Monthly Archives: October 2012

The 5th Israeli Conference for the Study of Contemporary Religion and Spirituality

Dear colleagues,

I’m happy to announce that we are ready to call for papers for the the 5th Israeli Conference for the Study of Contemporary Religion and Spirituality, which will be organized by the Program in Religious Studies at Tel Aviv University, 28-29 May 2013.

This conference will continue the tradition which was formed at the University of Haifa over the last four years, and which from now on will take place at Tel Aviv University. This event can be a good opportunity for researchers working outside of Israel to learn more about the country’s bustling New-Age ‘scene’ and about development in the research on contemporary spirituality in Israel.
The conference will include Keynote Lectures by Prof. Ronald Hutton (University of Bristol, UK), Prof. Jeffrey J. Kripal (Rice University, US) and Prof. James R. Lewis (University of Tromso, Norway).  
The conference’s CFP and paper/symposium proposal forms are attached to this email.

Please feel free to send this to any relevant address in your private e-mail lists. We will of course be very happy to receive your own proposals by December 15 2012, addressed to Mr. Shai feraro (Conference Coordinator), spirituality.tel.aviv@gmail.com

Kind Regards,
Prof. Ron Margolin (Tel Aviv University)
Dr. Isaac Lubelsky (Tel Aviv University)

Attachment(s) from shai feraro

4 of 4 File(s)

Symposium Proposal form 5th ICSCRS.docx

Call for Papers-The Israeli conference for the Study of Contemporary Religion and Spirituality 28-29 May 2013.docx

Call for Papers-The Israeli conference for the Study of Contemporary Religion and Spirituality 28-29 May 2013.pdf

Lecture Proposal form 5th ICSCRS.docx

WG/ “Mutations et Evolutions du monde juif contemporain//Changes in judaïsm”

Biennial Conference/

CONGRÉS 2013 DE LA

SOCIÉTÉ INTERNATIONALE DE SOCIOLOGIE DES RELIGIONS (SISR)

Our next conference will be held in Turku, Finland in late June, 2012.

Click HERE to visit our conference information page.

https://www.sisr-issr.org/Conference/

WG/ “Mutations et Evolutions du monde juif contemporain//Changes in judaïsm”

Dates limites pour l’envoi de vos propositions (une dizaine de lignes

suffiront) en français ET en anglais :

15 novembre 2012:

Les résumés des papiers pour les Sessions doivent être parvenus à l’organisateur de la session concernée, Joëlle Allouche-Benayoun, joelleab@gmail.com, avec copie à .generalsecretary.issr@unipd.it

***

Mutations et Evolutions du monde juif contemporain//Changes in judaïsm

Organisatice : Joëlle Allouche-Benayoun, CNRS, Groupe Sociétés, Religions ,Laïcités (Paris,France) joelle.allouche@gsrl.cnrs.fr, Tél : +41 (21) 651 62 00/80

Notre groupe de travail se déroule dans la continuité avec les sessions organisées par J.A-B et Claude Bovay lors des dernières Conférences de l’AISLF à Istanbul(juillet 2008) autour du thème « Conflictualités, affiliations identitaires, pluralité religieuse », puis à Rabat(juin

2012) autour de « Penser l’incertain ».

Ces thématiques sont en lien avec les conférences organisées par Joëlle Allouche-Benayoun dans le cadre cette fois de la SISR à St Jacques de Compostelle (juillet 2009) et à Aix en Provence (juillet 2011) autour de la thématique plus resserrée « Mutations et Evolutions du monde juif contemporain ». Ces deux sessions ont à chaque fois réuni une trentaine de chercheur-e-s sur deux jours, et permis des échanges particulièrement riches, qui ont pour certains débouché sur des publications.

Comment les sociétés, les groupes, mais aussi les individus gèrent-ils les appartenances et les valeurs qui découlent de multiples référents identitaires, dans la sphère publique comme dans la sphère privée ?

