Category Archives: Conferences

CFP: Ethnicity, Race and Citizenship: Place of Indians in the New South Africa

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Conference : Call for Papers: Celebrating 155 years of Indians in South Africa

Theme: Ethnicity, Race and Citizenship: Place of Indians in the New South Africa

  • Conference Dates: 11-15 November, 2015
  • Venue: Howard College Campus, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa
  • Conference Registration Fee: $120 (USD)
  • Early Registration Fee: $100 (USD) before 30 October, 2015
  • Student Registration Fee: $75 USD
  • Abstract Submission Deadline: 31 July, 2015

The arrival of Indians since 1860 some as indentured workers and others as independent passengers with an intention to trade has fundamentally changed not only the demographic landscape of South Africa, but also had a deeper impact culturally, socially and religiously. On 16 November 2015 it will be 155 years of their presence in the country. Their experience extends from the colonial history to apartheid and finally culminating in the new South African dispensation. As such, their memories, their social history, their cultural and religious outlook has been shaped by these three key phases of history. In as much as they have shaped the memories of other cultural groups, they have been profoundly affected by their interactions with the rest of the South African population groups. This conference seeks to understand and appreciate as well as to conceptualise their presence in South Africa and also to assess and take stock of their contributions to the South African way of life as a whole, their troubles and anxieties not only of the past but also of the present. The conference aims to bring together researchers and academics to engage in critical discussion on a range of themes and topics that relate to South African Indians.

Although the focus is on South Africa, we also invite scholars working on Indian diaspora in other countries to offer papers and participate in the conference proceedings. The participation of scholars beyond South Africa will enable all of us in the field of diaspora studies to reflect on broader theoretical issues in conceptualising the Indian diaspora.

We therefore invite scholars and academics both from South Africa as well as beyond to submit papers for a 3 full day-long conference in Durban. Durban is a city that has the largest concentration of Indians outside of India. It is a coastal city with vibrant beaches and plenty of tourist attractions in and around the greater metropolitan area.

Listed below are some of the sub-themes covered. Although participants are encouraged to submit under these themes, papers outside the scope of these themes are also invited as long as they relate to the Indian diasporic experience.

  • Issues of ethnicity within the South African Indian society and beyond
  • Inter-racial relations between Indians and other population groups in South Africa
  • Issues of Indian citizenship in South Africa
  • Issues of definition—South African Indian and Indian South African
  • Cultural and Religious Contributions to South Africa
  • Significant Public Personalities of Indian descent in South Africa
  • Political Future of Indians in South Africa
  • Affirmative Action and South African Indians
  • Social and Cultural Geographies of South African Indians
  • Media, Theatre, and Art
  • Indian Diaspora as Transnationals
  • Indian Diaspora beyond South Africa
  • Caste, Gender and Religious Identities in the Indian Diaspora
  • Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Identities in the Indian Diaspora

Scholars are invited to submit an abstract of 150 words along with the title of the paper. Postgraduate students working on any aspect of Indian diaspora are also invited to submit papers. We are in the process of setting up a website for the conference and in the mean time you can check for updates at the following website.

www.idc2015.ukzn.ac.za

You can submit your abstract on the email mentioned below. For more details and for submission of abstracts please contact:

P. Pratap Kumar (Professor Emeritus)
School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics
Howard College Campus
University of KwaZulu Natal
Durban 4041
South Africa

Email: diasporasa@yahoo.co.za
Tel: 027-31-260-7539/7303
Fax: 027:31-260-7286

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Call for Papers: “Regulating Religion: Normativity and Change at the Intersection of Law and Religion”

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Call for Papers
Regulating Religion: Normativity and Change at the Intersection of Law and Religion
14 – 15 December 2015
Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore (Bukit Timah Campus)

Submission Deadline: 31 May 2015

In most eras and cultures, law and religion relate dialectically. Every major religious tradition strives to come to terms with law by striking a balance between the worldly and the spiritual, the structural and the mystical, the rational and the sacred. Every major legal tradition struggles to align its formal structures and processes with the beliefs and values of its people. Thus, while law and religion can be conceptualized as distinct spheres of human life, they do not exist independently but are constantly interacting with and influencing each other.

