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2008 Call for Papers
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Call Text
Arts, Literature, and Religion Section
The Arts, Literature, and Religion Section invites proposals for papers and sessions on the following topics: art, literature, and music of South and South East Asia; images of rebirth, renewal, and resurrection; Satan in art, literature, and music; literature of John Milton, including influence on other artists and poets, marking the 400th anniversary of his birth; Kierkegaard's reading of literature and the arts, and literary and artistic readings of Kierkegaard (joint session with Kierkegaard, Religion, and Culture Group); art as spiritual or contemplative practice; religious aesthetics; religion and ecology in art, literature, and music; the role of religion in the work of James Elkins; religious architecture in Chicago; Regina Schwartz’s When God Left the World; legacy of Nathan A. Scott, Jr.; literature of Chicago (e.g., When Christ Came to Chicago, The Devil in the White City); literary legacies of Saul Bellow and Norman Mailer; American regionalism in art and literature; teaching theology and religious studies in, with, and through the arts and literature. Please send proposals to both program units when responding to a joint call for papers.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Buddhism Section
In response to the AAR's international focus on South Asia for 2008, the Buddhism section solicits fully-formed panels as well as individual paper proposals that address the role of South Asian persons, practices, and institutions in Buddhism and/or Buddhist Studies. Panels and individual papers on other topics are also invited. Proposals are especially sought that would make creative use of the special ninety-minute sessions now available at the annual meeting. Proposals are also sought for sessions to review the significance and impact of a major book or figure in the field of Buddhist Studies. Topics suggested in this year's business meeting of the section included: Communities of Practice and Discourse Formation; Food in Buddhism; Burma Now; Buddhist Literary Genres; Buddhist Imaginings of Other Religions; Theodicy, Text and Law; Restorations of Buddhist Sites; Critical Engagements with Buddhist Texts; Buddhism and Racialization; Preservation and Restoration of Buddhist Sites; Translation in the History of Buddhism.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Christian Systematic Theology Section
General Theme: Christian Doctrine and Judaism. We invite constructive proposals (not merely descriptive or historical) on a wide range of approaches exploring the relationship between Christian doctrine and Judaism. We seek proposals for individual papers, entire sessions, or panels (e.g., on books, thinkers, or topics that relate to our general theme). Suggested topics include: Jewish and Christian construals of God and G¬-d; the relationship between the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, e.g., differing interpretations of Isaiah’s "suffering servant"; grace and covenant; Jesus as Messiah and/or the "messianic" in Western thought and culture; Jewish readings of the Christian Paul (e.g., Jacob Taubes) and Christian readings of the Jewish Paul; the church and Israel; election and "chosenness"; the Shoah as crisis for Jewish and Christian thought; and the relationships between Sophia, Shekinah, Ruach, and Holy Spirit. We also invite proposals on these or other topics for a co-sponsored session with the Scriptural Reasoning Group. These latter proposals should indicate the specific texts that will be addressed. Proposals from South Asian scholars, or scholars working on South Asian theology on this theme, are especially welcome. For planning purposes our general theme for 2009 will be "creation and destruction."
Methods of Submission Accepted
Comparative Studies in Religion Section
We seek proposals that provide occasion for comparative inquiry, engaging two or more religious traditions around a common topic and reflecting critically on the conceptual tools employed in the inquiry. While we accept individual paper proposals, we strongly encourage group proposals in the form of thematic paper sessions (maximum four presenters, a presider, and a respondent) or panel sessions (maximum six presenters). We reserve the right to add individuals to any group proposal. Themes proposed for the 2008 meeting, with organizers identified in parentheses, are below. Please contact the listed organizers if you wish to take part in any of the proposed sessions. Additional proposals for comparative panels and sessions are welcome. We seek proposals that provide occasion for comparative inquiry, engaging two or more religious traditions around a common topic and reflecting critically on the conceptual tools employed in the inquiry. While we accept individual paper proposals, we strongly encourage group proposals in the form of thematic paper sessions (maximum four presenters, a presider, and a respondent) or panel sessions (maximum six presenters). We reserve the right to add individuals to any group proposal. Themes proposed for the 2008 meeting, with organizers identified in parentheses, are below. Please contact the listed organizers if you wish to take part in any of the proposed sessions. Additional proposals for comparative panels and sessions are welcome: 1) Problematizing the language of religious violence (Jacob Kinnard, jkinnard@iliff.edu); 2) Comparative folklore (Corinne Dempsey, Corinne.Dempsey@uwsp.edu); 3) Globalization and religion (Selva Raj, sraj@albion.edu); 4) Religious processions (Anne Bullock, abullo2@learnlink.emory.edu); 5) Religion and law (Jim Lewis, j-lewis@bethel.edu); 6) Childbirth and the conception of the fetus (Liz Wilson, wilsone@muohio.edu); 7) Visual images and religious imagination (George Pati, george.pati@valpo.edu); 8) New religious movements and science (Mark Macwilliams, mmacwilliams@stlawu.edu); 9) Dreams/visions in comparative perspective (Robert Campany, campany@usc.edu); and 10) Clifford Geertz's contributions to the study of religion (Tracy Pintchman, tpintch@luc.edu).
Methods of Submission Accepted
Ethics Section
The Ethics Section invites proposals providing ethical analyses from all religious traditions and diverse ethical methodologies in response to the following themes: 1) Ethics and the Vote 2008: electoral "dirty tricks," voter responsibility, race and gender in the conduct of elections, campaign governance, etc.; 2) Political Action and Religious Ethics in South Asia: emerging patterns of interaction and political practice within and among traditions such as Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam; 3) Celebrating the Work of Emilie Townes: Womanist Contributions to Christian and Social Ethics (co-sponsored with the Womanist Group); 4) The Politics of Immigration in Middle America: scapegoating, electoral manipulation, economic dislocation, intergroup tensions, responses by religious communities, etc.; 5) Post-Genomics: reproductive technologies, human genetic manipulation, commercially available access to one’s genome, medical applications, etc.; 6) Religion and Business Ethics: the role of religion in forming ethics in business, religious, and ethnic marketing, business ethics of religious organizations, corporate responsibility across cultures and religions; and 7) Papers of particular excellence on other topics and panel proposals are also invited. All proposals should identify the methodology used and contribution of the argument to current academic conversations. Online submissions only. Proposals for co-sponsored sessions should be sent to both sponsoring program units.
Methods of Submission Accepted
History of Christianity Section
The History of Christianity Section seeks to present innovative and engaging research in the history, culture, and development of Christianity from its origins to the present, both local and global, while at the same time promoting interdisciplinary dialogue among the fields of religious studies, history, ritual studies, art history, anthropology, and historical theology. We seek proposals for individual papers or entire panels on the following topics: Christians and Christianity in South Asia; Christianity and the emergence of modern science; and practices of seeing in the history of Christianity. We will consider proposals on other topics as well. Papers should be conceived for an effective 15-minute presentation. We also solicit innovative proposals for participation in a workshop-style, interactive session on Designing and Teaching the History of Christianity Course: Practical Challenges, for which panelists should be prepared to present 10-minute rationales for their courses and submit materials such as syllabi ahead of time. All proposals must be submitted online via OP3 and will be evaluated in anonymous peer review by the section steering committee.
Methods of Submission Accepted
North American Religions Section
The North American Religions Section seeks to advance the study of religions in the United States, Canada, and Mexico by promoting innovative scholarship across disciplinary and national boundaries. This year we especially seek proposals related to: Immigration and migration (especially the Great Migration); Catholicism; the World's Parliament of Religion (particularly regarding South Asian religions); newer religious movements; the religious dimensions of class and ethnicity; and the relation of religion to violence. Also, we invite papers on the role of religion in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. In recognition of the locale of our next meeting, the section welcomes proposals on these topics as they relate to the greater Chicago region. As always, we seek proposals that consider the relation between history and ethnography in the study of North American religions or offer critical reflections on keywords in the study of American religion. To spur interactive sessions, we seek proposals for round tables, debates, visual and musical performances, workshops, and other appropriate formats, as well as more traditional presentations. To that end, where complete panels are proposed, please note that we may accept only portions of the proposal and add to the panel independently submitted proposals.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Philosophy of Religion Section
This section invites proposals on the following topics/books: 1) Martha Nussbaum, The Clash Within; 2) John Clayton, Religions, Reasons and Gods; 3) Mark C. Taylor, After God; 4) Human rights and global solidarity; 5) Thomist and neo-Thomist responses to the nature/grace distinction; 6) Challenges to religion from evolutionary biology; 7) The work of Jean-Luc Nancy; and 8) Approaches to classical problems like normativity (do we need it?), ineffability (what can we say about it?), tragedy, and suffering.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Religion and Politics Section
In addition to receiving proposals on topics generally in the purview of this unit (which encompasses both domestic and international issues), this year we also are interested in: 1) U.S. religion(s) and the 2008 election(s); 2) Political theologies and religious pluralism; 3) New and creative directions in U.S. church-state relations on cutting-edge issues (such as religion and the military; religion and government oversight of faith-based social services; conscientious objection and healthcare providers, among other topics); and 4) Multifaith perspectives and globalization, generally, including as specific suggestions interfaith and multifaith organizing in a global context as a way of addressing social conflict (a possible co-sponsored session with the Religion, Social Conflict, and Peace Group), and liberalism and global human rights.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Religion and the Social Sciences Section
The Religion and the Social Sciences Section especially invites proposals in relation to the following themes: interreligious cooperation and social activism; youth spiritualities; the Great Migration; and religion, culture, and politics in South Asia. We also welcome other paper or panel proposals that fit with the section's purpose: to support scholarship at the intersection of the social sciences (including psychology, sociology, political science, economics, and cultural studies) and religious or theological studies. Topics may include the study of religious and theological questions through specific social scientific disciplines, or comparative assessments of current issues by humanities-based and social scientific methods. In order to be accepted, a paper or panel proposal must carefully state its author's methodology.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Religion in South Asia Section
We invite proposals for fully developed paper or panel sessions on any aspect of religion(s) in South Asia -- textual, ethnographic, visual, historical, philosophical, pedagogical, comparative, etc. We also consider individual paper proposals, but strongly encourage everyone to submit complete paper or panel sessions whenever possible. Interdisciplinary approaches, multitradition perspectives, and creative formats are encouraged. Specific topics suggested by Religion in South Asia Section members include: God as child (Eliza Kent); karma and rebirth: modern interpretations (Kay Jordan); image and text -- wild men and boogeymen (Loriliai Bernacki); caste, Dalits, and Christianity (Selva Raj and Rachel McDermott); globalization and religion in South Asia (Selva Raj); the Swaminarayan movement (Jack Hawley); yoga and women (Chris Chapple); South Asian religions in Chicago; religious buildings: changing uses and competing claims; satire, humor, and character in South Asian religions/visual culture; prosperity and the transformation of sacred space; South Asian religions through their art and architecture; reading novels religiously; and curatorial studies, preservation, and religion in South Asia. In addition, please consult the Religion in South Asia Section's website, www.montclair.edu/RISA, and list serve, RISA-L, for a continually evolving list of additional paper and panel session ideas.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Study of Islam Section
The Study of Islam Section encourages paper proposals in all areas of Islamic studies. Successful proposals will reflect theoretical and methodological sophistication, as well as innovative examination of Islamic practices and texts. As always, we welcome submissions dealing with the Qur’an, Islamic law, philosophy, jurisprudence, Sufism, rituals, gender and sexuality constructions, engagement with modernity, teaching Islam, interfaith, and other areas of general interest. Furthermore we encourage proposals dealing with Shi’ism within and across these areas. In addition, we also invite panels on the following particular themes: theory and method in the study of Islam; gender theories in the study of Islam; environmental and bioethical issues; and intersections of scholarship and community involvement and activism. In commemoration of Rumi's 800th birthday anniversary we also solicit proposals representing the diversity of scholarship about the poet (for example, contemporary images of Rumi, his interpretation of the Qur'an). Since the AAR 2008 focus will be on South Asia and the Annual Meeting will take place in Chicago, topics related to South Asian Islam (for example, artistic expressions, relations with other parts of the Muslim world, and South Asian communities in the United States), and proposals on the Chicago Muslim community are particularly welcome.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Study of Judaism Section
We invite proposals on the following topics: 1) Pedagogy (either in the context of an introductory class to Judaism or the Judaism segment of a "world religions" class); 2) Judaism in the history of "History of Religions;" 3) Literary approaches to the study of Judaism; 4) Prophecy; 5) Purity; 6) The issue of authenticity in classical Jewish texts; 7) Modern interpretations of premodern Judaisms, and their discontents; 8) Jews in/and new religious movements; and 9) Judaism and science, wisdom, or other forms of "secular" knowledge. As always, the Study of Judaism Section at the AAR aims to present panels that showcase a wide array of methodological and historical subfields in the study of Judaism. And so we encourage the submission of papers and panels on topics other than those listed above; we especially encourage the submission of papers/panels that broaden the horizons of these subfields, as well as the submission of panels that treat a single topic from a variety of methodological approaches and/or historical periods.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Teaching Religion Section
The Teaching Religion Section critically examines pedagogical theory and practice. We invite proposals that join innovative teaching practice with the scholarship of teaching and learning, and model engaged teaching, in these areas: 1) Teaching the religions of South Asia; 2) Implications for teaching from the Spirituality in Higher Education report by UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute (2005); 3) Metaphors for teaching: what metaphor best captures you as a teacher, how do you embody it, and how might it inform the practice of teaching?; 4) Religious literacy: what should students know and how do we know when they know it?; 5) Teaching that creates "high-intensity dissonance" (Kiely, 2006) to shift the parameters of student thinking; and 6) For a possible co-sponsored panel with the Religion, Holocaust, and Genocide Group, the challenges and opportunities of teaching Holocaust and/or genocide courses across religious studies disciplines. We also will co-sponsor a panel with the Death, Dying and Beyond Consultation to celebrate the publication of Teaching Death and Dying. Finally, we invite proposals on a range of teaching topics (e.g., teaching during an election year; teaching Eastern Orthodox Christianity; teaching outside the classroom) for a luncheon session to be co-sponsored with the Wabash Center.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Theology and Religious Reflection Section
The Theology and Religious Reflection Section invites papers and panels related to the following themes: 1) Theological reflection on resistance to empire; 2) Theology as a cultural production and its relation to economics (economics as examined from ecological, neoliberal, Marxist, and other perspectives); 3) Religion, sustainability, and relation between different species; 4) Theological construction and interreligious conversations on transnationalism, fundamentalism, immigration, and diaspora; and 5) Tribal, Dalit, and indigenous theology and religion from South Asia. We encourage new formats and innovative ways to present information that allow conversations among presenters and participants. Additionally, the Theology and Religious Reflection Section welcomes proposals that address the intersections of theological and religious reflection with philosophical and political issues, and with questions of literary, cultural, and critical theory.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Women and Religion Section
The Women and Religion Section invites papers and panels from a variety of religious traditions and of methodologies that explore women’s experiences in the following topics: 1) Women and scholarship (e.g., what drives women's scholarship? what is an appropriate discussion for scholarship in women's lives?); 2) The future of Pentecostalism and global Christianity (Christianity in the twenty-first century will be mostly in the global south and more likely to be Pentecostal. What does that mean for women?); 3) The relationship between women, faith, and reform in the city of Chicago (e.g., urban renewal, immigration, neighborhoods, and women’s leadership in faith communities, etc.); 4) Women and politics: the 2008 election; 5) South Asia (e.g., studies on intersectionality of religion/Islam, women, regional politics, and local community issues will be especially welcome); and 6) Women in world religions (e.g., what categories of comparison are appropriate? Studies that reassess the following categories will be especially welcome: rituals, interreligious dialogue, and collaborative work among women across religious traditions in NGOs).
Methods of Submission Accepted
African Religions Group
The African Religions Group encourages critical inquiry about religions originating in Africa as well as those practiced there. Proposals should go beyond description, analyzing conceptual tools and methods employed. We invite individual papers and panels on: 1) Religion and media technologies: tensions between online/offline religion; 2) Crisis in education and the advance of faith-based universities; 3) Sharia law and politics in Africa; 4) The Darfur crisis; 5) Myth and gender; 6) Co-sponsored session with Anthropology of Religion Group: Independent Church Movements (ICMs) in Africa and the African Diaspora: how do they compare, and what approaches promote fruitful interdisciplinary research?; and 7) In honor of AAR’s special focus on South Asia, the Presence of India in Africa (co-sponsored with the Hinduism Group): distinctive forms of Hinduism in Africa (especially countries with significant Indian populations), and possible mutual influences between African traditions and Hinduism on the continent, e.g., inclusive "pantheons" or religious iconography.
Methods of Submission Accepted
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Afro-American Religious History Group
The Afro-American Religious History Group invites proposals for sessions or individual papers considering the following themes: urbanism and religion; reconsidering the "black metropolis" and the importance of Chicago in the religious and cultural imagination; civil rights and religion in the north; music and religion in the urban context; and for potential joint sessions with the Critical Theory and Discourses on Religion Group, exploring Gandhian and Southeast Asian Religious Influences on African Americans and, with the Mormon Studies Consultation, African-American Mormon History and Experience.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Anthropology of Religion Group
We invite proposals from across anthropology and religion, focusing this year on the following themes: 1) Risk and Religion: ethnography of dangerous people or groups, risk in fieldwork, other aspects of anthropology and danger; 2) Dilemmas of the Practicing Scholar: how has participant observation affected our own observance and participation in religious life?; 3) Independent Church Movements (ICMs) in Africa and the African Diaspora, co-sponsored with the African Religions Group: how are ICMs in Africa and its diaspora similar, different, or both, and what approaches might scholars employ to promote fruitful interdisciplinary research on this topic?; and 4) For the 2008 area focus on South Asia, we seek proposals related to minority religions and religious minorities (i.e., other than solely on Hinduism/Islam). We encourage submissions on other topics as well, from scholars using anthropological theory and methods — not only ethnography — to study diverse traditions, regions, and eras.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Asian North American Religion, Culture, and Society Group
We invite and welcome individual paper and panel proposals that address: 1) The diverse Asian North American religious experiences/traditions, e.g., Muslim, Hmong, and Buddhism; 2) A panel review of a documentary of API communities and their religious practices; 3) Issues of religious xenophobia in the North American context; 4) Proposals addressing issues emerging from critical engagement with queer theory from API perspective, especially from the site in which queer theory, postcolonial, transnational, and feminist theories intersect; 5) Proposals examining various religious practices and religious identities as constructed within Asian North American communities; 6) Panels exploring issues of religious privilege; 7) With AAR focus on South Asia, proposals engaged with works of postcolonial, feminist, political, and religious scholars from South Asia; and 8) Any other critical aspects of Asian North American religion/s, culture, and society.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Augustine and Augustinianisms Group
Papers are invited on the theme of Augustine and the Secular. Recent books by Peter Iver Kaufman and Robert Markus have reopened the question of the appropriation of Augustine's political thought in modern democracies. There has also been attention to Augustine's views on the place of "pagan" thought in Christian education. We welcome papers on these and other related issues, including papers that address a broader understanding of secularity; for example, in Augustine's treatment of time or his spirituality.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Bible in Racial, Ethnic, and Indigenous Communities Group
We are sponsoring an open session on the Bible and the Arts. Proposals are sought on the reception of the Bible, its invocations and applications, in the arts within the context of racial, ethnic, and indigenous communities in the United States. A second session will focus on reception of the Bible in Latino/a American Religious and Theological Studies. This session is by invitation only.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Bible, Theology, and Postmodernity Group
The Bible, Theology, and Postmodernity Group deals with biblical texts and theological ideas in fresh combinations suited to the postmodern context. For 2008, we are most interested in proposals dealing with the following topics: law in Leviticus; law in Paul; food and eucharist; and sacrifice.
Methods of Submission Accepted
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Bioethics and Religion Group
The Bioethics and Religion Group invites papers that explore and examine bioethical issues from a variety of religious perspectives. We encourage diverse methodological, textual, historical, and social approaches, as well as cross-cultural, class, and gender analysis. A second session, co-sponsored with the Childhood Studies Consultation, will focus on pediatric ethics and religious and ethical understandings of children, ethics, and modern medicine. This session will combine invited panelists and submitted papers.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Black Theology Group
The Black Theology Group seeks panel and paper submissions that: 1) Explore black theological thought that troubles notions and dismantles myths about the religious and social commitments of Howard Thurman and Martin Luther King Jr.; 2) Interrogate the intersections of black religious thought and public policy (e.g., healthcare, war, global economy, and public discourse); and 3) For a joint session co-sponsored with the Womanist Approaches to Religion and Culture and Men’s Studies in Religion Groups, address the topic Gendered Conversations: Between Black Females and Males. These papers should deal with the following questions: how do we think of ourselves as "women" and "men" in the social context of ongoing sexism, racism, classism, homophobia, and heterosexism? how do black women and men hold a credible conversation on masculinity and womanhood with each other?
