2021 Annual Conference of the American Academy of Religion, Western Region (AAR/WR)
We are delighted to announce that the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) in Berkeley, California, will host the 2021 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, Western Region (AAR/WR) March 19-21, 2021. Due to the spread of COVID-19 in California and the United States, the conference will follow a virtual modality with the possibility of some hybrid sessions.
The AAR/WR and GTU are working closely together to organize a robust conference in 2021. The successful organization of our 2020 conference, which the AAR/WR turned into a virtual event in short time and as an emergency following the spread of COVID-19 in California in March 2020, brings us confidence that our unit chairs and members will work together to create a unique and memorable online conference in 2021. We are further encouraged by the amazing team of academics and administrators at GTU with whom we are working to bring forth the conference. Our conference organizers are especially working on issues of inclusivity and accessibility for our members, and we expect to provide unique sessions that highlight our region's diversity and creativity. We also expect to provide all of our members with special networking opportunities at our 2021 conference.
Our 2021 Conference Theme is: Religious Studies after COVID-19: The Role of Religion in Times of Pandemic, Sustainability, Marginalized Communities, and Social & Economic Justice. Please see this page for a full description of the theme.
The deadline for submissions is October 15, 2020. Submissions should be sent to the relevant unit chairs and include an abstract of 250 words and a Program Participant Form. Please refer to all individual Calls For Papers (CFP) below, which are listed in chronological order according to unit name and include all Unit Chair contact information.
AAR/WR 2021 ANNUAL CONFERENCE CALL FOR PAPERS
CFP: ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES UNIT
The rampant spread of COVID-19 in the United States has had a tremendous effect on American society. Suffering from the challenges posed by the pandemic, many Asian Americans have turned to religion to deepen their spiritual capacities as a response to the crisis. One of the problems raised by the pandemic is racism. Although racist attitudes against minorities, including Asians, are not something new in the US, amidst the covid-19 pandemic, these racist attitudes have brought about a new reason for the rise of anti-Asian sentiments. Asians are blamed for the origin and spread of the disease that has caused millions of lives worldwide. In the United States, Asian establishments are being vandalized and threatened, while victims on the streets are attacked not only physically, but also economically, mentally, and emotionally, causing many Asian Americans to be afraid of leaving their homes. Furthermore, the closure of churches, temples, mosques and other places of spiritual practice poses another challenge for Asian America communities. These places have been essential for Asian immigrants of different generations, and not just for worship alone. They are also community spaces where Asians share certain commonalities, oftentimes with their coethnics, such as beliefs, tradition, culture, and food. Places of worship also serve as a means for civic engagement. Thus, these communities reinforce Asian identity while also helping new immigrants integrate in their host country.
The Asian American Religious Studies Program Unit is accepting papers that address these issues and questions raised by the COVID-19 pandemic: What are the effects of COVID-19 to Asian Americans and what is the role of religion in addressing these concerns? How are Asian American religious leaders responding to the pandemic? How do Asian Americans perceive the pandemic and how does it affect their religious lives? Given the plurality and diversity of Asian American religious traditions, how do Asian Americans continue to practice religion and spirituality? How are the lives of monks, nuns, priests, and lay practitioners in the US affected by this crisis? How do churches, temples, mosques, congregations, and Sanghas adapt to these changes religiously, socially, as well as economically? We are looking forward to a meaningful discourse amidst this global crisis that would illuminate the context of the turmoil that is affecting Asian American religious communities.
Scholars of Asian American religion from all levels are encouraged to submit their abstracts (250 words) and Program Participant Forms to Shannon Toribio (Shannon_toribio@ucsb.edu) and Irene Ludji (irene.ludji@cgu.edu). See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: BUDDHIST STUDIES UNIT
The Buddhist Studies unit invites papers exploring this year's conference theme, “Religious Studies after COVID-19: The Role of Religion in Times of Pandemic, Sustainability, Marginalized Communities, and Social & Economic Justice.” Topics of special interest to the unit include: Sangha Responses to the Pandemic; Buddhism and Racial Justice; Socially Engaged Buddhism; and Buddhism and Healing.
We welcome papers covering any school of Buddhism and from all disciplinary approaches. Topics of interest not related to the conference theme will also be considered as space permits.
Buddhist Studies scholars from all levels are encouraged to submit their abstracts (250 words) and Program Participant Forms to co-chairs Dr. Alison Jameson (ajameson@email.arizona.edu) or Jake Nagasawa (jnagasawa@ucsb.edu). See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: CATHOLIC STUDIES UNIT
The Catholic Studies unit invites papers that explore the themes of Sickness, Solitude, and Solidaritywithin Catholic traditions. The unit welcomes critical, cultural, ethical, historical, and theological perspectives and especially encourages papers on the following topics for its 2021 meeting:
Catholic Studies scholars from all levels are encouraged to submit their proposals (250 word abstract) and Program Participant Forms to co-chairs Eva Braunstein (evabraunstein@ucsb.edu) and Justin Claravall (justin.claravall@gmail.com). See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: CHRISTIANITY UNIT
Christians have been dealing with Chaos, Crises, and Pandemics for 2000 years. One thinks of the collapse of the Roman Empire. Expansion of Islam. British Isles subjected to Viking marauding and pillaging. Great Schism. Black Death in the 14th century. The Fall of Constantinople. The Great Plague of London in 1665-1666. French and Russian Revolutions. The Taiping Rebellion. Mexican Revolution. Spanish Flu of 1918. The Shoah. COVID-19. We could go on.
We invite papers that address how Christians have dealt with Chaos, Crises, and Pandemics throughout history, as well as how they deal with these things today. The Christianity section welcomes proposals for papers and/or entire panels. Generally, papers will be 15 minutes long, with time for discussion.
Please send proposals (250 word abstract) and Program Participant Forms to Co-Chairs Dr. Enrico Beltramini: ebeltramini@ndnu.edu and Dr. Dyron Daughrity: Dyron.Daughrity@pepperdine.edu. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: ECOLOGY AND RELIGION UNIT
As COVID-19 has caused mass global disruption and exacerbated economic and social inequalities, protests against police violence and systemic racism in the United States have drawn attention to deep racial injustices in American society. These interrelated crises are compounded by environmental factors and the looming specter of climate change, which similarly disproportionately impacts marginalized peoples and communities of color. Efforts of mobilization and response in addressing these crises echo the global reaction to climate change, which requires scientifically guided policy initiatives as well as moral discourse from religious communities. And BIPOC voices leading protest movements for racial justice in America draw on traditions of intersectional critiques of historically environmental racist policies to advocate for environmental justice and climate justice. The societal problems faced today intersect in profound ways, and therefore demand responses that are profoundly intersectional.
For the 2021 AARWR meeting, the Ecology & Religion unit encourages proposals that address the role of religion in shaping and responding to the social and environmental crises of our time. Some potential guiding questions might be: What are similarities and differences in the response of faith communities to the global crises of COVID-19 and climate change? How do religious traditions influence discourse in ongoing struggles for racial, social, economic, and environmental justice? What does sustainability look like in a time of coronavirus, climate crisis, and racial injustice, and how might religious traditions shape what it means to live sustainably in such tumultuous times—or question the very premise of sustaining systems prone to oppression and inequality? These are just a few possible questions among many to consider when formulating a proposal.
The Ecology & Religion unit also welcomes submissions that address any number of broader issues and perspectives relating to religion and the environment. Please submit a Paper Participant Form and 250-word abstract to section chair Matthew Hartman at mhartman@ses.gtu.edu. Thank you. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: EDUCATION AND PEDAGOGY UNIT
The Education and Pedagogy Unit invites proposals that address the challenges of teaching religious studies courses during a pandemic and/or during ongoing movements to rectify social and economic injustices. Specifically we seek papers in two broad areas: 1) proposals that address practical concerns of teaching online, or in socially distanced or hybrid classrooms, especially in regards to creating community and/or giving voice to marginalized communities; 2) proposals that address theoretical concerns about how (or whether) instructors should adapt course content to better reflect the intersection of religion/politics/science in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and contemporary social justice movements. We recognize proposals may also be a combination of both areas.
For example, in terms of pedagogical practice, which strategies could be implemented to ensure equity among marginalized students in our classrooms? How can we implement an anti-racist pedagogy in the construction of our syllabus, the use of classroom (or online) time, and in the assessment of our students? What activities or assignments can we give that ensure a wider range of voices in our courses?
In terms of theory, what responsibilities as college and university instructors do we have in educating our students about contemporary issues of public health, sustainability, and social and economic justice if our current curriculum is focused on antiquity or the historical past of other (non-Western) cultural regions? Should discussions of contemporary issues remain marginal or should they be brought to the center of instruction? What balance should we try to seek?
Please send a 250 word abstract and Program Participant Form to Co-Chairs Dr. Sarita Tamayo-Moraga (stamayomoraga@scu.edu) and Peter Romaskiewicz (pmr01@ucsb.edu) by the October 15, 2020 deadline. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: ETHICS UNIT
In light of this year’s multifaceted conference theme, we invite paper proposals that relate ethics (religious, philosophical, and/or social) to any and all of the following topics: pandemic, sustainability, marginalized communities, and social and economic justice. We welcome proposals from a broad range of religious traditions and ethical methodologies, as well as a wide diversity of project modalities (e.g., analytic, reflective, comparative, evaluative, prescriptive, constructive). Special consideration will be given to creative interdisciplinary proposals, and to those that demonstrate fresh potential to illuminate these topics of such urgent contemporary ethical concern.
