Call for Papers
Religion, Gender, and the Internet
ISA Research Committee (RC) 22
The Third ISA Forum of Sociology
The Futures We Want: Global Sociology and the Struggles for a Better World
Vienna, 10-14 July, 2016
Session Organizer(s)
Anna HALAFOFF, Deakin University, Australia, anna.halafoff@deakin.edu.au
Emma TOMALIN, University of Leeds, United Kingdom, e.tomalin@leeds.ac.uk
Caroline STARKEY, University of Leeds, United Kingdom, trs6cf@leeds.ac.uk
There is an emerging literature on women, religion and the Internet
investigating a wide range of virtual interactions in different
contexts. The internet is a gendered social space where the inequalities
and prejudices within religions in the offline world can be both
reinforced and challenged. To what extent does “digital religion” offer
a “third space” where traditional authority structures can be challenged
in ways that might not be possible in the offline environment (Hoover
and Echchaibi, 2012)? Or does the fact of the digital divide mean that
access to the Internet is skewed in favour of literate women in
economically privileged positions with access to modern technologies?
We will explore, and encourage submissions on, case studies about
religious and/or spiritual womens’ digital networks, practices and
activism. Is there something new or distinctive about online feminist
religious and/or spiritual engagement? How is the Internet being used in
radicalisation of women and also in deradicalisation strategies? And
what methods and theories are applicable for researching women and
“digital religion”?
Please submit your proposals online at the International Sociological
Association’s website. Paper submissions close on 30 September: