SocRel 2021 -Abstract Submission Open

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The annual SOCREL conference for 2021 will now take place online via zoom on from 13th to 15th July 2021. To deliver a paper, please submit an abstract of no more than 250 words. We will also be accepting a limited number of panel proposals. To deliver a panel, please submit an abstract of no more than 500 words. Due to the process of receiving and reviewing abstracts, we are unable to automatically accept those abstracts submitted and accepted for the 2020 conference. However, we warmly welcome all those who submitted abstracts for 2020 to resubmit your abstract for 2021. All presenters must be members of Socrel.

Please follow this link for the call for papers and to access the portal to submit your abstract.

Information about the conference, including theme and speakers, can also be found on the page above. Further details regarding registration and how presentations will be delivered (e.g. live or pre-recorded) will be uploaded in due course.

Abstracts must be submitted by 10 February 2021.

Key Dates:

  • Abstract submission: Open now
  • Early bird registration opens: 20 January 2021
  • Abstract submission closes: 10 February 2021
  • Decision notification: 26 February 2021
  • Presenter registration closes: 26 March 2021
  • Registration closes: 30th June 2021

Should you have any questions or queries, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Best wishes,
Dr Rachael Shillitoe
R.Shillitoe@bham.ac.uk
Research Fellow
Conference and Events Officer for the British Sociological Association, Sociology of Religion Group (SocRel)

Call for Project Applications: Mapping the Sociology of Religion in Britain

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BSA Sociology of Religion Study Group

Mapping the Sociology of Religion in Britain via the history and development of SOCREL

A Call for Project Applications

The British Sociological Association supports the work of numerous ‘Study Groups’ which explore issues and research in specialist areas of the discipline. The BSA Sociology of Religion Study Group (SOCREL) is one such group. Over the last 45 years, it has flourished into a significant community of scholarship that welcomes researchers from a wide range of disciplines within and beyond Sociology. These include scholars in Theology and Religious Studies, Racial and Ethnic Studies, Gender Studies, and so on. It is likely that the events hosted by the Study Group have been an important catalyst for the discipline in Britain, not least by supporting the work of new scholars. Encouraging postgraduates has been integral to the ethos of the Study Group since its inception.

This SOCREL-funded project seeks to map the history and development of the Sociology of Religion in Britain using the events, networks, and leading scholars associated with the Study Group as a lens through which to explore key moments in the discipline. On a somewhat smaller scale, this project mirrors in some way the publication of Jennifer Platt’s book on the history of the BSA itself, published by Routledge in 2014 (A Sociological History of the British Sociological Association). This project will similarly attempt to map the history of SOCREL, evaluating its role in the history of the discipline; the way in which the Study Group has responded to internal and external dynamics and changing fields of interest; changes in the profile of members; and, its collaborations with other professional associations nationally and internationally within and outside the Sociology of Religion. 

The project will be overseen by the Study Group Committee. It is expected that the work will begin in September 2021 and will be concluded over an 18-month period. The outcomes of the project will include: a journal article for submission to Journal of Contemporary Religion, subject to peer review; content (including a short video film) for the SOCREL website; a blog piece for the SOCREL website; convening a panel at a BSA conference; and, delivery of a paper about the project at the Study Group conference in 2025 (the 50th anniversary). The Study Group Committee have allocated up to £5,000 for the work.

We invite proposals to work on this project by 12th April 2021. The proposal should include information under the following headings:

  • Aims and objectives (500 words)
  • Methodology and methods (1000 words)
  • Timetable (250 words)
  • Roles and responsibilities of those involved (250 words)
  • Institutional approval for those involved (if required) – e.g. letter/email from line-manager
  • Proposed budget (travel, subsistence, consumables, transcription, etc.)
  • Contact details for x 2 referees

Applicants should append to their proposal a 2-page CV outlining their career history, a list of publications, and their grant capture track record. We will be using RCUK criteria to evaluate proposals. Lead applicants should be members of the BSA and SOCREL (any co-investigator/s should also be BSA members), and should be affiliated with a University, or research centre / institute, or institution based in the UK. The successful applicant will be informed by 10th May 2021. Applications should be sent to the Study Group Convenor, Céline Benoit (c.benoit@aston.ac.uk).

Call for Papers Uniwersyteckie Czasopismo Socjologiczne/Academic Journal of Sociology

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Uniwersyteckie Czasopismo Socjologiczne/Academic Journal of Sociology
According to the legend, in May1973 David Bowie was travelling through Poland back from a tourist journey from Moscow. At the Warszawa Gdańska station the train had a very long technical stop. It was used by the British artist to walk into the city and by chance buy a vinyl with the songs performed by the folklore band “Śląsk” at a local music store. We can find echoes of this accidental meeting today on his album “LOW” in the song “Warszawa”. We would like to follow this path and that is why we decided to focus on the topic of the influence of Polish culture on the broadly understood world culture and technology.

You are welcome to contribute to the newest issue of the ‘Uniwersyteckie Czasopismo Socjologiczne / Academic Journal of Sociology’. The topic of the issues will be one hundred and fifty years of the influence of Polish culture on world science, literature, music and technology.