Please send your 250-word abstract and program participation form to Joshua Beckett (joshuabeckett@fuller.edu) and Dr. Owen Anderson (oanderson@asu.edu) no later than October 15, 2020. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: GODDESS STUDIES UNIT
This year, the Goddess Studies unit invites papers related to the AAR/WR’s 2021 conference theme, Religious Studies after COVID-19: The Role of Religion in Times of Pandemic, Sustainability, Marginalized Communities, and Social & Economic Justice. Of special interest is a look at the Divine Feminine and its relationship to the three pillars of Sustainability: ecological consciousness, economic equity, and social justice. How are goddesses across religious traditions around the world integral to the ways in which a wide variety of communities have sought support, relief, or compassion during difficult moments of the past or in the precarious times of the contemporary age, and in particular, of the year 2020? We encourage the submission of papers that utilize interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and nontraditional approaches to research. Other topics and themes of interest to the Goddess Studies unit include: religion and representations of goddesses in art, music, material culture, and ideology; goddesses and sacred spaces; goddesses, gender and religion; goddesses and storytelling or oral traditions.
Please send abstracts (250 words) and Program Participant Forms as email attachments to Dr. Anna Hennessey (dr.amhennessey@gmail.com) and Dr. Angela Dane comingintobeing@gmail.com. We look forward to receiving your proposals. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: GRADUATE STUDENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
In line with this year’s theme of “Religious Studies after COVID,” the Graduate Student Professional Development Unit is seeking proposals that explore how the professional study of religion has been influenced by the pandemic. This includes both the unique challenges raised by these extraordinary circumstances, as well as novel opportunities for growth and change posed by the crisis.
Topics for exploration include:
The deadline for proposals and Program Participant Forms to unit chairs. Abstracts should be no more than 250 words. Presenters must be members in good standing of the American Academy of Religion and register for the conference prior to their presentation. Please submit abstracts to the attention of the unit co-chairs: James Berry (jsberry73@gmail.com) and Casey Crosbie (caseygcrosbie@gmail.com). See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form. We look forward to receiving your proposals.
CFP: INDIGENOUS RELIGIONS
Keeping with the annual theme, the Indigenous Religions Unit welcomes proposals for papers that explore the connections between Indigenous communities and pandemics, the last one being COVID-19. We invite proposals for asset-based or wellness approaches that discuss the ways in which Indigenous communities overcome challenges that affect their health and wellbeing. Of particular interest is the interplay of a spirituality that shifts from a deficit framework to an asset-based one to transform our understanding of community ecosystems.
Specifically, we look to engage in dialogue on matters relating to the concerns and rights of the world's indigenous peoples in their struggle for the preservation and transmission of traditional wisdom and self-determination. We incite inquiry on how diverse indigenous religious and spiritual traditions foster healing and community wellbeing. We encourage the exploration of the spirit, motivation, and methods provided by indigenous traditions to help address physical, mental, and emotional well-being in times of crisis.
The Indigenous Religions Unit looks to explore these dynamics through papers that delve into the ways of religion and well-being. We seek papers covering all Indigenous religions and spiritual traditions, and the dialogues in between, to explore any of the junctures within culture from all disciplinary approaches.
Presenters must be members in good standing of the American Academy of Religion and register for the conference prior to their presentation. Please submit abstracts (250 words) and Program Participant Forms to the attention of the section co-chairs Dr. Yuria Celidwen (celidwen@gmail.com) and Cecilia Titizano (ctitizano@ses.gtu.edu). See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
We look forward to receiving your proposals!
CFP: ISLAMIC STUDIES UNIT
The Islamic Studies Unit is currently accepting a wide variety of abstracts for papers that relate to the 2021AAR/WR Conference Theme: Religious Studies after Covid-19: The Role of Religion in Times of Pandemic, Sustainability, Marginalized Communities, and Social & Economic Justice, specifically within the context of Islamic Studies. Our unit will give priority to those abstracts that address the theme but will also consider proposals addressing other topics.
Please send a 250 word abstract and Program Participant Form to Co-Chairs Dr. Souad Ali (Souad.ali@asu.edu) and Dr. Sophia Pandya (Sophia.pandya@csulb.edu) by the October 15, 2020 deadline. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: JEWISH STUDIES UNIT
This year, the AAR/WR has asked us to examine the timely question: How can religious groups, and Religious Studies, be a potent contributor to the public good amidst our current medical, social, economic, ecological, and political crises? We in Jewish Studies know that the storehouses of Jewish tradition, the methodological approaches of our sub-field, and the experiences of Jews throughout history offer a great deal of wisdom on these topics. How can we, as Jewish Studies scholars, bring our unique perspectives to bear on the Covid-19 pandemic and systemic problems illuminated in its wake?
We believe the following three areas to be especially salient:
We welcome papers responding to the topics outlined above, or to other dimensions of the overlapping crises facing our communities. The deadline for submissions is October 15, 2020. Submissions should be sent to the Jewish Studies chairs – Dr. Roberta Sabbath (roberta.sabbath@unlv.edu) and Dr. Alexander Marcus (alexander.marcus@yale.edu) – and should include an abstract of 250 words as well as a Program Participant Form. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: LATINX RELIGIONS AND SPIRITUALITIES UNIT
Unidad de Religiones y Espiritualidades Latinx: La pandemia como revelación apocalíptica: espiritualidades latinas y erudición durante COVID-19
El concilio de Religiones y Espiritualidades de Latinx está comprometido con un panel equitativo y accesible y daremos prioridad a la selección de documentos y perspectivas de estudiantes graduados con visas impactadas por el reciente anuncio de ICE, profesores y académicos de color también tendrán preferencia. Cuando envié su documento recuerde de anotar si esto aplica a usted. Los lideres de este concilio están comprometidos a ser flexibile, ya sea en un formato híbrido (en persona y en línea) o completamente en línea para incorporar los objetivos del tema de la conferencia: concientización durante la pandemia, sustenibilidad, centrando las experiencias de las comunidades marginadas y justicia a través de la accesibilidad.
El cocilio de Religiones y Espiritualidades de Latinx agradece las propuestas relacionadas con el papel de las espiritualidades de Latinx y el estudio de la religión a la luz de la actual pandemia mundial. Alentamos un enfoque interseccional e interdisciplinario, así como una amplia gama de metodologías. Reconocemos las complejidades de la experiencia religiosa latina y latinoamericana, por lo que alentamos a los académicos a ejercer su creatividad.
La pandemia ha sido testigo de las injusticias raciales, de género y económicas que comprenden los sistemas y estructuras en los Estados Unidos. El impacto disparejo de COVID-19 y la falta de recursos materiales o acceso médico para las comunidades marginadas han aumentado la vulnerabilidad de los más vulnerables. El asesinato de George Floyd y las protestas posteriores han resurgido la necesidad de solidaridad interseccional. El fracaso de las instituciones académicas en los Estados Unidos para abordar de manera adecuada y equitativa las necesidades de la pandemia han revelado su falta de compromiso con los componentes periféricos completos de la pedagogía.
Por lo tanto, este concilio invita a los académicos a luchar sobre cómo las espiritualidades latinas reverberan en el trabajo hacia la justicia social al descentrar y deshacer las voces y estructuras patriarcales y hegemónicas. Este concilio está particularmente interesado en cómo diversas espiritualidades y teologías proporcionan marcos para el cambio social. Simultáneamente, este concilio está interesado en explorar el impacto de COVID-19 en la beca teológica-religiosa-espiritual para profesores y estudiantes de Latinx.
Aquí hay una gama de ideas de tema / tema que un autor / presentador podría elegir, aunque este concilio está abierto a temas adicionales que no figuran en la lista, pero que están conectados a los marcos detallados anteriormente.
• Crisis pedagógica en estudios religiosos para educadores / estudiantes latinx después de COVID-19
• Teología ecofeminista a raíz de COVID-19: Perspectivas latinx
• Solidaridad Fronteriza: #BLM, sustenibilidad y pedagogía centrada en la justicia
• Espiritualidades latinx: marcos no cristianos para el cambio social
• Espiritualidades intergeneracionales y cómo el conocimiento ancestral-indígena informa las respuestas y las formas de vivir durante una pandemia.
• El capitalismo neoliberal, una plaga ideológica y política, como la pandemia global subyacente responsable de la destrucción de los ecosistemas.
• "Apocalipsis" como una revelación (revelación de verdades)
Envíe propuestas (250 palabras) y formularios de participantes antes del 15 Octubre, 2020 a:
• Jacob Pérez [jperez@ses.psr.edu]
• Marlene Ferreras, PhD [mferrera@lasierra.edu]
Pandemic as Apocalyptic Unveiling: Latinx Spiritualities and Scholarship During COVID-19
The Latinx Religions and Spiritualities Unitis committed to an equitable and accessible panel and will place priority on selecting papers and perspectives from international graduate students on visas impacted by the recent announcement by ICE as well as by faculty and scholars of color. Please note this on your submission as applicable. We are also committed to flexibility in either a hybrid (in-person and online) or fully online format to embody the goals of the conference theme: conscientiousness during pandemic, sustainability, centering the experiences of marginalized communities, and justice through accessibility.
The Latinx Religions and Spiritualities Unitwelcomes paper proposals related to the role of Latinx spiritualities and the study of religion in light of the current global pandemic. We encourage an intersectional and interdisciplinary approach as well as a broad range of methodologies. We recognize the complexities of Latinx and Latin American religious experience, so we encourage scholars to exercise their creativity.
The pandemic has borne witness to the racial, gender, and economic injustices that comprise the systems and structures in the United States. The disparate impact of COVID-19 and the lack of material resources or medical access for marginalized communities have magnified the vulnerability of the most vulnerable. The murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests have resurfaced the need for intersectional solidarity. And the failure of academic institutions across the United States to properly and equitably address the needs from the pandemic have revealed their lack of commitment to the full peripheral components of pedagogy.
This unit therefore invites scholars to wrestle with how Latinx spiritualities reverberate in the work toward social justice in decentering and undoing patriarchal and hegemonic voices and structures. This unit is particularly interested in how diverse spiritualities and theologies provide frameworks for social change. Simultaneously, this unit is interested in exploring the impact of COVID-19 on theological-religious-spiritual scholarship for Latinx faculty and students.
Here is a range of topic/theme ideas an author/presenter might choose, though this unit is open to additional themes/topics not listed but connected to the frameworks detailed above.
