Queens University Belfast
Belfast, Northern Ireland
June 10, 2022 (welcome reception) – June 13, 2022

(.pdf)

Co-sponsored by
The Center for Critical Research on Religion
and
The School of Social Sciences, Education, and Social Work
at Queen’s University Belfast

co-chairs: Veronique Altglas and Warren S. Goldstein

Theme: This conference aims to bring into conversation scholars of religion in the humanities and social sciences (including theology, religious studies, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, psychology, history, political science, and literature among others) who employ critical approaches to the study of religion. It is particularly interested in the development of critical theoretical frameworks in application to empirical research on religion. The conference will be organized around the following themes:

Session Topics:

1. The Critique of Religion
2. Critical Theology
3. Biblical Criticism
4. Marxism and Religion
5. Liberation Theology
6. Psychoanalytic Approaches to the Study of Religion
7. Critical Theory and Religion
8. Post-structural Approaches to the Study of Religion
9. Critical Religion
10. Critical Ethnographies
11. Post-colonialism, Race, and Religion
12. Religion, Gender, and Sexuality
13. Religion and the Environment
14. Religious and Political Conflict in Northern Ireland

Publications: Authors who deliver papers at the conference will be selectively invited to turn them into articles for special issues of the journal Critical Research on Religion (crr.sagepub.com) or book chapters in edited volumes in the book series “Studies in Critical Research on Religion” (brill.com/scrr).

Registration Fees: £175 full fees for those with regular positions; £85 for graduate students, independent scholars, and contingent faculty. Registration is required for organizing or convening a session, presenting a paper, serving as a panelist, or holding another role in the program. Fees go to pay for receptions and other expenses. Registration fees are nonrefundable.

Deadlines: Deadline for session and paper proposals: January 15, 2022. Abstract length: 150 words per paper. Decisions will be made by March 1, 2022. Registration fees due by March 15, 2022.

Conference registration: TBA

Hotel and Tourist Information: https://visitbelfast.com

Send proposals or questions to: Veronique Altglas v.altglas[at]qub.ac.uk and Warren S. Goldstein goldstein[at]criticaltheoryofreligion.org

Decolonial Research Methods webinar series with Vineeta Sinha, Linda T. Smith, Raewyn Connell, Walter Mignolo, Sujata Patel & Jeong-Eun Rhee

Free Registration at https://deco-metho.eventbrite.co.uk/

About this event

While the popularisation of a coherent decolonial paradigm may be one of the most significant developments within academia in recent years, there has not been enough focus on the implications of this ‘decolonial turn’ for research methods and methodologies. In this webinar series, eminent decolonial experts will reflect on some of the key issues relating to the coloniality/decoloniality of academic research methods and methodologies. This webinar series will prompt academic researchers to explore the ways in which academic research may either reinforce or dislodge colonial discourses.

Prof Vineeta Sinha (National University of Singapore)

26th October 2021

Rio de Janeiro: 05:00 ~ Cape Town: 10:00 ~ Tehran: 11:30 ~ Jakarta: 15:00

Prof Linda T. Smith (Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi)

2nd November 2021

Rio de Janeiro: 03:00 ~ Cape Town: 08:00 ~ Tehran: 9:30 ~ Jakarta: 13:00

Prof Raewyn Connell (University of Sydney)

9th November 2021

Rio de Janeiro: 04:00 ~ Cape Town: 09:00 ~ Tehran: 10:30 ~ Jakarta: 14:00

Prof Walter Mignolo (Duke University)

23rd November 2021

Rio de Janeiro: 11:00 ~ Cape Town: 16:00 ~ Tehran: 17:30 ~ Jakarta: 21:00

Prof Sujata Patel (Umeå University)

30th November 2021

Rio de Janeiro: 05:00 ~ Cape Town: 10:00 ~ Tehran: 11:30 ~ Jakarta: 15:00

Prof Jeong-Eun Rhee (Long Island University, Post)

7th December 2021

Rio de Janeiro: 09:00 ~ Cape Town: 14:00 ~ Tehran: 15:30 ~ Jakarta: 19:00

The webinar series has been organised by Dr Leon Moosavi, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology at the University of Liverpool and Director of the University of Liverpool in Singapore

The webinar series has been funded by the National Centre for Research Methods (UK)

Aston University’s Department of Politics, History and International Relations is looking for a research associate to support research in the following project “The international campaign to free Asia Bibi: A pilot study on intersections of gender and religion in foreign policy”. T

he main tasks of the successful candidate will include the collection and analysis of qualitative data on the campaign, tracing domestic developments in Pakistan related to the case, and contributing to the preparation of project outputs and dissemination events.

