Posted on by Beth News

CFP: BSA Annual Conference 2014: Changing Society

BSA Annual Conference 2014: 
Changing Society
Sociology of Religion Stream
Keynote Plenary: Professor Adam Dinham
Adam Dinham is director of the Faiths and Civil Society Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he is Professor of Faith & Public Policy. He is policy advisor to a number of faith-based agencies and policy bodies, including the Faith Based Regeneration Network and the CoExistence Trust in the House of Lords, and has advised central government on issues of public faith. Professor Dinham’s recent publication Faith and Social Capital After the Debt Crisis (2012) examines the impact of viewing faiths as social capital, exploring whether faith can help rebalance society by drawing communities together.
Call for Papers
Submissions 
The role of religion in social change has been one of the key questions in sociology ever since Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. What role is religion currently playing in producing change in contemporary society? And how are religious individuals, communities and institutions responding to recent changes in society? What might such responses suggest about the future of religion in the public sphere? How might this reconfigure the religious/secular divide? This event will encourage discussion of the particular religious contributions, and responses, to a changing society.
 
We invite papers on topics that may include (but are not limited to) the following:
 
·       Relationship between religious and secular institutions
·       Religion in the public square
·       Evolving role and status of religious organisations
·       Faith communities and social action
·       Religion and welfare
·       Religion and politics
·       Religion and education
·       Religion and technology
·       Theoretical perspectives on religion and social change
How to submit
All paper abstracts and proposals for other events can be submitted online at:
 
The deadline for submission of abstracts is 18 October 2013.
 
For further information contact the Sociology of Religion stream coordinators
Jo McKenzie   E: j.m.mckenzie@durham.ac.uk
Titus Hjelm   E: t.hjelm@ucl.ac.uk
 
Alternatively, contact the BSA Events Team   E: events@britsoc.org.uk
Posted on by Beth Calls for Papers, News, Uncategorized

Funding opportunity: The John Templeton Foundation is launching a competition to advance the scientific study of religious cognition.

The John Templeton Foundation is launching a $3m funding competition to
advance the scientific study of religious cognition.

Purpose and scope: Scientific descriptions of how people think about God
and gods are currently fragmented across sub-disciplines of the
psychological, cognitive, and social sciences. This competition is
designed to promote integration of ten existing lines of research and to
generate and test new hypotheses that emerge from this integration.
Applicants may request up to $250,000 for empirical or conceptual projects
of up to 30 months in duration.

Eligibility: The competition is open to researchers worldwide. Proposals
are encouraged from — but not limited to — scholars in the disciplines
of psychology, cognitive science, anthropology, religious studies,
sociology, philosophy, linguistics, and computer science.

Deadline for online funding inquiries (letters of intent): October 1, 2013

Full details are available at
http://www.templeton.org/what-we-fund/funding-competitions/gods-in-minds-the-science-of-religious-cognition

============================================================================================
NSRN members: note that this special call includes how atheists think
about supernatural agents; note also the general open-submission call for
grant proposals, to which proposals on all aspects of non-religion are
welcomed.
Note also that the Fall Funding Cycle for open submission is now open, and
that proposals relating to all topics within the Foundation’s core funding
areas (which range from quantum physics to religious nones to archaeology)
are also welcome; visit https://portal.templeton.org/login to apply. The
deadline for core area online funding inquiries is also October 1.

Learn more about JTF’s grantmaking process here:
http://www.templeton.org/what-we-fund/our-grantmaking-process

Learn more about Sir John Templeton’s philanthropic vision here:
http://www.templeton.org/sir-john-templeton/philanthropic-vision

============================================================================================

Posted on by Beth Calls for Papers, News and Events

CFP: Minority Religions: Contemplating the Past and Anticipating the Future

CALL FOR PAPERS

Less Than One Week to Deadline!

 

 

Inform’s Anniversary Conference

Minority Religions: Contemplating the Past and Anticipating the Future

London School of Economics, WC2A 2AE

31 January – 2 February 2014

 

Celebrating over a quarter of a century of providing information that is as reliable and up-to-date as possible about minority religions, Inform invites you to submit a (maximum) 200-word abstract and 150-word CV on topics relevant to the title of the conference to inform@lse.ac.uk. The deadline for papers is Tuesday 1st October 2013, with decisions by 1st November 2013. Participants who wish to organise special (90 minute) sessions should submit the name, abstract and CV of each of the contributors to their sessions.

Unfortunately no subsidies can be offered to participants, who will be responsible for making their own arrangements for travel and accommodation.