Methods of Submission Accepted
Bonhoeffer: Theology and Social Analysis Group
Bonhoeffer's work and life were informed by his time in America (in 1930-31, 1939). We invite papers that examine this formative period for Bonhoeffer — and the ways it shaped his later choices — and that consider not only his time in New York, but his travels across the contintent, connections with Koinonia Farms (for example), and his important friendships. His concern with "Protestantism without Reformation" may be of particular interest, especially in the ways that it resonates with contemporary issues and the political climate, in correlation with the U.S. federal elections. Thus, we also welcome papers that put Bonhoeffer in conversation with issues such as ecology (global climate change), war (Iraq), and racism. Additionally, we are pleased to announce a joint session with the Theology of Martin Luther King Jr. Consultation and invite papers that look at both Bonhoeffer and King. This session anticipates a forthcoming new volume on the two.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Buddhist Critical-Constructive Reflection Group
The Buddhist Critical-Constructive Reflection Group explores how the modern academic study of Buddhism may inform Buddhist understandings today, and how Buddhist understandings may help address contemporary problems in philosophy, religion, and society. We invite paper or panel proposals on the following: 1) New Buddhist reflections on religious diversity: either interreligious (Buddhist and non-Buddhist) or intrareligious (among different Buddhist traditions); 2) Comparative theology in Buddhist form: how specific aspects of a non-Buddhist religion may shine new light on Buddhist self-understanding; 3) Buddhist academic scholars as resources for Buddhist communities: intellectual and cultural issues raised by particular examples; and 4) Buddhist perspectives on a contemporary intellectual or social issue.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Buddhist Philosophy Group
The Buddhist Philosophy Group, while accepting individual paper proposals, seeks mainly to sponsor tightly integrated group presentations. Topics might center on a specific philosophical problem, but they might also address metatheoretical issues such as methodology. Panels may likewise focus on a recent publication central to the field or a classical text of particular importance. Panels or sessions that use a diversity of methods to address a thematic issue within a regional focus are also encouraged. Potential topics raised by group members include: contemplative practice and philosophy; reflexive awareness; Buddhism and pragmatism; analogy and example in Buddhist philosophy; tantra and philosophy; Buddhist ethics; Yogacara, phenomenology, and cognitive psychology; Jonathan C. Gold’s The Dharma's Gatekeepers; Anne Klein's Unbounded Wholeness; and, are propositions, truth, and justification Buddhist philosophical categories?
Methods of Submission Accepted
Chinese Religions Group
We invite proposals related to all aspects of religious thought and practice in China and Chinese diaspora communities. For 2008 we welcome proposals in the following areas: transnational connections in Chinese religions, past and present; religious education and organized ordination in contemporary China; how tourism has impacted local religion in contemporary China; transformations of Daoism during the Han Period (second-century BCE and second-century CE); scripture and commentary in Chinese religions, including attention to textual production and transmission, interpretive practice, and protocols of competency; the conceptual and performative conceits of the religious "master"; women and religious authority; new archaeological discoveries (manuscripts and/or material culture) and their implications for understanding Chinese religion in the pre-Han period.
Methods of Submission Accepted
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Christian Spirituality Group
We welcome proposals that explore the relationship between the academic study of Christian spirituality and its practice, as well as proposals that employ multidisciplinary perspectives. We particularly invite proposals on the following themes: 1) Eros and Christian spirituality; 2) The recovery of the monastic spirit in Christianity: old and "new" monasticism; 3) The spirituality of the Christian missionary encounter (especially in South Asia); 4) Christian pilgrimage in cross-cultural perspective; and 5) For a co-sponsored session with the Reformed Theology and History Group: Christian spiritual practices in the Reformed traditions, such as Scripture reading, expository preaching, pastoral prayer, public confession, Holy Communion and baptism, as well as mass social movements such as abolition and suffrage, and (in the nineteenth century) missionary societies for clergy and laity.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Comparative Religious Ethics Group
We encourage submissions, both integrated sessions and individual proposals, that explicitly compare positions or themes from diverse religious thinkers or groups, and which also investigate broader methodological questions. This year we especially invite papers that analyze moral ethnography as a form of comparative religious ethics, for example in recent works on South Asian religions. We also solicit proposals on other topics, such as intersections between comparative ethics and political theory; moral outrage, zeal, and religious extremism in comparative perspective; the relations between comparative religious ethics, philosophical ethics, comparative theology, and interreligious dialogue, especially with regard to normativity, presuppositions, and scholarly stance; and linguistic issues in comparison, including semantics, metaphor, and translation.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Comparative Studies in Hinduisms and Judaisms Group
This group seeks to bring together scholars of Hinduism and Judaism to generate responsible and insightful comparative conversation with the intention of developing alternatives to the Christian-based paradigms that have tended to dominate the academic study of religion. Paper proposals on any theme will be considered for acceptance, but for the 2008 sessions we particularly invite papers on the following topics: Indo-Judaic studies: looking ahead; sacred objects; pilgrimage; and revisiting mysticism: is mysticism a useful way to characterize Hinduism and Kabbalah? Proposals for individual papers as well as full panels are encouraged. Presenters need not have expertise in both Hindu and Jewish traditions.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Comparative Theology Group
The Comparative Theology Group is concurrently theological, interreligious, and comparative. The group seeks proposals that combine specific, interreligious, comparative study with methodological reflection. Full, multiperson proposals are preferred. Suggested topics include: sabda pramana (verbal testimony) from multiple religious perspectives; the critical study of religions and comparative theology; European discourse on comparative theology; learning theologically from the religious "other"; power relations in comparative theological discourse; multiple religious belonging; comparative theology and the theology of religions; "comparative theology" in traditions other than Christianity; debating truth claims; time, religious narratives, and comparative theology; Barth and Jodo Shinshu Buddhism; theological questions, such as suffering, identity and conversion, religious education, etc. Online submission through the OP3 system only. Thematic paper sessions: abstract and paper proposals; panel proposal: abstract and names.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Confucian Traditions Group
We invite proposals concerning any aspect of Confucianism. Topics of particular interest this coming year are: empirical approaches (sociological or anthropological) to the study of Confucianism; the meaning of the word Ru; mass-market Confucianism; ritual theory in East Asia; the impact of text critical studies on Confucian practice; Confucian devotionalism across East Asia; and the effects of modern conceptions of Confucianism on our view of past Confucianism. In possible collaboration with the Daoist Studies Group, we would also like to solicit papers for a panel entitled "Western (Mis)conceptions of Confucianism and Daoism." We also encourage applicants to propose panels in the new 90-minute format, which can take the form of a symposium on a particular text, pedagogy, or a specific author.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Contemporary Pagan Studies Group
Traditional models see the historical movement from polytheism to monotheism as progress, as a natural, linear evolution. Today, however, we find groups looking to their cultural heritages to recapture ancient polytheistic traditions, to reconstruct these to fit modern circumstances, and to create or discover new polytheistic spiritualities that address contemporary life. Thus Pagan Studies opens dialogue with Eastern and Afro-Latin diaspora traditions. We invite papers that explore the issue of the Polytheistic Challenge. In addition, we encourage both papers and alternate forms of presentation exploring Halloween/Samhain/Day of the Dead (e.g., ancestors, fear of death, popular culture’s cooption of Pagan practices, etc.). We also welcome papers on other themes dealing with contemporary pagan studies.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Critical Theory and Discourses on Religion Group
