Author Archives: Jim

Call for Papers: Ecclesiology & Ethnography Conference

Durham University, September 17-19, 2019

This is the annual conference for the network bringing together scholars working on ethnographic approaches to ecclesiology. It is is a wide ranging conference, and part of the joy is discovering a diversity of specialisms and learning, from ecclesiology and systematic theology to sociology, anthropology and human geography.  We welcome papers from scholars across the disciplines. Early career scholars and those in ministry are also welcome. 
To download information about types and lengths of paper, click here.  General information about the conference and St John’s College can be found here.  To propose a paper, click here and fill in the form by May 31st.

Call for conference organisers – Socrel 2020

Dear colleagues,

Socrel invites proposals for an organising team, theme and venue for the Annual Conference in July 2020. If you would like to host Socrel’s next conference at your university or a suitable conference centre, we encourage you to submit a proposal by May 24th 2019

This is an excellent opportunity to host a prestigious and fully-supported conference (including international keynotes and bursaries).

About Socrel and the annual conference
Socrel is the Sociology of Religion Study Group of the British Sociological Association (BSA). It is the second largest study group in the BSA and has been in operation for over 40 years. Socrel currently has over 200 active members and organises a range of events each year, including the annual conference, a Socrel response day focused on an issue of particular current relevance and a study day for postgraduate and early career researchers. Socrel publishes one edited volume each year with Routledge.
The theme of a Socrel conference should be distinctive enough to form a focus for discussion, but broad enough to allow a wide range of sociologists of religion, postgraduates, and other scholars interested in social scientific study of religion to relate the conference to their own work. Over the last ten years Socrel conference themes have included: On the Edge? Centres and Margins in the Sociology of Religion (2017), Construction and disruption: The power of religion in the public sphere (2016), Foundations and Futures (2015), Religion and Crisis (2014), Material Religion (2013), Religion and Inequalities (2012), Religion and Social Theory (2011), The Changing Face of Christianity (2010), Religion and Knowledge (2009), Religion and Youth (2008), Religion and Media (2007) and Religion and the Individual (2006).

The Annual Conference will take place over three days in early -mid July. Socrel’s annual conferences attract 100-140 participants. Your venue should be able to provide lecture or seminar rooms for at least four parallel sessions and accommodation for at least 100 overnight guests.

Your organising team will be supported by the Socrel committee and the BSA Events Team.

Please visit: https://www.britsoc.co.uk/groups/study-groups/sociology-of-religion-study-group/  for more information about this year’s conference and the group.

Proposal details
Your proposal should include the following headings:

  1. Conference title and theme, with an explanation (no more than 300 words) of why you believe this theme will make for an interesting and successful conference
  2. Suggested dates for the conference, which should be held in July
  3. Your proposed venue for the conference, including a brief explanation of why you believe this venue is appropriate
  4. A list of the team members who will help you to organise this conference (the principal organisers must be Socrel members).
  5. Suggested keynote speakers
  6. A list of the major sub themes you hope to include among the conference presentations. What will people be talking about at your event?

If you have any questions, or would like to discuss your ideas before submitting a formal proposal, please contact the Socrel Conference and Events Officer, Rachael Shillitoe, at Rachael.shillitoe@york.ac.uk

Church of England, Research & Statistics Unit presents Faith in Research 2019

Wednesday 19th June 2019
9.30am – 4.45pm,
Novotel Hotel, Birmingham

This exciting conference will provide you with insights from keynote speakers: Professor Christopher Southgate (“How can congregations be helped in times of tragedy?”) and Dr Kathryn Kissell (“Boundaries in Ministerial Life? The Why, Where and How for Longevity in Ministry”).

You will also be able to attend two of four breakout sessions which will tackle:
  *   Clergy and wellbeing
  *   Social action
  *   Church and culture
  *   Children and young people

Book your ticket here

Booking closes Friday 7th June 2019
For further information please contact charlotte.sibtain@churchofengland.org

Charlotte Sibtain
Statistical Researcher
Church House
Great Smith Street
London SW1P 3AZ

Call for Session Proposals: ISA 4th Forum of Sociology–Deadline March 15, 2019

Call for Sessions
ISA Forum of Sociology
Porto Alegre, Brazil July 14 -18, 2020
Research Committees, Working and Thematic Groups of the International Sociological Association solicit session proposals for the forthcoming Fourth ISA Forum of Sociology.
Session proposals (250 words) in English, Spanish and/or French must be submitted by March 15, 2019 through the ISA online system available at: https://www.isa-sociology.org/en/conferences/forum/porto-alegre-2020

No extension of deadline is possible.

