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/

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

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/

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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>.

“Religion in Political Contention: Religious Dimensions in Social Movements, Rebellions, and Revolutions”

For a panel proposal to the Association for the Sociology of Religion 81st Annual Meeting, New York, NY, August 11-13, 2019

While religion is often recognized as a social force that maintains, if not legitimates, the socio-political order, religion has also played a role in rebellions, revolts, social movements, and revolutions. Religion, that is, can play a role in contentious politics. Karl Marx famously suggested that religion is the “opium of the people,” a phrase that is frequently taken out of context and misunderstood. In the same passage, he also wrote religion is “an expression of real suffering and a protest against” it, suggesting that religion is also a source and instrument of social change. Indeed, Marx’s collaborator, Friedrich Engels wrote on essay on the German Peasant Wars focusing on the revolutionary movement led by theologian Thomas Münzer, underscoring the latter point on social change dynamics. Similarly, Max Weber showed us how religion is both a source of domination (traditional or bureaucratic) and social transformation (charismatic, which is revolutionary, but also another type of domination). Even Emile Durkheim, who typically is associated with a status quo oriented theory of religion, makes a case for the transcendent power of religious rituals. Today, too many sociologists of religion continue very conventional modes of thinking – religion is either hegemonic or counter-hegemonic — ignoring how religion is both a hegemonic and counter-hegemonic force in past and contemporary political scenarios.

For this panel, we will invite papers that explore the relationship religion – as a shared cultural system, source of solidarity, and ways of thinking, feeling, and acting – has to social movements, rebellions and revolutions. We are interested in understanding how and under what conditions religion functions as a progressive and/or reactionary force that compels people to challenge or protect the order of things. We are particularly interested in prophetic and messianic movements, secular religions (e.g., The Cult of the Supreme Being and Science as Religion), and liberation theologies. While we welcome contemporary explorations (e.g., popular religion and evangelism in Latin America, the Arab Spring, and resistance to globalization), we also welcome the exploration of past events (e.g., the English, French, Iranian, and Nicaraguan revolutions; Taiping and Boxer Rebellions in China; and the German Peasant Wars of the 16th century). Special consideration will be given to theoretical treatments on the relationship religion has to progressive and/or reactionary politics. Papers that focus on contemporary and historical case studies in the U.S. are welcome. Priority will be given to papers that aim to make sense of the institutional, organizational, ritualistic, discursive (e.g., using the Bible or other sacred texts in discussions), ideological, and/or framing mechanisms that give religion its contentious structure.

Deadline for Paper Proposals: March 1st, 2019

Paper proposals should include name, affiliation, email address, title, and a 200-word abstract describing the paper’s research question, methodology, and preliminary results.

Please send paper proposal in MS Word by e-mail to the panel organizers:

Jean-Pierre Reed, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, reedjp@siu.edu and

Warren S. Goldstein, Center for Critical Research on Religion,
goldstein@criticaltheoryofreligion.org

Thursday 4^th July – Saturday 6^th July 2019

Edgbaston Park Hotel, Birmingham, UK.

Please note: support for attendance is available.

Organised by the Science and Belief in Society Research Group at the University of Birmingham, UK this is the first conference launching the new, International Network for the Study of Science and Belief in Society.

In the last decade there has been significant growth in social scientific scholarship on science and religion, complementing the more established historical research into the subject. Greater attention is being paid to the varied ways in which perceptions of science are influenced by religious and non-religious belief, identity, community and conflict in different geographical, cultural and historical contexts. The purpose of this international conference is to bring together researchers with backgrounds in sociology, science and technology studies, psychology, political science, history, social anthropology, and related humanities or social science disciplines to discuss perspectives on the overarching topic of science and belief in society.

Abstracts are invited for the conference relating to the following themes:

• · The social scientific and historical study of the relationship between science and religious and/or non-religious belief and identity;
• · Public perceptions of the relationship between science, religion and non-religion and their respective roles in society;
• · National and international comparative perspectives on the study of science, religion and belief in society;
• · Past and present media or popular representations of science, religion and belief in society;
• · The past or present roles of science, rationalism, religion and belief in national, social or cultural identity and related geopolitical narratives;
• · Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to the study of science, religion and non-religion in society;
• · Methodological approaches to, and issues in, the study of science, religion and belief in society;
• · Avenues for future research and developments within the social scientific and historical study of science, religion and belief in society;
• · Public policy research relating to any aspect of public policy that intersects with issues connected to science, religion and belief in society. Including studies on theimpact of publics’ views on science and religion on policy making, and provision for religious, spiritual or non-religious communities across a range of geographies and issues (e.g. healthcare provision, educational policy, science policy, environmental policy or development);
• · International studies of religious or spiritual communities’ perspectives on the intersection, and possible relationships, between science and religion over time.