The Critical Theory and Discourses on Religion Group offers a forum for critical/theoretical work in conversation with specific cases of religious practices/beliefs/institutions and/or the scholarly study of these. This year's themes: 1) The implications of intellectuals serving as willing and unwilling accomplices of power: the invasion of Iraq and the embedded scholar of religion; 2) Religion and the science wars (issues resonant with Alan Sokal and the "Social Text" Affair, Meera Nanda's Prophets Facing Backward, and/or Edward Slingerland's What Science Offers the Humanities); 3) Emerging themes/approaches in the study of religion in Europe (e.g., immigration, pluralism, and politics; cross-border religion and imagined communities; hybridity and inculturation; transnationalism); and 4) Religion and class (e.g., Sean McCloud's Divine Hierarchies, or other critical/theoretical perspectives on this issue). We welcome individual submissions on any topic, not limited to those mentioned above; we are also very receptive to submissions for full sessions on any appropriate topic, ideally with three papers.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Cultural History of the Study of Religion Group
The Cultural History of the Study of Religion Group seeks papers concerned with historical inquiry into the construction of the category of "religion" in various social and cultural contexts, and their relationship to the academic study of religion. We strive for sessions that represent diverse cultural/geographic locations. This year we especially encourage proposals on the following themes: 1) Visual culture/material culture and the emergence of the category of religion; 2) The role of world expositions in the cultural production of religion; 3) Global antecedents: narrating the prehistory of the comparative study of religions (especially but not exclusively in relation to the South Asian emphasis of AAR 2008); and 4) The deployment of the category of religion in election campaign discourses.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Daoist Studies Group
The Daoist Studies Group invites panel and/or paper proposals on the following topics: Daoist sacred sites; translating Daoist texts; and Western (mis)conceptions of Confucianism and Daoism (co-sponsored with the Confucian Traditions Group). We also invite complete panel proposals dedicated to discussion of a recent important book in Daoist Studies (e.g., Schipper and Verellen's The Taoist Canon). Proposals on other topics may also be considered. Please submit panel and paper proposals via the OP3 system no later than March 1, 2008. If you have any questions or additional suggestions, please contact the co-chairs at the above e-mail addresses.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Eastern Orthodox Studies Group
The Eastern Orthodox Studies Group invites papers on the following three topics: 1) Origen and Origenisms, reflecting new research on all aspects of the life and work of Origen of Alexandria and his historical influence in patristic and later theology; 2) The perception of the "West" in Eastern Orthodoxy, including such questions as the problematic character of the "West" as a category; the "West" as "the other;" "West," "Western," and "Latin" used as theological foils; and the evaluations of Western theological thought by Florovsky, Yannaras, and other modern Orthodox thinkers; and 3) The spiritual senses in Eastern Christianity and other religious traditions. We welcome papers on all aspects of the phenomenon of spiritual perception and/or inner senses. This session will be held jointly with the Mysticism Group.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Ecclesiological Investigations Group
Consensus Statements on the Church: What Remains Divisive? -- A session exploring bilateral and multilateral documents that attempt to discern where churches dwell in common and to identify remaining causes of division. Historical, methodological, conceptual, and comparative treatments are invited. Particularly welcome are constructive explorations of ways to offset churches’ nonreception of consensus statements and of obstacles (theological and otherwise) to reception, as are specific treatments of key concepts (e.g., adiaphora, "hierarchy of truths"). Twenty-first Century Church -- A general call to explore contemporary reality and future prospects for the church in general and ecclesiology in particular. Papers of broad thematic focus (e.g., on postmodernity) or more specific treatments (e.g., contemporary covenantal ecclesiology, varieties of liberation ecclesiology), ethnographic studies of developments at grass roots/regional level or more comparative and systematic surveys, and projections of where ecclesiology is presently "at" and in what directions it is likely to/should develop are all welcome.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Evangelical Theology Group
We invite proposals for: 1) Common ground between Christianity and Islam in "A Common Word between Us and You" (www.acommonword.com) and a Christian Response, "Loving God and Neighbor Together" (www.yale.edu/faith/abou-commonword.htm); proposals are invited which demonstrate constructive theological engagement with the documents; implications for interreligious dialogue, especially for evangelicals; opportunities and challenges to evangelical identity, practices and mission; and contributions to social ethical concerns in common between religious traditions; 2) LeRon Shults’s Reforming the Doctrine of God, constructive interaction with his theological method, sources, content, and implications for reforming evangelical doctrines of God; and 3) Pending confirmation, a joint session with Biblical/Contextual Ethics Consultation. We invite proposals that utilize postcolonial interpretations of biblical texts on such issues as globalization, economic justice, racial, class and gender constructions, social order, nationhood, and political power which constructively engages social ethical issues, populist uses of biblical texts, and religious rhetoric in public discourse.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Feminist Theory and Religious Reflection Group
Paper and panel proposals are invited that critically, practically, and constructively engage feminist theory and religious reflection. Preference is given to proposals with substantial feminist theoretical argument and with attention to cross-cultural perspectives, especially but not only the 2008 theme of South Asian studies. We solicit both papers and panels particularly on the following topics: 1) Feminisms/womanisms take on liberalism, e.g., issues of consent/choice in sexual ethics, in reproductive rights, in public/political life (such as political agency, electoral procedures, etc.); 2) Feminists theorizing ritual as a significant site for imagining/performing trans______ (i.e., transformation, transgression, transgender, transnational, transcultural, etc.); 3) Feminist theoretical engagements with violence and its aftermath: defining hurt, harm, and suffering; and 4) Neither radical nor right: feminists negotiating "the middle" way in different religious contexts. Our group will explore the possibility of a co-sponsored session with the Religion and Sexuality Consultation regarding the first two topics.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Gay Men's Issues in Religion Group
The Gay Men’s Issues in Religion Group seeks to deepen and expand its work at several critical intersections and welcomes both paper and panel proposals on any of these broad areas of interdisciplinary concern: 1) The construction of maleness and masculinity (we are planning a joint session with the Men's Studies in Religion Group on this topic, as well as a discussion of how our two groups overlap and/or diverge in our work); 2) Economics/global capitalism (neocolonial exportation of and financial reliance on sexual and gender difference); and 3) Evolutionary biology/human sciences (religious contributions to and contestations of scientific discourse on gender, sex, and sexuality). In each of these areas we also wish to explore the construction of racial/ethnic and/or religious "others" and how these relate to the constructions of gay men as sexual/gender "others." We also welcome paper and panel proposals on topics not listed here and from all religious traditions.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Hinduism Group
We invite panel proposals for the 2008 meeting on any aspect of Hinduism in any part of the world that cover a wide variety of topics. Interdisciplinary and comparative proposals are also welcome. Proposals must be made through the online system. Complete session proposals are highly encouraged though individual paper proposals may also be accepted. Please look closely at our mission statement to get a broad sense of our goals and objectives. Suggested topics are: 1) Media and Hinduism: news, TV, and Internet (Arti Dhand); 2) Films and Hinduism (Diana Dimitrova); 3) Hinduism and arts in Cambodia (Vasudha Narayanan); 4) On-line Pujas (Phyllis Herman); 5) Sects and separatism in Hinduism (Dean Accardi); 6) Psychoanalysis and Hinduism (Al Collins and Travis Chilcott); 7) New temple constructions and globalizing Hinduisms (Jack Hawley); 8) Hindu temples in India and America (Diana Eck); 9) Diaspora Hinduisms in Africa (co-sponsored with the African Religions Group); 10) Hindu approaches to health and healing (co-sponsored with Religion, Medicines, and Healing Group); and 11) Women and caste in Hinduism (Ramdas Lamb).
