2016.

 

Dedicated to research on religion, ‘Fonds Gerard-Dion’
<http://www.fonds-gerard-dion.org/> currently invites applications for its
annual post-doctoral Fellowship. Eligible candidates to this twelve-month
fellowship must have obtained a PhD within the past three years from any
internationally recognized university.  Relevant qualifications are
interest in developing research project (comparative, Canada / Québec ) and
the desire to be an in-residence researcher at Université Laval in Québec
city, Canada.

For more information :   www.fonds-gerard-dion.org
<http://www.fonds-gerard-dion.org/prog_aide_recherche.aspx>
<http://www.fonds-gerard-dion.org/prog_aide_recherche.aspx>
*Deadline: March 1, 2016.*

Colloque AFSR, CNRS, 59-61 rue Pouchet, Paris 17 Lundi 1er et mardi 2 février 2016. Entre indifférence religieuse et athéisme militant

Lundi 1er février, 10 h – 12 heures

• Anne-Laure Zwilling, DRES, CNRS / Université de Strasbourg: Introduction

Entre histoire et concepts

Présidente de séance : Céline Béraud, Université de Caen, présidente de l’AFSR

• François Dingremont, EHESS Historicité du « troisième homme ». Athéisme et indifférence depuis l’Antiquité

• Jean Baubérot, GSRL Laïcité, athéisme, indifférence religieuse: quelques pistes de sociologie historique

• Lionel Obadia, Université Lyon 2, LARHRA Quelle anthropologie pour quel athéisme ? Au-delà des Writing Cultures et du Postcolonialisme

Midi – AG de l’AFSR 14 h 30 – 17 h 30 Terrains français

Président de séance : Philipe Portier, EPHE / GSRL

• Raphaël Liogier, Sciences po Aix-en-Provence / CHERPA Le mythe hypermoderne de l’incroyance bouddhiste

• Raul Magni-Berton, Université Grenoble Alpes, Sciences po Grenoble / PACTE L’athéisme des scientifiques français : comment l’expliquer?

• Marion Maudet, EHESS, IRIS et GSRL Sans religion, indifférent-e-s, catholiques affirmés : quels positionnements dans le domaine de l’intime ? A partir des enquêtes sur la sexualité en France

• Sebastian Roché, CNRS, Sciences po Grenoble / PACTE Indifférence et implication religieuses : quels effets sur la confiance aux institutions publiques ? Enquête auprès des adolescents

17 h 30 Pot offert par l’AFSR

Mardi 2 février 9 h – 13 h

Perspectives comparées dans différentes aires culturelles

Président de séance : Dominique Iogna-Prat, EHESS, CéSor

• Philippe Martin, Université Lyon 2, LARHRA / ISERL L’athéisme naît-il au 18e siècle ?

• Hsin-Tien Chuang, EHESS, CéSor L’ « athéisme » des Chinois, de Niccolò Longobardo S.J. (1565-1655) à aujourd’hui

• Soufian Al Karjousli, EMAM/CITERES, Université de Tours Les visions plurielles de l’athéisme dans le monde arabo-musulman

• Pierre Bréchon, Université Grenoble Alpes, Sciences po Grenoble / PACTE Sociologie des athées et des indifférents en Europe • Nathalie Caron, Université Paris-Sorbonne L’indifférence religieuse existe-t-elle aux Etats Unis ?

14 h – 17 h 30 Terrains étrangers et européens

Président de séance : Philippe Martin, Université Lyon 2, LARHRA / ISERL

• Emilie Pontanier, Lisst-Cas, Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès Indifférence religieuse et athéisme, ou le choix d’une école laïque en Tunisie

• Eva Patzelt, Département d’études germaniques de la Sorbonne Enseigner l’athéisme : les dilemmes d’une discipline est-allemande, entre indifférence et ambitions

• Bérengère Massignon, GSRL La Fédération humaniste européenne : un athéisme organisé et militant auprès des institutions européennes

• Louis-Léon Christians, Université Catholique de Louvain, RSCS Irréligion individuelle ou d’Etat : les ambiguïtés de la jurisprudence européenne

