Category Archives: Calls for Session Proposals

Call for Sessions & Papers: Association for the Sociology of Religion, August 2021

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82nd Annual Meeting of the Association for the Sociology of Religion

Call for Sessions and Papers

Theme: “Communicating Religion’s Relevance”

Location: A specially designed virtual conference platform (see note 1 below)
Dates: 3 days between August 7 – August 10 (see note 2 below)
Program Chair: Brian Starks, Kennesaw State University (starksasr@gmail.com)

Although scholars of religion are keenly aware of the relevance of religion in today’s world, too many social elites and academics diminish religion’s importance. Even scholars who know better sometimes fail to explain how religion permeates nearly every aspect of contemporary life. As sociologists of religion, we understand religion’s relevance to individuals and its consequences in the social, cultural, political, and economic spheres. This year’s conference invites scholars to reflect on religion’s continuing – and in some areas increasing – relevance to society.

We invite session and paper proposals on several key topics:

  • · What can sociologists of religion do to communicate religion’s relevance to their (our) fellow academics and to the broader public?
  • · Are there ways that various sectors of our society have misunderstood, or failed to fully understand, religion? How can sociologists of religion speak to this problem?
  • · How do social and political elites, as well as ordinary citizens, employ religion when communicating about, or working to address, issues of local, national, or international concern?
  • · How do social actors, including social movement leaders, draw upon religion and religious narratives to frame social problems and/or appeal to human cognition, emotion, and morality?
  • · What are religion’s unique features that distinguish it from other social phenomenon and help explain its distinct capacity to influence human and social life?
  • · How, and under what circumstances, does religion contribute to new forms of identity, community, meaning, expression, moral conviction, and social control? How do we, as sociologists of religion, communicate religion’s relevance in these facets of our lives, to others?

Paper and session proposals may speak to these themes, or they may engage with any topic relevant to the sociology of religion. We especially encourage proposals that pursue and stimulate new avenues of research and/or innovative theoretical and/or methodological approaches. Specialty sessions are also welcome, including book salons, teaching and professional development, and discussions that focus on a particular question of interest.

We are very excited about our upcoming conference and the opportunities it will provide for intellectual interchange. Indeed, if people are interested in developing and structuring sessions in an especially creative manner, we are open to different (but feasible) approaches. Please email Program Chair Brian Starks starksasr@gmail.com) to discuss any ideas you have and how we might accommodate them.

DEADLINES

  • Session proposals: March 31, 2021
  • Paper abstract submissions: April 30, 2021
  • All submissions should be made through the ASR website at www.sociologyofreligion.com

ASR Membership is required for organizing a session, presenting a paper, serving as a panelist, or holding another role in the program. All are expected to register for the meeting by July 1, 2021. For questions, contact Brian Starks (starksasr@gmail.com), James Cavendish (jcavendi@usf.edu), or Rachel Kraus (ASREO@bsu.edu).

Note 1: Because of the pandemic, our meeting this year will be a virtual conference. We have been working hard to design a stimulating experience that allows the intellectual interchange, the networking, and the chance to catch up with old and new friends that make our in-person conferences so enjoyable.

I am happy to report that we will be using a major platform with previous experience running other academic conferences. This platform organizes all sessions into a single attractive, easy-to-access online hall. The platform will also host our major plenary sessions and allow publishers to hold virtual book exhibits. To this, we are excited to be incorporating a virtual café that will remain open throughout the conference. This will allow private conversations and will let people meet and network easily with other participants during the conference at any time.

Our goal is to have each session include not only a traditional facilitator, but also a technological convener who could help individual participants with any technology related issues or questions. This will allow facilitators to focus on time-keeping and substantive conversation, as they usually do. Towards that end, if there are grad students or others interested in earning a little extra money by serving as technological conveners for several sessions, please email me at starksasr@gmail.com.

Note 2: We do not yet know our exact dates, as we are still waiting for the ASA to confirm the date of the Religion Section’s session. We want to avoid overlapping with them, so people can participate in both conferences. We simply ask you to keep August 7-10 open in your schedules. We will let you know exact dates as soon as we can.

SISR/ISSR Conference News: July 12-15 2021 will be online

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Dear all,

We hope you are doing well in these dramatic times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This email contains important information to all members about the upcoming 36th biannual SISR/ISSR conference in 2021.