Methods of Submission Accepted
Indigenous Religious Traditions Group
The Indigenous Religious Traditions Group calls for papers related to Intentionality, Freedom, and Agency: Toward Philosophy of Religion in Indigenous Contexts. We will receive papers that engage any combination of these conceptual issues and encourage submission of proposals that are theoretical and research grounded. Our group will also receive paper proposals that probe the idea of the sacred. In this instance, the critical question is whether the sacred is a viable conceptual classification for the study of indigenous religious traditions. In each category of paper submissions, we are wanting to expand theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of indigenous religious traditions and to enhance our thinking about philosophy of religion as related to indigenous contexts.
Methods of Submission Accepted
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Islamic Mysticism Group
The Islamic Mysticism Group solicits paper and panel proposals engaging diverse topics and regions for the 2008 Annual Meeting. Special attention will be given to the following topics: social and doctrinal configurations of South Asian Sufism; the use of rhythm and music in Sufism; Sufism and Western esoteric traditions; traditions of embodiment in Sufism (ritual, healing, gender, etc.); Sufism and law; and neo-Platonism and Islamic mysticism. Prearranged panel proposals reflecting diversity in gender and ethnicity are encouraged. Proposals dealing with Islamic mysticism in South Asia are especially welcome in view of the AAR regional emphasis in 2008.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Japanese Religions Group
We invite panel and individual proposals related to all aspects of Japanese religious practice and thought, both historical and contemporary. For 2008 we welcome proposals relating to the following topics: 1) Healing and divination in Japanese religion; 2) Religion and education in Japan; 3) Religion in Japanese television (serials, popular media, news coverage, etc.); 4) Meaning of "cult" in the post-Aum culture; 5) Buddhist philosophy in Japan; 6) Women and gender in Japanese religions; and 7) Esoteric thought and practice. Proposals that include explicit reflection on the relevance of Japanese religiosity to human religiosity and the study of religion more broadly are preferred. Creative formats (film, organized discussion, "workshop," etc.) are encouraged.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Kierkegaard, Religion, and Culture Group
The Kierkegaard, Religion, and Culture Group invites paper proposals for a session about Kierkegaard's attack on established Christianity and about his point of view regarding the relation of the individual to religion and culture in his final accounting on church, society, and the Christian life. In addition, the group invites paper proposals for a joint session with the Arts, Literature, and Religion Section regarding Kierkegaard's reading of literature and the arts, and literary and artistic readings of Kierkegaard. For a second joint session with the Biblical/Contextual Ethics Consultation on Kierkegaard, Violence, and the Sacred: Interpreting the Near Sacrifice of Abraham's Son.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Korean Religions Group
The Korean Religions Group invites paper proposals on the theme of religion and violence both in traditional and modern contexts. The variations of the topic include but are not limited to religion and militarism; religion and torture; post-Korean War and religions; religion and student movement in Korea; religion and authoritarianism; religion and military dictatorship; and religious militia. Interreligious dialogue or religion and science can also be subfields of the theme. Korean Religions Group also invites a panel proposal for a book review session on recent publications in Korean religions, a panel on a focused group discussion on Korean religions, or a panel on educating Korean religions. The Korean Religions Group, in co-sponsorship with the World Christianity Group, welcomes papers on women and Christianity in Asia. Especially welcome are papers focused on women and Christianity in Korea, China, and India--though areas such as Japan, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka are by no means ruled out. Topics may vary so long as they relate women, Christianity (of any communion), and Asia (or a region thereof) in some serious way. Suggested topics may include Christianity's impact (or lack thereof) on the liberation of Asian women; Asian feminist theology; women leaders in Asian Christianity; nationalism (or transnationalism) and Asian Christian women; challenges Asian Christian women; experiences of women missionaries (not necessarily Asian) in Asia.
Methods of Submission Accepted
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Latina/o Religion, Culture, and Society Group
The Latino/a Religion, Culture, and Society Group invites papers and panel proposals for the following two themes: 1) Blessed Rage or Sacred Resistance: Exploring the Intersections of Religion and Activism: this session will consist of papers recruited via this call and by way of invitation. Proposals are welcome that address manifestations of social activism in relationship to their religious dimensions, particularly as they impact U.S. Latino/a communities; and 2) Days of the Dead, Ways of the Living: Reflections on Religion and Death in Lo Cotidiano: this session explores the manifold ways in which U.S. Latino/as and Latin Americans observe, ritualize, and make meaning of death. Proposals are desired that critically engage cultural and religious practices surrounding death and dying, including but not limited to: observances of the days of the dead; memorializations of the dead, e.g., through art, music, popular culture, street murals, altarcitos, grave site decoration, homegrown/local rituals, online, etc.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Law, Religion, and Culture Group
We invite paper and panel proposals, including author-meets-readers panels, on any aspect of the cultural, historical, critical, and comparative study of the intersections of law and religion, including legal categories in religious traditions, the treatment of religion within legal traditions, human rights, and freedom of religion and belief. This year we especially welcome submissions on the following themes: trials as a method of social control; the definition of "law" and "religion" in premodern contexts; and the role of legal categories in the study of religion. Together with the Religion and Colonialism Consultation, we encourage proposals on the interaction of law and religion in colonial and postcolonial contexts, including the effect of colonialism on indigenous systems of law and religion.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Lesbian-Feminist Issues and Religion Group
We invite proposals on the following topics: 1) Recent developments in diverse spheres -- from politics and legislation to reproductive technologies -- have opened new opportunities for imagining and constructing queer families. We solicit explorations of religious responses, both positive and negative, to notions of queer families and parenthood within diverse countries and cultures; 2) Queer possibilities in the post-Bush era; 3) Women aging subversively: how can lesbian and/or queer scholarship inform, challenge, and critique our understanding of aging bodies?; and 4) Papers that seek to raise consciousness and disrupt discourses, exploring heterosexism as the fundamental oppression underneath homophobia, misogyny, and racism. The call is for papers that analyze the connections among forms of oppression. Individual paper proposals are welcome; complete panels on any of the above topics are particularly encouraged.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Men's Studies in Religion Group
The Men's Studies in Religion Group invites paper submissions on: 1) The relationship between religion, politics, and masculinity especially as they may connect to the presidential election; 2) Papers that address the methodological foundations for an analysis of Men's Studies in Religion as a subdiscipline; 3) Gendered Conversations: Between Black Females and Males: how do we think of ourselves as "women" and "men" in the social context of ongoing sexism, racism, classism, homophobia, and heterosexism? how do black women and men hold a credible conversation on masculinity and womanhood with each other? (co-sponsored with Womanist Approaches to the Study of Religion and Black Theology Groups); and 4) Papers for a joint session with the Gay Men's Issues in Religion Group, specifically focused on the "who's afraid of gay theology" discussion in the Fall 2007 issue of Theology and Sexuality.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Mysticism Group
We focus on the comparative, philosophical, theoretical, cross-cultural, and transnational nature of mysticism, religious experience, and spiritual practice. Creative, imaginative, and scholarly proposals with a clear methodology are invited on: 1) Mystical love poetry; 2) The spiritual senses in Eastern Christianity and other religious traditions (proposals welcome on all aspects of the phenomenon of spiritual perception and/or the senses, e.g., sensus divinatus, "eyes of the mind/heart"), to be co-sponsored with the Eastern Orthodox Studies Group; 3) Stages of mystical development; 4) Mysticism and neuroscience/consciousness studies; and 5) Techniques of induction of mystical states (trance, drugs, etc).