We are interested in papers that relate to any aspect of STEMM in society (science, technology, engineering, medicine, and mathematics) and that discuss any religious, spiritual or non-religious tradition, position or worldview, including unbelief.

Keynote papers will be given by historian Professor Peter Harrison, Australian Laureate Fellow and Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Queensland (Australia), and psychologist Professor Cristine Legare, associate professor of psychology and the director of the Evolution, Variation, and Ontogeny of Learning Laboratory at The University of Texas at Austin (USA).

Individual paper submissions:

To submit a paper proposal, please send an abstract of no more than 300 words, alongside a biographical note of no more than 200 words including name, institutional affiliation, email address and if possible a web-link to your institutional bio page.

Biographies of successful applicants will be added to the International Network’s Research Directory when our new website launches in the spring. Please indicate on your application if you would like to opt out of being added to the Research Directory.

Panel session proposals:

We will also be accepting a limited number of panel proposals with a maximum of four speakers. To submit a panel proposal, please send a session summary of no more than 250 words alongside abstracts of no more than 300 words for each paper and biographical notes of no more than 200 words for each contributor (please include institutional affiliation(s), e-mail contact details, and other info as above).

Individual or panel session submissions may cross over several of the themes listed above, and those intending to submit papers are encouraged to consider the relevance of their work to other academic disciplines.

Please send all individual paper and session proposals to Dr Harris Wiseman (h.wiseman@bham.ac.uk) for the attention of the conference organisers, Professor Fern Elsdon-Baker (University of Birmingham), and Dr Alexander Hall (University of Birmingham).

All abstracts must be submitted by 1^st March 2019.

Conference Costs and Bursaries:

Please note that for all successful applicants, accommodation and registration costs will be covered by the International Network for the Study of Science and Belief in Society as part of a 1 year grant from the Templeton Religion Trust.

In addition to this, a limited number of bursaries are available to support those who may not have institutional support to attend international conferences, including but not limited to: postgraduate, early career, retired, or low income or unwaged.  To request this additional support please e-mail Dr Harris Wiseman at h.wiseman@bham.ac.uk, including your contact details, a short biography (including a clear statement regarding your career stage), your abstract and a statement of interest to be considered for one of the bursaries. We also have a range of other bursaries for covering other needs (e.g. support with day care costs). The deadline for submission of bursary applications is 1^st March 2019.

Please note that we will be running a fully funded early career workshop in the days prior to this conference, but this will be announced and advertised via a separate call.

Key Dates:

Abstract submission: Open now

Deadline for abstracts and conference bursary applications: 1^st March 2019

Decision notification: 15^th March 2019

Registration opens: 15^th March 2019

Registration deadline for presenters: 29^th March 2019

Should you have other questions about the conference please contact the conference co-ordinator Dr Harris Wiseman at h.wiseman@bham.ac.uk

A digital version of this Call of Papers can be found online at:

https://sciencereligionspectrum.org/engage/events/call-for-papers-international-network-for-the-study-of-science-and-belief-in-society-annual-conference/

The conference is supported by the Templeton Religion Trust and is being held as part of the activities of the newly established International Network for the Study of Science and Belief in Society, based at the University of Birmingham. For more information about the network please contact Dr Alexander Hall (A.F.Hall@bham.ac.uk).

Annual Meeting
San Diego, CA
November 23-26, 2019

Sociology of Religion Unit
Call for Papers

https://papers.aarweb.org/content/sociology-religion-unit

Statement of Purpose:

The Sociology of Religion (SOR) Unit of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) serves as a bridge between religious studies and the subdiscipline of sociology of religion. It functions as a two-way conduit not only to import sociological research into religious studies but also to export the research of religious studies into both the subdiscipline and the broader field of sociology. Only through a cross-fertilization transgressing departmental boundaries can there be breakthroughs in research in both fields. The unit has a wide conception of sociology of religion. It is open to a multiplicity of paradigms and methodologies utilized in the subfield and sociology more broadly: theoretical as well as empirical, quantitative, qualitative, and comparative-historical. By liaising with other Program Units, the Sociology of Religion Unit 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. Conversely, it aims to provide scholars of the study of religion with a deeper understanding of the landscape of sociology of religion.

Call for Papers:
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:

• Topics related to San Diego (Immigration/Latinx experiences, militarism, etc.) and public intellectuals (which is the theme of the conference)
• Pedagogical panel: sociology of religion is taught in both sociology and religious studies departments. However, in religious studies departments, so as not to conflict with the turf of sociology departments, it is often called “religion and society.” For this panel, we are interested in comparing how sociology of religion is taught in sociology and religious studies departments
• W.E.B. DuBois’s relevance to the sociology of religion
• A return to Jane Addams and others whose work refutes an epistemic split between sociology and activism
• Relevance/relationship of quantitative to qualitative research
• Applied sociology as a form of pubic intellectual work

Publication:
The Sociology of Religion Unit of AAR regularly co-sponsors panels with the peer-reviewed print and online journal Critical Research on Religion (CRR) (http://crr.sagepub.com). Published by SAGE Publications, the journal has over 8000 subscriptions worldwide and is ranked by Scopus #16 out of 432 religion journals (https://www.scimagojr.com/journalrank.php?category=1212). Presenters of promising papers in SOR panels will be invited to turn their papers into articles and submit them for peer review to CRR.

