Online seminar: “Becoming religious: How and why beliefs and practices are transmitted.”

This is a reminder that INFORM’s next online seminar will take place from 5.30-7.30pm on 14th January, on the topic “Becoming religious: How and why beliefs and practices are transmitted.” The seminar will explore the motivations of minority religions and spiritual seekers to transmit and learn, and the processes they employ.

You can register to attend by making a donation through our website, at https://inform.ac/seminars . If you would prefer not to make a donation, please email us at inform@kcl.ac.uk to book your place.

Speakers will give short presentations, followed by an extended conversation and Q&A. More details about the seminar are below. 

Confirmed speakers include:

  • “The Stickiness of Non-Religion? Intergenerational Transmission and the Formation of Non-Religious Identities in Childhood” – Dr Anna Strhan, Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociology, University of York and Dr Rachael Shillitoe, Research Associate, Department of Theology and Religion, University of Birmingham
  • “Religious transmission among British Sikhs” – Dr Jasjit Singh, Associate Professor, School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science, University of Leeds 
  • “Making Witches: Transmission of Wicca Before, During and After the Era of the Self-help Paperback” – Dr Christina Oakley Harrington, Pagan Federation
  • “Inventing Memory: the challenges of mass conversion in a liberal setting” – Professor Ben Pink Dandelion, University of Birmingham
  • Professor Emerita Kim Knott, Lancaster University will respond. 

Seminar abstract

All people, young and old, are involved in the process of learning and passing on ideas, beliefs and practices that are important to them. This is how they express their identities and commitments, and how they sustain their worldviews, ideologies and ritual systems. Without effective processes for intergenerational and adult transmission, religious institutions, new or well-established, cannot survive and thrive. That ‘chain of memory’, as Danièle Hervieu-Léger noted, is the major feature distinguishing religion from other systems of meaning. And, although many in Western societies find themselves unschooled and adrift when it comes to religious affiliation and participation, they have increasing access, especially online, to an immense array of spiritual opportunities and resources. What paths they choose to follow, formal or informal, and how they go about acquiring the necessary beliefs, practices and training, are varied.

Best wishes,
Warwick J S Hawkins
Office Manager
INFORM (Information Network on Religious Movements)

Book discussion: “Nouveaux vocabulaires de la laïcité”

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

New Podcast: “Religion Unmuted”

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/ .

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

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

2021 American Sociological Association Annual Meeting – In-Person Cancelled, Virtual Being Planned

Due to COVID-19, the 2021 ASA Annual Meeting in Chicago has been cancelled. ASA leadership believes it is now clear that the global health crisis will not be resolved by August, and a large gathering of people from around the world presents an untenable health risk. ASA will offer a virtual 2021 ASA Annual Meeting instead of the in-person event. Further information about the virtual meeting will be provided in the coming months.

The ASA online portal is currently open for submissions for the 2021 Annual Meeting. ASA will continue with the submission process uninterrupted. The deadline is February 3. Our Religion Section Program Committee also will continue to plan for our sessions, and we strongly encourage you, your colleagues, and your students to submit in anticipation of a virtual meeting.

Online Symposium: British Muslims and COVID-19: Impacts, Experiences and Responses

Tuesday 8th December 2020, 1pm to 5pm

An MBRN online symposium via Zoom

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/british-muslims-and-covid-19-impacts-experiences-and-responses-tickets-129223730657

Full Programme available at: http://www.mbrn.org.uk/registration-open-british-muslims-and-covid-19/

Research on Covid-19 has highlighted its disproportionate impact on Black and Asian Minority Ethnic groups (BAME) communities (Public Health England, 2020). However, these studies only offer a limited understanding of the particularity of experiences within the umbrella category BAME. For instance, there is only limited discussion around faith in relation to Covid-19, its impacts and the socio-economic fall-outs of lockdown. This MBRN symposium will redress this gap by taking an intersectional perspective in mapping and analysing the impact of Covid-19 on British Muslim communities. By bringing together practitioners and academics, we will examine how diverse British Muslim communities have experienced the pandemic, how their lives have been impacted during and after lockdown and how they responded.
By focusing on the experiences of British Muslims, this online symposium will enable us to examine the interplay of ethnicity, religion and deprivation, in negotiating the particular challenges of living through Covid-19. It will explore the diversity of ways in which British Muslims have experienced and responded to Covid-19, and seek to understand its ongoing impacts. Our aim is to suggest answers for the question, “How are diverse British Muslims living through, and responding to the challenges of, Covid-19?”.
The symposium includes presentations from academics and practitioners from a range of epistemological positions and disciplinary standpoints to explore dimensions of Muslim identity / lived experiences in relation to the pandemic, lockdown and subsequent socio-economic implications of Covid-19 in Britain.
Eventbrite registration essential, please select your preference for the parallel session during registration so you can be pre-assigned to a breakout room.

