Religious Studies Opportunites Digest – 27 July 2012 Edition

26 July 2012 Issue

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In this issue:

  • Calls for Papers
  • Conference Announcements
  • Jobs
  • Resources
  • Workshops

 


CALLS FOR PAPERS


 

Socrel / HEA Teaching and Studying Religion, 2nd Annual Symposium

Call for Papers

The 2012 Socrel / HEA Teaching and Studying Religion symposium will explore the theme: Religion and Citizenship: Re-Thinking the Boundaries of Religion and the Secular.

The symposium is organised by Socrel, the BSA Sociology of Religion Study Group, with funding from the Higher Education Academy, Philosophy, and Religious Studies Subject Centre. Last year’s inaugural symposium was over-subscribed and therefore early submissions are encouraged.

Keynote speaker: Dr Nasar Meer, Northumbria University

Venue: BSA Meeting Room, Imperial Wharf, London

Date:  13 December 2012

10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Religions today are implicated in a wide variety of publics. From contests over the environment and democracy to protests against capitalism, religions remain important factors in political and public life across diverse, and interconnected, global contexts. A variety of diverse responses have been articulated to the so-called ‘return of religion’ in the public sphere, drawing into question relations between the religious, the non-religious and the secular. As scholars have developed new theoretical understandings of the terms of these debates and questioned how these are bound up with cultural conceptualizations of citizenship, education – in schools, universities and less formal educational contexts – has often been a site where contestations of the religious and the secular have been acutely felt.

The aim of this symposium is to consider the interrelation between conceptions of the religious, the secular, citizenship and education, and to explore how these issues affect the study of religion in higher education. We hope to attract presentations of sufficient quality to lead to an edited publication.

The day will be highly participative and engaged. The symposium will be organised as a single stream so that the day is as much about discussion as it is about presentation, and therefore the number of formal papers will be limited.

Papers are invited from students, teachers, and researchers in the disciplines of sociology, anthropology, geography, theology, history, psychology, political science, religious studies and others where religion is taught and studied. Empirical, methodological, and theoretical papers are welcomed.

Presenters will circulate a five-page summary of their paper before the day so that all participants can come prepared for discussion. Presentations will last 10 minutes and will be structured into three sessions, each followed by a discussant drawing out key points. The day will conclude with a discussant-led, focused panel discussion.

Key questions to be addressed may include, but are not limited to:

What are the relationships between the religious, the secular and the public sphere, and how do these affect the study of religion, in both universities and schools?

How do different historical constructions of religion and secularity shape understandings of the civil sphere and citizenship, and what are the implications of this for the study of religion?

Does the increased public visibility of religion in national and global contexts affect how we study it?

What is the role of religious education (school and/or university) in forming citizens and shaping understandings of citizenship?

Are there distinct regional, national or international conceptions of the secular?

Are there distinct regional, national or international conceptions of citizenship?

How do different disciplines approach and study these conceptions, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches?

Abstracts of 200 words are invited by September 15 2012. Please send these to: Dr Paul-François Tremlett p.f.tremlett@open.ac.uk

Costs: £36.00 for BSA/SocRel members; £45.00 for non-members; £20.00 for SocRel/BSA Postgraduate members; £25.00 for Postgraduate non-members.


 

CALL FOR PAPERS:

SOCIOLOGY OF ISLAM JOURNAL (BRILL)

Winter 2013 Volume 1

ISSN: 2213-140x E-ISSN: 2213-1418

The Sociology of Islam Journal (www.brill.nl/soi) invites article submissions for the first issue, which will be published in the Fall of 2012.

We are delighted to announce the founding of the peer-reviewed, academic journal, the Sociology of Islam (SOI) to be published by Brill once a year beginning in the Fall of 2012. Since Max Weber’s groundbreaking research on the sociology of religion, sociologists have grappled with aspects of religion both at the theoretical and empirical levels. While an increasing number of social scientists, particularly in recent decades, have employed innovative sociological frameworks for the study of Islam, this promising sub-discipline has so far lacked its own academic journal. The Sociology of Islam is intended to bridge this gap by functioning as an academic forum for the publication of innovative contributions to the study of Islam and Muslim societies. For the first issue of Sociology of Islam, we welcome article contributions that address theoretical dimensions of the sociology of Islam and Muslim societies. Submissions for this issue are expected to explore the importance of the sociology of Islam and the influential contributions, current trends and future prospects, and the competing sociological frameworks that apply to the study of Islam. Please email your draft article of 7000-10,000 words by no later than Monday October 3rd. The deadline for submissions to the first issue is October 3rd.

