Category Archives: Calls for Papers

Call for Papers: Ecclesiology & Ethnography Conference 2021

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Call for Papers: Durham 2021

Ecclesiology and Ethnography Conference,
Durham University, 21st-23rd September 2021

This conference is part of The Network for Ecclesiology & Ethnography, which seeks to draw together scholars working with theological approaches to qualitative research on the Christian Church. We welcome papers that explore the dynamic relationship between the theological and the lived-in ecclesiology. It is a wide-ranging conference, and part of the joy is discovering a diversity of specialisms. Past papers have included ethnography, systematic theology, ecclesiology, practical theology and social science approaches. Attendees range from senior scholars to doctoral students and local ministers. This is also an excellent place to present as a post graduate or early career researcher, or as a pastor/scholar in ministry. Learning is generously shared and critiques are supportive.

There are three types of paper sessions at the Durham Conference:

  • Plenary Sessions (60 minutes)
  • Track Sessions (45 minutes)
  • Seminar Sessions (30 minutes)

Out of all the submitted papers, the conference committee selects 5 – 8 Keynote Papers for the Plenary Sessions. The Keynote Papers are selected based on quality (level of completion, originality, etc.), relevance (thematic, theoretical, methodological, etc.), and representation (nationality, gender, etc.).

The Track Sessions are for Researchers holding a PhD (or equivalent) whereas the Seminar Sessions are for PhD-students and Practitioners. In recent years we have been able to make space for all the submitted papers. In the event of more papers than the time allows for, a waiting list will be organized.

Please note: we will communicate in a timely fashion any information regarding the impact of COVID restrictions. Please make arrangements according to international travel regulations. If we are unable to meet in person, we will hold an online conference or a blended conference. In these circumstances, we will adapt the conference and presentation of papers accordingly.

How to submit a paper proposal for The Durham Conference
  1. Fill out the electronic form, including a short paper proposal.
  2. Wait for a response. You should receive a response within a week. If, for any reason, you do not receive feedback within reasonable time – human and digital errors do occur, unfortunately – please contact the program coordinator at Knut.Tveitereid@mf.no.
  3. Remember to register. If your paper is accepted for presentation, you still have to register for the conference. After you have registered, your paper is formally accepted for presentation.
How to present a paper at The Durham Conference

By September 1st you should submit your paper in full text. Most papers tend to be 10–15 pages. All full text papers will be circulated to all registered participants a week ahead of the conference.

When presenting your paper, please leave approximately half the session’s allotted time to discussion. In other words, you will not have the time to read all of your paper in full length. An oral presentation of important points made in your paper normally works better.

There are projectors available in all conference rooms.

Only Plenary Sessions will be chaired. For the Track Sessions and Seminar Sessions, presenters in the same session are encouraged to chair each other’s papers.

Submission Guidelines

To propose a paper, please complete our online form by 31st May.  All paper proposals will be reviewed and we’ll let you know the status of your proposal ASAP. If you have any questions please email the Conference Team: Dr Knut Tveitereid (Academic Coordinator) at Knut.Tveitereid@mf.no (please note: this email address has changed) or Professor Pete Ward (Conference Founder and Host) at peter.ward@durham.ac.uk or Dr Gretchen Schoon Tanis (Conference Coordinator) at schoontanis@gmail.com.

Propose a paper

Call for Papers: SISR/ISSR Session on Religion and Healing

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We invite proposed papers (in English or French) for a panel on Religion and Healing at the SISR/ISSR 2021 online conference this summer (12-15 July). Please submit your abstracts here. Deadline: 28 February 2021

Nous avons le plaisir de vous transmettre un appel à communication pour un panel sur Religion et Guérison dans le cadre de la  36e conférence de la Société internationale pour la sociologie des religions, qui se tiendra en ligne du 12 au 15 juillet prochain.

