CALL FOR PAPERS
Less Than One Week to Deadline!
Inform’s Anniversary Conference
Minority Religions: Contemplating the Past and Anticipating the Future
London School of Economics, WC2A 2AE
31 January – 2 February 2014
Celebrating over a quarter of a century of providing information that is as reliable and up-to-date as possible about minority religions, Inform invites you to submit a (maximum) 200-word abstract and 150-word CV on topics relevant to the title of the conference to inform. The deadline for papers is Tuesday 1st October2013, with decisions by 1st November 2013. Participants who wish to organise special (90 minute) sessions should submit the name, abstract and CV of each of the contributors to their sessions.
Unfortunately no subsidies can be offered to participants, who will be responsible for making their own arrangements for travel and accommodation.
Registration will open on 1st November 2013. See www.Inform.ac for further details.
Draft Programme Outline(21/9/13)
Friday 31 January
15.00: Registration opens (tea and coffee will be available)
15.30: Introductory talk about the London School of Economics and tour of the campus
17.30: Welcome and Plenary Panel A: “Stakeholdersâ€
when representatives of some of the sections of society that have used Inform will briefly describe what they have gained from their association with Inform and what they would like Inform and students of minority religions to focus on in the future:
The Established Church: The Right Reverend Graham Jones, Lord Bishop of Norwich
The Media: Dr Damian Thompson, columnist for the Daily Telegraph
Politics: Stuart Hoggan, Deputy Director, Integration Division, Department for Communities and Local Government
The Police: Ron Gilbertson, former police officer
The Law: Philip Katz QC, Barrister
Academia: Professor Conor Gearty, Professor of Human Rights Law, LSE
19.30: Reception and Launch of the Ashgate/Inform Series on Minority Religions and Spiritual Movements
Saturday 1 February
09.30–11.00: Plenary Panel B: Members or former members of new religious movements
with high visibility in the 1980s (the Unification Church; the Church of Scientology; ISKCON; the Children of God/Family International) will talk about how their respective movements have changed over the past 25 years and how they envision their future.
11.00–11.30: tea/coffee
11.30–13.00: Parallel Sessions I
13.00 –14.00: lunch
14 .00 –15.30: Parallel Sessions II
15.30–16.00: tea/coffee
16.00–17.30: Parallel Sessions III
19.00: Anniversary Dinner (the cost of this will not be included in the registration fee)
Sunday 2 February
09.30–11.00: Parallel Sessions IV
11.00:11.30 coffee/tea
11.30–13.00: Parallel Sessions V
13.00–14.00: lunch
14.00–15.30: Plenary Panel C: “Cult Watchersâ€
15.30: Conference ends