This issue includes:
- Advanced Notice: Journals
- Job Opportunities
- Calls for Papers: Conferences
- Calls for Papers: Journals
- Announcements
- Scholarship Opportunities
Advanced Notice – Journals
Sociology of Religion – http://socrel.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/recent?etoc
Journal of Hindu Studies – http://jhs.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/recent?etoc
Job Opportunities
Position Religious Studies, Univ. of Virginia, Director of Center for Contemplative Sciences, Research Asst prof.
Further details: https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=44326
Closing date: 29 March 2012
The Department of Religious Studies at the University of Kent has two vacancies for lecturer posts; one an on-going contract, and the other a fixed-term lectureship until the end of August 2014. Candidates would ideally be able to take up their posts in September 2012.
The posts are open to applicants in any area of Religious Studies, but priority would be given to candidates able to complement the existing teaching and research profile of the Department which has particular strengths in theory and method in the study of religion and the study of religion and contemporary society. Applicants will be expected to show a strong research profile for the Research Excellence Framework exercise in 2014 and a monograph published by the REF deadline in autumn 2013 would be a distinct advantage. Applicants will also be expected to show how they would extend teaching and research work in the department.
The successful candidates will have a PhD or equivalent in Religious Studies or related area, with knowledge of the historical and critical practice of Religious Studies and a developing profile of international excellence in research and publication. The successful candidates will have experience in the development of taught programmes of study and be able to deliver effective teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level in Religious Studies.
Religious Studies at Kent is a growing academic department with a strong track record of securing external research funding, good links with a range of national organizations through which it undertakes significant public engagement and impact activities, and a strong ethos of cross-disciplinary and theoretically-informed work in the study of religion.
For more details on these vacancies, please go to http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/
Lecturer in the Study of Religion, Department of Theology and Religion, Durham University
Full details of the post are available on the university website at www.durham.ac.uk/jobs/
Deadline for applications: 2nd April 2012 (midnight)
The Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University has a long-standing tradition of outstanding research and is widely recognized as one of the leading departments in its field. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise it was ranked first in the UK, while its teaching quality is shown in its consistently obtaining exceptionally high rankings in both National Student Surveys and independent league tables. Its strengths range across Biblical Studies (Old Testament, New Testament, ancient Judaism, and Biblical languages), Christian theology (Greek and Latin patristics, the history and theology of late antiquity and the early middle ages, the Reformation, doctrinal and philosophical theology, and theological ethics), and the Study of Religion (the anthropology, sociology and psychology of religion). It also has Centres in Catholic Studies and in Death and Life Studies, and research projects in Spirituality, Theology and Health, and Faith and Globalization. The Department has a welcoming and collegial atmosphere, and is beautifully sited between the Cathedral and the Castle on the World Heritage Site in the centre of the city of Durham.
This new post welcomes applicants from those with research expertise in any area of the social scientific study of religion, a developing field flourishing within the Department. Current teachers in this area include Professor Douglas Davies, specializing in the anthropology of religion, particularly Mormonism, Death Studies, Ritual-Symbolism, Emotion and Embodiment, and the contemporary Anglican church; Dr Mathew Guest, specializing in the sociology of religion, particularly evangelical Christianity, religion in universities and religion and generational change; and Dr Charlotte Hardman, specializing in the anthropology of religion, particularly shamanism. Staff in this area have a proven track record in externally funded research projects, including recent research into ‘Christianity and the University Experience’, ‘Cremation in Scotland’, ‘Woodland Burial’, ‘Religion, Identity and Emotion’ and ‘the Clergy and British Society’. Several other departmental staff have ongoing cross-disciplinary research interests that relate to the study of religion. There is a fortnightly research seminar in Religion and Society, at which papers are presented by leading scholars from the UK and abroad as well as by members of staff and research postgraduates. More information about the Department is available at http://www.dur.ac.uk/theology.
The successful applicant will be expected to teach and collaborate in modules in the Study of Religion at undergraduate and taught postgraduate levels, to supervise postgraduate research, to undertake outstanding research leading to publications of international significance, and to play a full part in the life of the department.
If you need to talk to someone about this post, please contact Dr Robert Song, Head of Department, +44 (0)191 334 3959, robert.song@durham.ac.uk.
The Religion and Public Life Program (RPLP) in the Social Sciences Research Institute at Rice University is offering one two-year postdoctoral fellowship in the social sciences to begin on July 1, 2012 at a rate of $52,000 per year. The fellow will be housed in the Department of Sociology and work primarily with Associate Professor of Sociology and RPLP Director Elaine Howard Ecklund (www.ehecklund.rice.edu <http://www.ehecklund.rice.edu
Because of the needs of the study, preference will be given to applicants who speak one or more of the following languages fluently: French, Italian, Turkish, or Mandarin, in addition to fluent English. Ability to do high-level statistical analysis or experience conducting qualitative interviews is also an asset to the application. An online application is required, and additional required application materials include a curriculum vitae, a copy of at least one recent social science publication, and a transcript for language courses taken or other evidence of fluency (article published in language, for example).