The successful candidate will need to have experience in conducting qualitative research, experience of research  and an interest in issues of religious minorities, women’s rights and foreign policy are desirable.

We are looking for a research associate that can support the project one day per week for seven months, but number of work days per week and contract length could be handled flexibly.

The position is perfect for a part-time researcher or teaching associate who would like to increase their hours. The work can be conducted remotely, therefore presence in Birmingham is not essential.

For more information, please contact Dr Anne Jenichen a.jenichen@aston.ac.uk and visit https://jobs.aston.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx?ref=R210345

By Joseph E. David

• Cambridge University Press, 2020
• https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/kinship-law-and-politics/1EE9A40AE0265B81C983A5D5B5AA7D56#fndtn-information

Book description

Why are we so concerned with belonging? In what ways does our belonging constitute our identity? Is belonging a universal concept or a culturally dependent value? How does belonging situate and motivate us? Joseph E. David grapples with these questions through a genealogical analysis of ideas and concepts of belonging. His book transports readers to crucial historical moments in which perceptions of belonging have been formed, transformed, or dismantled. The cases presented here focus on the pivotal role played by belonging in kinship, law, and political order, stretching across cultural and religious contexts from eleventh-century Mediterranean religious legal debates to twentieth-century statist liberalism in Western societies. With his thorough inquiry into diverse discourses of belonging, David pushes past the politics of belonging and forces us to acknowledge just how wide-ranging and fluid notions of belonging can be.

Reviews

‘Not since Charles Taylor have scholars seen such a profound inquiry into the sources of selfhood and the nature of belonging in community. Joseph David draws on a stunning range of ancient and modern, familiar and forgotten figures to probe the depths of human nature and our essential bonds of marriage and family, friendship and faith, property and state. This is interdisciplinary and interreligious scholarship of the highest caliber.’
—– John Witte, Jr. – Director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion, Emory University

‘Joseph David’s book is an immensely erudite and deep exploration of the meaning of belonging and identity. David’s brilliant examination of the belonging and identity in their different layers and in diverse historical settings, is of fundamental importance to the understanding of the complexity of the concept and the vital role it plays in contemporary political and cultural life.’
—- Moshe Halbertal – New York University

Working titles (comments/suggestions welcome):

Emic Categories and New Paths / Case Studies in the Scholarly Use of Indigenous Concepts

Religion invites contributions for a thematic issue consisting of case studies of concepts from non-prominent cultures (not just religions) that have been or could be useful in the study of religion/s. Is there a blindspot, lacuna or distortion in the study of religion/s that can be highlighted or addressed by a term from a tradition that you study? Does a particular concept from your materials/data/fieldwork move past our existing vocabulary or contribute to current debates? Is our discipline missing key terms for specific areas of research – material culture, views of selfhood, non-binary categories, dynamic and non-essentialist views of pluralisms etc. – and where might these be found? On the negative side, have classic appropriations of certain insider concepts created more problems than they are worth (god, guru, hell, liturgy, mana, shaman)? Within the academy, are there terms used in non-English language scholarship, beyond the North-Atlantic axis (or even within, e.g., evangelical Christianity and other well-studied traditions), that can contribute to our discipline (e.g., emerging emic concepts, indigenous methods or southern theory)? Each article will discuss a single concept (or two or three closely related terms), spelling out the significance of the term in its home context, contribution to the study of religions, and a critical assessment of existing uses (if any) in the relevant scholarly literatures. Final length: 5000–10000 words, all-inclusive.

Please send a brief proposal or outline (500–1200 words) by February 1, 2021. Proposed submission deadline: Sept 1, 2021. Web copy of this call: https://stevenengler.ca/cfp/ Questions and comments: sengler@mtroyal.ca

Call for Papers: 45th Annual Conference of the Australian Association for the Study of Religion (AASR)

The Australian Association for the Study of Religion (AASR) has been fostering the development of high quality scholarship on religion since its establishment in 1975, seeking to create a strong sense of community and mutual opportunity for established and emerging voices across Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

In this current time of crisis, in which community is at a premium, the AASR will meet online for our 45th annual conference, joined by our colleagues from the New Zealand Association for the Study of Religions. Current and prospective AASR and NZASR members are warmly encouraged to apply to present their ongoing research in any field of the study of religion. Meeting in Zoom webinars on 11-12 December 2020, the conference program will highlight the strength and diversity of the study of religion, in Australia and New Zealand especially, expanding networks of scholarship and support.