You are expected to focus on the topics in sociology, cultural studies, musicology, literary studies, and history. They will touch upon the strong Polish accent of the global reception of its cultural systems, which would be treated on two different levels:

  1. As the influence of the Polish culture in the form of famous names of Polish artists;
  2. And as the reception and presence of elements of the Polish culture in the works of foreign artists, scientists and other creative personalities.

The texts that touch upon the following issues, are especially welcome:

  • – the influence of Polish scientists on the world science, among them Aleksander Czekanowski, Stefan Banach (we would happily accept articles also about the works of Florian Znaniecki or Ludwig Gumplowicz);
  • – the influence of Polish male and female writers and poets on world literature (W. Gombrowicz, R. Gary, W. Szymborska), referring to the last name of the famous poet, a Noble Prize winner, we would be happy to accept, among others, articles about the work of the other Polish Nobel Prize winners);
  • – the influence of the Polish composers, musicians as well as painters and directors that remained outside Poland (Mieczysław Weinberg, Zbigniew Preisner, Roman Polański, Zdzisław Beksiński);
  • – the reception of Polish science in tje global technology (e.g. the discoveries of the ancestor of the “Silicon valley” Jan Czochralski or K-202 by Jacek Karpiński)
  • – the reception of Polish culture in music, science, literature, photography, cinematography etc.

Deadline for the abstract/outline submission:
31 December 2020 to email: m.choczynski@uksw.edu.pl

Deadline for the paper submission:
31 January 2021 to email: m.choczynski@uksw.edu.pl

The text should be no more than 24,000 characters (with footnotes and a list of cited works) and must be adapted to the standards of citation / footnotes that is found on the journal website(Uniwersyteckie Czasopismo Socjologiczne/Academic Journal of Sociology).

Please attach to your paper your short academic profile (up to 500 characters), affiliation, a list of works cited in the paper and a summary in Polish and English with keywords.

Leading Editors: Tomasz Michał Korczyński, Marcin Choczyński

Book discussion: “Nouveaux vocabulaires de la laïcité”

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Le Centre de recherche Société, Droit et Religions de l’Université de Sherbrooke (SoDRUS) et la Chaire de recherche Droit, religion et laïcité (en collaboration avec l’Université Montréal, LACES Bordeaux, le GSRL et l’IUF) vous invitent au lancement international du livre Nouveaux vocabulaires de la laïcité, qui aura lieu le mercredi 9 décembre 2020.

Nouveaux vocabulaires de la laïcité
sous la direction de D. Koussens, C. Mercier et V. Amiraux

Date : 9 décembre 2020
Heure : 12h (heure du Québec) / 18h (heure de France)

L’événement sera tenu en ligne, sur Zoom.
Pour vous connecter, suivre le lien suivant :
https://u-bordeaux-fr.zoom.us/j/81022398087?pwd=Z1V0Y25KVVlYTHNRVzNMTDc1a0FVQT09

L’événement sera tenu en présence des contributeurs :

  • Cécile Alduy (Stanford)
  • Valérie Amiraux (U. de Montréal)
  • Sylvain Crépon (U. de Tours)
  • David Koussens (U. de Sherbrooke)
  • Rémi Lefebvre (U. de Lille)
  • Charles Mercier (U. de Bordeaux)
  • Yann Raison du Cleuziou (U. de Bordeaux)

Avec des discussions de :

  • Nicolas Cadène (Observatoire de la laïcité)
  • Françoise Lorcerie (IREMAM, Marseille)
  • Philippe Portier (EPHE-GSRL)

Pour plus d’informations sur le livre : https://classiques-garnier.com/new/DkuMS01

ISA Publications Committee looking for a Social Media Manager

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The International Sociological Association’s Publications Committee is looking for a Social Media Manager. We have really little time to fill the position and deadline is approaching soon (Dec 18th)

I kindly request you disseminate the CFA among your contacts and potential candidates

https://www.isa-sociology.org/uploads/imgen/866-isa-social-media-manager.pdf

ECR (including PhD students) and colleagues from under-represented regions are particularly welcome. If you could identify someone who have the experience and the stamina to join the team, please encourage them to apply.

I will be glad to answer any queries the potential candidates may have. Please ask them to contact me directly at eloisamartin@hotmail.com .

Thanks a lot!
Stay safe and healthy!

Dr. Eloísa Martín
Associate Professor, United Arab Emirates University
Associate Professor, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (on leave)
Vice-President for Publications, International Sociological Association (ISA)
Chair, ISA Human Rights Committee

New Book: Islam and the Liberal State

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Islam and the Liberal State: National Identity and the Future of Muslim Britain

by Stephen H. Jones

“Stephen Jones has produced the first book of its kind, a work that considers the interaction of political liberalism with actual lived Islam in Britain. Islam and the Liberal State is both an urgent read in these populist times and a far-reaching vision for a better future.”