Please submit proposals (250 words) and participant forms by October 15, 2020 to:
CFP: PAGAN STUDIES UNIT
Brave New World: Contemporary Paganisms During Extreme Change
Like a living organism, historic and contemporary paganisms adapt to shifts in the environment, the swelling and shrinking of populations, or the migration of peoples across the landscape. History, practices, belief, even the masks worn by the divine, dance to the music of change, revealing and vanishing within the kaleidoscope of human experience.
Contemporary Pagans look toward the traditions of the past, observing the ways that we have traveled from some distant place and time, and using the trajectory of those journeys to chart paths forward into the future. Many of these “old ways” may be deemed worthy, and others may be found wanting and incompatible to modern sensibilities. What do we keep? What do we discard? What do we transform? Who do we become?
How do the conditions surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic change the content and shape of Contemporary Paganisms? How does social distancing practices strengthen or weaken coming together in community, the teaching of magical practices, and the continuation of the various traditions of Witchcraft, Wicca, Reconstructionist, and other practices?
How will we endure the extremities of change and find new ways of being in a brave new world? From this point in the here and now, how do we demonstrate respect to those who have gone before, and how will we create a heathy and sustainable future for those who will follow?
We welcome papers responding to the topics outlined above, or to other dimensions of the overlapping crises facing our communities. The deadline for submissions is October 15, 2020.
Submissions should be sent to the Pagan Studies chairs: Dr. Kahena Viale (dkviale@cpp.edu)and Dr. Jeffrey Albaugh (jeffreykalbaugh@gmail.com). Theyshould include an abstract of 250 words as well as a Program Participant Form. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION UNIT
In relating the conference theme of the “Role of Religion in times of Pandemic, Sustainability, Marginalized Communities, Social and Economic Justice,” we are interested in discussing what philosophy of religion can do for the world.
We welcome papers responding to the topics outlined above, or to other dimensions of the overlapping crises facing our communities. The deadline for submissions is October 15, 2020.
Submissions should be sent to the Philosophy of Religion chairs: Dr. Dane Sawyer (dsawyer@laverne.edu)and Dr. Olga Louchakova-Schwartz (olouchakova@gmail.com) and Dr. Jay Potter (jaydpotter@gmail.com). Theyshould include an abstract of 250 words as well as a Program Participant Form. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: PSYCHOLOGY, CULTURE, AND RELIGION UNIT
Keeping with the annual theme of "Religious Studies after COVID" the Psychology, Culture and Religion Section welcomes proposals that explore the psychological, cultural, and religious impacts of the coronavirus, and the various intersections therein.
Topics for exploration include:
The deadline for proposals and Program Participant Forms to unit chairs is October 15, 2020. Abstracts should be no more than 250 words. Presenters must be members in good standing of the American Academy of Religion and register for the conference prior to their presentation. Please submit materials to the attention of the section co-chairs, Dr. Hester Oberman (heoberman@msn.com), Kevin Whitesides, (kevinwhitesides@ucsb.edu) and Dr. Casey Crosbie (caseygcrosbie@gmail.com). See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form. We look forward to receiving your proposals.
CFP: QUEER STUDIES IN RELIGION UNIT
“Lights, Camera, LGBTQIA+: Depictions of LGBTQIA+ Identity in Popular Culture”
Queer Studies in Religion seeks papers that engage around the multifaceted issue of popular culture, religion, and the intersectionality of LGBTQIA+ identity. We are broadly defining intersectionality to mean the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality as well as religion, physical ability, age, nationality, citizenship, and home/food security, etc. We define intersectionality by not just noticing difference but how opportunity is equalized, how equal opportunity is “birthed” through the recognition of Intersectionality and equalizing opportunity. For example, we are interested in depictions of LGBTQIA+ identity in mediums such as, but not limited to, film, television, fiction and nonfiction, as well as on popular social media channels such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter.
Finally, the Queer Studies in Religion session wants to emphasize any type of scholarship that explores queer (LGBTQIA+) studies in religion from queer identified or allied scholars both within and outside of the academy. Please do not hesitate to send us any scholarship, regardless of whether or not it specifically addresses the CFP.
Please send a 250-word abstract alongside the Program Participant Form by October 15, 2020 to Queer Studies in Religion Co-Chairs Dr. John Erickson (jerickson85@gmail.com) and Dr. Marie Cartier (ezmerelda@earthlink.net). See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: RELIGION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY UNIT
This Unit features scholarship that explores the relationship of religion, theology, technology, and the natural sciences. We support research that attempts to bridge the gap between religious and scientific approaches to reality and encourage constructive proposals that engage the sciences along with a critical assessment of the meaning and impact of technologies for the human condition and the natural world.
The critical need to reconcile religious and scientific approaches to reality is exacerbated in this time of COVID-19. Units like ours have a clear responsibility to lead and leverage our work for the common good. Accordingly, in coordination with the conference theme “Religious Studies after COVID-19,” we encourage proposals including but not limited to the following topics:
Science and Religion after COVID-19:What have wide-ranging government and public responses to COVID-19, from Christian NIH director Francis Collins’ advice of caution to right-wing refusal to wear masks, revealed of the uses of science and religion as cultural categories? How has the interplay of science and religion contributed to our neoliberal cultural ethos? Is a church decision to regather necessarily a denial of science? How could a good God permit the widespread suffering incurred by COVID-19; what responsibility does God bear for the pandemic? How have science and religion mutually perpetuated social injustices? What psychological, sociological, or other scientific insights may help guide public reckoning of injustices?
Technology after COVID-19:NASA and SpaceX launched astronauts to the International Space Station in the midst of a global pandemic—is there a disconnect between innovative technological developments when basic needs of food, health, and safety remain unmet? How does access to medical technologies impact the way various people groups perceive the risk of COVID-19? How have the Internet and digital technologies influenced public perceptions of reality and the common good? In what psychological or sociological ways is the shift from in-person gatherings to online gatherings impacting communities? Are religious groups sufficiently proficient with technology to thrive and lead in a digital era? May new enhancement technologies alleviate fundamental kinds of human suffering; will they?
Please send a 250-word abstract alongside the Program Participant Form by October 15, 2020 to Religion, Science and Technology Unit Chairs: Dr. Greg Cootsona (greg@cootsona.net) and Melanie Dzugan (melaniedzugan@fuller.edu). See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: RELIGION AND SOCIAL SCIENCES UNIT
The unusual and critical circumstances we are living in today are calling for a deep reflection on the present moment. The social sciences are especially equipped with a wide gamut of methodologies that can help answer different and important questions on the events we are witnessing today. The global pandemic is on the rise across a number of states and the streets of American cities are daily occupied by protestors that call for racial justice, scholars of religion are invited to investigate the role that religious meanings, religious practices, and religious groups are playing in the midst of these unsettled times. This call welcomes papers that reflect on the role of religious practices, religious rituals, religious institutions, religious meanings, and religious groups in both addressing the dangers posed by the pandemic and the opportunities offered by this moment of social upheaval for racial justice. Religion has historically provided a set of meanings that can be used to make sense of different personal and collective health matters. For example, papers could address such questions as: How is religion being used to make sense of the current pandemic? Why are some religious groups pushing for reopening while others are being more cautious and respecting of state orders? How are religious groups coming together in a moment of forced social isolation? How are religious communities coping with the absence of in-person communal ritual practices? Religion has also historically played a major role in social movements. For instance, research has demonstrated how in the United States Black churches played a major role in the Civil Rights movement and has been playing a part in the Black Lives Matter movement. What role are religious institutions playing in today’s movement for racial justice? Are religious meanings brought into the conversation? And, if so, how? How are different religious groups reacting to these events? And how are religious communities partaking in the movement for racial and social justice?
We welcome all papers that address the theme of the conference and encourage papers from a variety of social science disciplines. All methodological and epistemological approaches are encouraged. We also welcome contributions that address the theme of the conference from a global perspective or not strictly focusing on the United States as a case for analysis.
Please send abstracts (250 words) and Program Participant Forms to Religion and Social Sciences Unit Chairs, Dr. Rebecca Sager and Dr. Valentina Cantori at: socialsciencesaarwestern@gmail.comSee the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: RELIGION AND THE ARTS
We welcome a wide variety of papers, workshops, and/or fully developed panels (3-4 persons) that relate to the 2021 theme: Religious Studies after COVID-19: Religious Role in times of Pandemic, Sustainability, Marginalized Communities, and Social & Economic Justice. Art and religion are used in the broad sense of the words. For example, art includes folk, iconography, animation, performance, comedy, photography, videos, television, graffiti, and music.
We welcome all religious and spiritual expressions. Successful proposals will articulate the thesis and evidence as well as offer a preliminary discussion on how the proposal contributes to the academic study of religion. Potential and sample topics include, but are not limited to:
● “We remember you”: the role of memorials as a form of ritual
● Watch Party: the role of technology in creating and sharing works of art
● Dystopian Realities: correlation between dystopian fiction and current realities (pandemic, quarantine, uprisings, etc)
● Future of Religion and the Arts in a post-pandemic world
Please send paper proposals (250 words) and Program Participant Forms by October 15, 2020 to: Tamisha Tyler at tamishatyler@fuller.edu. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: RELIGION IN AMERICA
1. Religion, Disaster, and Contagion: Considering the global pandemic, the North American Religion Unit of the AAR Western Region is interested in papers that address the religious response to COVID19. Over the course of the pandemic, religion in the U.S. traversed closures, reopening, protest, and conspiracy. We also witnessed the ways in which religion was invoked as a source of healing and dissent.
The unit is particularly interested in the ways religion shapes pandemic response and vice versa. Recognizing the scholar’s place within the field, we are also interested in the ways the study of American religion is affected by disaster.
2. American Religion and Racial Justice: Amid America’s response to COVID-19, the U.S. was reminded once again about the racial injustice in the nation and the ways police and militancy impacts marginalized communities. In light of this, we are inviting papers that address the intersection of race, religion, and state violence as it relates to various expressions of religion in American.
We are particularly interested in the ways religion is both a source of complicity and resistance and the ways religion participates in social movements such as BLM.