Dans le cadre actuel des Processus de sécularisation et d’acculturation, qui transforment en profondeur le monde juif, nous souhaiterions mettre l’accent sur les Modalités identitaires et le rapport aux identités prescrites et héritées (par exemple les conversions au judaïsme ). Dans le contexte actuel de pluriculturalité , comment se pose en particulier la question de la Transmission des valeurs (cas des couples mixtes, des enfants de couples mixtes, Rôle et place des Rabbins , permanences et adaptations des rites , rôles et place des femmes dans le judaïsme, Littérature,etc…), mais aussi celle de la résurgence de l’antisémitisme, en particulier chez les jeunes, en particulier ceux issus de l’immigration en provenance des ex-pays colonisés.

Ce groupe de travail devrait être l’occasion de mettre en perspective les nombreuses recherches sur ces domaines, de confronter les problématiques, et de rendre plus visible ce champ de recherche dans le monde des sciences sociales.

In the current context of secularization and acculturation processes which are transforming the Jewish world profoundly, we wish to highlight the identitary modalities and the relationship to prescribed and inherited identities (conversions to Judaism). In the current pluriculturality context, how does the question of the transmission of values present itself (inter marriages, children born from them, the role and place of Rabbis, the endurance and the adaptation of rites, the role and place of women in Judaism…) , and also the problem of new

anti-Semitism in the young population . This work group should provide

the occasion to put in perspective the varied research in this domain, to confront the issues, and to make more visible this field of research among social scientists.

Thomas H. Lake Chair in Religion and Philanthropy

The School of Philanthropy at Indiana University invites nominations and applications for a tenured or tenure-track Associate or Full Professor (10-month appointment) beginning in the 2013-14 academic year, with expertise in faith and philanthropy. The candidates backgrounds may come from Philanthropic Studies, Sociology, History, Religious Studies or other appropriate disciplinary areas.

The successful candidate will be a recognized scholar in the area of research in religion and philanthropy. Teaching expectations are one course per semester primarily at the graduate level as well as doctoral student advising. The Lake Chair holder will also serve as an Associate Director of the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving. As an Associate Director s/he will coordinate the work of the Research Committee of the Lake Institute and the allocation of research funds available through

the Lake Institute. Indiana University and IUPUI are well known for

their research units working in religion, including the IU Committee on Research in Religion, Society, and Ethics; the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture; The Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions; and research-intensive departments in Indianapolis and Bloomington. For a full description of academic programs, see https://www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/why-study-at-the-center.

The School of Philanthropy located on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus was recently approved by the University Trustees and the Indiana Higher Education Commission.

Building on the Center on Philanthropy’s 25 year history, the School values a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding philanthropy with faculty appointees trained in the humanities, social sciences and other fields. It offers degrees at the Ph.D., masters, and undergraduate level to educate the next generation of scholars and professionals. The School of Philanthropy research environment includes internal grants to catalyze new research, the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving, the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, The Fund Raising School, the Center on Philanthropy Panel Study on Giving and Volunteering, the Payton Philanthropic Studies Library, and the Ruth Lilly Archives. The Center for Service and Learning provides resources for civic engagement and service learning components in courses. The School has an aggressive hiring plan to increase the number of full-time faculty appointments in Philanthropic Studies.

IUPUI is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution M/F/D.

With over 30,000 students, IUPUI is the third-largest campus in the State and confers more professional degrees than any other campus in

Indiana. The School of Philanthropy has endorsed efforts to increase

the diversity of its ranks, and accordingly, candidates from under-represented groups in the school are encouraged to apply. The School of Philanthropy is particularly interested in and values candidates who have experience working with students from diverse backgrounds, and a demonstrated commitment to improving access and the conditions in higher education for under-represented students.

Application materials should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, statement of research program and a vision of one’s role in further development of the Lake Institute, and three reference letters. Review of materials will begin on 30 November 2012 and continue until the position is filled.

