Category Archives: Calls for Session Proposals

Call for Session Proposals: ISA Research Committee on the Sociology of Religion (RC22)

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XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology
Power, Violence and Justice: Reflections, Responses and Responsibilities
Toronto, Canada, July 15-21, 2018

RESEARCH COMMITTEE 22: SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION: Religion, Power, and Resistance: New Ideas for a Divided World

NOW OPEN – Call for Session Proposals: ISA Research Committee on the Sociology of Religion (RC22): https://isaconf.confex.com/isaconf/wc2018/rc/cfs.cgi?

Program Coordinators:

  • Anna Halafoff, Deakin University, Australia
  • Sam Han, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
  • Caroline Starkey, University of Leeds, UK

Current environmental, economic, social, and political challenges indicate that people are losing faith in existing power structures and mechanisms for coping with crises. This creates increasingly divided societies, riven by ideological battles for the future of the human and the more than human world. Religion has a place in this picture. Not only is it often a source of divisions; it can also be a source for alternative means of addressing them.

These divisions take new and as yet unclear shapes, which sociologists are only now beginning to comprehend. It is not enough to refer to the struggle between ‘tradition’ and ‘modernity’, terms that dominated sociology through the 1970s. Nor do the tropes ‘colonialism vs. anti-colonialism’ and the ‘clash of civilizations’ adequately explain what is going on. Nor, arguably, does ‘populism vs neo-liberalism’ fully capture such things as the recent clashes between cosmopolitan and anticosmopolitan actors in the major Western democracies. Each of these has a piece of the picture; none of them captures it all.

What is religion’s role in this situation: as a creator of divisions, as a locus of power, and as a ground of resistance?  How does religion influence our divided societies? How is religion influenced in turn?

We invite proposals for RC22 sessions that focus on religion, power, intersectional violence, and social divisions, and also resistance to power, violence, and division. We encourage sessions that explore the nexus between:

  • religion and global capitalism;
  • religion and colonialism;
  • religion and nationalism;
  • religion and racism;
  • religion and violent extremism;
  • religion and gender inequality;
  • religion and sexuality inequality;
  • religion and environmental crises;
  • religion and resistance to power and violence; and
  • other topics that speak to religion’s role in a divided world.

We particularly encourage a focus on new ideas. We thus encourage sessions on:

  • post-colonial, Southern and Eastern social theories;
  • gender and sexuality equality;
  • violent and nonviolent social movements;
  • human rights and peacebuilding;
  • third spaces, digital activism, and other new phenomena.

Above all, we seek new ways of understanding religion in our divided world.

The ISA CONFEX website site will be open to session proposals between 2 February and 15 March, 2017 24:00 GMT.

https://isaconf.confex.com/isaconf/wc2018/rc/cfs.cgi?

We welcome both pre-organised invited sessions, topical sessions that will be open to paper proposals by individuals, and poster sessions and roundtable proposals.

Once the sessions are chosen, individuals will have an opportunity to propose individual papers for those sessions, from April 25 to September 30, 2017 24:00 GMT, also at the CONFEX website.

Please address any questions to the Program Coordinators:

SISR/ISSR July 2017 Conference moved to Lausanne; Call for Session Proposals Extended to October 25th

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Dear Colleagues:

We are writing to let you know that the SISR/ISSR Executive has made the decision to hold the 2017 conference in Lausanne, Switzerland from 4-7 July 2017, instead of in Melbourne Australia. Only very recently has it become clear that a conference in Melbourne would not be possible for financial reasons. The Executive has had to decide quickly in order to be able to guarantee a conference in 2017.  

We thank the Australian local committee and its president, Bob Dixon, for their efforts and energy and we will be able to use a considerable amount of their work for the Lausanne conference. We also hope that a ISSR conference in Australia will be possible some time in the future.

The conference in Lausanne will keep the theme “Religion, Cooperation, and Conflict in Diverse Societies”.

Because of the relocation, we make a second call for session proposals to give members a chance who would consider coming to Lausanne but would not have been able to go to Melbourne.

