This is a reminder that the 2021 call for papers deadline for the American Academy of Religion conference has been extended to Monday, March 8, 5pm EST.
Proposals are submitted through INSPIRE, the AAR’s new proposal submission and review system. AAR has written these instructions for using the INSPIRE site.
The Cognitive Science of Religion Unit welcomes paper proposals for the following sessions this year:
1. Current Theories and Applications of the Cognitive Science of Religion. This call is intentionally broad in scope. We invite scholars who are using current cognitive theories and/or applied research in the study of religion, religions, or religious-related phenomena to submit a proposal for a paper or panel session for inclusion in the 2021 AAR-CSR Unit’s sessions.
2. Neuroscientific and Cognitive Approaches to Conversion (co-sponsorship with the Religious Conversions Unit): this call invites papers grounded in cognitive and/or neuroscientific approaches to understanding religious conversion. Potential topics include brain-based technologies for spiritual enhancement (e.g., “Spirit Tech” by W. Wildman and K. Stockly); spiritual practices’ effects on the brain (e.g., “When God Talks Back” by T. Luhrmann); the relationship between mindfulness, meditation and neuroplasticity; and similar topics.
3. Evolutionary Approaches to the Cognitive Science of Religion. We invite scholars who are using current evolutionary theories and/or applied research (e.g., cultural evolution, by-product and adaptationist arguments, gene-culture co-evolution, etc.) in the study of religious ritual and behavior, as well as the formation and persistence of religions, religious groups, and religious-related phenomena to submit a proposal for a paper or panel session for inclusion in the 2021 AAR-CSR Unit’s sessions.