For questions about the position, please contact the Search Committee Chair:

Dwight Burlingame, Professor of Philanthropic Studies: (dburling@iupui.edu)

(317-274-8490)

To set up a time to speak at 2012 ARNOVA conference with a committee member, please contact:

sopsrch@iupui.edu

We prefer to receive application materials electronically. Please send these as a pdf to:

sopsrch@iupui.edu

If you need to send written materials, please send these to:

School of Philanthropy at Indiana University

ATTN: Lake Chair in Religion and Philanthropy Search

550 West North Street, Suite 301

Indianapolis, Indiana 46202

www.philanthropy@iupui.edu

To read: Candidates must have strong disciplinary training combined with a willingness to engage with STUDENTS AND scholars from multiple disciplines sharing the goal of understanding philanthropic behavior

THE ROLE OF THEORY IN FOLKLORISTICS AND COMPARATIVE RELIGION

Call for Papers – 2nd Announcement

The Departments of Folkloristics and Comparative Religion at the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, together with the Donner Institute, are organizing an international interdisciplinary conference to honour the work of Professor Lauri Honko (1932–2002)

THE ROLE OF THEORY IN FOLKLORISTICS AND COMPARATIVE RELIGION

21–23 August 2013

University of Turku, Ã…bo Akademi University, Finland

The language of the conference is English.

Timetable:

Call for papers, deadline 31 March 2013

Registration, deadline 31 May 2013

For more detailed information concerning the conference see the attached documents or visit our website:

https://honkoconference.utu.fi/

Also now on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/events/416180771776969/

On behalf of the Organizing Committee,

Björn Dahla

The Donner Institute

WESTMINSTER FAITH INTERVIEWS

I am pleased to tell you that the AHRC/ESRC Religion & Society Programme is organising a series of interviews on “Faith in Public Life”, as a follow-up to the successful “Westminster Faith Debates” which took place in the spring (video and audio of the Debates available here): https://www.religionandsociety.org.uk/faith_debates

The first interviews will be with:

WEDS, 7TH NOVEMBER 2012

Professor Sir John Sulston (Nobel Prize Winner for his contribution to sequencing the genome), interviewed by Andrew Brown of The Guardian.

This is to be held at RUSI, 61 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2ET. https://www.sixtyonewhitehall.co.uk/contact/

WEDS, 21ST NOVEMBER 2012

Baroness Shirley Williams (previous MP and Cabinet Minister, now in the House of Lords, author of “God & Caesar: Personal Reflections on Politics and Religion”, interviewed by Clifford Longley of BBC Radio 4 Moral Maze etc.

This is to be held in The Westminster Suite, at The Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre, Broad Sanctuary, Westminster, London SW1P 3EE. https://www.qeiicc.co.uk/organising-an-event/our-location

WEDS, 5TH DECEMBER 2012

Delia Smith CBE (Cook, author, broadcaster and majority shareholder Norwich City FC), interviewer tbc

This is to be held at the British Medical Association, BMA House, Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9JP. https://www.bmahouse.org.uk/bmahouse.nsf/Content/WhereToFindUs

ALL INTERVIEWS 5.30 – 7.00 FOLLOWED BY DRINKS. REGISTRATION FROM 5.00 P.M.

To register, please contact Peta Ainsworth p.ainsworth@lancaster.ac.uk  with the name, affiliation/institution (if applicable) and email address of each person who requires a place.

We hope to see you there, and please circulate this invitation to your colleagues.

With best wishes

Linda Woodhead and Charles Clarke

Professor Linda Woodhead

Director, AHRC/ESRC Religion & Society Programme, Department of Politics, Philosophy & Religion, Lancaster University

The Rt Hon Charles Clarke

Europe and Hajj in the Age of Empires: Muslim Pilgrimage prior to the Influx of Muslim Migration in the West

Leiden University, 13-14 May 2013

Leiden University Centre for the Study of Islam and Society (LUCIS)

In Corporation with

King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives in Riyadh

(Encyclopedia of Hajj and the Two Holy Mosques)

European connections to the Hajj have a lengthy history of centuries before the flux of Muslim migration to the West in 1950-1960. During the colonial age in particular, European and Ottoman empires had brought the Hajj under surveillance primarily for political reasons and interests in the control of steamship and the fear for the growth of Pan-Islamic networks. Another important motive for their scrutiny of Hajj was their anxiety for the spread of epidemic diseases in their colonies after the pilgrims’ return.

On the other hand, indigenous Muslims in Central and Eastern Europe, Muslim emigrants (especially in Great Britain, France and somehow in Germany) and European converts to Islam in other parts of Europe, were making their way to the Hajj and had left behind interesting accounts, such as diaries, published and un-published travelogues, press items in European newspapers, etc.  European and non-European national and private archives enlist fascinating political, medical, religious and social reports of such narratives.

