Call for Papers
Working with A Secular Age – Interdisciplinary Reflections on Charles Taylor’s Conception of the Secular International Conference
Berne, Switzerland, 6-8 March 2014

Keynote speakers: Akeel Bilgrami (Columbia University, NY), Jonathan VanAntwerpen (SSRC, NY)

Since its publication in 2007, Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age has been generating a lively discussion. Understandably so: In his seminal work, the Canadian philosopher aims at nothing less than a re-telling of the (hi)story of the secular. While some enthusiastically welcomed A Secular Age as a breakthrough in the ongoing reconfiguration of secularity, others pointed to certain weaknesses and limitations of Taylor’s work. Moving one step beyond general appraisal and the already existing and important critique of A Secular Age, this conference aims at exploring the applicability (and its limits) of Taylor’s conception of the secular.

Participants’ common goal will be to critically reflect on the general potential of Taylor’s conception for individual disciplines. In their presentations, scholars working within the fields of Theology, Philosophy, Sociology, History, Religious Studies, Area Studies (incl. Islamic Studies), Political Science and Law, Literature and Art or Gender Studies will tackle the following questions concerning their respective discipline: Which aspects and assumptions of Taylor’s work can be adopted easily; when does a need for translation and transformation arise; and where are the barriers of disciplinary understandings, approaches and traditions too large to be overcome? Next to these theoretical considerations, participants will have the opportunity to present their completed or current research projects, which in one way or another integrate, modify or built upon a specific theoretical aspect or a phenomenological finding brought forward in A Secular Age.

We welcome contributions from advanced MA students, PhD students and Postdocs from all of the disciplines mentioned above as well as related disciplines. Please note that in order to ensure a red thread and common ground for discussion, both for theoretical contributions as well as for case studies the reference to A Secular Age is a must. The presentations should not exceed 15-20 minutes in order to allow time for discussion afterwards.

Please submit an abstract of 300-400 words and a short bionote in PDF format to: florian.zemmin@iash.unibe.ch. As the panels will be organized around individual disciplines, please state in which of the above-mentioned fields you would like to present your paper.

Deadline for proposals: November 15, 2013.

For proposals accepted for presentation, we will try to fully cover the costs for travel (2nd class) and accommodation in Berne.

Please note: In preparation of this conference, the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) is organizing a workshop on A Secular Age in October/December 2013, addressing both MA and PhD students, for which there are still some places left. For further
information, please visit: http://www.iash.unibe.ch/content/events/programme/index_eng.html

IASH_Working with A Secular Age_CfP.pdf

Invitation: Religious Right-wing Radicalism: Mapping the Territory.

Conference: Religious Right-wing Radicalism: Mapping the Territory.

We are delighted to invite you to submit proposals for papers.Deadline for proposals and registration: 12 September, 2013

Please share information on the conference to your colleagues.

Date: 26 – 27 September 2013
Place: University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Humanities, Njalsgade 122, 2300 Copenhagen S
Official website: http://tors.ku.dk/religiousrightwingconference/

Best wishes,
Katrine Willadsen & Brian Arly Jacobsen

22ND NORDIC CONFERENCE FOR SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION 2014

Change and Continuity – Religion, State, Civil Society

We are delighted to invite you to submit proposals for sessions and papers on this theme

Date: 20 – 22 August 2014
Place: University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Humanities, Njalsgade 122, 2300 Copenhagen
Official website: http://ncsr.ku.dk/

Keynote Speakers:

• Martin Baumann, Professor at the Study of Religions, University of Lucerne
• Lori G. Beaman, Professor at Department for Classics and Religious Studies, University of Ottawa
• Peter Gundelach, Professor of Sociology, University of Copenhagen
• Viktor Yelensky, Professor at Department for the Study of Religion, The Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences

The 22nd Nordic Conference for Sociology of Religion seeks a more thorough understanding – theoretically as well as empirically – of the dynamic interrelations of religion, state and civil society. In short, we would like to find out how this interrelation is part of processes of change and continuity in society today. In line with the traditions of the Nordic conferences, contributions addressing this scope as well as other topics within the sociology of religion are welcome!

Call for Sessions: Deadline 1 November 2013
Call for Papers: Deadline 1 March 2014
Registration: Deadline 31 May 2014

Organisers: Professor, dr. phil. Margit Warburg, Assistant Professor, PhD, Brian Arly Jacobsen and Astrid Krabbe Trolle, Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies

CALL FOR PAPERS

Inform Anniversary Conference
MINORITY RELIGIONS:
CONTEMPLATING THE PAST AND
ANTICIPATING THE FUTURE

London School of Economics, London, UK

Friday 31^st January 2014 – Sunday 2^nd February 2014

Inform is celebrating over a quarter of a century of providing up-to-date and unbiased information about minority religions with an Anniversary Conference at the London School of Economics in London, UK. It will commence on the evening of Friday 31^st January and continue over the weekend of February 1^st and 2^nd. 

Submissions for papers (maximum 200 word abstract and 150 word CV) on topics relevant to the title of the conference are now being accepted, please send these to inform@lse.ac.uk. The deadline for papers is 1^st October 2013, with decisions by 1^st November 2013. Unfortunately no subsidies can be offered to participants, who will be responsible for making their own arrangements for accommodation.

Registration will open on 1^st November 2013.