Method:

Please submit paper and session proposals through the AAR SOR Unit Portal: https://papers.aarweb.org/content/sociology-religion-unit

Process:
Proposals are anonymous to chairs and steering committee members during review, but visible to chairs prior to final acceptance or rejection

For further information, please contact AAR SOR Unit Co-Chairs:
Rebekka King, rebekka.king@mtsu.edu

Warren S. Goldstein, goldstein@criticaltheoryofreligion.org

The International Association for the Psychology of Religion (IAPR) holds bi-annual conferences that serve as a meeting point for scholars from all over the world to share the latest research findings in the field.

We are pleased and honored to announce that the IAPR Conference 2019 will be held in Gdańsk, Poland and will take place from August 31st – September 3rd.

This year, we would like to summarize the current knowledge within the title Psychology of Religion and Spirituality: New Trends and Neglected Themes.

Please refer to the Conference website: https://poland2019.iaprweb.org/

• Open registration: 1st of Nov. 2018
• Deadline for abstracts: 1st of Feb. 2019

Organizers:

• International Association for the Psychology of Religion
• University of Gdańsk (Institute of Psychology)
• Polish Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

Sociology of Religion Study Group (SocRel) Annual Conference 2019

9-11 July 2019, Cardiff University

• Charles Hirschkind (University of California-Berkeley)
• Mia Lövheim (Uppsala University)
• Jolyon Mitchell (University of Edinburgh)

As scholars of religion, we are all tasked with communicating religion in one way or another – to students, to the public, and to our research community. Moreover, what we study is itself a message: participants in our studies and creators of the documents we analyse are communicating religion, and what we receive as data is what Giddens referred to as the ‘double hermeneutic,’ or ideas and experiences that have already been mediated. What is the religion communicated to us? How do we communicate religion, and what is it that we communicate when we’re doing it?

Our focus is on “communicating” as a verb-like gerund rather than “communication” as a static, abstract noun. Scholars from different strands of the sociology of religion can imagine their work in it, and our topic engages the interests of colleagues in journalism, media and cultural studies; geography; music; English, communications and philosophy; social psychology; and law and politics.

The substance of communication can include evangelistic and apologistic discourse, education, media, and public policy interventions. We welcome diverse methodological approaches, including multi-modal and multi-sensory approaches to communicating religion. We understand communicating in multiple contexts, including academia, politics, education, social media and mass media. We imagine multiple frameworks that contour how we imagine communicating religion, encompassing the secular and the digital, the individual and the collective, the implicit and the explicit, the theoretical and the empirical.

To deliver a paper, please send an abstract of no more than 250 words, alongside a biographical note of no more than 50 words. We will also be accepting a limited number of panel proposals. To deliver a panel, please send an abstract of no more than 500 words alongside a biographical note of no more than 50 words for each contributor.

Please submit your abstracts online, before midnight Friday 1 February 2019, at: https://portal.britsoc.co.uk/public/abstract/Abstracts.aspx

Conference Bursaries: A limited number of bursaries are available to support postgraduate, early career, low income or unwaged SocRel members to present at the conference. Please visit https://www.britsoc.co.uk/media/24891/socrel-2019-bursary-application-form.docx for instructions, and to download an application form, and submit your bursary application along with your abstract by 1 February 2019.

Socrel is mindful of the various sensitivities people carry concerning content. If you feel that the presentation you give may include material that may be upsetting, please consider including a note about this content in your abstract. We will not restrict or censor presentations that include sensitive or alarming content, but by flagging it in the abstract, those who attend the conference can make informed decisions on which panel they might choose to attend.

• Abstract submission: Open now
• Early bird registration opens: 3 November 2018
• Abstract submission closes: 1 February 2019
• Decision notification: 15 February 2019
• Presenter registration closes: 29 March 2019
• Early bird registration closes: 7 June 2019
• Registration closes: 28 June 2019

Please note that after 7 June 2019, a £50 late registration fee will apply to all bookings.

Should you have other questions about the conference please also contact the conference organisers, Dr Michael Munnik (Cardiff University) or Dr Peter Hemming (Cardiff University) socrel19@cardiff.ac.ukmailto:socrel19@cardiff.ac.uk

For further details, visit the SocRel website: www.britsoc.co.uk/groups/study-groups/sociology-of-religion-study-group/<http://www.britsoc.co.uk/groups/study-groups/sociology-of-religion-study-group/> For further details about the BSA visit www.britsoc.co.uk<http://www.britsoc.co.uk/>