Having this background in mind, the symposium will invite a group of scholars in order to investigate these European connections with the Hajj on these various levels. A particular focus will be placed on new research methods and results on the basis on national and personal archives and contemporary writings that so far have widely been ignored in the study of Hajj as part of European history. Among the questions which will be addressed: What do first-hand primary sources (especially archives) tell us about the European political perception of the Hajj? How did the international character of the Hajj as a Muslim sacred ritual influence European policies in their struggle for supremacy on the Muslim world? How did Muslims in Europe experience the logistic, economic, religious and spiritual aspects of the Hajj?   

Participants are expected to collect materials and analyze such themes as: 1) the Hajj-related documents and written works in European states, 2) Hajj  travelogues,  routes, means of transport, logistic situations and hygienic problems, 3) habits, festivities, social status and traditions observed upon preparing for the Hajj journey, 4) the socio-political, cultural and economic effects of Hajj on the pilgrims and their European homelands.

If you are willing to participate, please send us a provisional title and one page summary of the paper you intend to deliver before November 15, 2012; to u.ryad@hum.leidenuniv.nl. We would also like to point out that it is our intention to publish a selection of the conference. We expect the full paper for the workshop no later than April 10, 2013. We are happy to fund your return flight/train (economy class/second class) and your hotel accommodation.

Warm regards,

On behalf of the Organizers

Dr. Umar Ryad

Assistant Professor - Islam in the Modern World

Institute for Religious Studies

Faculty of Humanities

Leiden University

PO Box 9515

2300 RA Leiden

The Netherlands

Office: + 31 (0) 71 5272568

Homepage:

https://www.hum.leiden.edu/religion/organisation/institute-staff/ryad.html

Socrel / HEA Teaching and Studying Religion, 2nd Annual Symposium: Religion and Citizenship: Re-Thinking the Boundaries of Religion and the Secular

BSA Meeting Room, Imperial Wharf, London

13 December 2012, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Religions today are implicated in a wide variety of publics. From contests over the environment and democracy to protests against capitalism, religions remain important factors in political and public life across diverse, and interconnected, global contexts. A variety of diverse responses have been articulated to the so-called ‘return of religion’ in the public sphere, drawing into question relations between the religious, the non-religious and the secular. As scholars have developed new theoretical understandings of the terms of these debates and questioned how these are bound up with cultural conceptualizations of citizenship, education – in schools, universities and less formal educational contexts – has often been a site where contestations of the religious and the secular have been acutely felt. The aim of this symposium is to consider the interrelation between conceptions of the religious, the secular, citizenship and education, and to explore how these issues affect the study of religion in higher education.

To find out more about how participants from a variety of disciplines and contexts have engaged with these issues, join us on December 13 at the BSA Meeting Room in London, for a BSA Socrel symposium, organized by Paul-François Tremlett (Open University), Anna Strhan (University of Kent) and Abby Day (University of Kent and Chair of Socrel). It won’t be your usual ‘stand-and-deliver’ event. Our presenters are working hard to condense their work into short summaries that will be distributed to all participants in advance of the day via e-mail. All participants will be expected to read the summaries and come prepared for a full day of engaging in vibrant exchanges across disciplines, countries, methods and other conventional boundaries.

Total delegate numbers are restricted to 30. Last year’s inaugural symposium was oversubscribed, and early registration is encouraged. Registration for the symposium is now available on the BSA website at https://portal.britsoc.co.uk/public/event/eventBooking.aspx?id=EVT10230

Information on the venue location and transport links, is available at https://www.britsoc.co.uk/events/london-meeting-room.aspx

For any further information, please contact Anna Strhan (A.H.B.Strhan@kent.ac.uk), Paul-François Tremlett (p.f.tremlett@open.ac.uk) and Abby Day (A.F.Day@kent.ac.uk). The full programme for the day will be published on the BSA Socrel website: https://www.socrel.org.uk/

Keynote lecture by Nasar Meer, Reader in Sociology, Northumbria University

Confirmed Speakers:

Discussants: Lois Lee (University of Kent), Paul-François Tremlett (Open University), Mujadad Zaman (University of Cambridge)

Presenters

Carool Kersten (King’s College, London) Indonesian Debates on Secularity and Religiosity: Islamists, Liberal Muslims, and Islamic Post-Traditionalists

Angela Quartermaine (University of Warwick) Investigating Warwickshire pupils’ perceptions of religious forms of terrorism

Trevor Stack (University of Aberdeen) Getting Beyond Religion as an Issue for Citizenship

Steven Kettell (University of Warwick) Barbarians at the Gates? Exploring the Rise of ‘Militant Secularism’

Rodrigo Cespedes Proto (Lancaster University) A Legal Perspective on Teaching and Studying Religion: Lessons from the European Court of Human Rights

Leni Franken (University of Antwerp) Religious and Citizenship Education in Belgium / Flanders

Olav Hovdelien (Oslo University College of Applied Sciences) A Secularist School in a Multicultural Society – The Norwegian Case

Slawomir Sztajer (Adam Mickiewicz University) Confessional Religious Education in State Schools: The Case of Poland

Simeon Wallis (University of Warwick) Faith beyond Belief in Religious Education

Graeme Smith (University of Chichester) Blurring the Boundaries: A critical evaluation of the concept of ‘resonance’ and its importance for understanding the relationship between the religious and the secular through the early work of Reinhold Niebuhr

Christos Tsironis (Aristotle University of Thessalonika) Perceptions of Greek students on the relation between the study of religion and volunteering

Kit Kirkland (University of St Andrews) The Christian Right’s Influence on Higher Education

Digital Methodologies in the Sociology of Religion

https://www.derby.ac.uk/digital-methodologies-in-the-sociology-of-religion

16th November 2012, Enterprise Centre, University of Derby

Organised by the Centre for Society, Religion & Belief (SRB), University of Derby

Funded by Digital Social Research (DSR)

To book your place please visit https://unishop.derby.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?modid=1&prodid=592&deptid=76&compid=1&prodvarid=0&catid=77

This conference is generously subsidised by Digital Social Research. There is a small registration fee of £30 (+ £6 VAT)

Within an era of a growing reliance on digital technologies to instantly and effectively express our values, allegiances, and multi-faceted identities, the interest in digital research methodologies among Sociologists of Religion comes as no surprise (e.g. Bunt 2009; Cantoni and Zyga 2007; Contractor 2012 and Ostrowski 2006; Taylor 2003). However the methodological challenges associated with such research have been given significantly less attention. What are the epistemological underpinnings and rationale for the use ‘digital’ methodologies? What ethical dilemmas do sociologists face, including while protecting participants’ interests in digital contexts that are often perceived as anonymised and therefore ‘safe’? Implementing such ‘digital’ research also leads to practical challenges such as mismatched expectations of IT skills, limited access to specialized tools, project management and remote management of research processes. Hosted by the Centre for Society, Religion, and Belief at the University of Derby and funded by Digital Social Research, this conference brings together scholars to critically evaluate the uses, impacts, challenges and future of Digital Methodologies in the Sociology of Religion.

Please forward this to your invitation to your professional networks and to your students. A few travel bursaries are available for post-graduate students in the UK. Please write to either Sariya Contractor (s.contractor@derby.ac.uk) or Suha Shakkour (s.shakkour@derby.ac.uk) for further details.

Plenary Speakers:

Prof. Heidi Campbell, Texas A&M University Methodological Challenges, Innovations and Growing Pains in Digital Religion Research

Dr. Eric Atwell, Leeds University Applying Artificial Intelligence to the Understanding of Islam

Draft Programme

09:45 – 10:15  Registration & Refreshments

10:15 – 10:40 Welcome, Introduction and Housekeeping

Dr. Sariya Contractor & Dr. Suha Shakkour

Prof. Paul Weller, Head of Research and Commercial Development, EHS

Dr. Kristin Aune, Director, Centre for Society, Religion & Belief

10:40 – 11:25 Plenary: Methodological Challenges, Innovations and Growing Pains in Digital Religion Research

