Category Archives: Conferences

Call for Session Proposals: 3rd Forum of Sociology in Vienna, July 2012. Research Committee on the Sociology of Religion

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RC 22: Research Committee for the Sociology of Religion 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. (International Sociological Association)

Programme Co-ordinator: Vineeta Sinha (socvs@nus.edu.sg)

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.

The Research Committee on the Sociology of Religion (RC22) is the section of the International Sociological Association tasked with advancing theory and research in the sociology of religion, in the context of world sociology.  Please visit our website at www.ISA-RC22.org for information about us and about our programs.  Visit the ISA’s website at www.isa-sociology.org for information about our parent organization.  Information about the Third Forum of Sociology can be found at http://www.isa-sociology.org/vienna-2016/

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CFP: Oxford Symposium on Religious Studies, March 2015

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Invitation to the Oxford Symposium on Religious Studies, 2015, at the Old Library in the Oxford University Church Of St Mary

We are pleased to invite you to participate in the Oxford Symposium on Religious Studies to be held and 18, 19 and 20 March, 2015.  The meeting will be held at The Old Library.  Constructed in 1320, The Old Library is the first university (as opposed to college) building in Oxford and therefore uniquely important; this is where the nascent University began.

The session will be hosted by Canon Brian Mountford, Vicar of St Mary’s. Dr. Mountford is a Fellow and Chaplain of St Hilda’s College in the University of Oxford.

You are invited to present a paper on an aspect of religious studies, or you may wish to attend as an observer.

For more information visit our website Oxford Symposium on Religious Studies

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New Deadline: January 5th Sociology of Religion: Foundations and Futures

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Sociology of Religion: Foundations and Futures

Sociology of Religion Study Group (Socrel) Annual Conference

www.socrel.org.uk

Tuesday 7 – Thursday 9 July 2015 hosted by Kingston University London

High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, UK

http://www.cct.org.uk/high-leigh/introduction

Keynote Speakers:

  • Professor Nancy T. Ammerman (Boston University)
  • Professor James Beckford (University of Warwick)
  • Professor Grace Davie (University of Exeter)
  • Professor Sophie Gilliat-Ray (Cardiff University)
  • Professor Linda Woodhead (Lancaster University)

Since its foundation in 1975, the Sociology of Religion Study Group has become one of the largest in the British Sociological Association (BSA). Its membership includes educators and researchers from across the UK and internationally, and in 2015 the Sociology of Religion Study Group will be celebrating 40 years!

Given this occasion, it is an opportune moment to reflect on religion in society, and religion in sociology. From its foundation, Socrel has foregrounded research on secularisation, gender, spiritualities, embodied and lived accounts, materiality, generational innovations, atheism, social difference, migration, institutions, politicised expressions and methodologies in the study of religion. While this list does not account for all the many ways scholars have been investigating religion in social life – its various forms, intersections and spaces – it does speak to how religions continue to be important subjective and collective experiences that are stable and continuous, resistant and shifting. This conference will bring together scholars who have shaped and are shaping the discipline. It will be an opportunity to pay heed, not only to the Study Group’s and discipline’s accomplishments, but also an opportunity to address questions that are emerging to inform future agendas and areas of concern and study, such as:

  • - What are the key points of continuity and innovation in theorising religion?
  • - How are methodologies emerging and informing research on religion?
  • - How are new approaches adapting and transforming old practices?
  • - What are the key controversies that will occupy sociologists of religion?
  • - What are the pedagogical challenges and innovations in teaching the sociology of religion?

We invite you to celebrate with us by engaging in the conference questions from your particular area of research in the Sociology of Religion.

Abstracts for individual papers (250 words max.) and panels (500 words max.) are invited by 5 January 2015. Panels may take a standard format of 20-minute papers or take alternative modes such as pre-circulated papers/work in progress/or ‘points of view’ that are 10-minutes long. Submissions should be made in Word format and include in the following order: Name, institutional affiliation, email address and paper title.

**All presenters must be members of Socrel.

Abstracts will be subject to peer review. Please note, presenters will be limited to one paper per person at the conference, but you may also organise a panel.