Please apply online at jobs.rice.edu/applicants/Centr
Calls for Papers: Conferences
Call For Papers: EASR
2012 EASR (European Association of the Study of Religion) conference, ‘Ends and Beginnings’, Stockholm, 23-26 August.
Conference theme/ website: http://webappl.web.sh.se/EASR2012
The title of one of the panels is: ‘Spirituality as the End of Religion?’ (no 24). In order see more details regarding the panel and to propose a paper, go the following webpage, http://webappl.web.sh.se/EASR2012 and in the section ‘Submit Abstract: Open Session’ choose the no 24 from the dropdown menu. Submission deadline: 30 April
Call for Papers: Sacred Practices of Everyday Life
10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 9th May to 3.30 p.m. on Friday 11th May 2012 at the John McIntyre Conference Centre, University of Edinburgh
Roadside shrines; divorce parties; tattoos made with ink containing a loved one’s ashes; spiritual retreats; prayer cairns; naming ceremonies; healing rituals; contacts with the dead: however ‘disenchanted’ the world may be, there is plenty of evidence of enchantment and re-enchantment all around. Life and death are still rendered meaningful through ancient and reinvented practices, rituals, beliefs and symbols which attach sacredness and significance to what would otherwise be merely mundane.
The purpose of the conference is to explore new evidence, analysis and theory concerning the sacred practices of everyday life. There is a particular focus on the varied ways in which the life course is being re-enchanted in the 21st century, but papers looking at other eras and/or larger forms of sacred practice (e.g. civic rituals) are also welcome. The scope is global.
Submitting an Abstract
Individual paper proposals (max. 200 words) should be submitted to: Peta Ainsworth: p.ainsworth@lancaster.ac.uk by 29th February 2012.
Registration
The conference is subsidised by the sponsors and costs £95 per delegate, £60 for postgraduates/unwaged (for the entire conference) or £45 per day, £30 for postgraduates/unwaged. The conference fee excludes accommodation and conference dinner. Registration now open. Deadline 9th March.
A limited number of bursaries are available for people in the UK who need to travel some distance to Edinburgh. Please send an email with your registration form to Peta Ainsworth stating in one paragraph why you require assistance and how much your travel costs will be.
Call for papers for the international workshop the University Centre Saint Ignatius Antwerp (cf. www.ucsia.org), a forum for academic reflection on societal issues and their ethical implications, is organising on the topic of Risk and Uncertainty in Changing Society on November 22nd – 23rd 2012 at the University of Antwerp, Belgium.
The organisation committee, composed of the Academic Director of UCSIA, theologian Jacques Haers and project promoters Dirk Geldof, professor sociology at the Higher Institute for Family Sciences (HUBrussels) and at the Artesis University College Antwerp and lecturer ‘Current Political Issues’ at the department of social work of the Karel de Grote-University College Antwerp, and Diemo Urbig, doctor in management science, researcher at the Department of Management, Faculty of Applied Economics at the University of Antwerp, has established the programme.
You will find:
- a project description with the programme
- the application procedure
- an application form
here: http://www.ucsia.org/main.
The deadline for submission of applications is set for June 10th 2012. Candidates should send in the completed application form, accompanied by an academic curriculum vitae and an outline of the proposed paper. The selection of participants will be communicated by the beginning of July.
The organizer takes on charge all costs pertaining to participation and stay in Antwerp of all selected participants, while travel arrangements and costs are incumbent on participants themselves.
The selected participant will present her/his paper in a panel session (20 minutes in English) and will afterwards send in an article to be considered for publication (which will be submitted to careful selection). The aim of the organizer is to publish a selection of articles presented at the workshop.
CALL FOR PAPERS – Exploring the Extraordinary 4th Conference
22nd-23rd September, 2012
Holiday Inn, York
Since its inception in 2007, members of Exploring the Extraordinary have organised three successful academic conferences that have brought together researchers from a variety of different disciplines and backgrounds. The purpose of these events has been to encourage a wider dissemination of knowledge and research, and an interdisciplinary discussion of extraordinary phenomena and experience. By ‘extraordinary’ we refer to phenomena and experiences that are considered to be beyond the mundane, referring to those that have been called supernatural, paranormal, mystical, transcendent, exceptional, spiritual, magical and/or religious, as well as the relevance of such for human culture.We are looking for submissions for our fourth conference, and would like to invite presentation proposals on topics related to the above. Please submit a 300-500 word paper abstract to Dr Madeleine Castro and Dr Hannah Gilbert (ete.network@gmail.com) by the 6th April 2012. Accepted papers should be on powerpoint, no longer than 20 minutes in length, and intended for an interdisciplinary audience. Please include contact information and a brief biographical note.