                        Prof. Heidi Campbell, Texas A&M University

11:25 – 12:40 Social Networking Sites

Anti-Social networking: Facebook as a site and method for researching anti-Muslim and anti-Islam opposition

Dr. Chris Allen, University of Birmingham

Role of Digital Communication Technology in the Muslim Brotherhood’s Lead Revolution in Egypt

Dr. Abul Hassan & Prof. Toseef Azid, Markfield Institute of Higher Education

Ethical Challenges of researching Muslim women’s closed religious newsgroups

Dr. Anna Piela, Independent Researcher

12:40 – 13:40  Lunch

13:40 – 14:55 Digital Resources and Tools

Surveying the Religious and the Non-Religious

                        Dr. Tristram Hooley & Prof. Paul Weller, University of Derby

                        Research Approaches to the Digital Bible

                        Dr. Tim Hutchings, Durham University

Employing Distance Learning to Improve the Quantity and Quality of Islamic Studies

Dr Muhammad Mesbahi, Islamic College & Morteza Rezaei-Zadeh, University of Limerick

14:55 – 15:40 Plenary: Applying Artificial Intelligence to the Understanding of Islam

                        Eric Atwell, Leeds University

15:40 – 15:55 Refreshments

15:55 – 17:10 Communication

Prospects and Limits for Mxit and Mobi Methodologies for Religion in Sub-Saharan Africa

Dr. Federico Settler, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Researching Religious Discourses Online: Some thoughts on method

Thomas Alberts, SOAS

The Online Communication Model: A theoretical Framework to Analyse the Institutional Communication on the Internet

Juan Narbona & Dr. Daniel Arasa, Pontifical University of the Holy Cross

17:10 – 17:30  Concluding Comments, Publication Plans

Dr Sariya Contractor & Dr. Suha Shakkour

Centre for Society, Religion & Belief

University of Derby

Call for Papers: Global Religious Experiences and Identities among Lesbians

The Journal of Lesbian Studies (Taylor & Francis) will devote an entire issue to the topic of global religious experiences and identities among lesbians, guest edited by S.J. Creek. The intention behind this special edition is to generate richer and more varied scholarship around the lived experiences of lesbians connected to (or alienated by) religious practices or faiths around the world. Papers from sociology, history, anthropology, political science, english, psychology, religious studies, gender and women’s studies, religious studies, communication studies, linguistics, criminology, queer studies, international studies, art history, or other fields are welcome.

Topics may include, but are not limited, to: the intersection of race/class/gender/sexuality and religion, religious movements, orthopraxy, orthodoxy, representation in media/literature/art, trends in religiosity, clergy/religious officials, resistance and activism, indigenous religions, Wicca, Santeria, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Confucianism, Taoism, Sikhism, Baha’i, Judaism, Islam, Christianity, atheism, popular religions, Mujerista theology, practice, belief, religious socialization, disability, size, critiques of lesbian sexualities or spiritualities from post-colonial or transgender studies perspectives, religious individualism, secularism, celibacy, “religious nones,” nuns, intentional communities, state control of religious practice, reproduction, families, identities, cognitive dissonance, oppression, reparative therapies, migration, religious education, or emotions. Works attending to the experiences of queer, bisexual, and transgender individuals will also be considered, if these pieces strongly connect to the central theme.

Please direct inquiries or proposals of no more than 500 words to S.J. Creek at creeksj@hollins.edu by December 20, 2012. Invitations for full manuscripts will be issued in January 2013. Both abstracts and manuscripts will be evaluated for originality, style, and fit within the overall edition. Authors of selected abstracts will be invited to submit a full manuscript of 5,000-6,500 words, due May 15, 2013.

S.J. Creek, PhD

Visiting Assistant Professor

Department of Sociology

Hollins University

Phone: (540)362-6668

Fax: (540)362-6286

CHANGING RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS IN A CHANGING WORLD Dalarna University Falun (Sweden), 21-24 June 2013

The 2013 CESNUR Conference co-organized by Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR) International Society for the Study of New Religions (ISSNR) Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University Finyar (The Nordic Network for the Study of New Religiosity) Dalarna University

CHANGING RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS IN A CHANGING WORLD Dalarna University Falun (Sweden), 21-24 June 2013

https://www.cesnur.org/2013/swe-cfp.htm

CALL FOR PAPERS

2013 celebrates the 25th anniversary of the first CESNUR conference, held in Southern Italy in 1988, and the opening of INFORM (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements) in the UK.