As you know, the next ISSR conference was to be held in Taipei in 2021. For a long time, we hoped to stick to our plan. However, the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic shows a rise in infections in many countries, stricter travel restrictions and uncertainties about the time of the end of this global pandemic. In collaboration with the chair of the local committee in Taipei Associate Research Fellow/Professor Wei-hsian Chi, the Executive Committee has decided to postpone the conference in Taiwan until 2023. Instead, the ISSR conference July 12-15 2021 will be a fully digital conference.

In our meeting with Wei-Hsian Chi, we discussed the possibility for a hybrid conference in Taiwan. However, this solution posed a number of problematic issues:

  • • A hybrid conference implies that the physical conference must be covered financially, in addition to a digital solution with more extensive IT support. This solution became relatively costly.
  • • In the current situation, it is difficult to estimate the number of members who would actually be able to go to Taiwan. Even if many of desire to do so, hardly anyone are able to make travel plans today. The risk of many “no shows” is therefore high.
  • • The different time zones would make an international hybrid conference difficult to organize.

We are obviously disappointed to postpone the conference in Taiwan. Our priority is to ensure that a meeting in Taiwan is successful as a meeting place for many of us, even at a later date. Besides, having an online conference this summer will allow the majority of ISSR members to meet, share their research and discuss, regardless of the trajectory of the pandemic.

We are currently working on the organizational and technical details of the 2021 digital conference (any suggestion is most welcome, if you have participated in online conferences over the past few months!).

To enable as many of you as possible to participate, we now reopen the Call for Session until December 14th. This gives you the opportunity to:

The call for papers will be opened from January 8th to February 28th 2021.

These are the new deadlines:

  • Opening of new session proposals: November 10th 2020
  • Closing of session proposals:  December 14th 2020
  • Opening of paper submission: January 8th 2021
  • Closing of session proposals: February 28th 2021

In order to participate in the digital conference, you must be a member of the ISSR. There will be a conference fee, which will only cover the costs of the organization of the digital conference. Indeed, digital conferences require increased IT support to plan and arrange the conference, expenses for the use of conference platforms, translation of keynotes, and other technical and organizational expenses. However, we expect the conference fee to be substantially lower than usual.  The treasurer has to develop a new budget to determine the exact fee so please bear with us until we can provide you with an exact amount.

I hope this information will give more clarity for those of you who were concerned about the 2021 SISR/ISSR conference. The Executive Committee will continue to plan the conference in cooperation with the Council, and we will send out information about the conference as soon as possible.

I hope to see all of you at the digital conference in July 2021!

Best wishes,

Inger Furseth
President SISR/ISSR
Professor, University of Oslo
Email: inger.furseth@sosgeo.uio.no

Religious Organisation(s):Challenges and changes in contemporary society

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17th-19th August 2020, Gothenburg, Sweden

The 25th Nordic Conference in the Sociology of Religion

In today’s globalised and fast changing society, religious organisation and religious organisations face several challenges. Globalization, migration and different secularisation processes, together with political, technological and environmental changes/issues, influence, not only society in general, but also religious organisations and the ways in which religion is practiced and expressed in contemporary society.

This situation prompts questions such as: How do religious organisations handle an influx of new members from other parts of the world and at the same time, an increased loss of members who have been there for a long time? How do religious organisations react to new technology such as digital communication instead of face-to-face interaction, and web-broadcasted religious meetings?

Other questions of interest are for example: how do religious groups and organisations handle the late modern individual who has little need of belonging to religious groups, and who is sceptical of religious authority? And, on the other hand, how can we explain why late modern individuals choose to belong to conservative and fundamentalist religious groups?

These, and other, questions concerning how religion is organised in contemporary society will be addressed at the 25th NCSR conference held in Gothenburg 17th-19th August 2020, which includes a pre-conference for doctoral students in the morning of the 17th August.

We are happy to announce the following distinguished keynotes for the conference:
• Professor Masooda Bano, Department of International Development, University of Oxford, UK
• Professor Mitsutoshi Horii, Shumei University, Japan, and Shumei Representative, Chaucer College Canterbury, UK
• Professor Detlef Pollack, Department of Sociology, University of Münster, Germany

Dates
15th November 2019 Deadline for submission of session proposals (paper sessions, panels, posters, authors-meets-critics, workshops etc): NCSR2020@lir.gu.se
15th Mars 2020 Deadline for submission of abstracts for papers: NCSR2020@lir.gu.se

Information on abstract format and delivery, progamme, registration, venue etc. will be available at the conference website : https://lir.gu.se/forskning/konferenser/the-25th-nordic-conference-in-the-sociology-of-religion

We look forward to seeing you in Gothenburg,

Magdalena Nordin, magdalena.nordin@lir.gu.se
Daniel Enstedt, daniel.enstedt@lir.gu.se
Mia Lövheim, mia.lovheim@teol.uu.se
Martha Middlemiss Lé Mon, martha.middlemiss@teol.uu.se

CFP: Ritual Year Working Group Conference, 3-6 June 2020

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The Call for papers for the 14th meeting of the Ritual Year Working Group has just been released!  Our next year’s meeting will be held in Riga, 3-6 June 2020.