This workshop will engage emerging scholarship on the influence of religion on legal systems, both historically and currently, and vice versa. Regulation is our key focus. In simplest terms, we will consider how law regulates religion, and how religion responds to such regulations. The more complex question we ask is how the normativity becomes diversified and drives the regulatory dialectics between law and religion after the institutional development of the latter two. The workshop seeks to approach this question in three streams:

  1. Socio-political norms regulating religion. What social and political assumptions are we making when we make claims about the legitimate role of religion in public debate? What overarching social and political goals underlie how the law deals with issues of freedom of religion and freedom of religious expression? With the resurgence of religion into issues of public debate, how might religious considerations influence the formulation of contemporary legal norms, if at all?
  2. Constitutional and legal norms regulating religion. What can we learn from the different constitutional legal experiences and contexts of Asia and other parts of the world, given the importance of constitutional structures in framing, defining and governing the interactions of religion and law? What alternative models of arranging state and religion exist vis-à-vis the dominant constitutional model separating state from religion? How has the resurgence of public religion opened up the area of constitutional thinking?
  3. Religious norms regulating religion. What type of legal structures do religions have? How do religious traditions and communities perceive their interaction with religious laws? What demands do such internal rules make upon their religious faith and worship? Are all traditions ‘religio-legal’, i.e., as having claims that take the form of law over their adherents and others? What varying forms do they take? How do believers negotiate these internal rules and how can religious traditions change within this legal framework?

Submission:
Paper proposals should include a title, an abstract (no more than 200 words), an outline of the proposed paper with section titles and brief section descriptions, and a personal biography (no more than 100 words). Submissions should be emailed to regulatingreligion@gmail.com by 31 May 2015.

Successful applicants will be notified by 15 July 2015 and would be required to send in a completed draft paper (7,000 – 10,000 words) by 15 November 2015. Depending on the availability of funds, partial or full funding may be granted to paper presenters. Full funding covers air travel to Singapore by the most economical means and reasonable accommodation for the duration of the workshop.

Convenors:

Dr. Arif A. Jamal Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore

Dr. Jaclyn L. Neo Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore

Associate Professor Daniel P.S. Goh Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore

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ISA RC-22: Call for Session Proposals (3rd Forum of Sociology)

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RC–22 Call for Sessions:
“Religion, Secularity and Post-Secularity:
Crafting Meaningful Futures”

The Third ISA Forum of Sociology
“The Futures we want: Global Sociology and the
Struggles for a Better World’’
to be held in Vienna, 10-14 July, 2016.

Programme Co-ordinator: Vineeta Sinha (University of Singapore: socvs@nus.edu.sg)
Assisted by Olga Breskaya (European Humanities University, Luthuania: olga.breskaya@ehu.lt)

PROGRAM  THEME: The world’s current socio-economic and political turmoil has a profound impact on religious expressions, sensibilities and worldviews.  Religious expressions and worldviews also affect the surrounding socio-economic and political spheres.   Such dramatic changes produce disquiet, tumult and agitation but also open opportunities to question the status and create novel social possibilities.
Sociologists of religion face a number of challenges in understanding these interactions.  Among these is the need to develop new theoretical and empirical approaches to our subject.  Sociologists have long argued about the continuing place and value of religions in a secularizing and globalizing world .  Although the notion of ‘post-secularity’ is hardly new, it has recently emerged forcefully (and somewhat fashionably) in attempts to theorise the visibility and relevance of religiosity in the world today.  This raises serious questions that deserve sociological attention.   Among these:

  • Do recent developments signal to some extent the passing of a ‘secularist’ moment?
  • What is meant by ‘post-secularity’?
  • Are we living in a post-secular age?  Or are we merely looking forward to one?
  • If so, what would religion look like is such a context?
  • What effect religion could religion have in a rapidly changing world?