You can again propose until October 25th:

  • Thematic session – A session with papers on a common theme. If the theme attracts many papers, the thematic session may stretch over several slots.
  • Working Group session – A session of papers presented by those who work together on a specific project.
  • New Research Forum – Intended for students and young researchers (PhDs). The NRF usually have two sessions with a common theme and a session for free papers that do not fit into     the other ISSR thematic sessions.
  • Author Meets Critics session – A session in which an author meets scholars who criticize his/her book and responds.

The conference is bilingual.  Sessions may be in French, in English, or both.

Please submit your session proposals via our system: http://sisr-issr-conference-submission-2017.com/index.php/test/rccds2017   Before doing so, please consult instructions for conference submissions: https://www.sisr-issr.org/en/conference/instructions-for-registration-on-the-open-conference-system-religion-cooperation-and-conflict-in-diverse-societies

Attention: This is not yet the call for individual paper proposals. The call for paper proposals will be opened in mid-November.

This is a late change of plans and we apologize for any inconvenience to our members. We are convinced, however, that the ISSR conference at the new venue in Lausanne will be a success and we hope very much to meet you there.

With best wishes,

Jörg Stolz
President of the International Society for the Sociology of Religion

Deadline for SISR/ISSR Session Proposals is September 15th

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We kindly remind you that the deadline for submitting sessions proposals for the next ISSR conference “Religion, Cooperation, and Conflict in Diverse Societies”, Melbourne, Australia, 3-7 July, 2017  is 15th September 2016.

You can find more information on the conference and on proposing a Thematic Session on the ISSR web-site: https://www.sisr-issr.org/en/conference/conference-2017-religion-cooperation-and-conflict-in-diverse-societies.

Please note that only members in good standing can be session organizers. You may pay your membership for the 2016-2017 period following this link: https://www.sisr-issr.org/en/membership

The ISSR published also the Call for the ISSR Workshop Grant and the Call for the Best Book Award:https://www.sisr-issr.org/en/awards-and-grant The deadline for both Calls is 15th September 2016 as well.

Kind regards,

Siniša Zrinščak

ISSR General Secretary

Sociology of Religion Group, American Academy of Religion, San Antonio, Texas, November 19-22, 2016

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https://papers.aarweb.org/content/sociology-religion-group

 

Statement of Purpose:

The Sociology of Religion Group of the American Academy of Religion serves
as a bridge between religious studies and the subdiscipline of sociology of
religion. It functions as a two-way conduit not only to import sociological
research into religious studies but also to export the research of
religious studies into both the subdiscipline and the broader field of
sociology. Only through a cross-fertilization transgressing departmental
boundaries can there be breakthroughs in research in both fields. The group
has a wide conception of sociology of religion. It is open to a
multiplicity of paradigms and methodologies utilized in the subfield and
sociology more broadly: theoretical as well as empirical, quantitative,
qualitative, and comparative-historical. By liaising with other Program
Units, the Sociology of Religion Group is able to bring the rich diversity
of critical and analytical perspectives that are housed in the American
Academy of Religion into mainstream sociology of religion. Conversely, it
aims to provide scholars of the study of religion with a deeper
understanding of the landscape of sociology of religion.

Theory, Method, and their Application:

Sociology of Religion as part of a larger discipline is marked by a
canonization of its theory and its division by paradigms and
methodologies–whether these be the classics (Weber and Durkheim), the old
paradigm (functionalism and social constructionism), or the new paradigm
(rational choice) on the one hand or quantitative, qualitative, or
historical-comparative sociology on the other. As it intersects with
sociology of religion, the study of religion has drawn from theories and
methodologies in conversation with sociology, anthropology, critical
theory, psychology, history, and other related disciplines. We are
interested both in papers that utilize the methods and theories in the
study of religion and bring them into the sociological canon as well as
those that help religious studies gain a better grasp of the sociological
theory of religion. We encourage papers that exploit both the theory and
methodology of sociology of religion and religious studies and use them as
frames for analysis of concrete cases. In particular, we request papers
that touch upon social divisions examining race, class, gender, sexual
orientation, ethnicity, region, age, etc.

