Monthly Archives: January 2018

Lecture/Event: “Is God Really Dead? Why Belief Matters”, Professor Eileen Barker

Monday 12 February 2018, 6.30-8pm
London School of Economics, Old Theatre, Old Building
Hosted by the Department of Sociology

  • Speaker: Professor Eileen Barker, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at LSE with Special Reference to the Study of Religion.
  • Respondent: Professor Conor Gearty, Professor of Human Rights Law at LSE
  • Chair: Professor Nigel Dodd, Professor of Sociology, LSE

Thirty years after founding INFORM, the information network on religious movements, Eileen Barker argues that the sociology of religion still has an important role in “knowing the causes of things”.

This event will celebrate Eileen’s work over the past 30 years. A celebratory drinks reception
will follow the lecture.

This event is free and open to all.
Entry is on a first come, first served basis.

More information at: https://www.lse.ac.uk/Events/2018/02/20180212t1830vOT/is-god-really-dead

Poster for “Is God Really Dead?”, with Prof. Eileen Barker

Call for Papers: 2018 International Conference on Religion & Film

Papers for the 2018 International Conference on Religion & Film may be on any topic related to religion and film. Papers may explore the religious meaning or significance of individual films, provide a historical perspective on religion and film, examine methodologies for religion and film studies, or analyze film genres in relation to religion. We encourage a discussion of films from around the world.

Proposals should include a title and a 350-word description of the paper, and also indicate whether visual media will be used and in what way(s). Papers will be accepted for inclusion in the program based on the description provided. On a separate page, proposals should identify the author and the author’s home institution. The official language of the Conference is English

https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/cfp2018.pdf

Call for Papers: Sociology of Religion Unit

Call for Papers
Sociology of Religion Unit,
American Academy of Religion
Denver, Colorado, November 17-20, 2018
https://papers.aarweb.org/content/sociology-religion-unit

Statement of Purpose:

The Sociology of Religion Program Unit of the American Academy of Religion serves as a bridge between religious studies and the subdiscipline of sociology of religion. The group operates as a two-way conduit to bring sociological research into the field of religious studies and to make findings in the broader study of religion available to sociologists. Through cross-fertilization transgressing disciplinary boundaries there can be breakthroughs in research in both fields. The group has a wide conception of sociology of religion. It is open to a multiplicity of approaches utilized in the discipline of sociology. We work to cultivate theoretical contributions founded upon empirical data from a variety of established methodologies such as quantitative, qualitative, and comparative-historical approaches. 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. Concurrently, it aims to provide scholars of the study of religion with a deeper understanding of the landscape of sociology of religion.

Call for Papers:

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 and 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 anthropology, critical theory, psychology, history, and other related disciplines. We are interested 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 draw from both the theory and methodology of sociology of religion and religious studies and use them as frames for analysis of concrete cases. We invite papers covering both historical and contemporary topics pertinent to the sociological study of religions. In particular, we request papers that touch upon social divisions examining race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, region, age, etc.

Critics of sociology of religion have pointed out that the field is dominated by North American 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.

The purpose of the Sociology of Religion program unit of the American Academy of Religion is to bridge the gap and generate cross-fertilization between the Sociology of Religion and Religious Studies. We are open to papers in all areas and therefore encourage submissions of any topic relevant to the sociology of religion. This year, we are particularly interested in the following topics:

1) Measuring Religiosity and Secularity
2) Religion in the Public Sphere (theme of the conference)
3) Appropriation and Limitations of Western Sociological Theory
4) Politics and Religious Demographics (Demography of Religion) (i.e., voting)
5) Regionalism: Issues relevant to Colorado (water rights, religion and ecology, indigenous religions, etc.)
6) Networks approach (metatheoretical analysis)
7) Global Religions and the Media
8) Christian Nationalism
9) Discourse, Religion, and Law

The Sociology of Religion Group of AAR regularly co-sponsors panels with the peer-reviewed print and online journal Critical Research on Religion (CRR) (https://crr.sagepub.com). Published by SAGE Publications, the journal has over 8000 subscriptions worldwide. Presenters of promising papers in SOR panels will be invited to turn their papers into articles and submit them for peer review to CRR.