Methods of Submission Accepted
Native Traditions in the Americas Group
We invite individual papers and group proposals on any aspect of Native Traditions in the Americas. We encourage proposals in the following areas: 1) Sovereignty and the environment, particularly in the Great Lakes region; 2) Religion and negotiations in the Old Northwest; 3) Pontiac and Tecumseh in the upper Midwest; 4) Urban Natives, termination, and relocation (Chicago as a center); 5) Removal and erasure; 6) African Americans and Natives; and 7) Chief Illiniwek, mascots, spirituality, and representations. We also seek submissions for a joint session with the Animals and Religion Consultation on Native American spirituality and animals. Proposals must be submitted electronically, preferably via OP3, but may be submitted via e-mail attachments to both co-chairs if necessary.
Methods of Submission Accepted
New Religious Movements Group
We seek papers examining South Asian and Indian new religious movements, either in their original and/or their diasporic or immigrant contexts. Presenters are encouraged to submit proposals from a variety of methodological and theoretical standpoints: sociological, anthropological, historical, literary and artistic, or psychological. For a joint session with the Study of Judaism Section, we are seeking papers discussing new religious movements in the Jewish context, movements such as Kabbalah. Please note that new religious movements are not limited to those groups traditionally regarded as "cults," but also include revitalization movements within established traditions, the transplantation of traditions between social contexts, and the sectarian emergence of challenges to dominant traditions. As always, we also welcome papers on any aspect of new religions study. For further information about the New Religious Movements Group, please contact the chair.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Nineteenth-Century Theology Group
The Nineteenth-Century Theology Group invites papers on the following topics: 1) Creation and design in nineteenth-century theology: theological treatments of teleology, evolution, Darwinism, and related topics in the work of American, European, and other thinkers during the long nineteenth century. This session is dedicated to the memory of Daniel W. Hardy. Organizer: Hans Schwarz, hans.schwarz@theologie.uni-regensburg.de; 2) Theology and war in the nineteenth century: explorations of theological reflection in the long nineteenth century on war in general and/or specific wars from the French Revolution to WWI. Proposals on European and non-European thinkers or topics are welcome. Organizers: Aimee Burant Chor, aaburant@uchicago.edu, and Russell Kleckley, kleckley@augsburg.edu; and 3) Joint session with Société Internationale d’Etudes sur Alfred Loisy: responses to James C. Livingston’s Religious Thought in the Victorian Age: Challenges and Reconceptions. Papers may respond to Livingston’s book or compare it to other works in the field. Organizers: Garrett Green, garrett.green@conncoll.edu, and Charles J. T. Talar, talarc@stthom.edu.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Platonism and Neoplatonism Group
The Platonism/Neoplatonism Group invites papers on the following two topics: 1) The role of myth in Platonic/Pythagorean traditions. We invite papers to explore how myth has functioned within Platonic communities; to examine how myth has shaped the trajectories of Platonic thought and self-expression, allowing it to cross the borders of philosophy, literature, magic, and religion; and 2) Diverse traditions and receptions of Platonic/Neoplatonic thought. Although rooted in Neoplatonism, certain traditions and receptions have been widely divergent; we wish to explore these differences and to ask if some expressions may still be considered Neoplatonic, and if not, on what grounds. Papers for both sessions will be made electronically available prior to the meeting. They will be presented in short (15-minute) presentations to allow for sustained discussion.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Practical Theology Group
The Practical Theology Group engages practical theology and religious practice, reflects critically on religious tradition and practice, and explores issues in particular subdisciplines of practical theology and ministry. In particular, we invite papers and panel proposals on the following topics: 1) The use of power in arenas of practical theology, such as mentoring, confessing, pastoral care, teaching, preaching, and spiritual direction; 2) Practical theological reflection on aspects of the 2008 presidential election, such as development of political platforms, religious guidance of voters, and voter participation/nonparticipation; and 3) Theologies of the laity. Preference will be shown to proposals that demonstrate practical theological methods and examine the theologies embedded in practices. We encourage proposals that respect diverse beliefs, moral claims, and political commitments. Proposals submitted through OP3 only.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Pragmatism and Empiricism in American Religious Thought Group
We invite proposals on: 1) Roberto Unger's The Self Awakened: Pragmatism Unbound and its relevance for the study of religion; 2) In light of the 2008 meeting site of Chicago, any topic related to the Chicago School pragmatists and empiricists (Mead, Dewey, etc.); and 3) For a possible joint session with the Study of Judiasm Section on pragmatism and Judiasm. We also welcome proposals on topics relevant to pragmatism and empiricism as well as panel proposals.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Psychology, Culture, and Religion Group
Proposals are invited on: self psychological perspectives on religion; after September 11: psychological and religious reflections on terror and anxiety; and psychologies and/of race. Psychology, Culture, and Religion Group also welcomes proposals on other themes dealing with psychology, culture, and religion. (Note: Psychology, Culture, and Religion is the group formerly known as Person, Culture, and Religion). For more info: Psychology, Culture, and Religion Group website www.pcr-aar.org/.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Qur'an Group
We welcome proposals related to the academic study of the Qur’an. Topics include: analysis of Qur’anic text; history of interpretation of the Qur’an; the recitation/performative aspects of the Qur’an; artistic aspects of the Qur’an; the relationship of the Qur’an to other scriptures and traditions; form criticism of the Qur’an; and the historical/textual milieu in which the Qur’an has been received. We especially welcome proposals that have a pedagogical focus, designed to educate members of the AAR on incorporating material about the Qur’an into their existing courses. Successful proposals will reflect theoretical and methodological sophistication and self-awareness, as well as innovative examination of Islamic societies and texts. All prearranged sessions should consider the gender and seniority diversity of participants; respondents are essential. Innovative, interactive formats and multimedia presentations are welcome.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Reformed Theology and History Group
The Reformed Theology and History Group, in co-sponsorship with the Christian Spirituality Group, welcomes papers on Christian spiritual practices in the Reformed traditions, such as Scripture reading, expository preaching, pastoral prayer, public confession, Holy Communion and baptism, as well as mass social movements such as abolition and suffrage, and (in the nineteenth century) missionary societies for clergy and laity. Confessions and the Reformed Tradition: The Reformed churches have been societies born of confession. John Leith lists 17 confessions prior to 1650 alone (Creeds of the Churches), from Zwingli’s confessions, to Westminster, Belgic and Dort, to Barmen, and now, the Belhar confession. Reformed churches have sought to set forth their doctrine in public, corporate, and varying witnesses to the Word. Why has confession been so central to the Reformed tradition? What social, material, and theological forces are at work in the Reformed practice of confession? The Reformed Theology and History Group invites papers that explore this rich historical and theological phenomenon.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Religion and Disability Studies Group
The Religion and Disability Studies Group invites papers on the following topics: 1) The Other Casualties of War: Much attention has been given to the role of religion in violence and terrorism and in the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Attention has been given to the role of medical advances in saving the lives of wounded soldiers and decreasing the death toll. Much less attention has been given to the reality that a reduction in loss of life is accompanied by an increase in the number of veterans who return home with disabilities. We invite paper proposals that address the relationship between war, disability, and religion. Topics need not be limited to the current actions in Afghanistan and Iraq; 2) We invite proposals for a joint session with the Religions, Medicine, and Healing Group for papers relating to the intersection of healing, wellness, and disability; and 3) Finally, we invite paper proposals on any topic related to intersections of religion and disability.