Daniel Nilsson DeHanas, Senior Lecturer in Political Science and Religion, King’s College London, UK

National identity and liberal democracy are recurrent themes in debates about Muslim minorities in the West. Britain is no exception, with politicians responding to claims about Muslims’ lack of integration by mandating the promotion of ‘fundamental British values’ including ‘democracy’ and ‘individual liberty’.

This book engages with both these themes, addressing the lack of understanding about the character of British Islam and its relationship to the liberal state. It charts a gradual but decisive shift in British institutions concerned with Islamic education, Islamic law and Muslim representation since Muslims settled in the UK in large numbers in the 1950s. Based on empirical research including interviews undertaken over a ten-year period with Muslims, and analysis of public events organized by Islamic institutions, Stephen Jones challenges claims about the isolation of British Islamic organizations and shows that they have decisively shaped themselves around British public and institutional norms. He argues that this amounts to the building of a distinctive ‘British Islam’. Using this narrative, the book makes the case for a variety of liberalism that is open to the expression of religious arguments in public and to associations between religious groups and the state.

It also offers a powerful challenge to claims about the insularity of British Islamic institutions by showing how the national orientation of Islam called for by British policymakers is, in fact, already happening. The book uses this evidence to argue that the incorporation of Muslim minorities enables democratic renewal, with national identification having a positive impact on cultural minorities and political dissent.

Available from Bloomsbury Academic here.

The book’s contents page and the introduction can be read here.

Distinguished Book Award seeks Nominations

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Looking for Good Books

The Society for the Scientific Study of Religion’s Distinguished Book award recognizes the most outstanding book published by a SSSR member or members within the past two years. To be eligible for the 2021 award, books must be nominated by a SSSR member (yes, self-nominations are welcome) and have an imprint copyright publication date of 2019 or 2020. The committee will judge each book’s quality of scholarship, importance to the field, and relevance to the larger society. Any book involving some aspect of the scientific study of religion is eligible.

The deadline for nominations is January 11, 2021. The form will be available beginning December 4, 2020.

For more information, please visit our website’s Book Award page.

New Podcast: “Religion Unmuted”

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NEW PODCAST “RELIGION UNMUTED” FROM THE RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE PROGRAM @ RICE UNIVERSITY

The Religion and Public Life Program (RPLP) at Rice University, directed by Prof. Elaine Howard Ecklund, has launched a new podcast! RELIGION UNMUTED is the podcast that brings women’s voices to the table. We explore how religion impacts public discourse around important social issues, like racism, politics, immigration, health, and the body. Join us for research-driven dialogue that amplifies women’s voices in conversation about religion and public life. Subscribe on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen; all episodes are available here: https://religionunmuted.libsyn.com/ .

ASA RELIGION SECTION PARTNERS TO CREATE A NEW GRADUATE STUDENT MENTORING COMMUNITY

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The ASA Religion Section is teaming up with The Aggie Research Program (ARP) at Texas A&M University to create a research mentoring community. Through a series of three online workshops hosted by the ARP, participants will:

  • form a research-intensive community of their peers,
  • facilitate the creation of team-based research projects using their own research agenda,
  • recruit 3-5 undergraduate researchers,
  • learn mentoring and leadership strategies to help guide students engaging in authentic research experiences, and
  • collaborate with each other to overcome challenges and develop best practices for research mentoring.

These interactive workshops will guide participants through the process of creating, managing, and developing a research team while simultaneously fostering the development of the research-intensive community.

Any graduate student, any methodology, and any stage of research will benefit from the skills and community developed in this pilot program.

Please join us for Workshop #1—Building a Research-Intensive Community on Friday, December 11 @ 3-4:30pm CST.

To register, please RSVP using this link: https://tamu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0IEjHcPzg1FdNnn

Upon submission, you will receive an email with the Zoom link for the workshop. If you do not receive a Zoom link, please contact Andrew McNeely (amcneely@tamu.edu).

The New Worldview Paradigm in RE: Implications for the Nonreligious?

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Panel discussion with Professor Trevor Cooling (Canterbury Christ Church University and Religious Education Council of England and Wales), Dr Ruth Wareham (Humanists UK) and Dr Lois Lee (University of Kent); chaired by Dr Chris Deacy (University of Kent)

1pm Wednesday 2 December 2020 (Zoom joining information below)

Across the United Kingdom, Religious Education is subject to its most thorough-going review in a generation, with proposed reforms described as a paradigm change for the sector (Cooling et al 2020). Amongst other issues, proposals offered by the Commission on Religious Education in England and Wales and by the Welsh Government respond explicitly to the growing number of people who identify as nonreligious: What could this new approach to Religious Education mean for them? Their recommendations take better account of nonreligious perspectives than ever before. But is it right to assume that these proposed changes to RE are a straightforward “victory” for those that have called for better representation of nonreligion in the RE classroom? Does implementation of these proposals – already underway in some schools – mean that religious and nonreligious worldviews exist on a level playing field?

Join us for a panel discussion focusing attention on what a worldview approach to RE means in relation to the nonreligious.

Full details and the link to register can be found at: https://www.kent.ac.uk/events/event/46876/the-new-worldview-paradigm-in-re-implications-for-the-nonreligious