  • -Abstract submissions open: 1 September 2014
  • -Early bird registration opens: 1 September 2014
  • -Abstract submissions close: 5 January 2015
  • -Decision notification: 15 January 2015
  • -Presenter registration closes: 16 March 2015
  • -Draft programme online: 16 April 2015
  • -Early bird registration closes:  11 May 2015
  • -Registration closes: 15 June 2015

Please send abstracts to the attention of the conference organisers:

  • Dr Sylvie Collins-Mayo (Kingston University London) and
  • Dr Sonya Sharma (Kingston University London) at:socrel2015@gmail.com

Should you have other questions about the conference please also contact the conference organisers at the above email address.

Online Registration:http://portal.britsoc.co.uk/public/event/eventBooking.aspx?id=EVT10391

A limited number of bursaries are available to support postgraduate, early career, low income or unwaged Socrel members to present at the conference. Please visit www.socrel.org.uk for instructions, and to download an application form, and submit your bursary application along with your abstract by 5 January 2015.

Socrel is the British Sociological Association’s study group on Religion. For more details about the study group and conference please visit www.socrel.org.uk .

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Call for Papers: “Religion in Civil Society”

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The 10th Annual Patuxent Defense Forum will be held at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Mary’s City, Maryland on April 22, 2015. The Center for the Study of Democracy and The Patuxent Partnership jointly present this forum. The  forum  includes  a  mix  of  international representatives, policymakers, academics, government officials, and other interested parties, providing a unique environment for discussing critical issues related to international affairs.

We are soliciting paper proposals for our 2015 topic “Religion in Civil Society: Lessons from Policies Past and Present”

Recent developments around the world underscore the importance of addressing religious diversity and developing policies that support civil society. Whether it is discord between Sunni and Shia in the Middle East, Christians  and  Muslims  in  Africa,  Asia  and  the Middle  East,  or  Palestinian,  Jewish  and  other  religious extremists in more secular Western states, this forum will help us better understand the history of these tensions, the impact of U.S. foreign policy approaches to religious diversity and the ethics of taking action when these tensions flare.

Discussion of these issues is particularly fitting at St. Mary’s City, the site of Maryland’s first capital, settled by Catholics.  Considering this legacy, the forum will contemplate precedents and current policies.

Proposed  Conference  Topics:

  • How have past policies shaped religious tensions today in specific nations?
  • What is the role of religious plurality in modern democracy? 
  • How and when should Western nations (1) engage, (2) provide humanitarian assistance to religious groups?

Paper proposals should be emailed to Adrienne Dozier, Program Assistant, Center for the Study of Democracy at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, at   amraines@smcm.edu, and should include a title, institutional affiliation, and short abstract of no more than 150 words. Proposals are due by February 9, 2015.

Accommodations will be provided for panelists.

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Symposium: “Sacred and Secular: Faith and Formation” (16 January, 2015; London)

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FaithXchange invites you to its 2nd Annual Symposium of v. This year’s theme focuses on how do religion and belief inform how we do policy, politics, and practice. This is an exciting day for all of us as it brings together scholars of all stages in their career, as well as practitioners to open up and expand a cross disciplinary and cross national dialogue. 

A keynote panel will proceed a series of exciting papers that bring different disciplinary perspectives in the conversation. Keynotes include Professor Adam Dinham, Professor Elaine Graham, Dr. Daniel Nilsson DeHanas, and Dr. Alp Arat.

Please follow the link for more information http://www.gold.ac.uk/faithsunit/network/​ 

For RSVP, please contact Clare Canning at faithxchange@gold.ac.uk

We are looking forward to seeing you on January 16th at Goldsmiths. 

With best regards

faithXchange Research Network 

23 St. James St. | London SE14 6NW | Goldsmiths, University of London

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CFP: “Changes in Contemporary Judaism”

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Call for papers for a session or sessions at the Biennial Conference of the International Society for the Sociology of Religion (SISR/ISSR)
Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, July 2-5, 2015

Special deadline extension until January 15th, 2015.