Kind regards,
International Sociological Association

CFP: Conference on Racism and Religion 2019

Centre for Multidisciplinary Studies on Racism
Uppsala University
6-8 NOVEMBER, 2019

  • Submission of abstracts: 30 April (200 words)
  • Session proposal: 30 April (400 words)
  • Decision on acceptance: 15 May
  • Registration opens: 1 September
  • Registration closes: 30 September
  • Conference fees: Regular 1 500 SEK. PhD Student 1 000 SEK

The histories of racism and religion are entangled. To understand how processes of racism, nationalism, and exclusion come about in different forms we need to view these developments as intertwined with religion and ideas of religion and religiosity.

The rise of islamophobia and antisemitism, discrimination and violent persecution of minorities in the name of religion or secularism, and controversies around the visibility of religious practices in public space, all point to the need for a deeper understanding of in what ways religion historically and in the present plays a central role in producing and upholding racism and colonial practices/structures.

Religion has also played a central role in counter movements such as civil rights, indigenous rights, anti-colonial and, anti-apartheid movements. An additional aspect to explore is religious symbols and representations that have been part of anti-racist art and music and the place of spiritualism in artistic resistance to racism. What role has and does religion play in developing and upholding racist and nationalist structures? In what ways are different entangled forms of racism and religion being manifested? How can we for example understand antisemitism and islamophobia on a global and local scale? What does it mean to be living in a supposedly post-racial, post-secular world? What role does religion and/or spirituality play in antiracist struggles and movements?

The Center for Multidisciplinary Research on Racism (CEMFOR) invites scholars to send in abstracts for paper presentations and/or session proposals.

More information: http://cemfor.uu.se/events2/conference/conference-2019/

Public Lecture: Muslims in the Balkans between Nationalism and Transnationalism

Dr Ina Merdjanova
Coventry University London Campus: G03 & G04
Thursday 7th March 2019
6pm- 6.30pm: Refreshments
6.30pm-8pm: Lecture/Q&A

After 1989, Islam reappeared as an important social and political factor in the Balkans. With the newly-emerged religious freedom, and in the context of multiple structural and cultural post-communist transitions, Muslim communities underwent remarkable transformations. They sought to renegotiate their place in formally secular legal and normative environments, mostly as minorities in majority-Christian societies. They reclaimed their Islamic faith, practices and identities in a complex geopolitical situation dominated by anti-Muslim sentiments, particularly after 9/11, which mapped upon already existing national and regional apprehension of Islam related to the legacies of the five centuries of Ottoman rule in the Balkans. Post-communism created conditions for a rising political and cultural awareness of Muslims, which was frequently expressed by recourse to two frames of reference: the national and the transnational. Despite a certain level of tension between those two perspectives, they were closely intertwined. Generally, it can be argued that transnational Islamic influences in the region often reinforced Muslim ethno-national identities rather than prompting a radical redefinition of religious allegiances in the key of a “universalist” Islam.

Bio:  Ina Merdjanova is a senior researcher and adjunct assistant professor in religious studies at the Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin, & Leverhulme visiting professor at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University.  Her recent publications include Religion as a Conversation Starter: Interreligious Dialogue for Peacebuilding in the Balkans (with Patrice Brodeur; Continuum, 2009, paperback 2011), and Rediscovering the Umma: Muslims in the Balkans between Nationalism and Transnationalism (Oxford University Press, 2013, paperback 2016).

RC22 2019 Midterm Conference: Accra, Ghana — Nov 14-18, 2019

CALL FOR PAPER PROPOSALS

Rethinking Religion in the Public Sphere in 21st century Global South

RC-22 Mid-Term Conference
University of Ghana, Accra
Dates: November 14-18, 2019
Proposal Abstract Deadline: April 15, 2019
Notification of accepted abstracts: May 31, 2019.

