International Conference in Manilla, July 26-27, 2019

We are pleased to announce the International Conference in Theology and Religious Studies, jointly organized by Liverpool Hope University (LHU) through the Andrew Walls Center for the Study of African and Asian Christianity and the Theology and Religious Education Department of De la Salle University (DLSU), Manila, Philippines. The Conference shall take place on July 26 – 27, 2019 in De La Salle University Manila, Philippines under the theme, “Church-State Relations: Religion in the Public Square”. The Conference shall bring together scholars engaged in the academic study of Theology/ Religion in public life in Asia and other regions. The conference will have paper presentations from notable scholars from Europe, Asia and the Philippines.

The “separation of Church and State” is a modern development that ensures freedom of religious expression. At the same time, it prevents governments from imposing particular religious doctrines on everyone. While modern states have upheld the separation between Church and State, the Church, in particular, has supported particular political interventions, movements, and advocacies pertaining to moral issues (e.g. on dictatorships and other human rights violations, legislations on reproductive health issues, divorce, LGBTQ rights, etc.).

This conference therefore explores the varied ways of living out and interpreting the separation and interaction between Church and State. It seeks to respond to the questions: What have been the various models of relations between Church and State? How has religion informed public advocacy? What were the extra and intra-ecclesial factors that shaped religious intervention? What were the consequences of such relations? What can scholarship learn from the experiences that is useful for facing issues today?

We invite scholars from other regions to join in the interdisciplinary conversations to understand the challenges Church-State relations pose for theological reflection and religious studies.

Follow this link for online registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfUHCExTLFwWgotWdMl2_8ZGrG24gW0lEaZ_3bmczI4fvxZUw/viewform

• Please send your abstracts (250 words) with 5 keywords (and brief author background) to rito.baring@dlsu.edu.ph by December 15, 2018
• Payment Schemes for the Conference Registration (Inclusive of Simple Conference Kit, 2 Lunches, 4 snacks and certificates):

Local Participants Regular Registration – Php 1,500

Foreign Participants – US $ 50.00 – UCPB P. Ocampo Branch Savings Account 01-120-300035-8 Swift Code: UCPBPHMM

For other conference-related inquiries, kindly email: rito.baring@dlsu.edu.ph

thank you.

—

Dr. Rito Baring

Chair

Theology and Religious Education Department

De La Salle University

Manila

EASR 2019: Religion – Continuations and Disruptions

(Chairs: Frederik Elwert and Maren Freudenberg, Ruhr University Bochum)

Changes and disruptions in the religious field challenge the methodological approaches of scholars studying the field, as new phenomena might require modification to traditional methods or require new methods altogether. This holds particularly true for the rapid changes due to the digitization of society and the emergence of digital religious forms. Scholars face difficulties applying traditional qualitative and quantitative methods to the Internet and other digital spaces, which only partly mirror offline phenomena.

For example, when it comes to webpages, traditional methods of visual and textual analysis are of limited help, given the multi-modality and non-linearity of visual, textual, and audio components and the discrepancies between the user paths intended by the web design and the actual paths taken by users. There are, indeed, many aspects of digital spaces that can inform the study of digital religion, including networks of actions and platforms, interconnections between users, and non-traditional forms of expression. Therefore, there are some questions that need to be explored: In which ways can we, as scholars, approach digital venues? What is the impact of the chosen methodology on the object of study?

Thus we invite scholars to discuss the methodological challenges they face when studying digital religion.

These might include but are not limited to

• * multi-mediality of websites, e.g. text and image and video,
• * interactivity and usage studies,
• * non-linearity and network structures of web pages,
• * availability of large-scale data, e.g. web forums, YouTube comments,
• * multi-method studies (ex. textual analysis combined with interviews),
• * social network analysis of social media data, e.g. Twitter.
• While some of the challenges can be discussed from an abstract methodological perspective, many of them become apparent through concrete experiences in studying digital religion. The panel puts emphasis on the reflection of methodological approaches and challenges rooted in empirical studies that deal with specific cases of digital religion. However, more theoretical contributions are also invited.
• Case studies can include (but are by no means limited to)
• * the online self-representation of minority religions,
• * the appropriation of digital media by majority religions,
• * digital media beyond the web, e.g. mobile apps,
• * networks of religious media,
• * examples of religious contact and material forms of religion on the Internet,
• * hashtags as a frame for religious communication in the web (for example to foster critical discourses of religion).