14-15 May 2014
Gülen Chair for Intercultural Studies
KU Leuven University, Belgium
www.gcis-kuleuven.com 

Keynote Speakers:     

• Hui-Muslims in China: Li Zhinong, Yunnan University
• Muslims in Europe: Jorgen Nielsen, Copenhagen University

The aim of this workshop is to gather scholars who work on Hui-Muslims in China and Muslims in Europe to compare the similitudes and differences of identity practices. Hui are predominantly Chinese speaking Muslims in China’s vast territory. With a population of 10 million, they are also the most numerous recognized ethnic group in China. Muslims in Europe are hardly featured in international media, domestic politics, and scholarly discussions. Multiculturalism, radicalisation, immigration, integration, forced marriage are discussed through the Muslim visibility and presence in Europe. Recent debates on integration and secularism are focused on  the ‘Muslim question’. In contrast to the focus on Muslims in Europe, there is a notable lack of interest in Muslims in China with the exception of the Uyghur community. In this workshop, we want to study the impact of ethnic-religious interactions, state integration positions and policies to grasp the
increasing influence of religious-collective-national expression of Muslims in the public sphere. We would like to examine the new patterns of expression and visibility of the Muslims in China and Europe. Tracing Muslim’s interaction with non-Muslims, this workshop investigates how Muslims encounters, accommodates and negotiates into different socio political contexts in China and Europe.

A comparison between China and Europe provides a guide for analysis of different models. The workshop looks at the modes of organization of Muslims, their identity demands, social-cultural and religious dynamics of solidarity.

To examine Muslims’ ethnic-religious identifications in contemporary China and Europe, and trace in which ways Muslims develop a sense of belonging to the wider society, this international workshop will broadly focus (but also restrain the focus) on two topics: (1) the collective memory and identification of Muslims and (2) the interaction of Muslims with the local communities and the State.

• Creating Collective Memory and Identity (through festivals, food, other trivial identity markers): This part looks at the Muslim way of life and their practices within different contexts to understand how a Muslim memory is shaped and constructed. In this regard, we want to analyze the circulation of narratives, translocal practices among Muslims in Europe and in China to seek whether they create new patterns-mixtures of their self-presentation. As Muslims are not homogeneous groups both in Europe and China, ethnic-religious diversity enforces the diversification of Muslim identity and practices within various secular-national contexts. The aim is to observe the daily practices, narratives and strategies to figure out the dynamics through which Muslims formulate their self.
• Relations with other local ethnic-religious communities and with the State (exchange with different faith people, institutions, public authorities, citizenship models etc.) In this part, we want to understand the interaction of Muslims with non-Muslims, local communities and the state to adjust and to maintain their cultural-religious identity. The capacity of adjusting religious-political identity enables to study the citizenship rhetoric, community dynamics, and institutional structures. The different modes of dynamics between Muslims, non-Muslims and the State constitute the possible ways of pluralism and co-existence of differences. We examine the specific strategies and policies developed by Muslims and authorities to negotiate the citizenship and integration models.

Tuition Fees: There is no tuition fee for participants in the workshop programme. However, presenters and participants are expected to pay the costs of their travel and accommodation. The organizers have a reduced prize from ‘La Royale’ hotel in Leuven. The GCIS covers the meals and transportation in Belgium during the workshop.

Outcome:

• A proceedings book of the workshop will be printed and distributed in advance of the workshop itself.
• Within six months à maximum 1 year of the event, an edited book will be produced and published by the GCIS with Leuven University Press, comprising some or all of the papers presented at the Workshop, at the condition that they pass a peer review organized by the publisher. The papers will be arranged and introduced, and to the extent appropriate, edited, by scholar(s) to be appointed by the Editorial Board.
• Copyright of the papers accepted to the Workshop will be vested in the GCIS.

Selection Criteria:
The workshop will accept up to 15 participants, each of whom must meet the following requirements:

• have a professional and/or research background in related topics of the workshop;
• be able to attend the entire programme.

Since the Workshop expects to address a broad range of topics while the number of participants has to be limited, writers submitting abstracts are requested to bear in mind the need to ensure that their language is technical only where it is absolutely necessary and the language should be intelligible to non-specialists and specialists in disciplines other than their own; and present clear, coherent arguments in a rational way and in accordance with the usual standards and format for publishable work.

Timetable

1. Abstracts (300–500 words maximum) and CVs (maximum 1 page) to be received by 1st October 2013.
2. Abstracts to be short-listed by the Editorial Board and papers invited by 7th October 2013.
3. Papers (3,000 words minimum – 5,500 words maximum, excluding bibliography) to be received by 1st March 2014.
4. Papers reviewed by the Editorial Board and classed as: Accepted – No Recommendations; Accepted – See Recommendations; Conditional Acceptance – See Recommendations; Not Accepted, by 20th March 2014.
5. Final papers to be received by 15th April 2014.

Workshop Coordinators: Erkan Toguslu, KU Leuven; Ding Yuan, Yunnan University – KU Leuven

Venue: KU Leuven University
The international workshop is organized by KU Leuven Gülen Chair for Intercultural Studies and Research Center for Studies of Chinese Southwest’s Borderland Ethnic Minorities of Yunnan University. It will be entirely conducted in English and will be hosted by KU Leuven Gülen Chair in Leuven.

Papers and abstract should be sent to Erkan Toguslu: erkan.toguslu@soc.kuleuven.be

For more information please contact:
Erkan Toguslu
KU Leuven Gülen Chair for Intercultural Studies
Parkstraat 45 – box 3615
3000 Leuven