The politics of knowledge that seeks to posit it as a preserve of the West has exacerbated a criticism against the dominance of Euro-American Scholarship in the sociology of religion, particularly in its interpretation of religious reality in Africa, and the global South more generally. In advancing the changing dominant pattern of knowledge production and consumption, which reflects a very stratified global division of intellectual labour, this conference draws on historical and methodological trajectories to explore innovative ways in which the sociology of religion can employ both theoretical and epistemological insights into sociological understanding of religion in the global South and its diaspora. What are the current trends and trajectories within the sociology of religion in the global South? What knowledges are being produced by sociologists of religion in the global South? How and to what extent do they contribute to global sociology of religion scholarship? How is religion located in private and/or public spheres? To what extent is religion engaged in the public sphere? How is religion even defined and negotiated in the global South within wider processes of secularization? Also important is the distinction between secular and sacred domains in public life.

The conference draws on ethnographic data of researchers in the field to demonstrate how religious forms, expressions and experiences in the global South either reinforce or transcend socio-political, ethnic, regional, class, age and gender identities and boundaries. Paper and panel proposals are invited from scholars of religion, sociologists of religion and others engaged in interdisciplinary research that extend debates on these and related questions.

Abstract proposals of not more than 150 words should reach the organizers by April 15, 2019 through the following email address: UG-ISA-RC22-Conference@ug.edu.gh  Notification of accepted abstracts: May 31, 2019.

Sub-themes:

  • Religion in private and public spheres
  • Public reason, public religion and the public sphere
  • South-south transnational networks
  • Religion and global South publics
  • Global South, secularism and post-secularism
  • Religion, migration and the public sphere
  • Controversies, religious transformation and innovation
  • Religion, environment and sustainable development
  • Religion and the political economy
  • Religion, governance and politics
  • Religion, leadership and public accountability
  • Religion, gender, sexuality
  • Religion, culture and media
  • Religion, conflict and violence
  • Sacred places and spaces

Organizers:

Host and local organizing committee:

  1. Michael P.K. Okyerefo, School of Arts, University of Ghana & Board Member, Africa Rep.
  2. Rose Mary Amenga-Etego, Department of Religions, University of Ghana
  3. Genevieve Nrenzah, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana

With the support of:

  • Afe Adogame, Princeton Theological Seminary & RC 22 President
  • Anna Halafoff, Deakin University, Australia, RC22 Secretary/Treasurer

Public Lecture: “I don´t want to speak in tongues – I speak human rights”

BA Religion and Society International Annual Lecture
by Prof. Peter Nynäs, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland.

“I don´t want to speak in tongues – I speak human rights”- Some observations from a global study on heteronormativity and religion among young adults”

March 12th 2019 at 6-8pm
Richard Hoggart Building (Main Building), RHB 256
Goldsmiths, University of London
Followed by Q&A & wine reception

Religion, sexuality and gender intertwine in a range of different ways. During the last decades, global movements have increasingly affected our perceptions of and attentiveness to this, and the contradictory signals emerging in a post-secular situation. Many young people today express well-articulated openness to variations in terms of gender and sexualities and also actively take part in making change, whereas neoconservative voices also seem to gain more and more public space and influence – and revitalize heteronormativity as an ideal.

In this talk I will initially look at some basic findings from a study on young adults and religion that I implemented in 13 countries worldwide. This project was primarily not about gender and sexuality, but the extensive data we have collected has allowed me to explore issues around forms of heteronormativity, and in particular in relation to religion and values. In addition, both the mixed method approach in this study and the global scope allow me to raise some methodological and conceptual questions. To what extent and how do young adults today express heteronormativity?
Biography