The objective of these thematic sessions is to theorise the complex religious landscapes in the present and to contemplate if, where, how and with what effect religions will manifest and organize themselves in a rapidly changing socio-political landscape.

CALL FOR SESSION PROPOSALS:  We invite RC 22 members to propose sessions that deal with these complex issues.  We especially welcome sessions that include cross-cultural and cross-national comparisons.   Besides the thematic topics above, we also seek sessions that contribute to other recent debates within the field.  Here are some ideas:

  • any of the thematic ideas listed above
  • religion in the public sphere
  • popular religion
  • religion, gender and feminism
  • urban forms of religiosity
  • material religion
  • religious commodification and consumption
  • religious revivalism and religious innovation in a global context
  • other topics of interest.

Both thematic proposals and non-thematic proposals should address the multiple, complex and sometimes opposing strands and arguments on their topics in the social-scientific study of religion.

HOW TO PROPOSE A SESSION:

  • If you wish to propose a session before February 2nd, please send an abstract (no more than 300 words), your full name, institutional affiliation, e-mail and a short bio to Vineeta Sinha (socvs@nus.edu.sg)
  • Starting 2 February, 2015, you can submit your proposals online at the International Sociological Association’s website.  A link will appear at http://www.isa-sociology.org/forum-2016/
  • Session proposals must be in English, French, or Spanish.

Please also note that you must become an RC22 member to have your session proposal accepted; you can join the Research Committee through the ISA website at http://www.isa-sociology.org/memb_i/index.htm

In order to be included in the programme, all participants (presenters, chairs, discussants, etc.) must join the ISA and register for the Forum by the early registration deadline of 1 April, 2016. Without early registration and membership, presenters, chairs, etc. will not appear in the Programme Book or in the Abstracts Book.

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Call for Papers: Sixth International Conference on Religion and Spirituality in Society

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Call For Papers

The Religion in Society community is pleased to announce the Call For Papers for the Sixth International Conference on Religion and Spirituality in Society to be held 23-24 March 2016 at The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C., USA. We welcome submissions from a variety of disciplines and perspectives and encourage faculty and research students to jointly submit proposals, discussing Religion in Society through one of the following themes:

Conference Themes
Theme 1: Religious Foundations
Theme 2: Religious Community and Socialization
Theme 3: Religious Commonalities and Differences
Theme 4: The Politics of Religion

2016 Special Focus: Religion in the Age of the Anthropocene: Towards a Common Cause?
2016 Special Focus
A new framework has been presented in recent years to periodize and interpret the effects of human life on the natural environment: the age of the ‘anthropocene’. By this definition, we are now in an era when human activities have become a key macro-determinant of the destiny of the ecosystems of Earth. Critical analyses of this age generally have one of two orientations. One perspective looks back, re-examining the relationship of human social, economic, and technical developments on the natural environment. Another looks forward, attempting to build alternative models of human development that put ecological sustainability as a foundational principle.
The natural environment presents itself as a ground for life and a gift of life in all communities of faith and spiritual meaning. In the ‘age of the anthropocene’, how might faith (and explicitly non-faith) communities productively engage in these critical discussions? Looking backward: could this be an opportunity for productive dialogues between principles of science, economics, and religion? Looking forward: in what ways might faith communities and other communities of spiritual meaning set agendas for personal and community action? What principles of stewardship, compassion, or mutual obligation might they offer? How might they provide leadership on issues of the environment, ecological sustainably, and climate change? Could addressing these concerns also offer a basis for productive inter-faith dialogue, a locus for the development of unified moral voice across differing belief systems? Could the age of the anthropocene, as a focal interpretive mechanism for understanding the intersection of human action, science, and faith, become a site for joining into a ‘common cause’ and a place to share imaginations for the future of human development? Not only might such an agenda have implications for our relations in the natural environment, but also such considerations of the future might prompt us to address related questions of inequality, poverty, and human suffering.

