Growing Up in the North Caucasus:
Society, Family, Religion and Education

By Irina Molodikova, Alan Watt
Routledge - 2013

https://www.routledgementalhealth.com/books/details/9780415685924/

Investigating changes in upbringing in the North Caucasus, a region notorious for violent conflict, this book explores the lives of the generation born after the dissolution of the USSR who grew up under conditions of turmoil and rapid social change. It avoids the ‘traditional’ presentation of the North Caucasus as a locus of violence, and instead presents the life of people in the region through the lens of the young generation growing up there.

Using focus groups with teachers and students of different ethnic groups, as well as surveys and essays written by children, the book suggests that while the legacy of conflict plays a role in many children’s lives, it is by no means the only factor in their upbringing.
It explores how conflict has influenced upbringing, and goes on to consider factors such as the revival of religion, the impact of social and economic upheaval, and the shifting balance between school and parents. As well as revealing the dynamic influences on children’s upbringing in the region, the book presents recommendations on how to address some of the challenges that arise. The role of government in education is also evaluated, and prospects for the future are considered. The book is useful for students and scholars of Education, Sociology and Central Asian Studies.

Authors

Irina Molodikova is Supervisor of the North Caucasus Initiative of the Open Society Foundation at the Central European University, Hungary.

Alan Watt is Lecturer in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy at the Central European University, Hungary.

Call for Papers for a Special Session:

The Politics and Poetics of Managing Tourism in Sacred Cities

Amos S. Ron - Ashkelon Academic College, Israel Daniel H. Olsen - Brandon University, Canada

RGS-IBG Annual International Conference 2014

26 to 29 August 2014, at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in London

Sacred cities are one of the oldest and most prevalent forms of urban organization and can be found in several cultures and locations throughout human history. Cities such as Varanasi, Lourdes, Mecca, Lalibela and Jerusalem have long attracted pilgrims, merchants, and other tourists. However, although there has been much written on sacred cities from various disciplines, such as comparative religion (e.g.
Diana Eck on Varanasi), history (e.g. Ruth Harris on Lourdes) and anthropology (e.g. Abdellah Hammoudi on Mecca), very little has been written by geographers and tourism scholars. Furthermore, in studies on sacred cities the focus has been descriptive and case study-oriented with little focus on the management of pilgrimage and other forms of tourism.

This session therefore aims to bring together a range of papers that examine sacred cities from various theoretical, methodological and practical perspectives, in different historical, cultural and geographical contexts with a focus on tourism management. Submissions can be case study oriented, comparative or conceptual, and may address, but are not be limited to, the following areas:

• The history of sacred site management

• Challenges, problems and solutions in management of sacred destinations

• Modern mass tourism to ancient sacred cities

• Modernity, technology and visiting the sacred

• Contested spaces in sacred cities

• Sustainable development of sacred cities

• Commodification in sacred cities

• The resilience of sacred cities

• The shared characteristics of sacred cities

• Patterns of globalization in sacred cities

• Spatial patterns of beggars and begging in sacred cities

Abstracts (max. 250 words) should be submitted by Sunday 23 February, 2014. For more details, and to submit an abstract, please contact:

Dr. Amos S. Ron, Department of Tourism and Leisure Studies, Ashkelon Academic College, Ashkelon, Israel: amosron@gmail.com

Dr. Daniel H. Olsen, Department of Geography, Brandon University, Brandon, Manitoba, Canada: olsend@brandonu.ca

Special Issue: Religion, Spirituality, and Family Life

Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions/special_issues/family-life

Guest Editor: Prof. Dr. Joanne E. Roberts, Dr. Jeremy R. Rhodes Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 March 2014

You may send your manuscript now or up until the deadline.

Submitted papers should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere. We also encourage authors to send us their tentative title and short abstract to the Editorial Office (religions@mdpi.com) for approval.

This Special Issue will be fully open access. Open access (unlimited and free access by readers) increases publicity and promotes more frequent citations, as indicated by several studies. Open access is supported by the authors and their institutes.