In this current time of crisis, in which community is at a premium, the AASR will meet online for our 45th annual conference, joined by our colleagues from the New Zealand Association for the Study of Religions. Current and prospective AASR and NZASR members are warmly encouraged to apply to present their ongoing research in any field of the study of religion. Meeting in Zoom webinars on 11-12 December 2020, the conference program will highlight the strength and diversity of the study of religion, in Australia and New Zealand especially, expanding networks of scholarship and support.

We particularly welcome PhD students and will be hosting specific events targeted towards creating connections across disciplines and universities during the conference for Higher Degree Researchers and early career academics.

We welcome both individual papers as well as panel submissions relevant to religion. Proposals can be submitted in the traditional panel format as well as roundtable discussions, information sessions and interactive media. In addition, presentations which focus on methods and tools on teaching and learning in an online environment in higher education are encouraged.

Proposals of up to 300 words and additional questions may be sent to aasrconference2020@gmail.com until 31 October 2020, to be reviewed on an ongoing basis by members of the AASR executive. Please include relevant affiliation and contact information in a single Word Document or PDF. Panel proposals should be submitted as a single document with a short abstract for the panel as well as individual abstracts and author information. Panels may consist of 3 or 4 participants. Paper presentations should be no longer than 15 minutes.

All presenters will be required to be members of the AASR by 30 November 2020. NZASR members and PhD candidates at Australian and New Zealand universities are exempt from this requirement.

Membership details are available on the AASR website via this link.

Specific technical information and timings will follow closer to the conference date and will be updated on our conference webpage.

The Nagel Institute, with generous support from the Templeton Religion Trust, invites project proposals for “Engaging African Realities: Integrating Social Science within African Theology.” Its aim is to support African theologians to engage in fresh social scientific integrated approaches with the goal of producing creative and original projects in grounded theology. We understand grounded theology as an attempt at realizing the potential of theological creativity from the bottom-up, as opposed to a top-down approach. The project seeks to emphasize how grounded theology is compatible with grounded theory in social sciences as a method for seeking hidden patterns and meanings through ethnography, a way to unearth stories and enable answers to questions from African realities. The 12 awards, of not more than $50,000 USD each, will enable grantees to participate in three intensive workshops on social science theory, methods and skills needed for grounded theology, and provide support for research on one of two topical areas:

• African traditional values and spirituality with reference to religious experience
• Religious innovation and competition focusing on African resources for innovation

Visit nagelinstitute.org for a comprehensive list of key questions and complete RFP instructions.
Proposals accepted in English, French, or Portuguese.

Applications by 15 September, 2020
Full Proposals (by invitation only) 1 December, 2020

https://www.mormonsocialscience.org/2020/06/16/inaugural-issue-2021-journal-of-the-mormon-social-science-association-jmssa/

The Journal of the Mormon Social Science Association (JMSSA) is accepting submissions for our inaugural issue in 2021. Papers accepted for publication will receive a $500 honorarium. JMSSA is a peer-reviewed academic journal sponsored by the Mormon Social Science Association. Founded in 1979, the MSSA is an interdisciplinary scholarly society promoting the study of social life within the Latter Day Saint movement.
Aims and Scope
The Journal of the Mormon Social Science Association publishes original research, synthetic reviews, and theoretical or methodological essays on topics relevant to the Latter Day Saint movement from a social science perspective. We welcome papers from all social science disciplines, as well as work in other disciplines with a social science approach. We encourage submissions from students, junior scholars, and underrepresented voices in Mormon Studies. The journal is atheological and nonpolemical. The journal does not consider previously published work except by invitation. The journal does not consider papers simultaneously submitted elsewhere for review.
Submissions
Journal of the Mormon Social Science Association accepts papers of any length, including research notes. All submissions are screened by the editor or editorial board to determine their suitability for the journal. Papers deemed suitable are forwarded for peer-review. Subsequent to peer-review, papers may be rejected, returned for revision, or accepted for publication.
The journal conforms to the “author-date” citation system outlined in The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition (Chapter 15). All submissions must be accompanied by an abstract not to exceed 250 words. Abstracts should state the research question(s), identify basic methods, and summarize main findings. Footnotes should be used for essential clarification only, and not for excurses.
Send submissions in MS Word format to: benjamin.knoll@centre.edu
For more information, contact Rick Phillips, rick.phillips@unf.edu