.Please submit your paper proposals before 30 November 2019, at:
https://ej.uz/RYRIGA2020.

THEME: Commerce and Traditions

The impact of product marketing is visible in everyday life, including a wide range of traditions and festivities, which have lately become highly commercialized. In marketing terms, the values of traditional culture are considered “products” to be branded, marketed and sold. We have all experienced the pre-Christmas gift buying madness and have visited souvenir counters at major historical sites and cultural venues in different countries, each promoting their “brands”. Historically, annual church markets, fairs and pilgrimages attracted people from great distances, providing opportunities to buy, sell, and trade durable goods in addition to food and drink required by pilgrims and merchants. Additional items, such as religious symbols, protective objects, and healing substances were available much as in modern souvenir shops. The means for advertising such objects for sale were, at that time, limited. Today advertising and marketing campaigns appear everywhere. Many people protest against what they perceive as excessive commercialization of their favourite secular or religious festivals.

However, marketing practices attract larger crowds and help to preserve and popularize traditions that might otherwise be lost. Commercialization has made the sale of traditional crafts financially viable, preserving them for future generations. Thus, it is possible for craftspeople to continue practicing their traditional arts and crafts. Not only have the traditional artisans benefited, but religious institutions have witnessed an increase in income, which is needed to maintain the facilities visited by the growing numbers of visitors. New forms of commercialization of rituals with the developing practices of creating new festivals and making them local tourist brands can be seen in many geographical areas.The aim of this conference is to investigate and evaluate the impact of marketing practices on traditions and rituals, and to consider the changes commercialization has brought about ‒ both positive and negative ‒ in the past, as well as in the present. Applicants are encouraged to focus on the following topics:

  • the viability of traditions in terms of economics;
  • changes in tradition caused by marketing practices;
  • the role of marketing in preserving traditional culture;
  • the commercialization of state and national holidays;
  • the commercialization of religious celebrations;
  • the impact of commerce on holy places and pilgrimages;
  • the marketing of ritual and magical practices and objects;
  • annual fairs and markets past and present;
  • the commercialization of the intangible cultural heritage;
  • changes in traditional rituals and celebrations due to marketing;
  • any other subject related to the ritual year (i.e. to calendric or life cycle celebrations and rituals)

For more information about the theme, costs, submission and conference programme, download the Cfp here.

We are thankful to the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art (University of Latvia), the Archives of Latvian Folklore and Aigars Lielbardis, for organizing this event.

Let’s meet in Riga next summer!

Irina Stahl,
Researcher, Institute of Sociology, Romanian Academy
Secretary of “The Ritual Year” Working Group,
ritualyear@siefhome.org

ASYM conference Helsinki April 2020: “Cultivating Youth Spirituality: Faith, Nurturing and Youth Ministry”

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The IASYM European biennial conference 2020 will be held in Helsinki 15-18 April 2020. We invite all those involved in youth and emerging/young adult ministry as researchers, teachers, lecturers or thoughtful practitioners to join the conference. This four-day conference provides an opportunity to engage with the latest scholarship and research related to ministry among young people as well as a forum for building stronger networks.

Scholars and practitioners are welcome to submit their papers that may address a wide variety of aspects related to Youth and/or Youth Ministry. The theme of the conference “Cultivating youth spirituality: Faith, nurturing and Youth Ministry” highlights both the role of many actors in the spiritual growth of the youth and the active role of the young people themselves in constructing their religious lives and seeing the youth as active constructers of theology. The topics may include various research related to youth and youth ministry, for example:

  • youth constructing theology\
  • religious growth and nurturing in childhood and adolescence
  • families, communities and faith
  • leaving religion and religious distancing in the youth
  • religion, youth and the media
  • children and youth-based theology
  • worship life and youth participation
  • secularization, liquid religion and the youth
  • youth diaconia and young people on the edge
  • religious development in childhood and youth
  • faith communities and their role in youth spirituality and spiritual development
  • youth ministry in public institutions e.g. schools, Universities and hospitals
  • Other topical issues in youth ministry including:
    o   eco-anxiety
    o   sexual identities and faith in youth
    o   digital youth work
    o   diversity and pluralism
    o   pastoral care in adolescence
    o   ethical questions
    o   emerging faith communities
    o   the aim and the role of youth ministers
    o   new innovations in youth ministry
    o   people on move and transnationalism
    o   crisis and conflicts and youth ministry

We also invite papers on other themes that meet the IASYM’s stated aim to further the academic study and research of youth and youth ministry to raise the profile of youth ministry as a calling, career and/or professional enterprise, and to encourage the reflection on youth ministry and academic discipline that will support the practice of youth ministry.