How has the religious scenario evolved within the context of a changing world over the past 25 years? How are religious movements different today? How does society react differently to religious pluralism?

These will be the themes of the 2013 conference, with special attention being paid to the Nordic countries, contemporary spiritual and esoteric movements in a globalized and transnational perspective, and the reactions of the media, the mainline churches, the law and society in general to the new religious pluralism.

The conference will start on Midsummer Night’s Eve, Friday 21 June 2013, when participants will congregate in Stockholm in the morning and board a bus for a field trip that will take them to culturally significant locations throughout the Swedish region of Dalarna. Dalarna is famous for its small and picturesque villages, beautiful nature, traditional culture and handicraft. We will first visit Falun’s World Heritage Site and the 17th century part of the town. At that time, Falun was one of the most important towns in Sweden because of its copper mine. Then we will continue to the old traditional villages around Lake Siljan, stopping on our way at some other places of traditional and cultural importance. The journey will culminate with a traditional Swedish Midsummer Feast in the village of Leksand, before our arrival in Falun late that evening.

The sessions of the conference will run from the morning of Saturday 22 June to the morning of Monday 24 June. On Monday 24 June buses will leave Falun at lunchtime (box lunches will be provided), taking participants either directly to Arlanda Airport in Stockholm or to a visit to Kalle Runristare, a neo-Pagan rune-carver on an island outside Stockholm. This island, Adelsö, is a World Heritage Site with historical importance, where the king lived in the Viking era. The journey ends in Stockholm in the evening. In this package is included the field trip (including meals) on Friday, lunches from Saturday to Monday, the reception on Saturday night, and the journey back to Arlanda/Stockholm on Monday. Price: 220 euro.

An option will be offered for those who only want to participate in the conference, have the lunches on Saturday and Sunday and attend the banquet on Sunday evening as well as the reception on Saturday night.

Participants opting for this package will not be included in any of the field trips and these participants will have to make their own arrangements to reach and leave Falun by train and plan their transfers privately. Price: 120 euro.

Option 1

Full package, including transportation from Arlanda airport, Stockholm, the field trip on Friday (including meals); lunches; the reception on Saturday evening and the banquet on Sunday evening and either transportation back to Arlanda only or the field trip with arrival in Stockholm on Monday evening: Euro 220.

Option 2:

Conference attendance only, including lunch on Saturday and Sunday, the Saturday reception and the Sunday banquet (but no field trips or

transportation) at: Euro 120.

Papers and sessions proposals should be submitted by email before the close of business on 10 January 2013 to cesnur_to@virgilio.it, accompanied by an abstract of no more than 300 words and a CV of no more than 200 words. Proposals may be submitted either in English or in French.

Travelling

We urge you to make your travelling and lodging arrangements as early as possible, as midsummer is a very important holiday in Sweden. Journeys will be cheaper and more available if you book early. For those who arrange their own train journey between Arlanda and Falun, please observe that it is possible to buy train tickets from about three months before the journey, and that the tickets from that time on becomes increasingly expensive. See www.sj.se .

Lodging

Scandic Hotel, just beside the university, is offering special prices for our conference guests. The price, inclusive of a generous breakfast, is 700 SEK for a single room (en suite), 800 SEK for a double room (en suite). To get this price, please write the code “Changing Religious Movements”. See https://www.scandichotels.com/ Hotels/Countries/Sweden/Falun/ Hotels/Scandic-Lugnet/ . Write to falun@scandichotels.com

A cheaper option is an old prison which has been converted into a youth hostel. Three nights, inclusive of breakfast, in a single room, costs

1250 SEK (sharing a common bathroom). Rooms with several beds cost 950 SEK per person for three nights. To get this price, write the code “Changing Religious Movements”. See https://www.falufangelse.se/ Write to info@falufangelse.se The youth hostel is situated about a 20-minute walk from the university, but is, on the other hand, closer to the town center.

Registration for the conference will open on 15 February 2013.