Monthly Archives: November 2014

Call for Papers: Session on ”Social Theory and Religion”, International Society for the Sociology of Religion, July 2-5, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

CALL FOR CONFERENCE PAPERS
(in either French or English)


Social Theory and Religion / La Théorie sociale et le religieux

The aim of this session is to stimulate debate about theoretical ideas that have a bearing on sociological research on religion. With reference to the conference theme – Sensing Religion – we invite papers that focus on, but are not limited to, discussing theorisations of religion and the senses. Contributions are welcome from researchers applying both familiar and less familiar traditions of social theory to the study of religion.

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Le but de cette session est de stimuler le débat sur les idées théoriques ayant un impact sur la recherche sociologique sur la religion. En ce qui concerne le thème de la conférence—Éprover le religieux—nous encourageons la soumission d’articles portant, principalement, mais pas uniquement, sur une discussion des théorisations de la religion et des sens. Les contributions de chercheurs appliquant des traditions de théorie sociale aussi bien connues que moins connues à l’étude de la religion sont les bienvenues.​


Please submit proposals at the ISSR website: https://sisr-issr.org/Program/ 

Please feel free to write the organizers with questions:

We may be able to publish the best of these papers as a special journal issue (refereed)This depends on the quality of what we receive.

Public Lecture: “POST-SECULARISM AND NEO-LIBERALISM: TOWARDS THE I-SATION OF SOCIETY?”, Prof. Adam Possamai

Public Lecture by Prof. Adam Possamai: “POST-SECULARISM AND NEO-LIBERALISM: TOWARDS THE I-SATION OF SOCIETY?”

When: 4 PM - 20.11.14

Where: Conference Room – NATSEM Building 24, University Drive,
University of Canberra, Bruce (ACT)

BELIEF AND SOCIETY SEMINAR SERIES

Abstract:

By post-secularism, Habermas refers to the process of the de-privatization of religion, and to the current dialogue about managing the presence of religious groups within secular frameworks in the public sphere. This dialogue is currently affected by what I call the i-sation of society. In Jameson’s classic work, the end of the 20th century was claimed to face the third phase of capitalism, that of late capitalism, the world space of multinational capital. Around the same time, Ritzer wrote about the McDonaldisation of Society which refers to the permeability of (what Weber made reference to as) rational bureaucracy into our everyday life. This paper argues that we are now in a fourth stage of capitalism, the cyber space of ‘deterritorialised’ capitalism, and that with the help of new i-technologies, this penetration of rational bureaucracy has filtered further from everyday life to our personal biographies. Linking these two theories, this paper presents the argument that we are going through a process of i-sation of society (1) in which capitalism is not only dominating our outer life (e.g. global capitalism) but our inner life as well through its expansion on the Internet facilitated by various i-technological applications and (2) in which the McDonaldisation process has now been normalised and religion has been standardised. This process greatly affects the communicative action that religions were supposed to follow in our post-secular times. I will conclude that they have, paradoxically, been colonised or McDonaldised.

 

Adam Possamai is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Religion and Society Research Centre, University of Western Sydney. He is the former President of the RC22 on the Sociology of Religion from the International Sociological Association. His latest books are Religious Change and Indigenous Peoples: the Making of Religious Identities (with H. Onnudottir and B. Turner, Ashgate, 2013) and The Handbook of Hyper-Real Religions (as editor, Brill, 2012).

Appel à communications: Les évolutions de la Science chrétienne

Les évolutions de la Science chrétienne

Congrès international organisé par l’Observatoire européen des Religions et de la Laïcité et la Faculté d’études comparatives des religions et de l’Humanisme de Wilrijk-Anvers en partenariat avec le CESNUR (Turin) and CLIMAS (Bordeaux)

23-24 avril 2015

Lieu: Anvers: Faculty for the Comparative Study of Religion and Humanism.

Bist 164. 2610 Wilrijk-Antwerpen. Belgique

En 2015, le livre Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures de Mary Baker Eddy aura 140 ans. Il fut la pierre d’angle d’une Église de guérison, la Science chrétienne, qui s’est répandue dans le monde et qui affiche un nombre impressionnant de témoignages de guérison. Mais la Science chrétienne est plus qu’une Healing Church : elle est un mode de vie, une culture marquée par des inspirations artistiques des valeurs sociales qui se reflètent notamment dans le journal mondialement connu qu’est le Christian Science Monitor et dans bien d’autres domaines. Dans nos représentations, la Science chrétienne est l’Église mère de Boston avec sa cathédrale mais elle qui fait partie du paysage religieux mondial et mérite une attention renouvelée des universitaires qui étudient le fait religieux. En coopération avec la Faculté d’études comparatives des religions et de l’Humanisme (FVG) of Wilrijk-Antwerpen, l’Observatoire européen des Religions et de la Laïcité propose de mettre à jour la connaissance théologique, philosophique, sociologique, juridique, de ce mouvement.