Other papers dealing with the general topic of “Religion in America” will also be considered. Please send abstracts and Program Participant Forms to co-chairs: Dr. Cristina Rosetti (crose005@ucr.edu), Dr. Konden Smith Hansen (krsmith2@email.arizona.edu), Dr. Michel Sun Lee (milee@ucr.edu), and Joey Baker (joeybaker@fuller.edu). See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: RELIGION, LITERATURE, AND FILM
The Religion, Literature, and Film unit welcomes proposals addressing various religions or
themes related to religious spirituality, practices, principles, psychology, and philosophy as
presented in contemporary literature or contemporary films. We are open to proposals that
explore fictional and non-fictional representations of religion and/or religious themes as
represented through literature and film. Specific interests of the unit are proposals of an
interdisciplinary studies approach to examining religion, literature, and film. In addition, the unit
welcomes proposals that explore the relevant or non-relevant vitality or breakdown of religion
as reflected in cultural or social zeitgeist.
This year the Religion, Literature, and Film unit invites papers and presentations that explore
themes related to the individual or the collective’s spiritual emergence or spiritual emergency
during the global COVID pandemic. More precisely, the RLF unit is looking for films,
documentaries, novels, short-stories, poetry, or graphic novels presentations that illustrate
spiritual emergence (awakening or transformation) or spiritual emergency (crises) within
characters, social groups, or society at large during global crises. Such crises or catalysts
pertaining to pestilence, death, and racial oppression and genocide are highly welcomed in
addition to spiritual emergence related to restored faith, evolved spirituality, or loss of faith.
Please send a maximum 250-word abstract and Program Participant Form to Unit Chairs: Dr: Emmanuelle Patrice (empstork2233@gmail.com) and Chantal Noa Forbes (chantalforbes@icloud.com) by October 15, 2020. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: RELIGIONS OF ASIA
Promoting inclusivity and excellence in scholarship, this section invites individual papers from a variety of religious and cultural traditions that explore all aspects of Religions of Asia. This year, we are especially interested in papers related to the conference’s 2021 theme: “Religious Studies after COVID-19: Religions’ Role in times of Pandemic, Sustainability, Marginalized Communities, and Social & Economic Justice.”For example, how have religions/religious people/religious leaders responded or how are they responding to pandemic and disease and what resources do they potentially provide for coping and wellbeing in such contexts? How have religions of Asia addressed issues of social and economic justice in the past and how might they fruitfully do so in our time? In what ways do marginalization, racism and religions of Asia intersect, both positively and negatively, and more specifically how might Asian Religions intersect with the Black Lives Matter movement? What is or might be the role of religions of Asia in addressing climate change and achieving sustainability goals? And what is or could be the role of the study of the religions of Asia in the wake of COVID-19?
We encourage the submission of papers that utilize interdisciplinary and nontraditional approaches to research. Other topics and themes of interest to the Religions of Asia group include: ways in which Asian religions interacts with art, music, material culture, and ideology; the body as location for religious experience; gender and religion; sacred spaces and texts; or storytelling and oral tradition.
Please send abstracts (250 words) and Program Participant Forms as email attachments to Unit Chairs: Dr. Nancy Martin (nmartin@chapman.edu) and Tejpaul Bainiwal (tbain001@ucr.edu). We look forward to receiving your proposals. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: WOMANIST/PAN AFRICAN UNIT
This group provides a forum for religious scholarship that engages theoretically and methodologically 1) the four-part definition of a Womanist as coined by Alice Walker, and 2) the worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all indigenous and diasporan ethnic groups of African descent. We nurture interdisciplinary scholarship, encourage interfaith dialogue, and seek to engage scholars and practitioners in fields outside the study of religion. We are particularly concerned with fostering scholarship that bridges theory and practice and addresses issues of public policy in church and society.
For our 2021 AARWR conference, the Womanist / Pan African unit offers two sessions inspired by the theme: Religious Studies after COVID-19: The Role of Religion in Times of Pandemic, Sustainability Marginalized Communities, and Social & Economic Justice. To link to a full theme description: https://www.aarwr.com/conference-themes.html
Womanist Session
Justice consciousness in the disciplines of ecowomanism and ecofeminist approaches has contributed meaningful bodies of research to stimulate discourse on ecological consciousness, economic justice, food justice, and the disparities that negatively impact the marginalized. Indices show that women of color and children, particularly black and brown women and children in culturally disenfranchised communities are at the bottom of the proverbial accessibility ladder. To raise a womanist lens to justice issues, what are ways that religion and politics are complicit in ignoring ecojustice and endangering sustainability? At the forefront of a global health pandemic, consider religio-politics as an ideological and ecological challenge across legislative, judicial, civil, and social justice systems. What voices and issues should be centered to call attention to the current realities of two pandemics: the global ecological devastation of COVID-19 and the rise of virulent racism?
Pan African Session
Global nations that were once rich in natural resources have documented the experiences of degradation into economic and environmental crises amid the pillaging of land, waters, and people. What is the significance of global protest sparked by the injustices from which a global mantra “Black Lives Matter” arose? What are motivating factors among different cultures to engage in ecological public protest? What are global and moral ramifications that arise in the misuse of religion (mission, doctrine, praxis) to mediate, i.e. tamp down the outcries of righteous indignation by theologizing suffering as God’s will? Discuss what voices and agency indigenous women and communities have in determining new possibilities for ecojustice amid the plurality of religious traditions.
--------
We are eager and excited to embark on another transforming year in Womanist and Pan African scholarship in the Western Region. We invite papers that align with broader AARWR call having a particular focus on either Womanism, Pan Africanism or both. Please submit both a 250-word proposal and the Program Participant form found at the AARWR website (https://www.aarwr.com/call-for-papers.html), to both Womanist/Pan African Unit Chair: Rev. Valerie Miles-Tribble, PhD (vmiles-tribble@absw.edu).
Proposal Submission Note:
● Individuals whose proposals are accepted must be members of the AAR before the conference date in order to present.
● Process: Proposals are anonymous to steering committee during the review, but visible to Chairs prior to final acceptance or rejection
● You will receive notification regarding the status of your proposal on or before December 2020.
● To submit or for additional information, please contact Unit Co-Chair
CFP: WOMEN AND RELIGION UNIT
The conference theme asks us to consider how moments of crisis shape our understanding of religion, religious community, and social and personal responsibility. The COVID-19 pandemic in particular, exposes and compounds the experience of systemic oppression, demanding that we reckon with these uncomfortable truths and disparities. The Women and Religion Unit is interested in how women respond to such urgent crises and moments of mass clarity, historical or related to the current pandemic.
The unit welcomes all proposals related to the conference theme and its intersection with women's lived experiences (broadly defined). We are especially interested in proposals that respond to the following topics:
We look forward to receiving your proposal.
The AAR/WR and GTU are working closely together to organize a robust conference in 2021. The successful organization of our 2020 conference, which the AAR/WR turned into a virtual event in short time and as an emergency following the spread of COVID-19 in California in March 2020, brings us confidence that our unit chairs and members will work together to create a unique and memorable online conference in 2021. We are further encouraged by the amazing team of academics and administrators at GTU with whom we are working to bring forth the conference. Our conference organizers are especially working on issues of inclusivity and accessibility for our members, and we expect to provide unique sessions that highlight our region's diversity and creativity. We also expect to provide all of our members with special networking opportunities at our 2021 conference.
Our 2021 Conference Theme is: Religious Studies after COVID-19: The Role of Religion in Times of Pandemic, Sustainability, Marginalized Communities, and Social & Economic Justice. Please see this page for a full description of the theme.
The deadline for submissions is October 15, 2020. Submissions should be sent to the relevant unit chairs and include an abstract of 250 words and a Program Participant Form. Please refer to all individual Calls For Papers (CFP) below, which are listed in chronological order according to unit name and include all Unit Chair contact information.
AAR/WR 2021 ANNUAL CONFERENCE CALL FOR PAPERS
CFP: ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES UNIT
The rampant spread of COVID-19 in the United States has had a tremendous effect on American society. Suffering from the challenges posed by the pandemic, many Asian Americans have turned to religion to deepen their spiritual capacities as a response to the crisis. One of the problems raised by the pandemic is racism. Although racist attitudes against minorities, including Asians, are not something new in the US, amidst the covid-19 pandemic, these racist attitudes have brought about a new reason for the rise of anti-Asian sentiments. Asians are blamed for the origin and spread of the disease that has caused millions of lives worldwide. In the United States, Asian establishments are being vandalized and threatened, while victims on the streets are attacked not only physically, but also economically, mentally, and emotionally, causing many Asian Americans to be afraid of leaving their homes. Furthermore, the closure of churches, temples, mosques and other places of spiritual practice poses another challenge for Asian America communities. These places have been essential for Asian immigrants of different generations, and not just for worship alone. They are also community spaces where Asians share certain commonalities, oftentimes with their coethnics, such as beliefs, tradition, culture, and food. Places of worship also serve as a means for civic engagement. Thus, these communities reinforce Asian identity while also helping new immigrants integrate in their host country.
The Asian American Religious Studies Program Unit is accepting papers that address these issues and questions raised by the COVID-19 pandemic: What are the effects of COVID-19 to Asian Americans and what is the role of religion in addressing these concerns? How are Asian American religious leaders responding to the pandemic? How do Asian Americans perceive the pandemic and how does it affect their religious lives? Given the plurality and diversity of Asian American religious traditions, how do Asian Americans continue to practice religion and spirituality? How are the lives of monks, nuns, priests, and lay practitioners in the US affected by this crisis? How do churches, temples, mosques, congregations, and Sanghas adapt to these changes religiously, socially, as well as economically? We are looking forward to a meaningful discourse amidst this global crisis that would illuminate the context of the turmoil that is affecting Asian American religious communities.