The sub-themes for the first issue are the following:

· Islamic Movements and Parties

· Islam and Capitalism/Neoliberalism

· Islam and Secularism

· Islam and Orientalism/Neo-Orientalism

· Sociology of Religion

· Social and Political Transformations in Muslim Societies

If you need further information, please do not hesitate contact us:

Contact: Tugrul Keskin or Gary Wood

Editor Email: sociologyofislam@yahoo.com

Our book review editors are:

Mustafa Gurbuz (mustafa.gurbuz@uconn.edu) and

Joshua D. Hendrick (jdhendrick@loyola.edu)

Best to all,

Gary Wood, Najm al-Din Yousefi and Tugrul Keskin


32nd ISSR Conference

RETHINKING COMMUNITY

RELIGIOUS CONTINUITIES AND MUTATIONS IN LATE MODERNITY

Turku-Åbo, Finland, 27-30 June, 2013

Conference website:

http://www.sisr-issr.org/English/Conferences/Conferences.htm

Call for papers:

http://www.sisr-issr.org/English/Newsletters/Network%20%28PDF%20and%20Word%29/Network%2043.pdf

Deadlines: October 31st 2012:

-Abstracts of proposed papers for the Thematic Sessions (STS) and

Working Groups (WGT), to be sent to the SESSION ORGANISER(S)

-Abstracts of proposed papers for the Thematic Sessions of the New

Researchers Forum (NRF) and Miscellaneous papers (MPL) for the NRF, to

be sent to the Session Organiser

-Abstracts of Miscellaneous Papers (MPL) to be sent to the GENERAL SECRETARY

Financial support available.

The conference languages are English and French.

Important notice: Organisers of Thematic Sessions (STS) and Working

Groups (WGT) and Presenters of papers have to be members of the

International Society for the Sociology of Religions (ISSR). Each

participant may only present one paper at the conference.

Submission details available in the full call for papers:

http://www.sisr-issr.org/English/Newsletters/Network%20%28PDF%20and%20Word%29/Network%2043.pdf


Title: CFP: The Future of Holocaust Studies

Date: 2012-11-16

Description: CFP: The Future of Holocaust

Studieshttp://thefutureofholocauststudies.wordpress.com/

Southampton and Winchester 29-31 July 2013 As we approach the

70th anniversary of the liberation of the camps in 2014 and

2015, the era of the living witnesses to the events of the

Holocaust is drawing to a close. …

Contact: thefutureofholocauststudies@gmail.com

URL: thefutureofholocauststudies.wordpress.com/

Announcement ID: 195786

 http://www.h-net.org/announce/show.cgi?ID=195786


Title: Asian Conference on Ethics, Religion & Philosophy 2013

Date: 2012-12-01

Description: ACERP 2013 is to be held from March 28 – 31 2013, at

the Ramada Osaka Hotel, Osaka, Japan. CONFERENCE THEME:

“Connectedness and Alienation: The 21st Century Enigma” Being

connected through social networking sites has become an

accepted form of communication in today’s digitalized world.

People can s …

Contact: acerp@iafor.org

URL: acerp.iafor.org/

Announcement ID: 195712

 http://www.h-net.org/announce/show.cgi?ID=195712


Title: 3rd Global Conference: Spirituality in the 21st Century

(March 2013: Lisbon, Portugal)

Date: 2013-03-07

Description: 3rd Global Conference Spirituality in the 21st

Century Thursday 7th March Saturday 9th March 2013 Lisbon,

Portugal Call for Presentations: The contemporary study of

spirituality encompasses a wide range of interests. These have

come not only from the more traditional areas of religious

scholarshipth …

Contact: s21-3@inter-disciplinary.net

URL:

www.inter-disciplinary.net/critical-issues/ethos/spirituality-in-the-21st-century/call-for-papers/

Announcement ID: 195722

 http://www.h-net.org/announce/show.cgi?ID=195722


CONFERENCES


 

INFORM Seminar XLIX

CHANGING BELIEFS AND SCHISMS

IN NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS

Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building,

London School of Economics, Saturday 1 December 2012

 

http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/mapsAndDirections/howToGetToLSE.htm

To register: WE ARE NOW TAKING PAYPAL BOOKINGS: www.inform.ac/seminar-payment

(Inform@lse.ac.uk; 020 7955 7677).