Proposal Submissions and Deadlines

The current review period closing date for the latest round of submissions to the conference Call For Papers (a title and short abstract) is 18 March 2015 *. Please visit our website for more information on submitting your proposal, future deadlines, and registering for the conference.
If you are unable to attend the conference in person, you may still join the community and submit your article for peer review and possible publication, upload an online presentation, and enjoy subscriber access to The International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society.
*Proposals are reviewed in rounds adhering to monthly deadlines. Check the website often to see the current review round.

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Conference: Sharing and Hiding Religious Knowledge

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Sharing and Hiding Religious Knowledge: Strategies of Acculturation and Cultural Resistance in Early Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Traditions

Conference 22-24 April 2015
Department of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Origins,  Faculty of
Theology and Religious Studies, University of Groningen

For information and registration see:
http://www.rug.nl/ggw/news/events/2015/sharing-and-hiding-religious-knowledge?useCache=no

Knowledge in Antiquity was always cherished as a scarce good and its character and transmission always tainted with an esoteric allure. Not only the production and cultivation of knowledge took place within the reduced circle of “initiated”; also its diffusion was channeled by the close relationship teacher–disciple.

The esoteric aspect plays a central role in scholarly, scribal, religious and philosophical contexts. Not only was knowledge intended for a reduced group of followers; it also seemed to provide a higher
form of consciousness that not everyone was willing or able to bear. If from an existential perspective, knowledge provides individuals with a holistic framework to supersede a fragmented reality, from a social viewpoint, it provides them with the means to advance in the social hierarchy. On the one hand, possessing or lacking knowledge determines social status; on the other, sharing or hiding knowledge is used in strategies of inclusion and exclusion that are highly productive both at micro (within religious communities themselves) and at macro level (within multicultural societies at large).

Whether religious knowledge could or should be shared with others or rather kept for oneself was one of the central issues by which Jews, Christians and Muslims defined themselves in relation to each other and the world around them. The formative stages of these traditions were characterized by a wide diversity of attitudes towards and means of knowledge sharing and hiding.

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Call For Papers: This American Muslim Life: The Cultural Politics of Asserting the Familiar

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Call For Papers:

This American Muslim Life:  The Cultural Politics of Asserting the Familiar

-Proposed Panel for 2015 American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting in Denver, Nov. 18-22
-Conference theme:  “Familiar/Strange”
-Organizers: Maria Curtis (University of Houston-Clear Lake) and Alisa Perkins (Western Michigan University)

Recent coverage of the Charlie Hebdo incident in France casts a long shadow over Muslims living in the West, publically asserting an austere face of Islam that is far “stranger” than the everyday experience of most practitioners.  This panel asks why must Islam in the West be “made strange,” and what does a lived Islam grounded in ethnographic perspective look like once it is plucked from the familiar/strange duality and instead viewed as an American Muslim “way of knowing.” We aim to collectively examine how Muslims in America are blurring lines by carrying out aspects of their everyday lives “in a Muslim way” (Henkel 2008). Papers may cover a wide range of topics examining how familiar ways of doing things take on novel meanings for Muslims as they are rehearsed in American spaces; and/or how non-Muslims reinterpret American spaces or cultural life by engaging with Muslim minority cultural, material, and institutional forms. The aim of the panel is to build an understanding of how Muslim minorities expand religious and cultural boundaries in an American scene already crowded with multisecularisms on the one hand, and neoconservatisms on the other. What is at stake for Muslim Americans when they are called upon to answer for the “stranger” articulations of political Islam, and in an environment of overdetermined “strangeness” is an authentic Muslim American “familiar” tenable?  Papers may include a focus on space and public culture, materiality, institution building, conversion, the poetics of personal life, festivals and demonstrations, performance and artistic production, political activism, legal and civic engagement, interfaith movements, cityscapes, education, cultural brokerage, Muslim business and finance, and halal foodways.