Please submit paper and panel proposal through on-line system at: https://papers.aarweb.org

Conference: APAD conference : Migration, Development and Citizenship

Panel conveyors: Hicham JAMID, PhD Candidate, LISE-CNRS Cnam-Paris & ORMES, University Ibn Zohr, Agadir, hichamjmd@gmail.com

Nina SAHRAOUI, Post-doctoral Research Associate, European University Institute, Florence, nina.sahraoui@gmail.com

Research on transnational spaces in the field of migration studies, notably since the 1990s, dedicated specific attention to the transnational practices of migrants, which remedied the biased perspective of the migrant considered only through the prism of immigration and not emigration. While issues revolving around ‘assimilation’, ‘multiculturalism’ and ‘integration’ of migrants have constituted until the end of the 1980s the bulk of social science research around migration, transnationalism studies offered a new analytical approach, able to account for migrants’ ability to create and maintain economic, political and socio-cultural ties between societies of residence and origin. This transnational frame has brought about new perspectives on return migration, revealing that the concept of ‘return’ far from equating definitive return, could be conceptualised as a stage, a phase of the migratory trajectory that needs to be studied in all its dimensions across time and space (Petit et al., 2007). Conceptualising the migrant as a ‘transmigrant’ (Glick Schiller et. al., 1995) sheds light on other dynamics engendered by migration, notably social (Levitt, 1998) and political remittances (Ostergaard-Nielsen, 2003; Collyer, 2014). The study of transnational practices of migrants equally led to an increased scholarly interest for the implications of migration for non-migrant individuals and communities (Levitt and Lamba-Nieves, 2013).

Overall, the development of research in this field has, however, rarely relied on intersectional analytical frames. Several theoretical propositions appear nevertheless to be relevant to intersectional analyses of power relations within transnational practices, such as Floya Anthias’ conceptualisation of ‘translocational positionality’ (Anthias, 2012) or Sarah Mahler and Patricia Pessar’s work on ‘gendered geographies of power’ (Mahler and Pessar, 2001). This panel wishes to dedicate specific attention to gendered and classed analyses of transnational citizenship practices, social remittances, and circular/return migration.

This call invites papers, in French or English, which consider (notably but not only) the following topics:

· circular/return migration, and notably intersectional analyses of these migration patterns;

· forms of social remittances, case studies and typologies ;

· impacts of new technologies on social and political remittances ;

· social remittances of migrants and development issues ;

· social remittances as multidirectional phenomenon between society of departure and society of residence ;

· transnational citizenship practices and their social, civic and political implications for societies of origin ;

· circular/return migration in the light of issues around nationality, citizenship and dual citizenship;

· the implications of emigration and circular/return migration on non-migrant individuals/ families/ communities.

All social sciences disciplines are relevant to this call and interdisciplinary approaches are of particular interest.

Proposals, of 500 words maximum, should be sent by December, 10th, 2017 to Hicham Jamid (hichamjmd@gmail.com) and Nina Sahraoui (nina.sahraoui@gmail.com) and indicate name of author, current position and affiliation. Proposals should specify the main research question, the theoretical framework as well as the methodology followed for the collection of the data mobilised in the paper.

Full communication papers need to be submitted by April 1st, 2018.

Practical information (to be found on the conference website):

This panel is organised in the framework of the APAD (the Association for the Anthropology of Social Change and Development) 2018 conference ‘Migration, Development and Citizenship’ to be held in Roskilde, Denmark, 23-25 Mai 2018.

The Conference languages are English and French.

Registration: Full rate for standard registration: €160. The standard registration fee includes documentation, lunch, coffee-breaks, cocktail and APAD fees for 2018 (+ including one issue of Anthropology & development, APAD journal).

Concession rate (APAD members): €120.

Some grants will be available for African scholars. APAD will organise a writing workshop in March 2018 for young African scholars with a selected paper.

For more information: https://apad-association.org/en/2018-conference/

Doctoral and Postdoctoral Researchers

The Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity (Department for Socio-Cultural Diversity) wishes to appoint highly qualified candidates for up to four new research positions at the doctoral and postdoctoral level. For all the positions, applicants should have a degree in anthropology, sociology, political science, geography, or another relevant social science. Successful applicants’ research interests, experience and publications should be relevant to themes and topics within the Department for Socio-Cultural Diversity (see www.mmg.mpg.de).