 

Internationalism and Diversity:

Critics of sociology of religion have pointed out that the field is
dominated by North Americans scholars primarily interested in
Protestantism. The discipline of religious studies provides a clear
antidote to these perceived limitations. Therefore, we encourage
contributions from academics who study the various religious traditions
around the world as well as those studying North American religious
communities. In particular, we would like submissions from scholars from
all academic ranks across the lines of nationality, region, race,
ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc.

 

Call for Papers:

The Sociology of Religion Group (SOR) invites both panel and paper
proposals across a wide range of topics of interest to both the sociology
of religion and religious studies and are particularly interested in
papers, which speak to both thereby encouraging increased dialogue between
them. In particular, this year’s CFP expresses interest in the following
topics:

• Following the theme of AAR’s 2016 annual meetings, the Sociology of
Religion Group invites papers that address the multi-dimensions of
“Revolutionary Love.” This includes but is not limited to love communism
(or the communism of love), brotherly/sisterly love, or love as an impulse
for social change. Conversely, it could include the inverse hypothesis –
where love is not revolutionary at all but is egoistic or narcissistic
(self-love), where revolutions are not based on love but on hate, where
love is harmful and tears down dreams rather than build them up. Finally,
papers could contain a synthesis addressing the contradictory impulses of
revolutionary love – e.g. paradoxical reflections of the religious adage to
love thy enemy.

• Social and Religious Movements and/or Social Movements Theory and
Religious Movements Theory

• Competing Canons within the Sociology of Religion and Religious Studies

• Theory and Methodology including issues of reproducibility, validity, and
empiricism

• Religion and the Public Sphere

• Religion and Education including but not limited to “Religion and
Education in Pluralistic Societies” or “Religion and Education in the
Postsecular Age.”

• In a co-sponsored paper session, the Quaker Studies Group and Sociology
of Religion Group invite proposals on normative religious identity and
notions of the ‘true Church.’ We are interested in papers that utilize
sociological theories and methods in the analysis of this topic. We are
particularly interested in the following questions: What mechanisms do
religious groups use to establish normative identities, particularly
against deviants or schismatics within their own group? How is ‘membership’
and ‘authenticity’ counted and measured? What types of authority are used
to sustain particular identities and how are these operationalized within
the group? How are notions of ‘the world’ constructed and sustained, and
how are these notions adapted when they no longer serve their original
purpose (for example during the processes of denominationalization or
internal secularization)?

• The topics mentioned above are meant merely as suggestions. We encourage
submissions of all papers that utilize sociological theories, methods, and
questions in their analysis of religion. We are particularly interested in
papers that address issues of inequalities of race, class, ethnicity,
gender, sexual orientation, or those that utilize critical paradigms
including but not limited to critical theory, Marxism, feminism, queer
theory, post-colonialism, post-structuralism, and environmentalism.

Publication:

The Sociology of Religion Group of AAR regularly co-sponsors panels with
the peer-reviewed print and online journal Critical Research on Religion
(CRR) (http://crr.sagepub.com). Published by SAGE Publications, over 2600
libraries worldwide have subscriptions to the journal. Presenters of
promising papers in SOR panels will be invited to turn their papers into
articles and submit them for peer review to CRR.

 

Deadline for Submissions: Tuesday, March 1, 2016

 

Leadership:

Co-Chairs:
Rebekka King (Middle Tennessee State University) rebekka.king@mtsu.edu
Warren S. Goldstein (Harvard University)
goldstein@criticaltheoryofreligion.org

Steering Committee:
Afe Adogame (Princeton University)
Courtney Bender (Columbia University)
David Feltmate (Auburn University)
Volkhard Krech (Ruhr-Universität Bochum)
Katja Rakow (Universiteit Utrecht)
Randy Reed (Appalachian State University)

NCSR 2016 – Last Call for Sessions

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Last days to submit a session to NCSR2016!

Do you have an intriguing, timely theme to be discussed with Nordic colleagues?
Do you have a research project and want to have a focused session?