WG6: Changes in Contemporary Judaism:Judaism and Jews in Contemporary Societies

This working group has been created since 2011 and focuses on changes in contemporary Judaism and Jewish society. It is a reflection from within the community itself, our thoughts about change extends to the following questions:

  • Where do Jews live today?
  • What can we say about their recent migrations?
  • What about Israel?
  • What about women in judaism?  What are their real and their symbolic places in contemporary societies?
  • Questions on the permanence and rise of antisemitism in Europe? in Muslim countries?

This working group will allow for a reflection intersecting concepts from Sociology, Anthropology, History, Psycho-Sociology, etc.

Send paper proposals by January 15th to joelle.allouche@gsrl.cnrs.fr

Joëlle Allouche-Benayoun
   page perso:  https://www.gsrl.cnrs.fr
CNRS, Groupe Sociétés,Religions,Laïcités
Site Pouchet, 59-61 rue Pouchet,75017 Paris
joelle.allouche@gsrl.cnrs.fr

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Appel: “Mutations et évolutions du monde juif contemporain.”

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APPEL A COMMUNICATION
    Mutations et évolutions du monde juif contemporain.  Judaïsme et judaïcités dans les sociétés contemporaines, SISR 2015,  Louvain la neuve(Belgique)

Les propositions de communication sont attendues jusqu’au 15 janvier 2015 (prolongation exceptionnelle) aux: joelle.allouche@gsrl.cnrs.fr,

    WGT 6
  Mutations et évolutions du monde juif contemporain.  Judaïsme et  judaïcités dans les sociétés contemporaines

Joëlle ALLOUCHE-BENAYOUN,
Groupe Sociologies, Religions, Laïcités (GSRL-CNRS)

    Dans la continuité de l’atelier mis en place depuis 2011, nous  nous interrogerons sur les évolutions du judaïsme et des  sociétés juives contemporaines. Tant d’un point de vue “interne” : comment être juif en diaspora après la Shoa ? Quels sont les effets de ce génocide sur l’être juif ?pluralité religieuse? place d’Israël? Place des femmes? question de la conversion?  que  d’un point de vue plus global et externe : où vivent les Juifs dans le monde au début du 21éme  siècle ? Qu’en est-il des migrations juives depuis la deuxième moitié du 20éme siècle ? Quelle  place le judaïsme et les Juifs occupent-ils dans l’imaginaire des sociétés contemporaines ? Quid  de la permanence et du renouveau de l’antisémitisme en Europe, dans les pays musulmans ?

    Cet atelier devrait permettre de réfléchir à ces questions en  s’appuyant de façon tant  unilatérale que croisée sur les concepts issus de la Sociologie, de l’Anthropologie, de l’Histoire, de la
Psycho-Sociologie, etc.

joelle.allouche@gsrl.cnrs.fr

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CFP: Conference on “Islamism and Post-Islamism”

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On behalf of the School of Religion at Queen’s University, I would like to invite you to join our fabulous international conference, entitled “Islamism and Post-Islamism: Religious and Political Transformations in Muslim Societies” which is scheduled to take place on 13-14 March 2015 at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

This is with great pleasure that I would like to extend the invitation to participate in an international event which will include prominent scholars such as Prof. Asef Bayat, post-revolutionary Iranian
intellectual Abdulkarim Soroush, Prof. Will Kymlicka, Prof. Nader Hashemi, Prof. Forough Jahanbakhsh Prof. Khalid Medani, Prof. Farhang Rajaee, and Prof. Ariel Salzmann. National & international TV channels and journals will be invited to this international event which will produce wide media attention. Please see the link below for the call for papers.

Abstract Submission Deadline (300 words): 25 January 2015

Conference Webpage: http://www.queensu.ca/religion/events/islamismconference.html

Call for Papers: http://www.queensu.ca/religion/events/islamismconference/callforpapers.html

We are looking forward to receiving original paper proposals.