Religion et guérison: classiques et nouveaux horizons en anthropologie de la guérison

Religion and Health: New Directions and Classical Orientations in the Anthropology of Healing

Géraldine Mossière, Institut d’études religieuses, Université de Montréal

Marina Rougeon, Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia (ISC/UFBA, Brazil)

Résumé de la session:

Religion et guérison ont été historiquement interconnectés de bien des façons, que ce soit par le souci chrétien de sauver les âmes, par le recours à la sorcellerie pour gérer les conflits, ou encore par la libération des excès d’émotions dans les transes et possessions. L’engouement populaire que connaissent actuellement les enseignements et pratiques issus des courants de développement personnel participe également de cette tendance qui s’appuie notamment sur les nouvelles spiritualités inspirées des traditions orientales ou autochtones. Ces dèrnieres constituent seulement une des multiples façons dont la religion et la guérison s’entrecroisent dans les sociétés globalisées et sécularisées. Dans cette session, nous appelons des contributions basées sur des études théoriques ou empiriques dans le but de repenser la variété des sites où ces thématiques s’articulent. Avec pour objectif de revisiter les prémisses d’une anthropologie de la guérison actuelle, nous invitons les participants à traiter entre autres des thématiques suivantes: définitions du sujet et de la personne sur lesquelles les pratiques de guérison s’appuient, rôle de la (non)circulation transnationale des ressources religieuses, émergence d’autorités informelles (coach de vies) et réorientation du rôle des guérisseurs traditionnels, sens et affects impliqués dans les pratiques de guérison, statut et symboles associés au corps dans ces pratiques, et pratiques qui visent plus spécifiquement les problèmes de santé mentale ou les crises sanitaires.

Summary

Religion and healing have long been entangled in many ways, such Christianity’s concern with saving souls, the use of sorcery to deal with social conflicts, and the release of emotional overflows through trance possessions. Today’s popular enthusiasm for teachings and practices in personal development is also situated on this thematic seam and it hinges on new spiritualities inspired by Oriental or Native traditions. The latter are just one of the many ways religion and healing intersect in global and secular societies. In this session, we invite contributions based on empirical and theoretical studies in order to revisit the variety of contemporary sites where such thematics intersect. With the aim of rethinking the premises of an anthropology of healing, we invite participants to address the following (and non-exhaustive) list of themes: definitions of the subject and person that healing practices involve, the role of transnational (non-)circulation of religious resources, the emergence of informal authorities (life coaches) and the reorientation of traditional healers’ role, the senses and affects involved in healing practices, the status and symbols associated to the body in these practices, and the practices specifically dedicated to mental health or sanitary crises.

Les propositions sont les bienvenues jusqu’au 28 février au lien suivant : https://conference-system.sisr-issr.org/conferences/conference-2021/?lang=fr#papers

Call for Papers: Implicit Religion, Race, and Representation 21-23 May 2021 (online)

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UK – 2021 Implicit Religion, Race, and Representation

Call for Papers
Deadline for submissions is 15 March, 2021

This online only conference takes place against the backdrop of increased political authoritarianism and a noticeable rise in racial and religious intolerance across the world. Politicians are actively seeking to prevent teaching on critical race theory, colonial brutality and the ongoing legacy of enslavement. Concurrently we increasingly find ‘race’ being dismissed or diminished as a category of oppression within wider social problems and dynamics, at the expense of understanding the lives, cultures, and histories of Black people, Indigenous people and people of colour. To understand how assertions of identity function at the same time as racism, nationalism, and exclusion we need to view these developments as intertwined with religion and in the development of definitions of religion and religiosity. The ongoing Black Lives Matter protests, the burning of the Amazon, attempts to lay pipelines in North Dakota, conducting scientific experiments on indigenous sacred lands and responses to other acts of neo-colonialism might be productively analysed in terms of race, religion, and implicit religion.