• Philippe Portier, EPHE / GSRL Synthèse du colloque

Colloque organisé par Pierre Bréchon, Lionel Obadia, Anne-Laure Zwilling

CALL FOR PAPERS International conference RELIGIONS AND HUMAN RIGHTS Padua (Italy), April 14-15, 2016

The relationship between religion and human rights is controversial and debated. The aim of the international conference is to take stock of the complex connections between religion and human rights, emphasizing that both the definition and the application of these two concepts are influenced by the different social and cultural contexts within which they are placed. Starting from the geopolitical changes which have involved contemporary society on a global scale, the conference intends to critically evaluate the two main narratives on this topic: on the one hand religions understood as an element opposing the affirmation of human rights, and on the other religions considered as agencies facilitating the implementation of human rights. Religious rights, understood as individual and/or collective rights, are disputed as well. How do religious traditions and new religious communities approach human rights issues? How do states manage religious traditions and religious diversification? How are human rights discourses and practices affected by the social context?

Participants are invited to explore from different disciplinary perspectives the following topics: Freedom of expression, speech, choice, association; non-discrimination; gender issues; religionstate relations; violence; conflict; peace.

Confirmed keynote speakers:

Eileen Barker, London School of Economics

Lori Beaman, University of Ottawa

Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers International Silvio Ferrari, University of Milan

Enzo Pace, University of Padua James Richardson, University of Nevada

Hans-Georg Ziebertz, University of Wuerzburg

The international conference is organized by the Joint PhD Programme on “Human Rights, Society, and Multi-level Governance” (Universities of Athens-Panteion, Padua, Western Sydney, Zagreb). Scientific Committee: Giuseppe Giordan, University of Padua Adam Possamai, Western Sidney University Constantin Preda, University of Bucharest Siniša Zrinščak, University of Zagreb.

Abstracts (300 words) should be sent to Giuseppe Giordan (giuseppe.giordan@unipd.it) no later than January 15th, 2016. Acceptance notification will be sent by January 25th, 2016. There are no fees for attendance.

LES MUTATIONS DES SCIENCES SOCIALES DES RELIGIONS ET DES LAÏCITÉS 26-27 novembre 2015, À Paris Site Pouchet CNRS et Sorbonne

Organisé par le Groupe Sociétés, Religions, Laïcités (UMR 8582 / EPHE-CNRS)

Le Groupe Sociétés, Religions, Laïcités a été créé en 1995, au sein de l’École pratique des hautes études et du Centre national de la recherche scientifique, en s’inscrivant dans la continuité du Groupe de Sociologie des Religions. Ses chercheurs travaillent sur les transformations du religieux et les questions relatives à la laïcité dans le monde contemporain. Son champ de compétences englobe de nombreuses aires culturelles. Le but de cet anniversaire est, en un moment bousculé par l’histoire, de présenter un panorama approfondi de la situation religieuse contemporaine, en accordant, à travers le thème de la laïcité, une place centrale à la question de la régulation de la diversité religieuse en France et ailleurs. En rappelant les acquis scientifiques de notre laboratoire, l’événement entend constituer un moment de référence dans la connaissance des phénomènes religieux et de la laïcité. Il marquera aussi la place que l’« école française » peut avoir dans le renouvellement, sur la scène internationale, des objets et des problématiques des sciences sociales des religions et de la laïcité.

http://gsrl.hypotheses.org/478

Paper out – Taha Abderrahmane’s Trusteeship Paradigm: Spiritual Modernity and the Islamic Contribution to the Formation of a Renewed Universal Civilization of Ethos

An introductory paper of some part of the philosophical project of Taha Abderrahmane, b. 1944.

Mohammed Hashas, “Taha Abderrahmane’s Trusteeship Paradigm: Spiritual Modernity and the Islamic Contribution to the Formation of a Renewed Universal Civilization of Ethos,” Oriente Moderno, Vol. 97, Issue 1-2, 2015, pp. 67-105.