News from the American Sociological Association’s Section on Religion

  • JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS
  • UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA at CHAPEL HILL
  • REMINDER: 2021 ASA ANNUAL MEETING & RELIGION SECTION DAY
  • GRADUATE STUDENT MENTORING – STAY TUNED
  • NEWSLETTER & @ASA_RELIGION TWITTER ANNOUNCEMENTS

JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS – UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA at CHAPEL HILL

Tenure-Track Assistant Professor – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – ASA Job ID 16552

  • The Department of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is pleased to participate in the following search for a tenure-track assistant professor:
  • Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/184289
  • Please pass these links along to potential candidates; thank you! For questions about the search, please email Jennifer Eissing, Department of Sociology, at: eissingj@email.unc.edu
  • Applications will be considered until the position is filled, but our review of applications will begin on November 9, 2020.

Postdoc – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – ASA Job ID 16557

  • The Department of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is pleased to participate in the following search for a postdoctoral research fellow:
  • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity: https://research.unc.edu/carolina-postdocs/applicants/
  • Please pass these links along to potential candidates; thank you! For questions about the search, please email Jennifer Eissing, Department of Sociology, at: eissingj@email.unc.edu
  • Deadline for submission is November 16, 2020.
  • *Note: We welcome more job announcements. Per ASA policy, academic jobs advertised through our listserv include ASA job bank ID.

REMINDER: 2021 ASA ANNUAL MEETING & RELIGION SECTION DAY

Plans for the 116th ASA Annual Meeting in Chicago, August 7-10, 2021 continue. Note that ASA’s online portal will open for submissions on Monday, November 9, 2020. The submission deadline is Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.

Sociology of Religion Section Sessions are assigned to Day 4, Tuesday, August 10th. Since this is the last day of the meeting, our section receives an additional session for papers.

The section’s Program Committee consists of colleagues with an array of expertise. In hopes of adequately diversifying the scholarship featured this year, we are issuing an OPEN call for all Religion Section sessions and roundtables, while asking that session organizers for each of our sessions pay particular attention to themes which I believe are of particular significance to the study of religion today as follows:

  • Session: Sociology of Religion OPEN (preference for papers on gender & sexuality) Session
    Organizers: Jonathan Coley and Courtney Irby
  • Session: Sociology of Religion OPEN (preference for papers on cross-national or international dynamics)
    Session Organizers: Gary Adler and Rachel Rinaldo
  • Session: Sociology of Religion OPEN (preference for papers on the State or power dynamics)
    Session Organizer: Meredith Whitnah and Rhys Williams
  • Session: Sociology of Religion OPEN (preference for papers on non-religious dynamics or nones)
    Session Organizers: Joseph Blankholm and Jacqui Frost
  • Refereed Roundtables: Sociology of Religion Roundtables OPEN
    Session Organizers: Orestes Pat Hastings and Laura Krull

Our annual Sociology of Religion Section Business Meeting will convene immediately after the Roundtable Session.

Also, the Religion Section anticipates partnering again with the concurrent meetings of the Association for the Sociology of Religion also in Chicago. For example, we plan to again co-host a joint mentoring session for graduate students as well as a joint evening reception. More details as they are available.

GRADUATE STUDENT MENTORING – STAY TUNED

Our ASA Sociology of Religion Section is making plans to offer opportunities for Graduate Student Mentoring in the coming year. Stay tuned for details as they emerge.

NEWSLETTER & ASA RELIGION TWITTER ANNOUNCEMENTS

If you have newsletter items – Announcements, Awards, Promotions, Publications, Calls for Submissions, Job Listings (with ASA Job Bank ID), and other relevant material, please email Evan Stewart at Evan.Stewart@umb.edu.

If you have anything you would like to share in future announcement emails, please email me – gemarti@davidson.edu.