Presenters are invited to submit abstracts for consideration on the theme of “Implicit Religion, Race, and Representation”. These might include, but are not limited to:

  • Presence, absence, and resistance in representations of race
  • New social movements, resistance, and counter movements (civil rights, indigenous rights, anti-apartheid movements, Black Lives Matter, Say Her Name etc.)
  • Womanist analysis, thinking, being, and doing
  • Agency and social otherness
  • Embodying and embracing difference
  • Technologies (visual, material, and sound) and racial categories in culture memory and the formation of identity
  • Racialisation of religion and religious racism
  • Methodologies for decolonising teaching and curricula in the study of religion
  • Political and religious authoritarianism: past, present, and future
CFP PDFs

A4 IR UK 2021 CFP | Ltr IR UK 2021 CFP

Proposal Submissions

We invite submissions for proposals for either a paper or a scratch session on these themes, elaborated above, by the 15th March 2021 for #IR43, taking place online May 21st – 23rd 2021.

The submission form is now available. You will be asked to indicate if you are submitting a paper or scratch session, and to provide a 300 word abstract (with references to secondary literature and sources) and other information as specified below, and what we need to know in order to accommodate your participation if your proposal is accepted.

Please note while you can edit your entries before you select the submit button, the form does not allow the submission to be saved and edited later. We suggest looking at the form for context and then composing the abstract and the notes regarding accommodating your participation in a word processing document and then cutting and pasting these elements of the proposal into the form.

PAPERS

Please select the option “Paper” on the form. Those submitting papers are asked to submit an abstract of no more than 300 words.

SCRATCH SESSIONS

There will be a dedicated panel for advanced undergraduates, MA and early stage PhD students to present at – called a scratch session. These will be shorter papers and rather than the usual practise of asking questions of the presenters, the audience will make suggestions for further reading, pathways for improvement, scholars to explore etc. If you wish to apply for the scratch session, please select that option on the submission form and submit a 200–250 word abstract.

Keynote

The 2021 Edward Bailey Lecture, “Designing for Humans, Designing Research on Human Subjects: Race, Representations, and Rights” will be delivered by Dr Ipsita Chatterjea, Executive Director of the Study of Religion as an Analytical Discipline Workshop.

Workshop

A workshop on decolonising the curriculum, with an emphasis on religious studies will be delivered by Dr Malory Nye.

Please note we are a small organisation and as such are not in a position to provide bursaries for participation. We can provide you with an official letter of invite and a subsequent letter of participation if your university or funding body requires it.

Final Call for Papers: SocRel Annual Conference July 13-15, online

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This is just a quick reminder that abstract submission for the socrel annual conference closes tomorrow. Please follow this link for the call for papers and to access the portal to submit your abstract. We can also now confirm the registration rates for the conference but please note bursary winners for the 2020 conference will have their fees waived.

  • BSA Member Full Conference: £20
  • Socrel Study Group Member Full Conference: £25
  • Non-Member Full Conference: £40

The conference will take place via zoom from 13th to 15th July 2021 and we have a great line up of speakers planned including: Sarah-Jane Page (Aston University), Sam Perry (University of Oklahoma), Colin Campbell (University of York), Eileen Barker (London School of Economics), Grace Davie (Exeter University), Jim Beckford (Warwick University) and Linda Woodhead (Lancaster University) so please do consider submitting an abstract. It would be great to see as many of you there as possible for our first online conference.

Key Dates:

  • Abstract submission closes: 10 February 2021
  • Decision notification: 26 February 2021
  • Presenter registration closes: 26 March 2021
  • Registration closes: 30th June 2021

Should you have any questions or queries, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Best wishes,

Dr Rachael Shillitoe
Research Fellow
Conference and Events Officer for the British Sociological Association, Sociology of Religion Group (SocRel)

Call for Papers: SISR/ISSR Session on Religion and Social Theory

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We invite proposed papers (in English or French) for a panel on Religion and Social Theory at the SISR/ISSR 2021 online conference this summer (12-15 July). Please submit your abstracts here. Deadline: 28 February 2021

Religion and Social Theory // Religion et Théorie Sociale

Session Convener(s):

  • Jim Spickard
  • Titus Hjelm

Session Abstract:

The aim of this session is to stimulate debate about theoretical ideas that have a bearing on the sociological study of religion.