On pourra aborder les évolutions de la Science chrétienne sous ces divers angles :

  • - évolutions de la direction et de la gouvernance,
  • - croissance numérique, expansion internationale, modalités d’installation,
  • - perception dans le monde en tant que groupe né en Amérique,
  • - problèmes juridiques,
  • - impact sur l’art et la culture…
  • - couverture médiatique
  • - influences de la Science chrétienne sur la communauté religieuse, par exemple sur la New Thought, la guérison chrétienne, la Scientology. Gordon Melton organise une session sur le rôle de la SC dans la naissance de la New Thought.

La liste n’est pas close et toutes les dimensions de l’analyse de la Science chrétienne sont bienvenues.

Langues : français et anglais.

Nous vous invitons à envoyer vos abstracts (10 lignes) et un court cv à Régis Dericquebourg, professeur associé de la FVG et président de l’Observatoire européen des Religions et de la Laïcité,

et/ou à Bernadette Rigal-Cellard, professeur à l’Université Bordeaux Montaigne, vice-présidente de l’Observatoire.

redericq@netcourrier.com

bcellard@numericable.fr

Comité scientifique

  • Regis Dericquebourg, Associate Professor at the FVG and President of the European Observatory of Religions and laïcité (secularism), France and Belgium
  • Massimo Introvigne, CESNUR, Torino, Italy
  • Gordon Melton, Distinguished Professor of American Religious History, Baylor, Texas
  • Bernadette Rigal-Cellard, Professor in North American Studies, member de CLIMAS (Culture et littératures du monde anglo saxon), Université Bordeaux Montaigne, France
  • Chris Vonck, professor in Religious Studies, Dean of the faculty of Comparative studies of religions, (FVG), Wilrijk (Antwerpen), Belgium

La publication des présentations sera envisagée sur les recommandations du comité scientifique. Nous insistons sur le fait que les textes seront soumis d’abord au comité organisateur avant d’être soumis à d’autres éditeurs.

Les détails sur l’inscription, l’hébergement, l’accès au lieu du congrès seront donnés ultérieurement.

Les conférenciers prennent en charge leurs frais de transport et d’hébergement.

Call for Papers: The evolutions of Christian Science in scholarly perspective

Call for papers

The evolutions of Christian Science in scholarly perspective

April 23-24, 2015

Antwerp, Belgium
Organized by : The European Observatory of Religion and Secularism (Laïcité) in partnership with Faculty of Comparative Studies of Religions, CESNUR and CLIMAS (Bordeaux)

Venue: Faculty of Comparative Studies of Religions (FVG). Wilrijk (Antwerpen) Belgium.

In 2015 Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures will be 140 years old. It lay the foundation of a healing church, Christian Science, that since then has spread to the whole world and has received thousands of testimonies on its spiritual and physical healing power. Yet Christian Science is much more than a healing church, it is a way of life, spiritually, socially and materially, and it has given birth to an original culture. Its values are displayed in the world famous Christian Science Monitor and in many more areas. With the mother Church of Boston, Christian Science is a major actor on the international religious stage that deserves to be reassessed today in a scholarly perspective. We thus invite religious studies scholars to join us in Antwerp to focus on its evolutions and possible transformations in its 140 years of existence.

The list of topics below is not exhaustive:

  • - Evolutions of the governance of the Church,
  • - Membership: numbers, growth, sociological profile. International expansion,
  • - Perception in the world as an American born religion,
  • - Judicial issues addressing its status and its healing techniques,
  • - Impact on art and culture in general,
  • - Media coverage,
  • - Influences: Christian Science impact on the religious community, including New Thought, Christian healing, Scientology… (In this regard, Gordon Melton has suggested a session on the role of Christian Science on the birth of New Thought).

Language of the conference: English and French

Send a 10 line abstract, with a 5 line résumé of your previous work to:

Régis Dericquebourg, Associate Professor at the FVG and President of the European Observatory of Religions and laïcité (secularism)

and/or to Bernadette Rigal-Cellard, professor at Université Bordeaux Montaigne, vice-president of the Observatory.

redericq@netcourrier.com

bcellard@numericable.fr

Papers will be considered for publication, with editorial details given during the conference. It is understood that presenters must submit their paper first to the organizers before submitting them to other publishers.