Registration will open on 1st November 2013. See www.Inform.ac for further details and http://www.lse.ac.uk/sociology/research/INFORM/forthcomingEvents.aspx

Draft Programme Outline (21/9/13)

 

Friday 31 January

 

15.00:  Registration opens (tea and coffee will be available)

15.30: Introductory talk about the London School of Economics and tour of the campus

17.30: Welcome and Plenary Panel A: “Stakeholders”

when representatives of some of the sections of society that have used Inform will briefly describe what they have gained from their association with Inform and what they would like Inform and students of minority religions to focus on in the future:

The Established Church: The Right Reverend Graham Jones, Lord Bishop of Norwich

The Media: Dr Damian Thompson, columnist for the Daily Telegraph

Politics: Stuart Hoggan, Deputy Director, Integration Division, Department for Communities and Local Government

The Police: Ron Gilbertson, former police officer

The Law: Philip Katz QC, Barrister

Academia: Professor Conor Gearty, Professor of Human Rights Law, LSE

19.30: Reception and Launch of the Ashgate/Inform Series on Minority Religions and Spiritual Movements

 

Saturday 1 February

 

09.30–11.00: Plenary Panel B: Members or former members of new religious movements

with high visibility in the 1980s (the Unification Church; the Church of Scientology; ISKCON; the Children of God/Family International) will talk about how their respective movements have changed over the past 25 years and how they envision their future.

11.00–11.30:   tea/coffee

 

11.30–13.00:  Parallel Sessions I

13.00 –14.00: lunch

 

14 .00 –15.30:  Parallel Sessions II

 

15.30–16.00: tea/coffee

 

16.00–17.30:  Parallel Sessions III

 

19.00: Anniversary Dinner (the cost of this will not be included in the registration fee)

Sunday 2 February

 

09.30–11.00:  Parallel Sessions IV

 

11.00:11.30 coffee/tea

 

11.30–13.00: Parallel Sessions V

 

13.00–14.00: lunch

 

14.00–15.30: Plenary Panel C:  “Cult Watchers”

 

15.30: Conference ends

Posted on by Per Smith News, Publications

Conference Guide: American Academy of Religion 2013

Last year we began publishing guides to some of the larger academic conferences to help interested scholars navigate the non-religion and secularity offerings at them. We are happy to announce the release of the conference guide to the 2013 annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion which is being held in Baltimore, Maryland (Nov 23-26).

As usual there are several relevant sessions, panels and papers to engage in Baltimore, but you may also wish to take special note of the four sessions granted to the brand new Secularism and Secularity Group this year. Those interested in contributing to their efforts (of fostering sustained work on such topics at AAR) should be aware that the group’s business meeting will be held immediately after the paper presentations of their third session, “Producing Secularism in Public Spaces” (Monday: 9:00 AM-11:30 AM). Happy navigating.

Posted on by Beth Uncategorized

Job Opportunity: Tenure track assistant professor in sociology of religion at Purdue Univeristy

Purdue University is searching for a tenure-track asst. prof. position in sociology of religion for fall of 2014 (deadline before October 15th). The announcement and description can be found on the department’s website at http://www.cla.purdue.edu/sociology/documents/asst_religion2013.pdf

Purdue University, The Department of Sociology invites applications for an Assistant Professor position beginning Fall 2014. We seek a scholar whose primary research and teaching interests are in the sociology of religion. The candidate should have a vibrant research program and will be expected to provide teaching excellence at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Interest in teaching social theory is a plus, but is not required for full consideration. A Ph.D. in Sociology is required by the time of appointment. Complete applications include:

(1) a letter of application describing research and teaching interests;

(2) curriculum vitae;

(3) teaching evaluations, if available;

(4) a writing sample; and

(5) three letters of recommendation.

Electronic applications are required in the form of two PDFs, one consisting of documents 1-3 (ordered as specified above) and the other consisting of the writing sample. Letters of recommendation should be sent directly by the recommenders. Address all materials including letters of recommendation to: Sociology Faculty Search Committee, jasmundm@purdue.edu, Department of Sociology, Purdue University, 700 W. State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2059. Purdue offers competitive salaries and excellent benefits. The university is located in an affordable metropolitan area of 167,000 people, conveniently located between Indianapolis and Chicago. Review of applicants will begin on October 15, 2013, but applications received after this date will be accepted until the position is filled. A background check will be required for employment in this position. Purdue University is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce.

Posted on by Lorna Mumford News

Nonreligion and Secularity, the Official Blog of the NSRN

We are thrilled to announce that Nonreligion and Secularity, the official blog of the NSRN, is now live!

You can view the blog and read NSRN founder and director Lois Lee’s introductory post here: http://blog.nsrn.net/

The aim of Nonreligion and Secularity is to provide a platform for the publication of short articles on a broad range of topical issues relevant to the academic study of nonreligion and secularism. By combining the high professional standards associated with academic publishing with the more conversational tone of a blog, Nonreligion and Secularity aims to deliver an informative resource for both scholars and professionals working within this field, and also offers a space for the dissemination of research related information to a wider audience with an interest in the academic study of these topics.

We are really excited about this latest NSRN development and the blog’s potential to expand the field of N&S research in new directions and to reach new audiences.

Over the coming weeks we will be publishing an exciting line up of blog articles on a variety of topics related to N&S research so be sure to bookmark the page or sign up for email alerts of new content.