We welcome contributions from researchers applying both familiar and less familiar traditions of social theory to religious topics. We especially invite papers that connect sociological theories of religion to the social, cultural, and/or historical contexts in which they arise and/or are used. Such papers might explore what such shaping has prevented sociologists from seeing about religious life or, on the contrary, what such shaping has enabled sociologists to understand that theories generated in other contexts has not. We also welcome papers on other aspects of the relationship between religion and social theory.

Call for Papers Leaving religion and institutional belonging behind

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Dear colleagues,

Please, find below the description of the session I am organizing at the ISSR 2021 online conference this summer (12-15 July). You are cordially invited to submit your abstracts here. Deadline: 28 February 2021

Call for Papers: Leaving religion and institutional belonging behind

Chair: Julia Martínez-Ariño
(University of Groningen)

This session will investigate the phenomenon of apostasy, understood broadly as the rejection of religion, faith, institutional belonging or a previously held religious identity. While a big part of the contemporary research on the religious “nones” has focused on those who define themselves as “indifferent”, less sociological research has been done on those who actively decide to leave religion and institutional belonging. There are some exceptions, especially in relation to New Religious Movements, but this field of inquiry deserves more attention. How do people narrate their experiences of leaving a religious group, faith or form of identification? How do these people navigate the apostasy process and which meaning do they attach to it? Which implications does apostatizing have for the everyday lives and social environments of these people? Which factors do apostates identify as triggering the process and how do the self‐narratives make sense of them? What are the political underpinnings and implications of apostasy within different socio‐political contexts? The session welcomes papers analyzing these and other questions, focusing on a range of religious traditions and geographical contexts. Papers based on empirical and comparative research are especially welcome. The session also welcomes theoretical reflections on the meaning of apostasy and its implications for the sociological analysis of religion and non‐religion.

Best wishes,

Julia

Call for Papers: Transformations of Latin American Catholicism

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Call for Papers: Transformations of Latin American Catholicism since the mid-20th Century for International Journal of Latin American Religions

http://bit.ly/2Y62UIc

Call for Papers: Transformations of Latin American Catholicism since the mid-20th Century

The International Journal of Latin American Religions (JLAR) invites researchers to submit manuscripts to a thematic section focused on considerable relatively recent changes in Latin American Catholicism. The pluralization of the religious field that has marked most Latin American countries and the new social dynamic that has led to new political experiences and ideological spectrums both present themselves as important ingredients of the analytical background in Latin American Catholicism transformations. Under the impact of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and countless socio-economic transformations, Catholicism in the region has also experienced significant mutations, presenting new amalgamations and social expressions. The thematic section will gather articles presenting research results from various disciplines and academic perspectives dealing with many contemporary expressions of Catholicism in the Latin American region since the mid-20th century.

This thematic section will be part of the second issue of volume 5, to be published in December 2021, and will have as guest editors Dr. Renata Siuda-Ambroziak, American Studies Center, University of Warsaw, Poland, and Dr. Rodrigo Coppe Caldeira, Pontifical University of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Submissions are due by June 30, 2021.

Call for Papers: “The Family in Chinese Christianity”

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“Generational Legacies:
The Family in Chinese Christianity”
Special Issue of Review of Religion and Chinese Society

Though the vast majority of Christians in China today are converts, or first-generation Christians, a significant and influential number of Chinese Christians trace their faith back to earlier generations. Some Chinese families count a Christian heritage six, seven, or even more generations back. In the contemporary Western tradition, Christianity is often framed as an individualized religion—conversion is an individual’s choice and having a “personal relationship” with God is emphasized. However, outside of the West where Christianity has experienced rapid growth, particularly in collectivist cultures, such a framing may not fit. In China, the family, rather than the individual, has traditionally been the most basic unit. The family is integral to the understanding of Chinese religious life, but this has not been a major focus of much of the research on Chinese Christianity, particularly Protestantism. By focusing on the importance of the family in Chinese Christianity, we see that this religion is not simply a Western implant, but truly a Chinese religion.
This special issue of Review of Religion and Chinese Society will publish select articles that provide fresh perspectives on how understandings of the family may shed new insights onto Chinese Christianity. Topics may include (but are not limited to):