Detail on registration, housing, transportation will be given later

Deadline to submit your proposal: February 28, 2015

Unfortunately, no funding will be available to cover travel and accommodation expenses

Scientific committee:

  • Regis Dericquebourg, Associate Professor at the FVG and President of the European Observatory of Religions and laïcité (secularism), France and Belgium
  • Massimo Introvigne, CESNUR, Torino, Italy
  • Gordon Melton, Distinguished Professor of American Religious History, Baylor, Texas
  • Bernadette Rigal-Cellard, Professor in North American Studies, Université Bordeaux Montaigne, member de CLIMAS (Culture et littératures du monde anglo saxon), France
  • Chris Vonck, professor in Religious Studies, Dean of the faculty of Comparative studies of religions, (FVG), Wilrijk (Antwerpen), Belgium

Appel à communications: “Religion et institutions publiques: nouvelles pratiques et dynamiques religieuses-séculières”

Dans le cadre de la 33e conférence de la SISR qui aura lieu à Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgique), du 2 au 5 Juillet 2015 nous lançons l’appel à communications suivant pour la Session STS 21.
Religion et institutions publiques: nouvelles pratiques et dynamiques religieuses-séculières

Les institutions publiques sont des lieux privilégiés pour l’observation du rôle changeant du religieux dans nos sociétés contemporaines. D’une part, leur analyse permet, telle une fenêtre, d’observer les implications pratiques, sociales et politiques des transformations globales contemporaines des dynamiques religieuses-séculières. Les institutions publiques reflètent, en miniature, les enjeux émergents que la croissante vitalité et variété religieuse pose dans la sphère publique. D’autre part, elles gagnent en importance comme des lieux de fabrication du champ religieux et de ses frontières. Dans ce sens, la présence de plus en plus forte de “spiritualités holistes” dans les institutions publiques telles que les prisons ou les hôpitaux illustre la perméabilité des frontières traditionnelles et nourrit de nouvelles pratiques à la limite du séculier. De plus, les micro-processus de négociation, contestation et accommodement autour de revendications religieuses dans ces institutions contribuent à redéfinir le rôle des Églises traditionnelles et des minorités religieuses dans nos sociétés. Cette session vise à faire rencontrer des scientifiques étudiant le rôle du religieux dans les institutions publiques telles que — mais non exclusivement—les hôpitaux, les prisons ou les écoles. Nous encourageons notamment la présentation de recherches empiriques adoptant une approche comparative internationale ou inter-institutionnelle.

Nous invitons les personnes intéressées par ces thématiques à nous faire parvenir une proposition de communication au plus tard le 15 décembre 2014 en utilisant le formulaire en ligne https://sisr-issr.org/Program/
Pour toute information, n’hésitez pas à nous contacter via email.

Irene BECCI (UNIL– Université de Lausanne, Switzerland: Irene.BecciTerrier@unil.ch)
Mar GRIERA (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain: mariadelmar.griera@uab.cat)
Lene KÜHLE (Aarhus University, Denmark: lk@cas.au.dk)

Call for Papers: “Religion and Public Institutions: New Practices and Religious-Secular Dynamics”

Call for Papers:

In the frame of the 33rd ISSR conference to be hold in Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium), from 2-5 July 2015 we launch a call for papers for Session STS 21.

Religion and Public Institutions: New Practices and Religious-Secular Dynamics

Public institutions are crucial sites for exploring the changing role of religion in contemporary societies. One the one hand, they serve as windows to observe the practical, social and political implications of the current global transformations of the religious-secular dynamics. Public institutions reflect in miniature the challenges raised by the growing religious vitality and variety in the public sphere. On the other hand, they gain relevance as strategic places where the religious field and its boundaries are being reshaped. In this regard, the increasing presence of ‘holistic spiritualities’ in public institutions such as prisons or hospitals evidences the blurring nature of traditional boundaries and foster new practic es at the limit of the secular. Moreover, the micro processes of negotiation, contestation and accommodation of religious claims within these institutions contribute to redefine the role of historical churches and religious minorities in current societies.This panel aims to bring together researchers studying the role of religion in public institutions such as—but not restricted to—hospitals, prisons or schools. We particularly welcome papers with strong empirical foundations and those taking a cross-instiutional or cross-country comparative approach.
We invite paper proposals related to this topic to be submitted no later than December, 15th 2014. Proposals should use the online form (https://sisr-issr.org/Program/)

For any information, please contact us via e-mail:

Irene BECCI (UNIL– Université de Lausanne, Switzerland: Irene.BecciTerrier@unil.ch)
Mar GRIERA (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain: mariadelmar.griera@uab.cat)
Lene KÜHLE (Aarhus University, Denmark: lk@cas.au.dk)