More information is available at https://www.mdpi.com/about/openaccess/.

The Article Processing Charges (APC) are 300 CHF for well prepared manuscripts. In addition, a fee of 250 CHF may apply if English editing or extensive revisions must be undertaken by the Editorial Office.

For details see: https://www.mdpi.com/about/apc/.

Please visit the website of Instructions for Authors before submitting a paper at https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions/instructions/.

Manuscripts should be submitted through the online manuscript submission and editorial system at https://www.mdpi.com/user/manuscripts/upload/.

Religions (ISSN 2077-1444) is an international, open access scholarly journal publishing peer-reviewed studies of religious thought and practice. It is available online to promote critical, hermeneutical, historical, and constructive conversations.

It aims to serve the interests of a wide range of thoughtful readers and academic scholars of religion, as well as theologians, philosophers, social scientists, anthropologists, psychologists, neuroscientists and others interested in the multidisciplinary study of religions.

MDPI publishes several peer-reviewed, open access journals listed at https://www.mdpi.com/. The Editorial Board members, including several Nobel Laureates (https://www.mdpi.com/about/nobelists/), are all leading active scholars. All MDPI journals maintain rapid, yet rigorous, peer- review, manuscript handling and editorial processes. MDPI journals have increased their impact factors, see “2012 Newly Released Impact Factors”, https://www.mdpi.com/about/announcements/398.

In case of questions, please contact the Editorial Office at:

religions@mdpi.com

Moderation and its Discontents: religion, rights and social justice

Organiser: Dr Alexander Smith
Department of Sociology, University of Warwick

Monday, 23 June - Wednesday, 25 June 2014

Keynote speakers
Professor Bob Antonio (Sociology, University of Kansas) Professor Danielle Allen (Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton) Professor John Holmwood (Sociology, University of Nottingham) Dr Rowan Williams (ex-Archbishop of Canterbury)

Workshop
With the rise of neoliberal globalisation in the early 21st Century, the world is undergoing complex and rapid economic and political transformations. The apparent arrival of a ‘post-secular’ moment in the West, in which religion has re-entered the public square in multicultural liberal democracies like Britain and further unsettled debates about rights, secularism and ‘truth’, further signals a world ‘in flux’. The threat of both ‘home-grown’ terrorism and racist violence, as witnessed last year with the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich and Pavlo Lapshyn’s attempted bombings of mosques in the West Midlands, intensifies again these anxieties and uncertainties. This has prompted some now to argue for a project of moderation to mitigate the effects of crisis and indeterminacy associated with market-based policies and the so-called ‘culture wars’ they have provoked. Indeed, moderation has been fiercely argued in relation to combating Islamic extremism and finding an enduring peace in the Middle East. It has also been the subject of US debate in relation to issues of electoral polarisation and Church-State separation.

But what does ‘moderation’ actually mean? And what might a reasoned project of moderation look like - intellectually, politically and in practice? This interdisciplinary workshop builds on the arguments of Alex Smith and John Holmwood in their edited volume Sociologies of Moderation: problems of democracy, expertise and the media (2013, Wiley Blackwell) to suggest that moderation is better understood as a disciplined engagement with divided publics rather than a doctrine devoid of intellectual commitment or moral courage. Papers are therefore invited from scholars working in any field of the arts, humanities and social sciences on issues relating to the conference theme. Working with an expanded definition of moderation, contributions on the following topics would be particularly welcome:

• Democracy, multiculturalism and interfaith dialogue
• Citizenship, human rights and social justice
• Education, expertise and the media
• Publics versus markets
• Pragmatism and social theory
• Religion, secularism and science

Please send abstracts to Dr Alexander Smith at alexander.smith@warwick.ac.uk no later than 17.00 on Friday, 7 February 2014. Those selected to give papers will be informed by the end of February. Abstracts should be no longer than 250 words and should be attached as a Word document with your institutional affiliation and position.

The workshop is being generously supported by funding from Warwick University’s Research Development Fund, the Global Research Priority ‘Connecting Cultures’ and the Department of Sociology. Reasonable travel and accommodation expenses within the UK will be reimbursed to those selected to present papers. A condition of being selected will be that the conference organiser reserves the first right of rejection for publication of the paper. For further details on publication plans, please contact Dr Smith.

Dr Alexander Smith
Senior Leverhulme Research Fellow
Assistant Professor of Sociology
The University of Warwick
Coventry CV4 7AL
United Kingdom

Phone: +44 (0)24 7615 1958
Fax: +44 (0)24 7652 3497

Tweet: alexttsmith
Staff webpage:
www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/sociology/staff/research/alexandersmith

2nd CALL FOR PAPERS: EARLI SIG 19 CONFERENCE IN HELSINKI

Warmest welcome to the 4th biennial conference of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction EARLI, Special Interest Group 19 on Religious and Spiritual Education.

The theme is “Identities, Cultures and Worldviews: Religious and Spiritual Education in Pluralist Settings”. The 2014 conference will be held on 6th-8th August 2014 at the Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki, Finland.

The EARLI SIG 19 conference provides and international academic forum for presenting and discussing latest research findings on religious and spiritual education taking place in different societal and educational settings and across age groups. The EARLI SIG 19 is addressing both junior and senior scholars to present their work. The conference includes keynote addresses from Professor Helena Helve (University of Tampere, Finland) and Professor Hans-Georg Ziebertz (University of Uppsala, Sweden & University of Würzburg, Germany).

As a Special Interest Group, we also have a strong tradition of publishing. Our peer-reviewed publications based on a selection of papers presented in our conferences have included Special Issues in the Journal of Empirical Theology (2009) and the Journal of Beliefs and Values (forthcoming 2014), as well as an edited volume in the Research on Religious and Spiritual Education series published by Waxmann (2012). We intend to publish a selection of papers also following the 2014 conference.

The deadline for the 200-250 word submissions is 31st January 2014. More information on the submission and registration procedures in the attachment and on our conference web page https://blogs.helsinki.fi/sig19conference/

Please feel free to disseminate the information to your colleagues and students working with/interested in the theme.

Best wishes

Arniika Kuusisto
Ulrich Riegel
Elina Kuusisto

EARLI SIG 19 Coordinators

2nd Call_CFP EARLI SIG19 Helsinki 2014.pdf

Research Institute for the Humanities

(Ref. 14/010/3) (Closing date: February 28, 2014)

Research Institute for the Humanities is preparing to establish a Research Centre for the Islamic Studies (name tbc). In this connection, we are now seeking a researcher to conduct research projects and take part in relevant research activities related to Islamic Studies.

Applicants should have (i) at least a doctoral degree in Islamic Studies, Religious Studies, History or a related discipline, candidates with eight years or above relevant post-qualification experience may be appointed as Research Fellow; (ii) a proven track record of research and publication; (iii) research capability in the studies of Islam in China, e.g. Islam and Chinese culture, Islam and Chinese society; (iv) good command of both spoken and written Chinese and English, including Putonghua, knowledge of Arabic will be an advantage; and (v) the ability to work independently and under pressure.

The appointee will be (a) conducting research related to Islamic Studies for publication; (b) assisting relevant research and publication projects, including writing research proposals, taking part in academic conference, editing manuscripts for publication, etc.; (c) participating in knowledge transfer activities; and (d) contributing to other academic works conducted by the Institute.

Appointment will be made on contract basis for two years commencing August 2014 or as soon as possible, renewable subject to mutual agreement.

Salary and Fringe Benefits
Salary will be highly competitive, commensurate with qualifications and experience. The University offers a comprehensive fringe benefit package, including medical care plus a contract-end gratuity for an appointment of two years.

Further information about the University and the general terms of service is available on our homepage at https://www.per.cuhk.edu.hk.

Application Procedure
Application forms are obtainable
(a) at https://www.per.cuhk.edu.hk; or
(b) in person/by mail with a stamped, self-addressed envelope from the Personnel Office, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong; or (c) by fax polling at 3943 1461.