  • Commemoration of family history by Chinese Christian families
  • How Chinese Christianity is linked to kinship or lineage networks
  • Religious influence of (great) grandparents on young generations
  • “Sinification” of Chinese Christian families
  • Intergenerational challenges for Chinese Christian families
  • Multi-religious or mixed religious Chinese families
  • How Chinese Christian families perform life course rituals
  • How Chinese Christian families express their religious identity

Important Dates:

  • Complete drafts: March 20, 2021. Drafts should be 5,000-8,000 words (including bibliography and notes). Please refer to the RRCS Instructions for Authors for paper formatting details. Also, please include abstract (100-200 words) and a brief CV. Submit these materials and any questions to Chris White: chrismwhite@purdue.edu.
  • Decisions will be made by April 1. Those selected will be invited to participate in a workshop that will take place on April 26, 2021, 9:00-11:30 am EST. The goal of this workshop is for all contributors to offer constructive suggestions on the papers and better allow the articles to dialogue with each other. (Attendance at the workshop is not mandatory for consideration.)
  • Final draft: May 31, 2021. After final submission, all papers will go through the normal, rigorous blind peer-review process with the journal. The tentative plan is that the special issue will be published in late 2021 as issue 8.2 of Review of Religion and Chinese Society.

CFP: “Feasts in Latin America: Customs, Cultural Heritage, Social Patterns”

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Daniela and I are organizing at the XLIII INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF AMERICANISM, PERUGIA 2021 the panel 15 FEASTS IN LATIN AMERICA: CUSTOMS, CULTURAL HERITAGE, SPACIAL PATTERNS (Fiestas en América Latina: prácticas, patrimonio cultural, patrones espaciales)

The conference takes place at Perugia (Italia), from 6-11 May 2021. The deadline for the submission of a proposal is 31.01.2021. Further information on the conference you find at the following links:

http://www.amerindiano.org/xliii-convegno-internazionale-di-americanistica/?lang=es (Spanish)

http://www.amerindiano.org/xliii-convegno-internazionale-di-americanistica/?lang=en (English)

The proposals and a CV have to be submitted till 31 January 2021 via the online registration form you may find following the same link.

Presentations can be held Portuguese, English, French, Italian, Spanish and any Latin American language.

For any questions please contact the coordinators: Daniela.Salvucci@unibz.it  or Tobias Boos,
tobiboos@gmail.com.

We wish you nice festive days, that you stay healthy and we hope to see you soon another time face-to-face.

Best wishes,
Tobias

SocRel 2021 -Abstract Submission Open

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The annual SOCREL conference for 2021 will now take place online via zoom on from 13th to 15th July 2021. To deliver a paper, please submit an abstract of no more than 250 words. We will also be accepting a limited number of panel proposals. To deliver a panel, please submit an abstract of no more than 500 words. Due to the process of receiving and reviewing abstracts, we are unable to automatically accept those abstracts submitted and accepted for the 2020 conference. However, we warmly welcome all those who submitted abstracts for 2020 to resubmit your abstract for 2021. All presenters must be members of Socrel.

Please follow this link for the call for papers and to access the portal to submit your abstract.

Information about the conference, including theme and speakers, can also be found on the page above. Further details regarding registration and how presentations will be delivered (e.g. live or pre-recorded) will be uploaded in due course.

Abstracts must be submitted by 10 February 2021.

Key Dates:

  • Abstract submission: Open now
  • Early bird registration opens: 20 January 2021
  • Abstract submission closes: 10 February 2021
  • Decision notification: 26 February 2021
  • Presenter registration closes: 26 March 2021
  • Registration closes: 30th June 2021

Should you have any questions or queries, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Best wishes,
Dr Rachael Shillitoe
R.Shillitoe@bham.ac.uk
Research Fellow
Conference and Events Officer for the British Sociological Association, Sociology of Religion Group (SocRel)