Best regards,
Mehmet Karabela
Assistant Professor
Queen’s University
School of Religion
Theological Hall 230
Kingston, ON K7L 3N6
CANADA
Phone: 613-533-6000 ext.74313
Fax: 613-533-6879
E-mail: karabela@queensu.ca

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Call for Papers: “Nature and Religion”

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Twentieth Postgraduate Religion and Theology Conference
Theme: ‘Nature and Religion’
University of Bristol

Keynote speaker: Professor Peter Hampson
Research Fellow, Blackfriars Hall, Oxford University
13-14 March 2015

The relationship existing between religion and nature manifests itself in numerous ways in nearly all religions. Throughout the centuries, thinking about nature has been perceived both as extremely supportive of and also profoundly damaging to religious belief. This year’s postgraduate conference invites papers exploring all aspects of the theme of nature, including environmental (papers on things such as climate change, food chains), biological (animal welfare, bio-ethics), philosophical and theological subjects (creation-evolution debate, the nature-grace dichotomy), historical (mythical and monstrous animals, the black plague), scriptural (the use of natural metaphors in scripture and  preaching), ethical issues (themes of environmental sustainability, categories of beings/animals, the question of the status of nonhuman beings), inter-personal relationships (gender and sexuality), esoteric, gnostic, and new-age spirituality and the occult, natural religions, issues associated with ontology, hamartiology, anthropology, physics, astronomy and history, politics and sociological issues. We invite papers on these and a myriad of other topics related to religion and nature. All religious topics and religions: Buddhist, Hindu, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Druidism, Rosicrucianism, Bahaism, Shamanism, Atheism, etc will be given equal consideration. As always, papers will
also be accepted on all subjects related to religion and theology.

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/gradschool/pg-activity/conferences/twentieth-postgraduate-religion-and-theology-conference/

We welcome paper submissions now!

We will make a proper website to receive papers soon, but in the meantime please send paper proposals to: Dr Jon Balserak at: J.Balserak@bristol.ac.uk.

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CFP: Panel on Heritization of Religions and Spiritual Practices

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SIEF 2015 CONGRESS Utopias, Realities, Heritages. Ethnographies for the 21st Century
Zagreb, 21-25 June
Call for papers closes on 14th January 2015

PANEL Reli002: The heritagization of religious and spiritual practices: the effects of grassroots and top-down policies (SIEF Ethnology of Religion Working Group)

PANEL ABSTRACT:
An idea of the ‘past’ seems to be endlessly popular and valued in various religious contexts. Institutionalized and well-established religious systems eagerly call upon the concepts of the ‘past’ and
‘heritage’ to justify their contemporary practices and ideologies. Also numerous emergent religious and spiritual movements within much more ephemeral and less institutionalized spheres inscribe themselves into heritagization processes.

This panel aims to enhance understanding of how ‘heritage’ as process works in the religious-spiritual domains of contemporary as well as historical societies. We are interested in how heritage is invented, adopted and adapted within specific cultural, social and historical frames, and how it is embraced by or attached to religious-spiritual practices. Is heritagization instigated by grassroots, spontaneous activities, or top-down policies operating on regional, national, trans-national or global  levels, or a combination of both?Are there any conflicting visions of ‘heritage(s)’ between these two – bottom-up and top-down – perspectives? How does religious-spiritual heritagization situate itself in relation to dominant political circumstances, economic conditions and the spread of new media? Is heritagization perceived as a positive value or as an obstacle from an emic viewpoint of religious-spiritual movements and their participants? Does heritage relate to ossified behaviors and practices or can it perhaps engender innovation in religious-spiritual life?

We welcome discussion of these and other questions relating to heritagization of religious and spiritual practices during this panel. Papers which combine ethnographic case studies with theoretical
approaches are especially encouraged.

Convenors:
Anna Niedźwiedź (Jagiellonian University) a.niedzwiedz@uj.edu.pl
Clara Saraiva (IICT Tropical Research Institute) clarasaraiva@fcsh.unl.pt
​

To propose a paper for this panel, please, use the link below:​
http://www.nomadit.co.uk/sief/sief2015/panels.php5?PanelID=3394

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