We welcome innovative and interdisciplinary contributions that bring together new empirical and methodological perspectives, especially if they focus on under-researched phenomena. A possible outcome of the session is a special journal issue on methods for the study of digital religion.

If you are interested in submitting an abstract to this open session, please do so by December 15, 2018 on the conference website: https://easr2019.org/call-for-individual-papers/

We look forward to receiving your proposals!

—

Dr. Maren Freudenberg

We are happy to inform you that the call for individual papers of the 17th European Association for the Study of Religions (EASR) conference conference “Religion – Continuations and Disruptions” is now open! The deadline for individual papers is December 15, 2018. The conference is organized by the Estonian Society for the Study of Religions and will take place from from June 25 to June 29, 2019 in Tartu, Estonia. For more information about the call for papers please see: https://easr2019.org/call-for-individual-papers/

You can find the full list of all the approved open and closed sessions here: https://easr2019.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/EASR-2019-Sessions-1.pdf It is of course also possible to submit independent papers that are not intended specifically for any of these sessions.

We look forward to seeing your abstracts!
Best regards,
EASR 2019 Organizing Team
info@easr2019.org

SISR/ISSR Conference, Bardelona, July 9-12, 2019: The Politics of Religion and Spirituality

Convener(s):
Giulia Evolvi, Ruhr University Bochum
Maren Freudenberg, Ruhr University Bochum

Abstract (English):
The Internet holds an important role in people’s everyday lives because it provides venues to exchange opinions, consume news, and discuss politics and society. The influence of the Internet also extends to religion, as websites and social network accounts dedicated to faith and spirituality increasingly offer spaces to discuss religious practices and beliefs. Additionally, the Internet helps negotiate religious authority and its role in political decisions. New technologies not only allow religious organizations to intervene in public debates, but can also frame religious leaders’ influence on social and political matters. This panel aims at answering the following research questions: how is religious authority negotiated online? Which are the effects of religious authority on politics and society? Contributions that explore Internet-based religious authority are welcome, including but not being limited to: 1) Digital spaces that help believers to negotiate the role of religious leaders as sources of authority 2) Religious groups that employ the Internet to adapt to different socio-political contexts, fostering religious discussions between various religious traditions 3) Religious leaders who use the Internet as a way to establish a voice in political debates and create a religious-based political participation Interdisciplinary presentations that propose innovative theoretical and methodological approaches are welcome.

Abstract (French):
L’internet joue un rôle important dans la vie quotidienne, car il fournit des espaces pour échanger des opinions, consommer des informations et discuter de politique et société. L’influence de l’internet s’étend également à la religion, car les sites Web et les comptes de réseaux sociaux consacrés à la foi et à la spiritualité offrent de plus en plus d’espaces pour discuter des pratiques et des croyances religieuses. De plus, l’internet aide à négocier l’autorité religieuse et son rôle dans les décisions politiques. Les nouvelles technologies permettent non seulement aux organisations religieuses d’intervenir dans les débats publics, mais peuvent aussi influencer le rôle des chefs religieux par rapport aux questions sociales et politiques. Ce panel vise à répondre à deux questions de recherche : comment l’autorité religieuse est-elle négociée en ligne ? Quels sont les effets de l’autorité religieuse sur la politique et la société ? Nous sommes intéressés par des contributions qui explorent l’autorité religieuse sur internet, y compris, mais sans s’y limiter : 1) Des espaces internet qui aident les croyants à négocier le rôle des chefs religieux en tant que sources d’autorité 2) Les groupes religieux qui utilisent l’internet pour s’adapter à différents contextes sociopolitiques, favorisant les discussions religieuses entre diverses traditions religieuses 3) Les chefs religieux qui utilisent l’internet pour se faire entendre dans les débats politiques et créer une participation politique basée sur la religion. Nous sommes intéressés en particulier par des présentations interdisciplinaires proposant des approches théoriques et méthodologiques innovantes.