Scholars of Asian American religion from all levels are encouraged to submit their abstracts (250 words) and Program Participant Forms to Shannon Toribio (Shannon_toribio@ucsb.edu) and Irene Ludji (irene.ludji@cgu.edu). See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: BUDDHIST STUDIES UNIT
The Buddhist Studies unit invites papers exploring this year's conference theme, “Religious Studies after COVID-19: The Role of Religion in Times of Pandemic, Sustainability, Marginalized Communities, and Social & Economic Justice.” Topics of special interest to the unit include: Sangha Responses to the Pandemic; Buddhism and Racial Justice; Socially Engaged Buddhism; and Buddhism and Healing.
We welcome papers covering any school of Buddhism and from all disciplinary approaches. Topics of interest not related to the conference theme will also be considered as space permits.
Buddhist Studies scholars from all levels are encouraged to submit their abstracts (250 words) and Program Participant Forms to co-chairs Dr. Alison Jameson (ajameson@email.arizona.edu) or Jake Nagasawa (jnagasawa@ucsb.edu). See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: CATHOLIC STUDIES UNIT
The Catholic Studies unit invites papers that explore the themes of Sickness, Solitude, and Solidaritywithin Catholic traditions. The unit welcomes critical, cultural, ethical, historical, and theological perspectives and especially encourages papers on the following topics for its 2021 meeting:
- Sickness and Healing: Cultural, philosophical, and theological perspectives on the duties, practices, rites, institutions, and social roles related to caring for the sick within Catholic traditions. Critical analysis of concepts of the body that undergird these.
- Solitude and Solidarity: Cultural, philosophical, and theological perspectives on theories and practices of solitude and withdrawal.Cultural, philosophical, and theological perspectives on solidarity within Catholic traditions.
Catholic Studies scholars from all levels are encouraged to submit their proposals (250 word abstract) and Program Participant Forms to co-chairs Eva Braunstein (evabraunstein@ucsb.edu) and Justin Claravall (justin.claravall@gmail.com). See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: CHRISTIANITY UNIT
Christians have been dealing with Chaos, Crises, and Pandemics for 2000 years. One thinks of the collapse of the Roman Empire. Expansion of Islam. British Isles subjected to Viking marauding and pillaging. Great Schism. Black Death in the 14th century. The Fall of Constantinople. The Great Plague of London in 1665-1666. French and Russian Revolutions. The Taiping Rebellion. Mexican Revolution. Spanish Flu of 1918. The Shoah. COVID-19. We could go on.
We invite papers that address how Christians have dealt with Chaos, Crises, and Pandemics throughout history, as well as how they deal with these things today. The Christianity section welcomes proposals for papers and/or entire panels. Generally, papers will be 15 minutes long, with time for discussion.
Please send proposals (250 word abstract) and Program Participant Forms to Co-Chairs Dr. Enrico Beltramini: ebeltramini@ndnu.edu and Dr. Dyron Daughrity: Dyron.Daughrity@pepperdine.edu. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: ECOLOGY AND RELIGION UNIT
As COVID-19 has caused mass global disruption and exacerbated economic and social inequalities, protests against police violence and systemic racism in the United States have drawn attention to deep racial injustices in American society. These interrelated crises are compounded by environmental factors and the looming specter of climate change, which similarly disproportionately impacts marginalized peoples and communities of color. Efforts of mobilization and response in addressing these crises echo the global reaction to climate change, which requires scientifically guided policy initiatives as well as moral discourse from religious communities. And BIPOC voices leading protest movements for racial justice in America draw on traditions of intersectional critiques of historically environmental racist policies to advocate for environmental justice and climate justice. The societal problems faced today intersect in profound ways, and therefore demand responses that are profoundly intersectional.
For the 2021 AARWR meeting, the Ecology & Religion unit encourages proposals that address the role of religion in shaping and responding to the social and environmental crises of our time. Some potential guiding questions might be: What are similarities and differences in the response of faith communities to the global crises of COVID-19 and climate change? How do religious traditions influence discourse in ongoing struggles for racial, social, economic, and environmental justice? What does sustainability look like in a time of coronavirus, climate crisis, and racial injustice, and how might religious traditions shape what it means to live sustainably in such tumultuous times—or question the very premise of sustaining systems prone to oppression and inequality? These are just a few possible questions among many to consider when formulating a proposal.
The Ecology & Religion unit also welcomes submissions that address any number of broader issues and perspectives relating to religion and the environment. Please submit a Paper Participant Form and 250-word abstract to section chair Matthew Hartman at mhartman@ses.gtu.edu. Thank you. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: EDUCATION AND PEDAGOGY UNIT
The Education and Pedagogy Unit invites proposals that address the challenges of teaching religious studies courses during a pandemic and/or during ongoing movements to rectify social and economic injustices. Specifically we seek papers in two broad areas: 1) proposals that address practical concerns of teaching online, or in socially distanced or hybrid classrooms, especially in regards to creating community and/or giving voice to marginalized communities; 2) proposals that address theoretical concerns about how (or whether) instructors should adapt course content to better reflect the intersection of religion/politics/science in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and contemporary social justice movements. We recognize proposals may also be a combination of both areas.
For example, in terms of pedagogical practice, which strategies could be implemented to ensure equity among marginalized students in our classrooms? How can we implement an anti-racist pedagogy in the construction of our syllabus, the use of classroom (or online) time, and in the assessment of our students? What activities or assignments can we give that ensure a wider range of voices in our courses?
In terms of theory, what responsibilities as college and university instructors do we have in educating our students about contemporary issues of public health, sustainability, and social and economic justice if our current curriculum is focused on antiquity or the historical past of other (non-Western) cultural regions? Should discussions of contemporary issues remain marginal or should they be brought to the center of instruction? What balance should we try to seek?
Please send a 250 word abstract and Program Participant Form to Co-Chairs Dr. Sarita Tamayo-Moraga (stamayomoraga@scu.edu) and Peter Romaskiewicz (pmr01@ucsb.edu) by the October 15, 2020 deadline. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: ETHICS UNIT
In light of this year’s multifaceted conference theme, we invite paper proposals that relate ethics (religious, philosophical, and/or social) to any and all of the following topics: pandemic, sustainability, marginalized communities, and social and economic justice. We welcome proposals from a broad range of religious traditions and ethical methodologies, as well as a wide diversity of project modalities (e.g., analytic, reflective, comparative, evaluative, prescriptive, constructive). Special consideration will be given to creative interdisciplinary proposals, and to those that demonstrate fresh potential to illuminate these topics of such urgent contemporary ethical concern.
Please send your 250-word abstract and program participation form to Joshua Beckett (joshuabeckett@fuller.edu) and Dr. Owen Anderson (oanderson@asu.edu) no later than October 15, 2020. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: GODDESS STUDIES UNIT
This year, the Goddess Studies unit invites papers related to the AAR/WR’s 2021 conference theme, Religious Studies after COVID-19: The Role of Religion in Times of Pandemic, Sustainability, Marginalized Communities, and Social & Economic Justice. Of special interest is a look at the Divine Feminine and its relationship to the three pillars of Sustainability: ecological consciousness, economic equity, and social justice. How are goddesses across religious traditions around the world integral to the ways in which a wide variety of communities have sought support, relief, or compassion during difficult moments of the past or in the precarious times of the contemporary age, and in particular, of the year 2020? We encourage the submission of papers that utilize interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and nontraditional approaches to research. Other topics and themes of interest to the Goddess Studies unit include: religion and representations of goddesses in art, music, material culture, and ideology; goddesses and sacred spaces; goddesses, gender and religion; goddesses and storytelling or oral traditions.
Please send abstracts (250 words) and Program Participant Forms as email attachments to Dr. Anna Hennessey (dr.amhennessey@gmail.com) and Dr. Angela Dane comingintobeing@gmail.com. We look forward to receiving your proposals. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: GRADUATE STUDENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
In line with this year’s theme of “Religious Studies after COVID,” the Graduate Student Professional Development Unit is seeking proposals that explore how the professional study of religion has been influenced by the pandemic. This includes both the unique challenges raised by these extraordinary circumstances, as well as novel opportunities for growth and change posed by the crisis.
Topics for exploration include:
- How has the experience of being a graduate student changed during the time of COVID? How has a virtual classroom altered the way students learn, interact, and complete papers and projects? How has it changed oral examinations, dissertation defenses etc.?
- How has academic research been affected? What new methods have graduate students utilized to get the information they need.
- What does it mean to be a teacher during the crisis? How have professors changed their syllabi to make enriching experiences for students? This includes adapting online, hybrid, and in-person courses.
- Explore the intersections of race, gender, class in the classroom. How has the crisis exacerbated preexisting tensions, or created additional challenges for already marginalized students? Alternately, how has this crisis allowed for new analysis and productive classroom conversations?
- How have teachers navigated the unique stresses presented by COVID? This includes both personal concerns over their own health as well as dealing with student anxiety and family crisis.
- What does it mean to go into the job market during the COVID crisis?
The deadline for proposals and Program Participant Forms to unit chairs. Abstracts should be no more than 250 words. Presenters must be members in good standing of the American Academy of Religion and register for the conference prior to their presentation. Please submit abstracts to the attention of the unit co-chairs: James Berry (jsberry73@gmail.com) and Casey Crosbie (caseygcrosbie@gmail.com). See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form. We look forward to receiving your proposals.
CFP: INDIGENOUS RELIGIONS
Keeping with the annual theme, the Indigenous Religions Unit welcomes proposals for papers that explore the connections between Indigenous communities and pandemics, the last one being COVID-19. We invite proposals for asset-based or wellness approaches that discuss the ways in which Indigenous communities overcome challenges that affect their health and wellbeing. Of particular interest is the interplay of a spirituality that shifts from a deficit framework to an asset-based one to transform our understanding of community ecosystems.
Specifically, we look to engage in dialogue on matters relating to the concerns and rights of the world's indigenous peoples in their struggle for the preservation and transmission of traditional wisdom and self-determination. We incite inquiry on how diverse indigenous religious and spiritual traditions foster healing and community wellbeing. We encourage the exploration of the spirit, motivation, and methods provided by indigenous traditions to help address physical, mental, and emotional well-being in times of crisis.