Dr Peter Nynäs is Professor of Comparative Religion at Åbo Akademi University and director of the Åbo Akademi University Centre of Excellence in Research Young adults and religion in a global perspective (2015–2018), a cross-cultural, comparative, and mixed-method study of religious subjectivities and values in ten countries around the world. He previously led the Centre of Excellence in Research Post-Secular Culture and a Changing Religious Landscape in Finland (2010–2014). He has edited volumes such as On the Outskirts of “the Church”: Diversities, Fluidities and New Spaces of Religion in Finland (with R. Illman & T. Martikainen, LIT-Verlag, 2015), Religion, Gender and Sexuality in Everyday Life (with A. Yip, Ashgate 2012), and Transforming Otherness (with J. Finch, Transaction 2011). The volume Sensitizing ‘religious’ variety in a global perspective: between universalism and particularism, is scheduled for 2019 (with R. Illman, N. Novis & R. Fernandez, Equinox)

FREE, RSVP via eventbrite here<https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ba-religion-and-society-international-annual-lecture-tickets-56029619099>

Call for Papers: The Future of British Muslim Studies: Cardiff, 24 April

We are very pleased to accounce the Call for Papers for the next MBRN conference at Cardiff. Details can be found below and at the following link:
http://www.mbrn.org.uk/call-for-papers-the-future-of-british-muslim-studies/

*****************
Call for Papers: The Future of British Muslim Studies
A one-day Muslims in Britain Research Network conference organised in partnership with the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK, Cardiff University
Date: 24 April 2019

Since the Muslims in Britain Research Network was established over 25 years ago, British Muslim studies has grown exponentially. Yet despite this, the field faces significant challenges and uncertainty about its future direction. With so much of the focus on British Muslims being driven – both in academia and in wider society – by instrumental concerns about security and terrorism, much needed debates about the field’s core goals and purpose have often been obscured. The near constant use of research reports and polls on British Muslims in service of political agendas has meant that not only do those researching British Muslims often struggle to get their voices heard, but they are also forced to face difficult questions about their positioning and politics.

This one day event will bring together those from within and outside of academia who have an interest in shaping the study of Muslim Britain in order to discuss and debate the challenges facing the field and where it should go from here. What should British Muslim studies do, and who should it be for? Should it be seen as part of a project of improving Muslims’ rights and representation, as with the case of comparable fields like Black studies, or remain at a critical distance from Muslim politics? Is the field itself sufficiently inclusive of the diversity of Muslim and non-Muslim voices, and is sufficient recognition given to those outside the academy producing research into Muslims? When, and how, should academics partner with Muslim and community and activist groups? With researchers in the field scattered across disciplines, and with religion increasingly marginalised in the academy, how can the field cohere and have a positive impact?

Abstracts are invited for papers that address any of the conference themes:
  *   Emerging research agendas in, and challenges for, the field of British Muslim studies
  *   The politics of producing knowledge about Muslims in the West
  *   The relationship between academic scholarship and Muslims’ presence, voice and activism
  *   Partnerships between academic and Muslim community groups in the UK
  *   ‘Insider’ and ‘outsider’ dynamics in the study of British Muslims
  *   Complementarities and tensions between disciplinary approaches to the study of Muslims and Islam
  *   Securing the study of Muslims and Islam within and beyond UK higher education

Participants will be asked to present their research in a short format as part of a panel. To participate please send a 250 word abstract to the email address below by 1st March along with a biographical note of no more than 50 words.

Abstract submissions and any general questions should be sent to the conference organisers at MuslimsinBritainRN@gmail.com<mailto:MuslimsinBritainRN@gmail.com>.

Call for papers: Special journal issue on ‘Leadership, Authority and Representation in British Muslim Communities’

Special Issue of the journal ‘Religions’

Following our very successful one-day conference on ‘Leadership, Authority and Representation in British Muslim Communities’ at Cardiff University last month, we are now actively seeking articles for a Special Issue of the international peer-review journal Religions<https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions/special_issues/bmc> on the same conference theme. This edition of the journal is being co-edited by Professor Sophie Gilliat-Ray and Dr Riyaz Timol.
We are inviting articles of 5,000-8,000 words (including all references and footnotes) by 25th April, though there may be scope to extend that deadline by a few weeks (only) if this makes the difference in terms of potential contributions.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like further information. We very much hope you will consider the submission of a paper. Please do circulate to your networks.

With thanks
Sophie Gilliat-Ray and Riyaz Timol