For more information, and to see past conference schedules, please visit http://etenetwork.weebly.com
Call for Papers: Religion on the Move – How Motion and Migration influence Religion
10th Conference of the SIEF Working Group on Ethnology of Religion
Szeged, Hungary 12-14 September, 2012
In many ways movement is an important aspect of religion and
spirituality. Not only has the significance of motion within the
practice of religion and rituality increased (Coleman & Eade 2004),
but also, through the movement and migration of people all over the
world, religions and religious practices are relocating and changing
(Jenkins 2007).
Movement is significant for the practice of many religions. It seems
that motion has been gaining in importance and that the performative
expression and execution of religious practice play a stronger part
than they used to do. There might be related to the more participative
role of believers in religion and rituality and the enhanced relevance
of individuals ‘doing’ religion. The popularity of walking the many
pilgrim ways through Europe is an example of that trend, while other
expressions of movement like dancing, meditations, processions and
other rituals also seem to be more in focus.
A second strand of movement is connected to migration for, by moving,
people bring faiths and religious practices to other places in the
world where they were not previously known or practised. Nowadays,
through mass migrations, refugees, displacements because of war and
other translocations, religions and beliefs can expand both spatially
and quantitatively. These are processes in which the faiths which are
moving are being transformed, and the religion(s) of the areas in
which people and their religion are newly settled are likewise
affected (examples include Islam in Europe and the new Christians from
Africa in Europe). Sometimes beliefs are appropriated through tourism
or by ‘spiritual seekers’; aspects of Eastern religion and esoterism
have been imported to Western society. In that regard the Internet has
become a migratative instrument, in its capacity of ‘posting’ religion
all over the globe and into people’s homes, regardless of what
religion is practised there. The extension of religion through
(digital) migration has an impact on social, cultural and political
contexts (Woodhead et al. 2002). The movement of religion might lead
to an adaptation to new circumstances, to inculturation, but also
potentially to a transformation in the religious constituents of the
local culture as well. Sometimes there is openness and religion finds
new host communities. Evangelical, Pentecostal, neo-Pentecostal
churches have spread across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe (Coleman
2007) and so have Afro-American religions, as Candomblé, Umbanda, or
Santeria cubana (Capone 2004; Saraiva 2010). Sometimes the members of
the host country become involved in such new practices, but movement
may also lead to segregation within host communities and contested
situations.
Papers connected to these two research strands on movement and
religion are welcomed; one could for example think of the following
topics:
• The influence of migration on religion
• Movement as constituative element in religion and rituality
• Effects of globalisation and transnationalism on religion
• Changes in religion through digital movement, via the Internet.
• Movement and spatiality related to the practice of religion
Format: the conference takes place over two days, followed by an
excursion on the third day. Paper presentations are limited to 20
minutes each, followed by ten minutes of discussion. In total 20 paper
presenters will be selected. Colleagues who do not present a paper are
welcome to participate in the conference and its discussions. A
business meeting of the SIEF Working Group on Ethnology of Religion
will be held during the conference.
Organizers: the conference is organized by the Department of Ethnology
and Cultural Anthropology of the University of Szeged together with
the Bálint Sándor Institute for Research on Religion and the
International Society for Ethnology and Folklore (SIEF).
Venue: University of Szeged and Gál Ferenc Theological College of Szeged
Fee: the conference fee is 60 €, including conference materials,
reception, coffee, brunch, excursion.
Participants are responsible for travel and accommodation; there is no
funding for expenses available.
Application: submit an abstract of your paper of maximum 300 words,
together with your name, position, and institutional affiliation to
Dr. István Povedák povedak@yahoo.com by March 15, 2012. The selection
of the papers will be done in collaboration with the Board of the SIEF
Working Group on Ethnology of Religion. The final selection will be
communicated by April 1, 2012.
Contacts: povedak@yahoo.com; peter.jan.margry@meertens.
CALL FOR PAPERS International Workshop
Religion, Politics and Policy-making in Russia: Domestic and International Dimensions
Center for EU-Russia Studies (CEURUS), University of Tartu, Estonia. June 6-7, 2012
Organizers: Prof Jerry G. Pankhurst (Wittenberg University, USA; visiting Fulbright scholar at the University of Tartu) and Alar Kilp (University of Tartu)
http://ceurus.ut.ee/
The Center for EU-Russia Studies (CEURUS) at the University of Tartu invites your participation in a workshop on
Religion, Politics and Policy-making in Russia: Domestic and International Dimensions. The workshop is meant to highlight new research on the questions of religion and politics in Russia, to foster collaborative relations for future projects, and to provide an opportunity for everyone to learn about high-quality research that is being carried out in this area of inquiry.