The Indigenous Religions Unit looks to explore these dynamics through papers that delve into the ways of religion and well-being. We seek papers covering all Indigenous religions and spiritual traditions, and the dialogues in between, to explore any of the junctures within culture from all disciplinary approaches.
Presenters must be members in good standing of the American Academy of Religion and register for the conference prior to their presentation. Please submit abstracts (250 words) and Program Participant Forms to the attention of the section co-chairs Dr. Yuria Celidwen (celidwen@gmail.com) and Cecilia Titizano (ctitizano@ses.gtu.edu). See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
We look forward to receiving your proposals!
CFP: ISLAMIC STUDIES UNIT
The Islamic Studies Unit is currently accepting a wide variety of abstracts for papers that relate to the 2021AAR/WR Conference Theme: Religious Studies after Covid-19: The Role of Religion in Times of Pandemic, Sustainability, Marginalized Communities, and Social & Economic Justice, specifically within the context of Islamic Studies. Our unit will give priority to those abstracts that address the theme but will also consider proposals addressing other topics.
Please send a 250 word abstract and Program Participant Form to Co-Chairs Dr. Souad Ali (Souad.ali@asu.edu) and Dr. Sophia Pandya (Sophia.pandya@csulb.edu) by the October 15, 2020 deadline. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: JEWISH STUDIES UNIT
This year, the AAR/WR has asked us to examine the timely question: How can religious groups, and Religious Studies, be a potent contributor to the public good amidst our current medical, social, economic, ecological, and political crises? We in Jewish Studies know that the storehouses of Jewish tradition, the methodological approaches of our sub-field, and the experiences of Jews throughout history offer a great deal of wisdom on these topics. How can we, as Jewish Studies scholars, bring our unique perspectives to bear on the Covid-19 pandemic and systemic problems illuminated in its wake?
We believe the following three areas to be especially salient:
- Responding to Collective Trauma:When communities experience collective tragedy, difficult questions arise regarding how to narrate such events. There are inevitable tensions between the desire to forget and the desire to memorialize and transmit lessons. What should we remember? How should we remember? How do we incorporate painful memories within the broader stories we tell ourselves about who we are? As we know from sad experience, the reconstitution of community rests within these tensions.
- Creating and Sustaining Virtual Bonds:Ever since the destruction of the First Temple, Jews have belonged to a community that traverses geographical distances, and political and cultural boundaries. While there have always been controversies over issues of homeland and diaspora, and worries over acculturation to local norms, Jewish history offers a remarkable example of how a diffuse religious minority can maintain and even strengthen communal ties across vast distances. As communities across the world struggle to adjust to the novel necessity of virtual community-building, how can these lessons inform the wider conversation?
- Making Difficult Ethical Decisions.The global pandemic and other recent crises have cast age-old ethical dilemmas in new light, underscoring the importance – and urgency – of robust, versatile frameworks for ethical decision-making. Healthcare workers face thorny questions of triage on micro and macro levels. Individuals and leaders must assess risk with incomplete and imperfect data. Societies are struggling to balance commercial and social needs with the moral imperative to preserve life. Minorities and marginalized groups are often especially vulnerable, and pre-existing inequities and injustices are being further exacerbated. How might Jewish legal and ethical principles, Jewish traditions of ethical instruction, and Jews’ unique minority experiences be mobilized to address the needs of the times?
We welcome papers responding to the topics outlined above, or to other dimensions of the overlapping crises facing our communities. The deadline for submissions is October 15, 2020. Submissions should be sent to the Jewish Studies chairs – Dr. Roberta Sabbath (roberta.sabbath@unlv.edu) and Dr. Alexander Marcus (alexander.marcus@yale.edu) – and should include an abstract of 250 words as well as a Program Participant Form. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: LATINX RELIGIONS AND SPIRITUALITIES UNIT
Unidad de Religiones y Espiritualidades Latinx: La pandemia como revelación apocalíptica: espiritualidades latinas y erudición durante COVID-19
El concilio de Religiones y Espiritualidades de Latinx está comprometido con un panel equitativo y accesible y daremos prioridad a la selección de documentos y perspectivas de estudiantes graduados con visas impactadas por el reciente anuncio de ICE, profesores y académicos de color también tendrán preferencia. Cuando envié su documento recuerde de anotar si esto aplica a usted. Los lideres de este concilio están comprometidos a ser flexibile, ya sea en un formato híbrido (en persona y en línea) o completamente en línea para incorporar los objetivos del tema de la conferencia: concientización durante la pandemia, sustenibilidad, centrando las experiencias de las comunidades marginadas y justicia a través de la accesibilidad.
El cocilio de Religiones y Espiritualidades de Latinx agradece las propuestas relacionadas con el papel de las espiritualidades de Latinx y el estudio de la religión a la luz de la actual pandemia mundial. Alentamos un enfoque interseccional e interdisciplinario, así como una amplia gama de metodologías. Reconocemos las complejidades de la experiencia religiosa latina y latinoamericana, por lo que alentamos a los académicos a ejercer su creatividad.
La pandemia ha sido testigo de las injusticias raciales, de género y económicas que comprenden los sistemas y estructuras en los Estados Unidos. El impacto disparejo de COVID-19 y la falta de recursos materiales o acceso médico para las comunidades marginadas han aumentado la vulnerabilidad de los más vulnerables. El asesinato de George Floyd y las protestas posteriores han resurgido la necesidad de solidaridad interseccional. El fracaso de las instituciones académicas en los Estados Unidos para abordar de manera adecuada y equitativa las necesidades de la pandemia han revelado su falta de compromiso con los componentes periféricos completos de la pedagogía.
Por lo tanto, este concilio invita a los académicos a luchar sobre cómo las espiritualidades latinas reverberan en el trabajo hacia la justicia social al descentrar y deshacer las voces y estructuras patriarcales y hegemónicas. Este concilio está particularmente interesado en cómo diversas espiritualidades y teologías proporcionan marcos para el cambio social. Simultáneamente, este concilio está interesado en explorar el impacto de COVID-19 en la beca teológica-religiosa-espiritual para profesores y estudiantes de Latinx.
Aquí hay una gama de ideas de tema / tema que un autor / presentador podría elegir, aunque este concilio está abierto a temas adicionales que no figuran en la lista, pero que están conectados a los marcos detallados anteriormente.
• Crisis pedagógica en estudios religiosos para educadores / estudiantes latinx después de COVID-19
• Teología ecofeminista a raíz de COVID-19: Perspectivas latinx
• Solidaridad Fronteriza: #BLM, sustenibilidad y pedagogía centrada en la justicia
• Espiritualidades latinx: marcos no cristianos para el cambio social
• Espiritualidades intergeneracionales y cómo el conocimiento ancestral-indígena informa las respuestas y las formas de vivir durante una pandemia.
• El capitalismo neoliberal, una plaga ideológica y política, como la pandemia global subyacente responsable de la destrucción de los ecosistemas.
• "Apocalipsis" como una revelación (revelación de verdades)
Envíe propuestas (250 palabras) y formularios de participantes antes del 15 Octubre, 2020 a:
• Jacob Pérez [jperez@ses.psr.edu]
• Marlene Ferreras, PhD [mferrera@lasierra.edu]
Pandemic as Apocalyptic Unveiling: Latinx Spiritualities and Scholarship During COVID-19
The Latinx Religions and Spiritualities Unitis committed to an equitable and accessible panel and will place priority on selecting papers and perspectives from international graduate students on visas impacted by the recent announcement by ICE as well as by faculty and scholars of color. Please note this on your submission as applicable. We are also committed to flexibility in either a hybrid (in-person and online) or fully online format to embody the goals of the conference theme: conscientiousness during pandemic, sustainability, centering the experiences of marginalized communities, and justice through accessibility.
The Latinx Religions and Spiritualities Unitwelcomes paper proposals related to the role of Latinx spiritualities and the study of religion in light of the current global pandemic. We encourage an intersectional and interdisciplinary approach as well as a broad range of methodologies. We recognize the complexities of Latinx and Latin American religious experience, so we encourage scholars to exercise their creativity.
The pandemic has borne witness to the racial, gender, and economic injustices that comprise the systems and structures in the United States. The disparate impact of COVID-19 and the lack of material resources or medical access for marginalized communities have magnified the vulnerability of the most vulnerable. The murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests have resurfaced the need for intersectional solidarity. And the failure of academic institutions across the United States to properly and equitably address the needs from the pandemic have revealed their lack of commitment to the full peripheral components of pedagogy.
This unit therefore invites scholars to wrestle with how Latinx spiritualities reverberate in the work toward social justice in decentering and undoing patriarchal and hegemonic voices and structures. This unit is particularly interested in how diverse spiritualities and theologies provide frameworks for social change. Simultaneously, this unit is interested in exploring the impact of COVID-19 on theological-religious-spiritual scholarship for Latinx faculty and students.
Here is a range of topic/theme ideas an author/presenter might choose, though this unit is open to additional themes/topics not listed but connected to the frameworks detailed above.
- Pedagogical Crisis in Religious Studies for Latinx educators/students after COVID-19
- Ecofeminist theology in the wake of COVID-19: Latinx Perspectives
- Borderland Solidarity: #BLM, Sustainability, and Justice-Centered Pedagogy
- Latinx spiritualities – non-Christian frameworks for social change
- Intergenerational spiritualities and how ancestral-indigenous knowledge informs responses and ways of being during a pandemic
- Neoliberal capitalism, an ideological and political plague, as the underlying global pandemic responsible for destruction of ecosystems
- “Apocalypse” as an unveiling (revealing of truths)
Please submit proposals (250 words) and participant forms by October 15, 2020 to:
- Jacob Perez [jperez@ses.psr.edu]
- Marlene Ferreras, PhD [mferrera@lasierra.edu]
CFP: PAGAN STUDIES UNIT
Brave New World: Contemporary Paganisms During Extreme Change
Like a living organism, historic and contemporary paganisms adapt to shifts in the environment, the swelling and shrinking of populations, or the migration of peoples across the landscape. History, practices, belief, even the masks worn by the divine, dance to the music of change, revealing and vanishing within the kaleidoscope of human experience.