Submit a session proposal to NCSR2016!

Deadline for proposals is Monday 30.11.2015.
Submit yours TODAY by using this link OR going to our website OR emailing to kati.niemela@helsinki.fi

For individual papers, the call will be opened in January 2016 with the deadline of March 15th 2016.
The organized sessions are always open for free paper submission and therefore do not need to have speakers ready when the sessions are submitted (only the title and the abstract of the session as a whole are needed in November). The session organizers may also suggest and invite speakers to their session, but please also keep in mind that in addition to that the sessions are always also open for free submission.

The paper proposals (of all the speakers, including those that you already have invited) do not need to be sent until March 15, and after that you are given a short time to review if you accept them to your session.

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at: kati.niemela@helsinki.fi.

+++

Warm season’s greetings and best wishes from the NCSR2016 organizing team!
See you in Helsinki!

blogs.helsinki.fi/ncsr-2016

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CfP: Graduate Student Conference in Arabic and Islamic studies

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Crossing the borders. Interdisciplinary research in Arabic and Islamic studies

Yerevan State University, Yerevan, Armenia, May 2016

The Chair of Arabic Studies at Yerevan State University in cooperation
with Middle Orient project is pleased to invite graduate students (MA
and PhD) and recent post-docs of all fields associated with Arabic and
Islamic Studies (broadly defined) to present their recent research
during the graduate conference entitled Crossing the borders.
Interdisciplinary research in Arabic and Islamic studies, which will
take place in the first week of May 2016 (the exact date of the
conference will be specified later).

Research papers are accepted on all aspects of Arabic and Islamic
studies, including, but not limited to:
–Islamic Studies (History, religion, politics)
–Arabic Literature
–Arabic Linguistics
–The History of Arabic countries
–The Arab world in the framework of international relations
–Intercultural dialogue
–The topical issues of Arab Middle East

Each participant will be expected to speak for no longer than 20
minutes. At the end of each session the discussion will be opened by
the session moderator.

Submission process

For submitting a paper proposal, please send an abstract of proposed
paper (no more than 300 words) and a current CV to
graduateconferenceysu@gmail.com by 15th of February, 2016. Abstracts
should provide a brief description of the work, clearly outlining the
theoretical perspectives and methodology to be applied in the paper.

Notifications of acceptance will be sent until 29th of February, 2016.

All proposals will be subjected to peer-reviews. The selected papers
will be published in the proceeding volume of “Arabic Studies”- the
annually published official journal of the Chair of Arabic Studies,
YSU.

For any enquiries regarding the conference, please contact
info@middleorient.com.

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Call for panels and papers: Populism as movement and rhetoric (University of Jyväskylä, Finland, 17-19 March 2016)