If you are interested in submitting an abstract to this open session, please do so by December 16, 2018 on the conference website: https://www.sisr-issr.org/en/conferences/call-for-papers

We look forward to receiving your proposals!

—

Dr. Maren Freudenberg

14th ESA Conference in Manchester (2019)

Coordinators:Roberta Ricucci, University of Turin, Italy, Roberta.ricucci[at]unito.it, & Siniša Zrinščak, University of Zagreb, Croatia, sinisa.zrinscak[at]pravo.hr

Religion(s) in Europe and Beyond –Global, national and local dynamics

Rapid, (un)expected, (un)certain and above all contradictory social changes, put identity/ies at the core of social debates, occurring at the same time at local, regional, national, European, and global levels. Defining oneself, usually by belonging to specific social groups and increasingly by not belonging to other social groups, becomes not only a difficult task, but a task which is very differently interpreted and misused by social groups, political parties, and social movements. Like other markers of identities, religion becomes a contested issue, particularly regarding its ability to play around ethnic, regional, gender, and linguistic markers. Thus, the issue of how religion, ethnicity and acculturation relate to one another is highly relevant today, intertwining with human rights, boundaries, diversity management and social cohesion. For sociology, the issue is how to conceptualize, research and understand such social processes. How important is to overcome theoretical and disciplinary barriers, to use different and innovative research methods, and to employ different lenses, such as gender, generation, or class? Against this background, we call for papers which make empirical, comparative and theoretical contributions to the social study of religion and its relation to identity formation, diversity management, recognition of religious rights and religious persecutions, and transnational practices, including on-line religious activities. In particular, papers should contribute to debates on:•how religion supports or undermines barriers within social groups, cities, and countries; •how religion influences social cohesion and civic and social rights;•relationships between religious conflicts, religious barriers, and social inequalities;•how increasingly diverse religious landscapes influence social and political debates. While we are particularly interested in papers that relate to European societies, we also welcome cases from other parts of the world. Graduate students are especially encouraged to apply, and we will organise a special graduate student networking session.

Joint Sessions

JS_RN16_RN34: “Overcoming invisible barriers: managing religious diversity in health-care organisations” (Joint session with RN16 Sociology of Health and Illness)

JS_RN32_RN34:“Setting up barriers, and drawing up new borders between ‘us’ and ‘other” (Joint session with RN32 Political Sociology)

We invite you to submit abstracts to the RN34 Sessions and hope to see you in Manchester!

The deadline for abstract submission is February 1st, 2019.

Conference information can be found at: https://www.europeansociology.org/conferences/esa-conference-2019-manchester-uk

SISR conference, Barcelona, 9-12 July 2019:

La croissance du philosémitisme chrétien et du sionisme chrétien dans les pays du Sud et en Europe

Thematic session / Session thématique

Convener(s):
Paul Freston
Wilfrid Laurier University
pfreston@wlu.ca
and
Manoela Carpenedo
University of Kent
M.Carpenedo@kent.ac.uk

Abstract (English):
Two closely-related but not identical phenomena have grown lately in the Christian world: Philo-Semitism and Christian Zionism. Most growth has been among the evangelical and Pentecostal forms of Christianity mushrooming in much of the global south and which also play a growing role in otherwise struggling European Christianity. Philo-Semitism is “support or admiration for the Jewish people by non-Jews” (Rubinstein and Rubinstein). Christian Philo-Semitism can take many forms: a diffuse fascination with Jews and Israel; adoption of Jewish rituals and vestments, often associated with recovering the Jewish origins of Christianity; sometimes even adherence to laws of the Hebrew scriptures or cultivation of a presumed Jewish descent. Christian Zionism means geopolitical activism in favour of the state of Israel and its territorial expansion, including attempts to influence the foreign policy of one’s own nation-state. Christian Philo-Semitism and Christian Zionism appear to have diverse motivations, especially when straddling global north and south. While studies in the United States have been numerous, it has become increasingly obvious that these phenomena are much more widespread and diverse, and cannot be interpreted purely in American terms. To this end, we welcome proposals focusing on Christian Philo-Semitic or Christian Zionist attitudes and activities in the Global South and/or in Europe. Papers might address, although they are not limited to: analytical approaches; ethnographies and case studies; transformations in Christian Philo-Semitic religious identities; Christian Zionism, international relations and the geopolitics of faith.