Gerardo Martí, PhD
L. Richardson King Professor of Sociology, Davidson College
https://www.davidson.edu/people/gerardo-marti

Conférence: “La place et les idées politiques des néocharismatiques-pentecôtistes aux États-Unis”

Le Centre de recherche Société, Droit et Religions de l’Université de Sherbrooke (SoDRUS) vous invite à une conférence publique qui aura lieu le mercredi 18 novembre 2020. 

La place et les idées politiques des néocharismatiques-pentecôtistes aux États-Unis

Date : 18 novembre 2020
Heure : 11h55
Lieu : Événement tenu en ligne, sur TEAMS.

Inscription obligatoire à l’adresse suivante : sodrus@usherbrooke.ca

Cette conférence sera donnée par André Gagné, Professeur à l’Université Concordia et chercheur partenaire au SoDRUS.

Merci de diffuser l’information dans vos réseaux!
Au plaisir de vous accueillir,
Raphaël Mathieu Legault-Laberge, Ph.D.
Coordonnateur et chercheur partenaire au SoDRUS

______________________

Pour vous désabonner de la liste d’envoi du SoDRUS, merci de cliquer sur le bouton suivant :

Pièce jointe : Affiche de l’événement

Événement : https://www.usherbrooke.ca/sodrus/accueil/evenements/evenements-details/e/43724/

Événement Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/events/2473085162984520/

SSSR “Fall Fridays” Virtual Program

Please join us for a series of virtual events this fall organized by SSSR President, Laura Olson. Attendance is free, but you must register for each event in order to participate. Recordings of each session will be available after the events.

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Friday, October 23
10:00 am Eastern Time (GMT – 4:00)
Religion and Spirituality in a Frightening World: A Conversation with Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers
Jeffrey S. Myers is the Rabbi of Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Congregation in Pittsburgh. A teacher, scholar, and accomplished musician, he is ordained as both a rabbi and a cantor (hazzan) in the Conservative Jewish tradition. Ever since a gunman murdered 11 people during Shabbat morning services at his congregation, he has been an embodiment of how faith, love, and inclusion can defeat hate. SSSR President Laura Olson will speak with Rabbi Hazzan Myers about how religion helps individuals, groups, and societies confront terrifying circumstances.
Register for this event:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TO2BfBIrSWGraiuaoA5DZg
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the event via Zoom.

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Friday, October 30
2:30 pm Eastern Time (GMT – 4:00)
Religion, Race, and the Struggle for Justice: A Conversation with Rev. Dr. Nichole R. Phillips
A Joint Presentation of the SSSR and the Religious Research Association
Nichole R. Phillips is Associate Professor in the Practice of Sociology of Religion and Culture, and Director of Black Church Studies, at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Her scholarship treats religion, critical race, gender, and cultural memory studies. She is the author of Patriotism Black and White: The Color of American Exceptionalism (Baylor University Press 2018). RRA President Patricia Wittberg and SSSR President Laura Olson will speak with Dr. Phillips about how religion might help the United States confront and repair its long history of racial injustice.
Register for this event:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vQvny2-kRrqDcPJfeDdIWQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the event via Zoom.

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Friday, November 6
2:30 pm Eastern Time (GMT – 5:00)
Religion and the 2020 U.S Presidential Election: A Panel Discussion
On the first Friday after the 2020 U.S. presidential election, SSSR President Laura Olson will convene a panel of three expert analysts to discuss the ways in which religion affected the election’s outcome and how it might shape the political road ahead. Panelists include Michele Margolis, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania; Gerardo Martí, L. Richardson King Professor of Sociology at Davidson College; and Besheer Mohamed, Senior Researcher at the Pew Research Center.
Register for this event:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__GRZg_8BTA6S2A7EtSrEOA
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the event via Zoom.

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Friday, November 13
2:30 pm Eastern Time (GMT – 5:00)
SSSR Annual Business Meeting and Awards Presentation
All SSSR members are invited to join us for our annual business meeting and awards presentations. The Distinguished Book Award will be presented by Michael Emerson of the University of Illinois at Chicago; the Distinguished Article Award will be presented by Amy Slagle of the University of Southern Mississippi; and the Student Paper Award will be presented by Christopher Scheitle of West Virginia University.
Register in for this event:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XIm-k_v4SeOEPB4G4-fUEg
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the event via Zoom.