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CALL FOR PANELS AND PAPERS

International conference
Populism as movement and rhetoric 
Jyväskylä, Finland on 17–19 March 2016
Venue: University of Jyväskylä, Seminarium (S)
Extended DL October 21th 2015
In Finland as elsewhere in Europe, rapid social change, multicultural challenges, social inequality, and the way different kinds of threat are disseminated by the media for public imagination, have given rise to populist protests and appeals to cultural values usually combining anti-elite and anti-immigrant nationalism with nationally and locally bounded demands of social justice. In the conference, the populist movement and populist rhetoric are in the focus. We invite papers that study populism as a phenomenon with multiple sources and multiple agendas. Issues of nationality, Europeanness, ethnicity, gender, and environmental issues can be explored against the backdrop of the new public sphere and the intermingling of the private and the public in it.
Keynote speakers:
Yannis Stavrakakis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Ruth Wodak, professor emerita, Lancaster University
Eoin Devereux, University of Limerick,
Mikko Lehtonen, University of Tampere
Coordinators of the conference: PhD Urpo Kovala and PhD Tuija Saresma, Department of Art and Culture Studies, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
Conference secretary: Irma Hirsjärvi populistrhetoric2016@jyu.fi  Tel +358 40 8053518
Possible topics of the panels and presentations include, but are not limited to:
·                abusive empowerment in the rhetoric of protest
·                articulations of religion in populist agendas
·                from protest to power: populism in the margin and in the centre
·                cultural expressions of populism; cultural populism
·                politics and culture of populism
·                populist discourse
·                populist movements
·      populist rhetoric
·      populism and the ‘people’
·      populism and gender
Participation
Submissions for panel sessions
The deadline for proposals for panel sessions is October 21th 2015. The proposal has to include the title and a general description of the panel as well as the names of the individual contributors and the titles of their presentations. The maximum length is 300 words, excluding possible references.
Submissions for individual paper presentations
Individual paper presentations are organized in parallel sessions with 30 minute slots that include discussion time. The deadline for individual paper proposals is October 21th 2015. The maximum length is 300 words, excluding possible references. If you wish to also participate to a workgroup with your paper, please indicate this in your abstract.  The acceptance will be notified in two weeks after the deadline
Submissions for workgroups
We are looking for interdisciplinary and multidimensional workgroups and hope for openings also from fields not traditionally studying populism. The deadline for workgroup paper proposals is October 21th 2015. The maximum length is 300 words, excluding possible references. The acceptance will be notified in two weeks after the deadline.  Please indicate in your abstract if you wish to participate to a workgroup. If you wish to receive more information about the workgroups, please contact the workgroup coordinator (as indicated in the workgroup description).
·        “Populism in the history of political thought, philosophy and social theory” (for more information, see the conference website https://www.jyu.fi/en/congress/populistrhetoric2016) Workshop coordinator: Mikko Jakonen, Lecturer in political science (fixed term), University of Jyväskylä. E-mail: mikko.p.jakonen [at] jyu.fi)
·        “Welfare chauvinism” Workshop Coordinator:  Tuija Saresma, E-mail tuija.saresma@juy.fi
·        “Populism and parliamentary Politics” Workshop Coordinator: Tuula Vaarakallio, tuumarva@gmail.com
·        “The Gender of populism” Workshop Coordinator: Tuija Saresma, E-mail tuija.saresma@juy.fi
·        “Populism in Social Media” Workshop Coordinator: Maria Ruotsalainen maria.a.t.ruotsalainen@juy.fi
·        “Cultural aspects of populism and populist rhetoric” Workshop Coordinator: Urpo Kovala, E-mail: urpo.k.kovala@juy.fi
·        “Populism and the uses of religion” Workshop Coordinator: Laura Parkkinen, E-mail lparkkin@abo.fi
·        “Populist discussion on immigration” Workshop Coordinator: Tuija Saresma, E-mail tuija.saresma@juy.fi
·        “The Fans of Halla-Aho; Fandom in Populism” Workshop Coordinator: Irma Hirsjärvi, E-mail: Irma.hirsjarvi@juy.fi
·        “ Populist dynamics”  Workshop coordinator: Emilia Palonen. E-mail:Emilia.palonen@helsinki.fi
If you wish to participate without presenting a paper, please contact the conference secretary.

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NCSR2016 – Preliminary Program & Call For Sessions

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Nordic Conference for Sociology of Religion 2016

“Wellbeing, leadership and the lifespan – Current trends in the sociology of religion”

Proudly presents the preliminary program:

Location: University of Helsinki, Main Building

Program and call for papers on our web page:
http://blogs.helsinki.fi/ncsr-2016/

The call for sessions is open until November 31, 2015!

We encourage timely and timeless session topics, where researchers from different countries could share their ideas.

Please submit your session using THIS LINK!

Or email your proposal to Kati Niemelä (kati.niemela@helsinki.fi)

The call for individual papers will be opened in January 2016.