Tickets (including buffet lunch, coffee and tea) paid by 12 November 2012 cost £38 each (£18 students/unwaged).

NB. Tickets booked after 12 November 2012 will cost £48 each (£28 students/unwaged).

 

A limited number of seats will be made available to A-Level students at £10 before 12 November 2012 (£20 after 12 November). A party of 5 or more A-Level students from one school can include one member of staff at the same price.

PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME

The presence of speakers on an Inform programme does not mean that Inform endorses their position.

The aim of Inform Seminars is to help participants to understand, or at least recognise, different perspectives.

For Inform’s codes of practice see www.Inform.ac

9.30-9.50 Registration and coffee

9.50-10.00 Welcome and Introduction

10.00-10.25 Eileen Barker (Professor Emeritus, LSE; Chair & Honorary Director, Inform)

“Re-vision and Division in New Religions: Some Introductory Remarks”

10.25-10.50 Claire Borowik (Co-Director of the Worldwide Religious News Service, and member of The Family International)

“The Family International: Rebooting for the Future”

10.50-11.15 J. Gordon Melton (Distinguished Professor of American Religious History at Baylor University)

“When Science Intervenes—Revising Claims in the New Age”

11.15-11.45 Coffee

11.45-12.10 Pat Ryan and Joe Kelly (International Cultic Studies Association; ex-members of TM and Society of Divine Love)

“Transcendental Meditation and Swami Prakashananda Saraswati”

12.10-12.35 Susan Palmer (Lecturer in Religious Studies, Dawson College / Concordia University)

“Dr. Malach Z. York’s Spiritual Divagations”

12.35-13.00 Masoud Banisadr (PhD in chemical engineering and engineering mathematics, and former member of MEK)

“The Metamorphism of MEK (Mujahedin e Khalgh) and its Schism”

13.00-14.00 Lunch

14.00-14.25 James Tong (Professor of Political Science, University of California, Los Angeles)

“The Re-Invented Wheel: Revisioning and Diversification in the Falun Gong, 1992-2012”

14.25-14.50 Mike Mickler (Professor of Church History, Unification Theological Seminary)

“The Post-Sun Myung Moon Unification Church”

14.50-15.15 Eugene Clay (Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Arizona State University)

“Mother of God Derjavnaja / The New Cathar Church”

15.15-15.45 Tea

15.45-16.10 Eugene Gallagher (Rosemary Park Professor of Religious Studies, Connecticut College)

“The Branch Davidians”

16.10-16.35 Massimo Introvigne (Lawyer and Managing Director of CESNUR (Center for Studies on New Religions), Turin)

“Mormon Origins – Revisionism or Re-Interpretation?”

16.35-17.15 Panel Discussion

Please access the attached hyperlink for an important electronic communications disclaimer: http://lse.ac.uk/emailDisclaimer


JOBS


Carnegie Mellon University – Tenure-track position in Anthropology

and History

<http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=44762>


Freiburg University – 8 Doctoral Positions, available from 1 December

2012

<http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=44760>


University of Saskatchewan – Special Lecturer, Islamic Studies

<http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=44778>


Washington University in St. Louis – Assistant Professor, Modern

Arabic Literature and Culture

<http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=44766>


Bar Ilan University – Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Polish Jewish

History

<http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=44763>


University of Saskatchewan – Instructor, South / Southeast Asian

Buddhism

<http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=44777>


Job offer

Where?

Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 980 „Episteme in Motion. Transfer of

Knowledge from the Ancient World to the Early Modern Period“ in Berlin,

Germany (www.sfb-episteme.de)

How long for?

Postdoc; fixed-term contract, ending 30 June, 2016 (E 13 TV-L FU)

Job description:

The candidate is requested to analyze ancient texts on ascetic ways of

life, with special regard to modes of personal and non-personal knowledge

transfer. The texts are to be explored with a focus on the main research

questions of the SFB. The successful candidate is expected to contribute

to the teamwork within the SFB network.