Call for Papers

Call for Papers
Sociology of Religion Unit,
American Academy of Religion
Denver, Colorado, November 17-20, 2018
Statement of Purpose:
The Sociology of Religion Program Unit of the American Academy of Religion serves as a bridge between religious studies and the subdiscipline of sociology of religion. The group operates as a two-way conduit to bring sociological research into the field of religious studies and to make findings in the broader study of religion available to sociologists. Through cross-fertilization transgressing disciplinary boundaries there can be breakthroughs in research in both fields. The group has a wide conception of sociology of religion. It is open to a multiplicity of approaches utilized in the discipline of sociology. We work to cultivate theoretical contributions founded upon empirical data from a variety of established methodologies such as quantitative, qualitative, and comparative-historical approaches. 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. Concurrently, it aims to provide scholars of the study of religion with a deeper understanding of the landscape of sociology of religion.
Call for Papers:
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 and 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 anthropology, critical theory, psychology, history, and other related disciplines. We are interested 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 draw from both the theory and methodology of sociology of religion and religious studies and use them as frames for analysis of concrete cases. We invite papers covering both historical and contemporary topics pertinent to the sociological study of religions. In particular, we request papers that touch upon social divisions examining race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, region, age, etc.
Critics of sociology of religion have pointed out that the field is dominated by North American 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.
The purpose of the Sociology of Religion program unit of the American Academy of Religion is to bridge the gap and generate cross-fertilization between the Sociology of Religion and Religious Studies. We are open to papers in all areas and therefore encourage submissions of any topic relevant to the sociology of religion. This year, we are particularly interested in the following topics:
1) Measuring Religiosity and Secularity
2) Religion in the Public Sphere (theme of the conference)
3) Appropriation and Limitations of Western Sociological Theory
4) Politics and Religious Demographics (Demography of Religion) (i.e., voting)
5) Regionalism: Issues relevant to Colorado (water rights, religion and ecology, indigenous religions, etc.)
6) Networks approach (metatheoretical analysis)
7) Global Religions and the Media
8) Christian Nationalism
9) Discourse, Religion, and Law
The Sociology of Religion Group of AAR regularly co-sponsors panels with the peer-reviewed print and online journal Critical Research on Religion (CRR) (https://crr.sagepub.com ). Published by SAGE Publications, the journal has over 8000 subscriptions worldwide. Presenters of promising papers in SOR panels will be invited to turn their papers into articles and submit them for peer review to CRR.
Please submit paper and panel proposal through on-line system at: https://papers.aarweb.org

Call for Papers: Worldviews in creating meaning and purpose for learning

The sixth biennial conference of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction EARLI, Special Interest Group 19: Religious and Spiritual Education provides an 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 topic of the conference discusses how worldviews impact people’s motivation to learn, how worldviews guide people’s life choices and future orientation, and how worldviews and religions help people to find meaning and purpose in life.

The conference includes keynote addresses from Professor Alyssa Bryant Rockenbach (North Carolina State University, USA), Associate Professor Jenny Berglund (Södertörn University, Sweden), Professor Kirsi Tirri (University of Helsinki, Finland) and Professor Ulrich Riegel (University of Siegen, Germany).

For submissions you will need to prepare:
An abstract of 200-250 words maximum (excluding references) submission by January 31st, informing about:
- Mention your preference for a paper or a poster presentation, or a particular roundtable session.
- Include your research questions and objectives,
- Theoretical framework and the referred literature,
- Research design (research approach, methods and tools for collecting and analyzing data) for empirical research or data sources, evidences and materials for others research projects,
- Findings of the study.

Proposal submission via conference website by January 31, 2018
https://www.uef.fi/en/web/sig19conference2018/submissions

Oxford Symposium on Religious Studies

Abstract submission and Registrations are now open for our 2018 Symposia.

The Spring meeting will be held at Queens College – 19, 20 & 21 March.

Abstract Submission Deadline – 5 March.

Early Registration Deadline – 14 February.

Future Symposia Dates

30 July to 1 August – Oxford.

December 5 – 7 December – at The Old Library in the Oxford University Church, Oxford.

The meetings will be held at The Old Library in the Oxford University Church of St Mary. Constructed in 1320, The Old Library is the first university (as opposed to college) building in Oxford and therefore uniquely important; this is where the nascent University began.

The sessions will be hosted by Canon Brian Mountford MBE, former Vicar of St Mary’s. Dr Mountford is a Fellow of St Hilda’s College in the University of Oxford.

You are invited to present a paper on an aspect of religious studies, or you may wish to attend as an observer. The symposium is interdisciplinary and has a broad-based theme.

Consult the Oxford Symposium on Religious Studies website for registration deadlines and publication information.

The Mainline in Late Modernity

Tradition and Innovation in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Maren Freudenberg

In the last fifty years, religion in America has changed dramatically, and Mainline Protestantism is following suit. This book reveals a fundamental transformation taking place in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The ELCA is looking to postdenominational Christianity for inspiration on how to attract people to the pews, but is at the same time intent on preserving its confessional, liturgical tradition as much as possible in late modernity. As American religion grows increasingly experiential and individualistic, the ELCA is caught between its church heritage and a highly innovative culture that demands participative structures and a personal relationship with the divine. In the midst of this tension, the ELCA is deflating its church hierarchy and encouraging people to become involved in congregations on their own terms, while it continues to celebrate its confessional, liturgical identity. But can this balance between individual and institution be upheld in the long run? Or will the democratization and pluralization of the faith ultimately undermine the church? This book explores how the ELCA attempts to resist the forces of Americanization in late modernity even as it slowly but surely comes to resemble mainstream American religion more and more.