Methods of Submission Accepted
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Religion and Ecology Group
The Religion and Ecology Group invites proposals exploring sustainable human-Earth relations involving religion, culture, biodiversity, and environment. We encourage thematically coherent panels and individual papers related to the following themes: ritual and ecology (joint panel with Ritual Studies Group); women, religion, and ecology (joint panel with Women and Religion Section); sustainable urban communities; animals and animism; sustainable campuses and the greening of the curriculum; international dimensions of religion and ecology; religion, ecology, and the 2008 elections; religious dimensions of eco-restoration; geography, bioregionalism, and place; religious conflicts and the environment; sustainable agriculture and humane food; gender issues in religion and ecology; knowledge and naming in religion and ecology; self-critique of the field of religion and ecology; and re-viewing "shapers" of the field of religion and ecology. Proposals with reference to the Chicago area are encouraged. Visit Religion and Ecology’s AAR website, www.aarweb.org/Meetings/Annual_Meeting/Program_Units/PUCS/Website/main.asp?PUNum=AARPU051, and www.religionandecology.org for more details and information for organizing sessions.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Religion and Popular Culture Group
The Religion and Popular Culture Group invites both organized sessions and individual paper proposals that explore the intersections of religion and popular culture. This year we especially encourage presentations that examine the workings of religion in the following contexts: South Asian popular culture; theorizing religion and popular culture; children; Chicago; emotions; virtual worlds; and open call for any other topics dealing with religion and popular culture. We also invite proposals for a joint session with Contemporary Pagan Studies on Halloween/Samhain/Day of the Dead. Our unit strongly encourages alternative, interactive, and creative formats for panels and session presentations. Accompanying multimedia, audiovisual, and other supplements are also strongly encouraged.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Religion in Latin America and the Caribbean Group
The Religion in Latin America and the Caribbean Group invites proposals on: 1) Subversive Saints: religious and secular saints as instruments of social critique and/or examining how popular movements voice their identities through saintly cults from Juan Soldado to Bob Marley; 2) Asian-Latin American Religious Transculturations: how migration between Asia and Latin America is transforming both Eastern and Western religious practices; the practice of Asian religions in Latin America and among U.S. Latinos; 3) Religion and politics under New Left presidencies in South America (Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Lula da Silva in Brazil, and Evo Morales in Bolivia, etc.); and 4) Spirits of Social Change: Rethinking 1968: how might antihegemonic movements in Tlatelolco, the United States, Prague, and Paris inform today’s struggles against globalization.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Religion, Film, and Visual Culture Group
We seek proposals that reflect on the study of religion, film, and visual culture in relation to: 1) Methodological issues, including critical theory, semiotics, and the study of sound/music; 2) Pedagogical issues; 3) Spectatorship, fandom, and the material culture of films; 4) Commercial vs. "native" cinema; 5) Video games and films; 6) Ritual aspects of film, and the filming of rituals; 7) Documentary films about religion, and hermeneutical issues arising from the relation of filmmakers to subjects filmed, as well as the use of such films to teach about religion; and 8) Non-Christian religion and film, and non-Western (Global) Christianity and film; especially films related to South Asian religion, in accordance with this year's international focus. We also welcome panel proposals on topics or recent books in the field, as well as co-sponsorship with other units.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Religion, Holocaust, and Genocide Group
We invite individual papers and/or complete panel proposals, from any methodological perspective, on the following topics: 1) The rhetorical uses of the Holocaust in public protests (against genocide, abortion, political inaction, Darfur massacres, etc.) by religiously affiliated individuals and organizations; 2) The moral complexities of military interventions in genocide (how can "we" prevent, resist, stop genocidal campaigns, and who are the "we" in these enactments?); and 3) For a possible co-sponsored session with the Academic Teaching and the Study of Religion Section, on the pedagogical challenges and opportunities of teaching Holocaust and/or genocide courses in different institutional contexts (seminaries, religion departments, private colleges, large research universities) and/or disciplines (history, theology, ethics, philosophy, political science, literature, media studies, feminist, and critical theory). We are especially interested in innovative presentation formats and alternative panel proposals that feature comparative, constructive, critical, case study, and/or reflective approaches.
Methods of Submission Accepted
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Religion, Media, and Culture Group
The Religion, Media, and Culture Group welcomes individual and panel proposals that explore the intersections between religion, media, and different forms of cultural production and consumption. For 2008, we are particularly interested in proposals that relate to: 1) The role of media in the formation of transnational religious networks and the role that such media play in shaping migrants' sense of identity, community, space, and time (co-sponsored session with the Religion and Migration Consultation); 2) Religion in/and virtual worlds (co-sponsored session with the Religion and Popular Culture Group); 3) Religion in/and comics, manga, and graphic novels; 4) The gendered use of media technologies in religious practice; and 5) The rise of new forms of segmented or niche religious news, entertainment, and lifestyle media.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Religions, Medicines, and Healing Group
The Religions, Medicines, and Healing Group invites proposals for papers addressing religious worldviews, beliefs, and/or practices, and understandings of medicine/healing traditions, in relation to topics involving intergenerational relations, life stages, and healing. We also invite proposals for joint sessions with the Religion in South Asia Section (for papers relating to approaches to health, wellness, sickness, and healing within South Asian traditions), and with the Religion and Disability Studies Group (for papers relating to the intersection of healing, wellness, and disability). We particularly welcome theoretical inquiry. Minority and women scholars are encouraged to submit proposals. Proposals should be submitted through the online Paper Proposal System.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Religions, Social Conflict, and Peace Group
We encourage the use of multimedia and/or PowerPoint presentations. We invite papers and panel proposals on all topics related to religion, social conflict, and peace, but will be especially interested in the following topics: 1) Nonviolence and peacemaking within Islam (e.g., the Gulen movement); 2) Civil rights, race, religion, and Chicago; 3) Socially engaged Buddhism; 4) Economic influence of faith-based lobbying on local communities; and 5) Pedagogies of religious peacemaking (e.g., peace institutes, peace studies programs; infusing peacemaking across religious studies curricula). Other topics we invite include: arts and peacemaking; ecology, war, and peace; implementing religious critiques of globalization on the grassroots; youth mobilizing for peacemaking; American imperialism, democracy and religion; and multifaith perspectives and globalization, including interfaith organizing in global contexts as a way of addressing social conflict. We are willing to work with other groups to co-sponsor a session. Please contact the co-chairs.
Methods of Submission Accepted
Ritual Studies Group
Proposals welcomed on: thinking Grimes (a critical engagement with the work of Ron Grimes, on the occasion of his retirement from Wilfrid Laurier); ritual and ecology for a co-sponsored panel with the Religion and Ecology Group; transgendered performances/performativity (for possible co-sponsored session with Queer Theory Consultation); ritual and politics (as we meet on the weekend of the U.S. presidential election); rites in virtual and media spaces (e.g., Internet, film, etc.); rites with/for animals, pets (i.e., issues around other-than-human participation in rites); and rites in South Asia. Proposals for full panels on other timely issues in ritual studies are also welcome. All proposals should, in addition to interpreting a particular event or tradition, contribute to the extension of theory and method in the study of ritual.