Abstract (French):
Deux phénomènes liés mais non identiques se sont développés récemment dans le monde chrétien : le philosémitisme et le sionisme chrétien. La plus grande partie de leur croissance s’est déroulée au sein des formes évangéliques et pentecôtistes du christianisme qui se sont multipliées dans les pays du Sud et qui jouent également un rôle croissant dans le christianisme européen, par ailleurs en difficulté. Le philo-sémitisme est « un soutien ou une admiration pour le peuple juif par les non-juifs ». Le philo-sémitisme chrétien peut prendre plusieurs formes : une fascination pour les juifs et pour Israël ; l’adoption de rituels et vêtements juifs, souvent associés à la récupération des origines juives du christianisme ; parfois l’adhésion aux lois des écritures hébraïques ou la quête d’une descendance juive présumée. Le sionisme chrétien signifie un activisme géopolitique en faveur de l’État d’Israël et de son expansion territoriale. Le philo-sémitisme chrétien et le sionisme chrétien semblent avoir des motivations diverses, lorsqu’ils englobent les pays du Nord et du Sud. Bien que les études aux États-Unis aient été nombreuses, il est devenu de plus en plus évident que ces phénomènes sont beaucoup plus répandus et diversifiés et ne peuvent être interprétés uniquement en termes américains. Nous accueillons les propositions centrées sur les attitudes et activités philo-sémitiques chrétiennes ou sionistes chrétiennes dans les pays du Sud et/ou en Europe. Les articles peuvent aborder, bien qu’ils ne soient pas limités à : des approches analytiques ; des études de cas ; les transformations des identités religieuses chrétiennes philosémites ; Sionisme chrétien, relations internationales et géopolitique de la foi.

You can access the list of sessions here.

The call for papers will run until 16 December 2018.

You may propose a paper by using this link. Before doing that, have a look at the list of sessions, names of convener(s), and abstracts for each of the sessions, and decide to which one you would like to submit your paper.

The proposal (title and abstract up to 250 words) should be only in one language– English or French – in which you would like to present your paper.

Important:

You need to be an ISSR member, or renew your membership to submit a proposal, otherwise you will not be able to access the submission page (see Note on Membership, https://www.sisr-issr.org/en/conferences/sessions

We are welcoming submission for the open session “post-global religion” for the European Association for the Study of Religions (EASR) conference “Religion – Continuations and Disruptions” from June 25 to June 29, 2019 in Tartu, Estonia. The deadline for individual papers is December 15, 2018.

OPEN SESSION (J. BORUP): Post-global Religion

Just like globalisation has been challenged by new political realities (walls, borders, boundaries, diversifications, enclavisations) in a post-global world, critical responses to globalisation also affects religious worlds. Reports from Pew Forum show more religious intolerance and less freedom of belief, and also religious voices applaud discourses of contraction. What could be termed ‘post-global religion’ is characterised by the strategic disruption of existing orders, and the articulation of a particularity re-enchantment. Just like post-colonial voices were critical responses to Western hegemony, post-global discourses and practices at both individual, institutional and national levels are critical reactions to globalisation, favouring the forces of centrifugal dispersion. This can be represented by anti-global religious re-nationalisation, re-ethnification, re-culturalisation, re-traditionalisation, re-racialisation, re-tribalism, re-territorialisation and re-configuration of the codes appropriating religious diversity. It can be seen in discourses and practices favouring monolithic cultural/national narratives, minority suppression, fractionalisation, downscaling of religious freedom. And it has increasingly been articulated in ‘culture wars’ with challenges of cultural appropriation and religionisation of political, cultural, ethnic or gender-related identity politics being turned into sacred authenticity claims.

This open session investigates disruptive responses to globalisation and articulations of strategic particularity in (the study of) religions. The session is explorative and invites scholars of religion to think with the term ‘post-global religion’ through both theoretical perspectives as well as empirical cases from around the world. Especially papers related to religious or cultural appropriation and identity politics (and their challenges to the study of religion) will be welcomed.

Deadline: 15th Dec 2018
Chair/contact: jb@cas.au.dk    
For more information about the call for papers please see: https://easr2019.org/call-for-individual-papers/