Please send a 250 word abstract and a title for your proposed contribution to both Maria Curtis (Curtis@UHCL.edu) and Alisa Perkins (alisa.perkins@wmich.edu) by Saturday, Feb 14th.  Authors of accepted proposals will be notified via email by Monday Feb 16th.  Please contact us in advance with any questions about this proposed panel session.

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Call for Papers for ASR’s 77th Annual Meeting in August

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Call for Papers for ASR’s 77th Annual Meeting in August

The Program Chair for this year’s Annual Meeting, Grace Yukich, is now accepting session/panel proposals and individual paper abstracts for consideration for this year’s program.  All of the details for making these submissions are available on the ASR website.  Proposals for sessions should be sent directly to Grace at Grace.Yukich@quinnipiac.edu by March 31, 2015, and individual abstracts should be submitted through the ASR Member Portal by April 30, 2015.    

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News from the ISSR

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We would like to inform you about the following:

  • The registration for the ISSR conference to be held in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, 2-5 July 2015 is now open. Please go to the ISSR web site and follow the link to be found on the home page or under “Conferences’. The deadline for registration is May 15, 2015.
  • The deadline for proposals for the ISSR Best Article Award and the ISSR Student Paper Award has been extended to February 28, 2015. For more details, please go the ISSR web site. The link is on the home page (http://www.sisr-issr.org).
  • We would like to remind you that we are still seeking nominations for Council members to represent various countries / regions. Nominations should be sent to the General Secretary no later than March 15, 2015. Elections will be held in April 2015. For further details about the procedures to follow and the Council positions to be filled, please see Network 48, available on the web-site (“Newsletters”).
  • Please note also that only members in good standing can participate in the conference, be nominated or vote. If you have not yet paid your membership fee for the 2014-2015 period, we encourage you to do so as soon as possible.You may pay your membership through the web site, under “Join”.

Kind regards,

Siniša Zrinščak

ISSR General Secretary

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Travel grants to 2015 ASR Meeting, Chicago

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The Association for the Sociology of Religion is pleased to announce the 2015 Ralph A. Gallagher Travel Grant competition.  Gallagher Travel Grants are awarded to scholars living outside the US, and to graduate students both inside the US and overseas, who seek funds to help defray the cost of staying at the ASR travel hotel during the Annual Meeting to present their research. International scholars may also request funds to help cover the cost of airfare. This year’s meeting will be held in Chicago from August 20-22, 2015.  Applicants must be active members of the Association for the Sociology of Religion at the time of application, and must plan to attend the entirety of the meeting. For details on the application procedure, please see our webpage at http://www.sociologyofreligion.com/lectures-papers/2013-ralph-a-gallagher-travel-grants/.

Please refer any questions to Damon Mayrl, Chair of the International Liaison Committee (dmayrl@clio.uc3m.es).  The deadline to submit applications is April 15, 2015.

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Call for papers: International Conference of the Belgian Association for the Study of Religions

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Call for papers :
International Conference of the Belgian Association for the Study of Religions

IN SEARCH OF THE ORIGINS OF RELIGIONS
Ghent 11-13 September 2015

This conference (in Ghent) will analyze factors that contributed to the origins of religion as such, the origins of a specific religion and of a specific tradition within a religion. It also includes the beginnings of the scientific study of religion. The geographical scope is global and papers can be submitted on any historical period. The aim of the conference is both to give the floor to international specialists and to Belgian researchers.

Proposals (max. 300 words) and a cv should be sent  to Danny Praet (danny.praet@ugent.be) before March 1, 2015.
The scientific committee of the conference will select the papers by the end of March 2015.

For more information, please visit the conference website: http://www.babel-religions.be/node/117

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