Contemporary Pagans look toward the traditions of the past, observing the ways that we have traveled from some distant place and time, and using the trajectory of those journeys to chart paths forward into the future. Many of these “old ways” may be deemed worthy, and others may be found wanting and incompatible to modern sensibilities. What do we keep? What do we discard? What do we transform? Who do we become?
How do the conditions surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic change the content and shape of Contemporary Paganisms? How does social distancing practices strengthen or weaken coming together in community, the teaching of magical practices, and the continuation of the various traditions of Witchcraft, Wicca, Reconstructionist, and other practices?
How will we endure the extremities of change and find new ways of being in a brave new world? From this point in the here and now, how do we demonstrate respect to those who have gone before, and how will we create a heathy and sustainable future for those who will follow?
We welcome papers responding to the topics outlined above, or to other dimensions of the overlapping crises facing our communities. The deadline for submissions is October 15, 2020.
Submissions should be sent to the Pagan Studies chairs: Dr. Kahena Viale (dkviale@cpp.edu)and Dr. Jeffrey Albaugh (jeffreykalbaugh@gmail.com). Theyshould include an abstract of 250 words as well as a Program Participant Form. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION UNIT
In relating the conference theme of the “Role of Religion in times of Pandemic, Sustainability, Marginalized Communities, Social and Economic Justice,” we are interested in discussing what philosophy of religion can do for the world.
- Does philosophy of religion have anything meaningful to say outside the confines of academic publishing, conferences, and post-secondary education? Can we provide for a porosity between academic silos and the daily lives of our students, friends, and family? What can philosophy of religion say – or do – for the marginalized and oppressed people in our world? Conversely, what would it do to our practice of philosophy/theology if we were to listen, embrace, or adopt the perspectives of the marginalized and oppressed of the world? How might this shift change the nature of the age-old debates in the field of philosophy of religion?
- What meaningful contributions currently exist or can be considered in philosophy of religion to confront the climate disasters we are facing and will continue to face at an ever-greater pace? Are there any philosophers or philosophies from history that may have something to meaningfully contribute to confronting ecological/environmental problems through the lens of philosophy of religion? Are there any contemporary philosophers who may have a contribution to confronting the environmental issues, especially from marginalized communities? What does Native American, Asian American, Latinx, or African American philosophies have to say in confronting issues of religion and ecology?
- Is philosophy of religion “white,” Eurocentric, or Christian? What problems does racism pose to and for the field of philosophy of religion? Is there a difference in how philosophers, theologians, or religious scholars of different colors uphold these issues? What is it we do not hear? How do “Black Lives Matter” in philosophy of religion? What would a decolonized philosophy of religion look like? The same with regard to gender issues: is philosophy of religion gendered, and is it, in its social standing, biased towards gender? How do these issues affect scholarship and/or social narrative in our discipline?
- In considering the pandemic, to what degree or extent does technology mold, shift, or alter our philosophies of life or religion? More epistemologically, how do technology and social media change how we understand truth or what is true, or the lack thereof (particularly since a pandemic alters how we communicate, ingest, and think about truth)? What is or should be the (proper) relationship between philosophy, technology, and religion? How are these mediums transforming what it means to study “religion” in contemporary culture, especially since these mediums appear to be transforming what religion “is”?
- What new, ignored, or disregarded topics, issues, or subjects deserve attention from those in the field of philosophy of religion today? Explore one of these topics, issues, or subjects.
- We also welcome proposals that investigate particular or individual philosophers, religious thinkers, theologians, or prominent social or political figures in terms of their insights, reflections, or ideas that contribute to the study of religion, or topics within the field of philosophy of religion.
We welcome papers responding to the topics outlined above, or to other dimensions of the overlapping crises facing our communities. The deadline for submissions is October 15, 2020.
Submissions should be sent to the Philosophy of Religion chairs: Dr. Dane Sawyer (dsawyer@laverne.edu)and Dr. Olga Louchakova-Schwartz (olouchakova@gmail.com) and Dr. Jay Potter (jaydpotter@gmail.com). Theyshould include an abstract of 250 words as well as a Program Participant Form. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: PSYCHOLOGY, CULTURE, AND RELIGION UNIT
Keeping with the annual theme of "Religious Studies after COVID" the Psychology, Culture and Religion Section welcomes proposals that explore the psychological, cultural, and religious impacts of the coronavirus, and the various intersections therein.
Topics for exploration include:
- How do wider cultural forces (ex: partisanship in the U.S.) change the way religious leaders have theologized about the pandemic? How do these “interpretations” of COVIDthen, in turn, change behaviors within religious communities?
- How has the psychological impact of fear of the pandemic in general and fear of contamination in particular affected or even changed religious concepts of altruism and prosocial behavior?
- How has COVIDled to novel adaptations of religious ritual (i.e. water gun baptism)? How do these changes affect the spiritual experience of religious adherents?
- What role has COVIDplayed in highlighting or exacerbating cultural and racial tensions, both in the U.S. and globally?
- What are the mental health implications of COVID, and how has the crisis changed the ways in which chaplains and those involved in pastoral care do their jobs?
The deadline for proposals and Program Participant Forms to unit chairs is October 15, 2020. Abstracts should be no more than 250 words. Presenters must be members in good standing of the American Academy of Religion and register for the conference prior to their presentation. Please submit materials to the attention of the section co-chairs, Dr. Hester Oberman (heoberman@msn.com), Kevin Whitesides, (kevinwhitesides@ucsb.edu) and Dr. Casey Crosbie (caseygcrosbie@gmail.com). See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form. We look forward to receiving your proposals.
CFP: QUEER STUDIES IN RELIGION UNIT
“Lights, Camera, LGBTQIA+: Depictions of LGBTQIA+ Identity in Popular Culture”
Queer Studies in Religion seeks papers that engage around the multifaceted issue of popular culture, religion, and the intersectionality of LGBTQIA+ identity. We are broadly defining intersectionality to mean the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality as well as religion, physical ability, age, nationality, citizenship, and home/food security, etc. We define intersectionality by not just noticing difference but how opportunity is equalized, how equal opportunity is “birthed” through the recognition of Intersectionality and equalizing opportunity. For example, we are interested in depictions of LGBTQIA+ identity in mediums such as, but not limited to, film, television, fiction and nonfiction, as well as on popular social media channels such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter.
Finally, the Queer Studies in Religion session wants to emphasize any type of scholarship that explores queer (LGBTQIA+) studies in religion from queer identified or allied scholars both within and outside of the academy. Please do not hesitate to send us any scholarship, regardless of whether or not it specifically addresses the CFP.
Please send a 250-word abstract alongside the Program Participant Form by October 15, 2020 to Queer Studies in Religion Co-Chairs Dr. John Erickson (jerickson85@gmail.com) and Dr. Marie Cartier (ezmerelda@earthlink.net). See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: RELIGION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY UNIT
This Unit features scholarship that explores the relationship of religion, theology, technology, and the natural sciences. We support research that attempts to bridge the gap between religious and scientific approaches to reality and encourage constructive proposals that engage the sciences along with a critical assessment of the meaning and impact of technologies for the human condition and the natural world.
The critical need to reconcile religious and scientific approaches to reality is exacerbated in this time of COVID-19. Units like ours have a clear responsibility to lead and leverage our work for the common good. Accordingly, in coordination with the conference theme “Religious Studies after COVID-19,” we encourage proposals including but not limited to the following topics:
Science and Religion after COVID-19:What have wide-ranging government and public responses to COVID-19, from Christian NIH director Francis Collins’ advice of caution to right-wing refusal to wear masks, revealed of the uses of science and religion as cultural categories? How has the interplay of science and religion contributed to our neoliberal cultural ethos? Is a church decision to regather necessarily a denial of science? How could a good God permit the widespread suffering incurred by COVID-19; what responsibility does God bear for the pandemic? How have science and religion mutually perpetuated social injustices? What psychological, sociological, or other scientific insights may help guide public reckoning of injustices?
Technology after COVID-19:NASA and SpaceX launched astronauts to the International Space Station in the midst of a global pandemic—is there a disconnect between innovative technological developments when basic needs of food, health, and safety remain unmet? How does access to medical technologies impact the way various people groups perceive the risk of COVID-19? How have the Internet and digital technologies influenced public perceptions of reality and the common good? In what psychological or sociological ways is the shift from in-person gatherings to online gatherings impacting communities? Are religious groups sufficiently proficient with technology to thrive and lead in a digital era? May new enhancement technologies alleviate fundamental kinds of human suffering; will they?
Please send a 250-word abstract alongside the Program Participant Form by October 15, 2020 to Religion, Science and Technology Unit Chairs: Dr. Greg Cootsona (greg@cootsona.net) and Melanie Dzugan (melaniedzugan@fuller.edu). See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: RELIGION AND SOCIAL SCIENCES UNIT
The unusual and critical circumstances we are living in today are calling for a deep reflection on the present moment. The social sciences are especially equipped with a wide gamut of methodologies that can help answer different and important questions on the events we are witnessing today. The global pandemic is on the rise across a number of states and the streets of American cities are daily occupied by protestors that call for racial justice, scholars of religion are invited to investigate the role that religious meanings, religious practices, and religious groups are playing in the midst of these unsettled times. This call welcomes papers that reflect on the role of religious practices, religious rituals, religious institutions, religious meanings, and religious groups in both addressing the dangers posed by the pandemic and the opportunities offered by this moment of social upheaval for racial justice. Religion has historically provided a set of meanings that can be used to make sense of different personal and collective health matters. For example, papers could address such questions as: How is religion being used to make sense of the current pandemic? Why are some religious groups pushing for reopening while others are being more cautious and respecting of state orders? How are religious groups coming together in a moment of forced social isolation? How are religious communities coping with the absence of in-person communal ritual practices? Religion has also historically played a major role in social movements. For instance, research has demonstrated how in the United States Black churches played a major role in the Civil Rights movement and has been playing a part in the Black Lives Matter movement. What role are religious institutions playing in today’s movement for racial justice? Are religious meanings brought into the conversation? And, if so, how? How are different religious groups reacting to these events? And how are religious communities partaking in the movement for racial and social justice?