Requirements:

Ph.D. in Religious Studies, Comparative Literature, Classics, History or a

comparable subject

Assets:

Willingness to engage in intense interdisciplinary collaboration within

the SFB network. Beneficial would be experience in Cultural Studies and

Literary Studies.

To apply, please send all relevant materials (cover letter, CV, etc.) and

a short statement of motivation until 30.07.2012 to Prof. Dr. Almut

Barbara Renger. Please indicate job-reference SFB980/2012/C02/Postdoc.


International Consortium for Research in the Humanities, University

Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany – Postdoctoral and Senior Fellowships –

Call for Applications

<http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=44801>


  1. LECTURER (specialism open)/ ACADEMIC ADVISOR (Partnerships)

Full Time Permanent

The Department of Theology and Religious Studies is seeking to appoint

a highly qualified and research active academic to work as part of the

Departmental Partnerships Team, which is responsible for overseeing an

expanding area of collaborative provision. The post-holder will also

be expected to deliver high quality teaching and research supervision

in their area of specialism as a full member of a large and thriving

academic department. The post is open to candidates with any area of

specialism within Theology and Religious Studies; applicants with

expertise in New Testament, Christian Theology, Church History or

Jewish Studies are especially welcome.

The successful applicant will hold a PhD in a discipline of Theology

and Religious Studies with a record of research and publications

commensurate with his or her experience.  He or she will have a sound

understanding of QA and academic processes as they relate to

collaborative provision, be highly motivated and resourceful, and have

a demonstrable ability in academic administration.

Further details here: http://www.chester.ac.uk/node/14483

  1. Lecturer in Christian Studies, fixed Term Contract until September

2013 (0.5fte)

The Department of Theology and Religious Studies is seeking to appoint

a highly qualified and research active academic to develop new

undergraduate programmes in Church Schools Studies and Religious

Literacy. The post-holder will also be expected to deliver high

quality teaching and research supervision in their area of specialism

as a full member of a large and thriving academic Department. Research

areas relevant to the post might include Religious Education, Public

Theology, Practical Theology, Contextual Theology, or Religious

Studies with a focus on Christianity.

The successful applicant will hold a PhD or Professional Doctorate in

a discipline of Theology and Religious Studies with a record of

research and publications commensurate with his or her experience.  He

or she will have the ability to contribute to programme development

and curriculum design, be highly motivated and resourceful, and have a

demonstrable ability in academic administration.

Further details here: http://www.chester.ac.uk/node/14480


RESOURCES


Dear colleagues

With Religion and Society programme ‘impact’ funding we have made six digital stories about how children (aged between 6 and 13) learn to be Muslims. This is a spin-off from our grant ‘Religious nurture in Muslim families’ and the stories are primarily for use in education. We had primary and secondary schools in mind, but they could also spark discussion in university classes, so feel free to use them and pass them on to other.

The digital stories can be found here:

http://vimeo.com/channels/learningtobeamuslim

An accessible summary of project findings can be found here:

http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/socsi/research/researchprojects/religiousnurture/publications/research%20findings.pdf

Best wishes

Jonathan Scourfield


WORKSHOPS


Title: Identity, Religion and Ethnicity: New Patterns, Realities,

and Pitfalls, 29 November 2012, Istanbul

Date: 2012-08-10

Description: Identity, Religion and Ethnicity are three terms

interrelated and become all important issues in the European

Union and its neighbourhood. The socio-economic transformations

of societies resulting from immigration and emigration of

people, mindsets, symbols are forcing the change on identity

and cit …

Contact: erkan.toguslu@soc.kuleuven.be

URL: www.gcis-kuleuven.com/workshops/

Announcement ID: 195741

 http://www.h-net.org/announce/show.cgi?ID=195741


Title: Workshop on the Reception of Josephus by Jews and

Christians from Late Antiquity to 1750

Date: 2013-01-07

Description:  Applications are invited to participate in this

workshop to be held at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish

Studies on January 7-8 2013. Bursaries to cover travel expenses

and accommodation will be available for selected participants.

The workshop will be the first in a series as part of a proje

Contact: registrar@ochjs.ac.uk

URL: www.ochjs.ac.uk

Announcement ID: 195818

 http://www.h-net.org/announce/show.cgi?ID=195818