The program for 2020 offers three formats for engagement and interaction: research papers, emerging research and workshops:

  • Research Papers present new research in children’s, youth and emerging/young adult ministry submitted by conference delegates. In each session the presentation will be followed by a prepared response as well as group discussion.
  • Emerging Research sessions provide an opportunity to share ‘works-in-progress’ and developing thoughts as well as completed ideas not yet established in a formal paper. These sessions provide an opportunity for new or emerging researchers (whether engaged in formal study or as a thoughtful practitioner) to road-test ideas and receive feedback in a constructive environment.
  • Workshops offer professional development opportunities to assist delegates in the craft of research and the teaching of ministry to children, youth and emerging/young adults.

Proposals for Research papers and Emerging research should include a 200-word abstract, along with the author’s name, email address, and academic institution or place of employment.

Proposals for Workshops should include a description of the workshop content of no more than 200 words and may include suggested workshop leader if other than the person proposing the workshop. The proposal should include the proposer’s name, email address, and academic institution or place of employment.

Submit your proposal by October 30th, 2019 using this link: CLICK HERE

Venue of the Conference
Kyläsaarenkuja 2
00580 Helsinki
Finland

Invitation & CFP: : XX Jornadas sobre Alternatives Religiosas na América Latina

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Envie sua colaboração!

A XX Jornadas sobre Alternativas Religiosas na América Latina recebe até o dia 30/08/2019 propostas de grupos de trabalho para compor a programação do evento. A XX Jornadas Religiosas na América Latina acontecerá de 30 de junho a 03 de julho de 2020, na Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP), São Paulo, SP, Brasil.

Para conferir as normas para envio de propostas de GT, acesse a chamada de trabalhos.

Acesse o site da jornada e encaminhe sua proposta! 

Inscreva-se, contate suas redes, e venha fazer conosco desta XX Jornadas!

Atenciosamente,

Comissão Organizadora
XX Jornadas sobre Alternativas Religiosas na América Latina 

www.jornadasacsrm2020.sinteseeventos.com.br

Call for Papers: “Communicating Religion’s Relevance”

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82ND ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION 

Program Theme: “Communicating Religion’s Relevance”

Location: San Francisco, California
Hotel: Hotel Nikko San Francisco, 222 Mason Street

Date: August 7 (welcome reception) – August 9 Program

Program Chair: Brian Starks, Kennesaw State University

Although scholars of religion are keenly aware of the relevance of religion in today’s world, too often social elites and academics diminish the importance of religion. Even scholars who are well aware of religion’s relevance sometimes do an inadequate job explaining how religion permeates practically every aspect of social life. As sociologists of religion, we understand the relevance of religion to individuals as well as its consequences in the social, cultural, political, and economic dimensions of modern societies. The 2020 annual meeting’s thematic sessions will focus on several key topics:

  • What is the role of sociologists of religion in communicating the relevance of religion to their (our) fellow academics and to the broader public?
  • Are there ways that various sectors of our society have misunderstood, or failed to fully understand, religion, which sociologists of religion can remedy?
  • How do social and political elites, as well as ordinary citizens, employ religion when communicating about, or working to address, issues of local, national, or international concern?
  • How do social actors, including social movement leaders, draw upon religion and religious narratives to frame social problems? To appeal to human cognition, emotion, and morality?
  • What are religion’s unique features that distinguish it from other social phenomenon and help explain its distinct capacity to influence human and social life?
  • How, and under what circumstances, does religion contribute to new forms of identity, community, meaning, expression, moral conviction, and social control? How do we, as sociologists of religion, communicate religion’s relevance in these facets of our lives, to others?

Papers and sessions may be thematic or focus on any topic within the sociology of religion. Those that pursue and stimulate new avenues of research and innovative theoretical and methodological approaches are especially encouraged.

Specialty sessions, including book salons, teaching and professional development, and discussions that focus on a particular question, are also welcome.