Completed forms, together with copies of qualification documents, should reach the Research Institute for the Humanities, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong by the closing date. Please quote the reference number and mark ‘Application - Confidential’ on cover.

22ND NORDIC CONFERENCE FOR SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION 2014

Change and Continuity - Religion, State, Civil Society

We are delighted to invite you to submit proposals for papers under the theme Change and Continuity - Religion, State, Civil Society.

Date: 20 - 22 August 2014

Place: University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Humanities, Njalsgade 122, 2300 Copenhagen S

Official website: https://ncsr.ku.dk/

Keynote Speakers:

Martin Baumann, Professor at the Study of Religions, University of Lucerne Lori G. Beaman, Professor at Department for Classics and Religious Studies, University of Ottawa Peter Gundelach, Professor of Sociology, University of CopenhagenViktor Yelensky, Professor at Department for the Study of Religion, The Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences

The 22nd Nordic Conference for Sociology of Religion seeks a more thorough understanding - theoretically as well as empirically - of the dynamic interrelations of religion, state and civil society. In short, we would like to find out how this interrelation is part of processes of change and continuity in society today. In line with the traditions of the Nordic conferences, contributions addressing this scope as well as other topics within the sociology of religion are welcome!

Call for Papers: Deadline 1 March 2014

Registration: Deadline 31 May 2014

Organisers: Professor, dr. phil. Margit Warburg, Assistant Professor, PhD, Brian Arly Jacobsen and conference secretary Astrid Krabbe Trolle, Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen

Best wishes,

Astrid Krabbe Trolle, Brian Arly Jacobsen & Margit Warburg

Assistant Professor, PhD, Brian Arly Jacobsen Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies University of Copenhagen Njalsgade 80, lok. 10-4-18 2300 Copenhagen S.
Phone: (+45) 5130 2481
E-mail: brianj@hum.ku.dk

Astrid Krabbe Trolle
Conference Secretary
Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies University of Copenhagen Karen Blixens Vej 4 2300 Copenhagen S.
E-mail: fmz310@hum.ku.dk

Call for papers for panel at the BSA Socrel Annual Conference, Religion and Crisis, 2-4 July 2014, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK

Panel:

Religion and the Global City: Space, Scale, and Embodied Subjectivity

Organizers: David Garbin and Anna Strhan (University of Kent)

Discussant: Manuel Vasquez (University of Florida)

A growing interest in urban religious life is emerging as part of a broader interest in cities across different disciplines. While cities have played a crucial analytical role in the discipline of sociology, they did not figure prominently in studies of religion, given how the elective affinity between urbanization and secularization fashioned a paradigmatic understanding of modernity. The recent turn to ‘urban religion’ can be understood as part of a broader spatial turn, addressing the materialities, performance and politics of emplaced sacralisation and the issues of representation, identity and power implicated in these. Scholars have increasingly sought to explore distinctively urban forms of religious life as ‘the site of converging and conflicting visions and voices, practices and orientations, which arise out of the complex desires, needs, and fears of many different people who have come to cities by choice or compulsion (or both), and who find themselves intersecting with unexpected others’ (Orsi 1999: 44).

This panel will address different ways in which forms of religious culture and practice are located within, shape, and are shaped by global cities. As transnational labour markets and flows of capital create new forms of global city in which processes of socio-economic polarization are increasingly intensified, how do these process interrelate with everyday religious lives? How are religious and urban imaginings and desires intertwined? How does religion and its engagements with non-religion create particular modes of connection and disconnection, comfort and discomfort in these urban spaces? To what extent have notions of home and locality associated with religious life been reconfigured in the global city milieu?

Please send a 150 word abstract to D.Garbin and A.H.B.Strhan by 28 January 2014

Anna Strhan

Leverhulme Early Career Fellow

Department of Religious Studies, SECL

University of Kent, Canterbury UK, CT2 7NF

Tel: +44(0)1227 823436