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Call for panels and Papers: Populism as movement and rhetoric (Jyväskylä, Finland 17-19 March 2016)

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CALL FOR PANELS AND PAPERS

Populism as movement and rhetoric

International conference

Jyväskylä, Finland on 17–19 March 2016

Venue: University of Jyväskylä, Seminarium (S)

Period for applying until October 7th 2015

In Finland as elsewhere in Europe, rapid social change, multicultural challenges, social inequality, and the way different kinds of threat are disseminated by the media for public imagination, have given rise to populist protests and appeals to cultural values usually combining anti-elite and anti-immigrant nationalism with nationally and locally bounded demands of social justice. In the conference, the populist movement and populist rhetoric are in the focus. We invite papers that study populism as a phenomenon with multiple sources and multiple agendas. Issues of nationality, Europeanness, ethnicity, gender, and environmental issues can be explored against the backdrop of the new public sphere and the intermingling of the private and the public in it.

 

Keynote speakers:

Yannis Stavrakakis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Ruth Wodak, professor emerita, Lancaster University

Eoin Devereux, University of Limerick,

Mikko Lehtonen, University of Tampere

 

Coordinators of the conference: PhD Urpo Kovala and PhD Tuija Saresma, Department of Art and Culture Studies, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.

Conference secretary: Irma Hirsjärvi populistrhetoric2016@jyu.fi  Tel +358 40 8053518

Possible topics of the panels and presentations include, but are not limited to:

  • abusive empowerment in the rhetoric of protest
  • articulations of religion in populist agendas
  • from protest to power: populism in the margin and in the centre
  • cultural expressions of populism; cultural populism
  • politics and culture of populism
  • populist discourse
  • populist movements
  • populist rhetoric
  • populism and the ‘people’

 

Participation

Submissions for panel sessions
The deadline for proposals for panel sessions is October 7th 2015. The proposal has to include the title and a general description of the panel as well as the names of the individual contributors and the titles of their presentations. The maximum length is 300 words, excluding possible references.

 

Submissions for individual paper presentations
Individual paper presentations are organized in parallel sessions with 30 minute slots that include discussion time. The deadline for individual paper proposals is October 7th 2015. The maximum length is 300 words, excluding possible references. The acceptance will be notified in two weeks after the deadline

If you wish to participate without presenting a paper, please contact the conference secretary.

Submissions and registration https://www.jyu.fi/en/congress/populistrhetoric2016 (will open 22.9.2015)

Fees, scholarships and grants

Early bird fee is 140 euro (students 40 euro) until February 14th. Lunches, refreshments and conference dinner are included. Further information about travel and accommodation in Jyväskylä can be found in the conference website https://www.jyu.fi/en/congress/populistrhetoric2016

A number of scholarships and grants for PhD students and those coming from the low income countries and are in need of financial support will be provided. They consist in a reduction of the participation fee and include all meals. Please note that the deadline for applying for a scholarship or grant is October 7th. The application process and criteria are explained in greater detail on the website: https://www.jyu.fi/en/congress/populistrhetoric2016

Practical information

The conference takes place in the city of Jyväskylä (http://visit.jyvaskyla.fi/en). It is organized by the research project Populism as Movement and Rhetoric, funded by the Academy of Finland (2014–2016) together with the Department of Art and Culture Studies, University of Jyväskylä (https://www.jyu.fi/en)

About the research project: https://www.jyu.fi/hum/laitokset/taiku/opiskelu/nykykulttuuri/tutkimus/projektit/populismi

Email:populistrhetoric2016@jyu.fi

 

Facebook: Populism as movement and rhetorics

 

Web page: https://populismasmovementandrhetoric.wordpress.com/

 

Twitter: during the conference #populistculture

The post Call for panels and Papers: Populism as movement and rhetoric (Jyväskylä, Finland 17-19 March 2016) appeared first on ISA Research Committee 22.

CFP: Zürich conference, June 2016

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Please consider submitting proposals for this conference:

Pray without Ceasing: Spiritual Wisdom and the Practice of Theology

Second International Conference and inauguration of the Center for the Academic Study of Christian Spirituality will be held June 20-23, 2016 in Kappel, Switzerland.

Dr. Rebecca A. Giselbrecht
rebecca.giselbrecht@theol.uzh.ch
Director of the Center for the Academic Study of Christian Spirituality
University of Zurich
Theological Faculty
Kirchgasse 9
8001 Zürich

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