We welcome all papers that address the theme of the conference and encourage papers from a variety of social science disciplines. All methodological and epistemological approaches are encouraged. We also welcome contributions that address the theme of the conference from a global perspective or not strictly focusing on the United States as a case for analysis.
Please send abstracts (250 words) and Program Participant Forms to Religion and Social Sciences Unit Chairs, Dr. Rebecca Sager and Dr. Valentina Cantori at: socialsciencesaarwestern@gmail.comSee the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: RELIGION AND THE ARTS
We welcome a wide variety of papers, workshops, and/or fully developed panels (3-4 persons) that relate to the 2021 theme: Religious Studies after COVID-19: Religious Role in times of Pandemic, Sustainability, Marginalized Communities, and Social & Economic Justice. Art and religion are used in the broad sense of the words. For example, art includes folk, iconography, animation, performance, comedy, photography, videos, television, graffiti, and music.
We welcome all religious and spiritual expressions. Successful proposals will articulate the thesis and evidence as well as offer a preliminary discussion on how the proposal contributes to the academic study of religion. Potential and sample topics include, but are not limited to:
● “We remember you”: the role of memorials as a form of ritual
● Watch Party: the role of technology in creating and sharing works of art
● Dystopian Realities: correlation between dystopian fiction and current realities (pandemic, quarantine, uprisings, etc)
● Future of Religion and the Arts in a post-pandemic world
Please send paper proposals (250 words) and Program Participant Forms by October 15, 2020 to: Tamisha Tyler at tamishatyler@fuller.edu. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: RELIGION IN AMERICA
1. Religion, Disaster, and Contagion: Considering the global pandemic, the North American Religion Unit of the AAR Western Region is interested in papers that address the religious response to COVID19. Over the course of the pandemic, religion in the U.S. traversed closures, reopening, protest, and conspiracy. We also witnessed the ways in which religion was invoked as a source of healing and dissent.
The unit is particularly interested in the ways religion shapes pandemic response and vice versa. Recognizing the scholar’s place within the field, we are also interested in the ways the study of American religion is affected by disaster.
2. American Religion and Racial Justice: Amid America’s response to COVID-19, the U.S. was reminded once again about the racial injustice in the nation and the ways police and militancy impacts marginalized communities. In light of this, we are inviting papers that address the intersection of race, religion, and state violence as it relates to various expressions of religion in American.
We are particularly interested in the ways religion is both a source of complicity and resistance and the ways religion participates in social movements such as BLM.
Other papers dealing with the general topic of “Religion in America” will also be considered. Please send abstracts and Program Participant Forms to co-chairs: Dr. Cristina Rosetti (crose005@ucr.edu), Dr. Konden Smith Hansen (krsmith2@email.arizona.edu), Dr. Michel Sun Lee (milee@ucr.edu), and Joey Baker (joeybaker@fuller.edu). See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: RELIGION, LITERATURE, AND FILM
The Religion, Literature, and Film unit welcomes proposals addressing various religions or
themes related to religious spirituality, practices, principles, psychology, and philosophy as
presented in contemporary literature or contemporary films. We are open to proposals that
explore fictional and non-fictional representations of religion and/or religious themes as
represented through literature and film. Specific interests of the unit are proposals of an
interdisciplinary studies approach to examining religion, literature, and film. In addition, the unit
welcomes proposals that explore the relevant or non-relevant vitality or breakdown of religion
as reflected in cultural or social zeitgeist.
This year the Religion, Literature, and Film unit invites papers and presentations that explore
themes related to the individual or the collective’s spiritual emergence or spiritual emergency
during the global COVID pandemic. More precisely, the RLF unit is looking for films,
documentaries, novels, short-stories, poetry, or graphic novels presentations that illustrate
spiritual emergence (awakening or transformation) or spiritual emergency (crises) within
characters, social groups, or society at large during global crises. Such crises or catalysts
pertaining to pestilence, death, and racial oppression and genocide are highly welcomed in
addition to spiritual emergence related to restored faith, evolved spirituality, or loss of faith.
Please send a maximum 250-word abstract and Program Participant Form to Unit Chairs: Dr: Emmanuelle Patrice (empstork2233@gmail.com) and Chantal Noa Forbes (chantalforbes@icloud.com) by October 15, 2020. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: RELIGIONS OF ASIA
Promoting inclusivity and excellence in scholarship, this section invites individual papers from a variety of religious and cultural traditions that explore all aspects of Religions of Asia. This year, we are especially interested in papers related to the conference’s 2021 theme: “Religious Studies after COVID-19: Religions’ Role in times of Pandemic, Sustainability, Marginalized Communities, and Social & Economic Justice.”For example, how have religions/religious people/religious leaders responded or how are they responding to pandemic and disease and what resources do they potentially provide for coping and wellbeing in such contexts? How have religions of Asia addressed issues of social and economic justice in the past and how might they fruitfully do so in our time? In what ways do marginalization, racism and religions of Asia intersect, both positively and negatively, and more specifically how might Asian Religions intersect with the Black Lives Matter movement? What is or might be the role of religions of Asia in addressing climate change and achieving sustainability goals? And what is or could be the role of the study of the religions of Asia in the wake of COVID-19?
We encourage the submission of papers that utilize interdisciplinary and nontraditional approaches to research. Other topics and themes of interest to the Religions of Asia group include: ways in which Asian religions interacts with art, music, material culture, and ideology; the body as location for religious experience; gender and religion; sacred spaces and texts; or storytelling and oral tradition.
Please send abstracts (250 words) and Program Participant Forms as email attachments to Unit Chairs: Dr. Nancy Martin (nmartin@chapman.edu) and Tejpaul Bainiwal (tbain001@ucr.edu). We look forward to receiving your proposals. See the link at the top of this page in pink bold to download the Program Participant Form.
CFP: WOMANIST/PAN AFRICAN UNIT
This group provides a forum for religious scholarship that engages theoretically and methodologically 1) the four-part definition of a Womanist as coined by Alice Walker, and 2) the worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all indigenous and diasporan ethnic groups of African descent. We nurture interdisciplinary scholarship, encourage interfaith dialogue, and seek to engage scholars and practitioners in fields outside the study of religion. We are particularly concerned with fostering scholarship that bridges theory and practice and addresses issues of public policy in church and society.
For our 2021 AARWR conference, the Womanist / Pan African unit offers two sessions inspired by the theme: Religious Studies after COVID-19: The Role of Religion in Times of Pandemic, Sustainability Marginalized Communities, and Social & Economic Justice. To link to a full theme description: https://www.aarwr.com/conference-themes.html
Womanist Session
Justice consciousness in the disciplines of ecowomanism and ecofeminist approaches has contributed meaningful bodies of research to stimulate discourse on ecological consciousness, economic justice, food justice, and the disparities that negatively impact the marginalized. Indices show that women of color and children, particularly black and brown women and children in culturally disenfranchised communities are at the bottom of the proverbial accessibility ladder. To raise a womanist lens to justice issues, what are ways that religion and politics are complicit in ignoring ecojustice and endangering sustainability? At the forefront of a global health pandemic, consider religio-politics as an ideological and ecological challenge across legislative, judicial, civil, and social justice systems. What voices and issues should be centered to call attention to the current realities of two pandemics: the global ecological devastation of COVID-19 and the rise of virulent racism?
Pan African Session
Global nations that were once rich in natural resources have documented the experiences of degradation into economic and environmental crises amid the pillaging of land, waters, and people. What is the significance of global protest sparked by the injustices from which a global mantra “Black Lives Matter” arose? What are motivating factors among different cultures to engage in ecological public protest? What are global and moral ramifications that arise in the misuse of religion (mission, doctrine, praxis) to mediate, i.e. tamp down the outcries of righteous indignation by theologizing suffering as God’s will? Discuss what voices and agency indigenous women and communities have in determining new possibilities for ecojustice amid the plurality of religious traditions.
--------
We are eager and excited to embark on another transforming year in Womanist and Pan African scholarship in the Western Region. We invite papers that align with broader AARWR call having a particular focus on either Womanism, Pan Africanism or both. Please submit both a 250-word proposal and the Program Participant form found at the AARWR website (https://www.aarwr.com/call-for-papers.html), to both Womanist/Pan African Unit Chair: Rev. Valerie Miles-Tribble, PhD (vmiles-tribble@absw.edu).
Proposal Submission Note:
● Individuals whose proposals are accepted must be members of the AAR before the conference date in order to present.
● Process: Proposals are anonymous to steering committee during the review, but visible to Chairs prior to final acceptance or rejection
● You will receive notification regarding the status of your proposal on or before December 2020.
● To submit or for additional information, please contact Unit Co-Chair
CFP: WOMEN AND RELIGION UNIT
The conference theme asks us to consider how moments of crisis shape our understanding of religion, religious community, and social and personal responsibility. The COVID-19 pandemic in particular, exposes and compounds the experience of systemic oppression, demanding that we reckon with these uncomfortable truths and disparities. The Women and Religion Unit is interested in how women respond to such urgent crises and moments of mass clarity, historical or related to the current pandemic.
The unit welcomes all proposals related to the conference theme and its intersection with women's lived experiences (broadly defined). We are especially interested in proposals that respond to the following topics:
- Women’s roles and impact in creating resilience or healing during moments of crisis,
- Women’s religious mythmaking or “crisis-narratives,” and their impact on community,
- Justice-making during times of crisis, paying particular attention to the “invisible” intersections crises create or illuminate,
- Loss and crisis (this can include loss of routine, ritual, sense of control, community, life, etc.),
- The changing meaning and modality of religious expression for both the practitioner and broader community,
- Community-building and social restructuring during times of crisis,
- etc.
We look forward to receiving your proposal.