 
Abstract:
This paper synthetically introduces “trusteeship paradigm” of Taha Abderrahmane (b. 1944), a leading philosopher of language, logic, ethics and metaphysics in the Arab-Islamic world. The core of his argument is that the four entities of revelation, reason, ethics and doing (or practice) are neither separable nor antagonistic to each other in the Islamic philosophy he aims at re-grounding; their centripetal force is essentially ethical. Islamic philosophy is primarily ethical. It is only this ethical force that can regenerate the politico-philosophical awakening of the Arab-Islamic world in particular, and can contribute to the formation of a pluralist civilization of ethos in general. Otherwise put, Abderrahmane envisions an ontological-epistemological revisionary revolution in the Arab-Islamic tradition to overcome what may be referred to as “classical dichotomous thought” that dominates some classical and contemporary Islamic thinking as well as much of the Greek heritage and Western modern thought. This ethical revolution is summarized in what he has developed as trusteeship paradigm (al-iʾtimāniyyah) or trusteeship critique (al-naqd al-iʾtimānī), a paradigm the heart of which is a theory of ethics that overcomes dichotomies like religion vs. politics, divine vs. secular, physical vs. metaphysical.
 
 

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AHRC / British Academy digital resources on the Hajj and British Muslims

While sadly the Hajj of 2015 will be remembered for recent tragic
events, list members may be interested to know that during the
pilgrimage this year the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
has been featuring a gallery of 15 images drawn from my research on the
Hajj and British Muslims.

The gallery, which will be of interest to university teachers and
researchers across Islamic, Religious and Diaspora Studies, was one of
those selected to mark the AHRC’s tenth anniversary. It offers a ‘thick’
visual description of British Muslims’ connections to sacred place in
the context of transnational circulations of pilgrims, capital, objects
and ideas. While currently one of the banners on the AHRC’s front page,
the gallery can be permanently viewed at:
http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/research/readwatchlisten/imagegallery/hajjethnographybritish/

The Hajj, Ethnography and British Muslims – Arts and Humanities Research
Council

Up to 25,000 British Muslims travel annually to Makkah to perform Hajj.
The great pilgrimage returns Muslims to the birthplace of their faith
and is a religious duty once in their lifetime.

Read more:
http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/research/readwatchlisten/imagegallery/hajjethnographybritish/

Such images are elaborated on further in a British Academy funded web
resource and online exhibition at http://arts.leeds.ac.uk/hajj/. This
includes 30 x 2-3 minute, themed digital audio-clips drawn from in-depth
interviews collected among pilgrims, tour operators, community
organisations and others. My work began as part of AHRC-funded research
for the British Museum’s exhibition, Hajj: journey to the heart of Islam
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/themes/hajj/narratives/modern.aspx.

Finally, as well as an online exhibition, the website includes research
papers on the Cultural and Political Economy of Hajj-Going and
Pilgrimage and Performativity, as well as an industry-facing report and
radio interviews including commentary on last week’s events. See, for
example, BBC Radio 5 Live Drive, 24/09/2015: http://goo.gl/x6zyfj. To
find out more you can also follow me on Twitter @LeedsUniHajjRes

Thanks and best wishes,

Dr Seán McLoughlin

Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Muslim Cultures, Politics & Societies

School of Philosophy, Religion and the History of Science
University of Leeds, LS2 9JT

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CRS Newsletter Online

The latest issue of the CRS Newsletter (Uppsala University project on religion) is available at http://www.anpdm.com/newsletterweb/434459417844425F4677464159/414B594474494259467343445E4A71 .  It contains reports of the CRS projects, workshop announcements, and many other things.

(We would reproduce it here, but our blogging software messes up the formatting. – JS)

The post CRS Newsletter Online appeared first on ISA Research Committee 22.

Ethnographic project on Muslim-Christian relations in SW Nigeria

Dear Colleagues,

We have carried out a large-scale ethnographic survey on Muslim-Christian relations in Southwest Nigeria. For those who are interested, a first blog post (on views on inter-religious marriage is published at:

http://www.knowingeachother.com/2015/03/25/who-is-most-likely-to-be-in-favour-of-inter-religious-marriage-in-southwestern-nigeria/.

Best wishes, Insa

Dr Insa Nolte, M.I.Nolte@bham.ac.uk
Department of African Studies and Anthropology
University of Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK

“Knowing Each Other: Everyday religious encounters, social identities and tolerance in SW Nigeria”

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