If you would be interested in writing an article for Nonreligion and Secularity we would love to hear from you. See the Submissions page on the blog website for more information and author guidelines. Additionally if you would be interested in becoming a member of our editorial review board please contact blog editor Lorna Mumford at lorna.mumford.10@ucl.ac.uk for more information.

 

Posted on by Beth News

New Book Series: Secular Studies

Announcing a New Book Series from NYUPRESS

THE SECULAR STUDIES SERIES

GENERAL EDITOR:

 PHIL ZUCKERMAN, PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY AND SECULAR STUDIES, PITZER
COLLEGE

There are more secular people in the world than ever before. And
simultaneously, various forms andmanifestations of secularity —
atheism, agnosticism, humanism, skepticism, and anti-religious movements
— are enjoying increased attention and scrutiny. The scholarly
examination of secular identity (personal, individual), secular groups,
secular culture(s), political/constitutional secularisms, and how these
all relate to each other, as well as the broader social world, is thus
more timely than ever. Simultaneously, studying secularism teaches us
about religiosity; as secu­larism is almost always in reaction to or in
dialogue with the religious, by studying those who are secular we can
learn much, from a new angle, about the religion they are rejecting.

_ _

_THE SECULAR STUDIES _series is meant to provide a home for works in the
emerging field of secular studies. Rooted in a social science
perspective, it will explore and illuminate various aspects of secular
life, ranging from how secular people live their lives and how they
construct their identities to the activities of secular social
movements, from the demographics of secularism to the ways in which
secularity intersects with other social processes, identities, patterns,
and issues.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

Submission guidelines: Submissions should take the form of a 3–5 page
proposal outlining the intent and scope of the project, its merits in
comparison to existing texts, and the audience it is designed to reach.
Youshould also include a detailed Table of Contents, 2-3 sample chapters

or articles, and a current copy of your curriculum vitae.

PLEASE DIRECT QUERIES AND SUBMISSIONS TO:

DR. PHIL ZUCKERMAN

Professor of Sociology, Pitzer College

1050 North Mills Avenue

Claremont, CA 91711

phil_zuckerman@pitzer.edu

JENNIFER HAMMER

Senior Editor

New York University Press

838 Broadway, Floor 3

New York, NY 10003-4812

jennifer.hammer@nyu.edu

For more information or details on submission guidelines, please visit:
WWW.NYUPRESS.ORG

NYUPRESS

838 Broadway, Third Floor

New York, NY 10003-4812

WWW.NYUPRESS.ORG

(800) 996-6987 Phone

(212) 995-3833 Fax

Posted on by Chris News, Publications

Podcast of Matthew Engelke’s NSRN Annual Lecture 2012 now available

In partnership with the Religious Studies Project (RSP), we are delighted to announce that a recording of the Nonreligion and Secularity Research Network’s Annual Lecture 2012 with Matthew Engelke is now available. This lecture was recorded on 8 November 2012 at Conway Hall, London on the topic “In spite of Christianity: Humanism and its others in contemporary Britain”

You can access the lecture at the following URL: http://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/2013/08/19/engelke/

This comes as part of a continuing relationship between the NSRN and the RSP – they have previously released recordings of their Annual Lecture 2011, with Jonathan Lanman, and the four keynote lectures from the NSRN Biennial Conference, July 2012. These recordings are available here.

The full text of this lecture is available to download here.

Posted on by Beth News

New Book from Ashgate: Social Identities Between the Sacred and the Secular

**New Book from Ashgate: Social Identities Between the Sacred and the Secular**

Social Identities Between the Sacred and the Secular Edited by Abby Day, Giselle Vincett and Christopher R. Cotter
Ashgate AHRC/ESRC Religion and Society Series

Website price:£49.50 (Regular price: £55.00)

Focusing on the important relationship between the ‘sacred’ and the ‘secular’, this book demonstrates that it is not paradoxical to think in terms of both secular and sacred or neither, in different times and places. International experts from a range of disciplinary perspectives draw on local, national, and international contexts to provide a fresh analytical approach to understanding these two contested poles. Exploring such phenomena at an individual, institutional, or theoretical level, each chapter contributes to the central message of the book – that the ‘in between’ is real, embodied and experienced every day and informs, and is informed by, intersecting social identities.

Social Identities between the Sacred and the Secular provides an essential resource for continued research into these concepts, challenging us to re-think where the boundaries of sacred and secular lie and what may lie between.

‘Religion is everywhere in the landscape of contemporary life, and takes the shape of the social vessel into which it is poured. Making sense of this requires intrepid ethnography, media-savvy, and a sturdy sense of the social dynamics of people on the move in a world that is anything but static. The contributors to Social Identities between the Sacred and the Secular capture the lively, protean character of modern religiosities with a keen sense of the religionist’s refusal to be one thing and not another. This will prove a very useful collection of first-rate studies.’ – David Morgan, Duke University, USA

Please see the attached flyer, or the following URL, for more details. http://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9781409456773