DEADLINES:

  • Session proposals: March 31, 2020
  • Paper abstract submissions: April 30, 2020

All submissions should be made through the ASR website at www.sociologyofreligion.com

ASR Membership is required for organizing a session, presenting a paper, serving as a panelist, or holding another role in the program. All are expected to register for the meeting by July 1, 2020.

For questions, contact:

Call for Proposals: The 25th Nordic Conference in the Sociology of Religion

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17th-19th August 2020
Gothenburg, Sweden

Religious Organisation(s): Challenges and changes in contemporary society

In today’s globalised and fast changing society, religious organisation and religious organisations face several challenges: Globalization, migration and different secularisation processes, together with political, technological and environmental changes/issues, influence, not only society in general, but also religious organisations and the ways in which religion is practiced and expressed in contemporary society. This situation prompts questions such as:

  • · How do religious organisations handle an influx of new members from other parts of the world and at the same time, an increased loss of members who have been there for a long time?
  • · How do religious organisations react to new technology such as digital communication instead of face-to-face interaction, and web-broadcasted religious meetings?
  • · How do religious groups and organisations handle the late modern individual who has little need of belonging to religious groups, and who is sceptical of religious authority?
  • · How can we explain why late modern individuals choose to belong to conservative and fundamentalist religious groups?

These, and other, questions concerning how religion is organised in contemporary society will be addressed at the 25th NCSR conference held in Gothenburg, Sweden 17th-19th August 2020, which includes a pre-conference for doctoral students in the morning of 17th August.

Dates

  • 15th November 2019          Deadline for submission of session proposals (paper sessions, panels, posters, authors-meets- critics, workshops etc.)
  • 15th Mars 2020                   Deadline for submission of abstracts for papers (max. 200 words)

Information on abstract format and delivery, programme, registration, venue etc. will be available at the conference website:https://lir.gu.se/forskning/konferenser/the-25th-nordic-conference-in-the-sociology-of-religion

The conference is hosted by Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion, at Gothenburg University.

We look forward to seeing you in Gothenburg,

  • · Magdalena Nordin, magdalena.nordin@lir.gu.se
  • · Daniel Enstedt, daniel.enstedt@lir.gu.se
  • · Mia Lövheim, mia.lovheim@teol.uu.se
  • · Martha Middlemiss Lé Mon, martha.middlemiss@teol.uu.se

The 25th Nordic Conference in the Sociology of Religion

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17th-19th August 2020, Gothenburg, Sweden

Religious Organisation(s) – challenges and changes in contemporary society

In today’s globalised and fast changing society, religious organisation and religious organisations face several challenges. Globalization, migration and different secularisation processes, but also/together with political, technological and environmental changes/issues, influence, not only society in general, but also religious organisations and the ways in which religion is practiced and expressed in contemporary society. This situation prompts questions such as:

How do religious organisations handle an influx of new members from other parts of the world and at the same time, an increased loss of members who have been there for a long time? How do religious organisations react to new technology such as digital communication instead of face-to-face interaction, and web-broadcasted religious meetings?

Other questions of interest are for example: how do religious groups and organisations handle the late modern individual who has little need of belonging to religious groups, and who is sceptical of religious authority? And, on the other hand, how can we explain why late modern individuals choose to belong to conservative and fundamentalist religious groups?

These, and other, questions concerning how religion is organised in contemporary society will be addressed at the 25th NCSR conference held in Gothenburg 17th-19th August 2020, which includes a pre-conference for doctoral students in the morning of the 17th August.

https://lir.gu.se/forskning/konferenser/the-25th-nordic-conference-in-the-sociology-of-religion

Dates

  • 15th November 2019                 Deadline for submission of session proposals (paper sessions, panels, posters, authors-meets- critics, workshops etc.)
  • 15th Mars 2020   Deadline for submission of abstracts for papers

We look forward to seeing you in Gothenburg,

Call for Session Proposals: ISA 4th Forum of Sociology–Deadline March 15, 2019

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Call for Sessions
ISA Forum of Sociology
Porto Alegre, Brazil July 14 -18, 2020
Research Committees, Working and Thematic Groups of the International Sociological Association solicit session proposals for the forthcoming Fourth ISA Forum of Sociology.
Session proposals (250 words) in English, Spanish and/or French must be submitted by March 15, 2019 through the ISA online system available at: https://www.isa-sociology.org/en/conferences/forum/porto-alegre-2020

No extension of deadline is possible.

Kind regards,
International Sociological Association