The program organizers seek to explore the politics of religious affairs in Russia and the former Soviet countries and to assess the activities and role of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and other organized religious groups in domestic and foreign policy. Issues related to religious diversity and religious tolerance in Russia and the neighboring countries are also of interest.
Confirmed keynote speakers include
Irina Papkova, Professor of Political Science, Public Policy and International Relations at the Central European University, and Viacheslav Karpov, Professor of Sociology at Western Michigan University.
Workshop organizers will actively seek opportunities to publish selected papers in a special issue of a journal or in an edited volume.
Workshop Venue: University of Tartu, Estonia.
Tartu is a home to one of the oldest universities in Eastern Europe. It was founded by the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus in 1632. Today the University of Tartu is the only classical university in Estonia. It is a leading center of research and training, ranked among the 400 best universities of the world by Times Higher Education. The city of Tartu is a charming university town whose relaxed and sophisticated atmosphere creates a perfect environment for scholarly conversations. Tartu is well-served with bus and
train connection with the city of Tallinn and its Lennart Meri Airport. There are also flights to Tartu from Tallinn (Estonian Air) and Helsinki (Flybe, in connection with Finnair). For more information, see: www.tartu.ee; www.ut.ee.
Who may participate? We invite scholars of Russian religious affairs and scholars with research focusing on the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church both in and outside of Russia. Graduate students carrying out advanced work are welcomed to submit proposals for a presentation.
The workshop sessions will be open to the public. Anyone who has a serious and informed interest in scholarly research on the topical issues is invited to attend the presentations and participate in question and answer sessions.
Cost: There will be no registration fee for this workshop. The sponsoring organizations will host a reception and a dinner but are not able to cover travel or accommodation expenses of individual participants. However, limited travel support is available to participants from the CIS countries. CEURUS will assist as much as possible with information about local accommodations and other arrangements. If you have questions, please contact Britt Ressar at britt.ressar@ut.ee
Proposing a paper: If you are interested in presenting a paper, please consider the topic preferences below and send your abstract (250-300 words) and a succinct statement of your present position and recent publications and grants (if any) to Alar Kilp (alar.kilp@ut.ee).
The deadline for receiving abstracts for consideration for the program is April 2, 2012.
Abstracts will the evaluated by the workshop organizers for quality of scholarship and appropriateness for the program structure and workshop theme. Authors of abstracts selected to be presented will be notified by April 13 via email.
Full papers by presenters will be due by 25 May, 2012. Send papers via email to Alar Kilp (alar.kilp@ut.ee)
Additional information: Workshop participants may be interested in a conference at the University of Tartu that is scheduled to take place in the week following this workshop. It is the 2012 annual conference of CIHEC, the
Commission Internationale d’Histoire et d’etudes du Christianisme. For more information on this conference, see http://www.history.ac.uk/
Academic conveners: Prof Jerry Pankhurst (jerrygp@ut.ee), Alar Kilp (alar.kilp@ut.ee)
Administrative support: Britt Ressar (britt.ressar@ut.ee)
For more information about the Centre for EU-Russia Studies and the University of Tartu, see
http://ceurus.ut.ee and www.ut.ee
Calls for Papers: Journals
The deadline for submitting papers for the first issue is April 1st 2012. Emails recommending papers, as well as actual papers should be sent to: amelie.barras@umontreal.ca
Announcements:
INFORM Seminar – Prophecy in the New Millennium (featuring the Religious Studies Project’s David Robertson)
Location: Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2A 2AE. For directions see: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/mapsAndDirections/LSE_CampusMap.pdf andhttp://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/mapsAndDirections/howToGetToLSE.htm.
Translating the Qur’an, 16 March 2012
One-day conference at the Warburg Institute, University of LondonThis is a reminder of the launch conference for the newly founded Centre for the History of Arabic Studies in Europe (CHASE).
The conference is devoted to the European reception and understanding of the Qur’an, the sacred text of Islam
(http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/
Theology and Religious Studies looking outwards: knowledge transfer as a strategy for learning and assessment in the R&T curriculum.<http://www.
Pedagogies of Hope and Opportunity: The Higher Education Academy Arts and Humanities Annual Conference, 2012.<http://www.heacademy.ac.
PhD and MA Jameel Scholarships, Islam-UK Centre, Cardiff University
With the help of a very generous gift to the University, the PhD and MA Jameel Scholarships have been established to enable the very best students to come to Cardiff – those who have the intellect and determination to apply their knowledge for the benefit of Muslim communities in the UK, and to promote better understanding of Islam in wider society.
Applications are invited for 3 fully-funded PhD Jameel Scholarships, and 4 fully-funded MA Jameel Scholarships (available for the forthcoming academic year on the MA in Islam in Contemporary Britain).
For eligibility criteria, and details about the Scholarship packages, please go to:
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/