Religion

2 Comments Posted on by katieaston Calls for Papers, News and Events

CFP Comics, Religion & Politics

‘Comics, Religion & Politics’

4-5th September 2012

Lancaster University, UK

Alongside the continued popularity of political themes in comics recent years have also seen the rise of religious themes entering into the medium. The aim of this conference is to explore the relationship between comics, religion and politics in greater depth, to show how through the unique properties of the medium comics have the ability to be as thought-provoking as they are entertaining. The conference will examine the history and impact of religious and political themes, their relationship to audiences, and consider the future of such themes in all forms of sequential art narrative.

We invite papers that address religious and/or political themes in comic strips, comic books, graphic novels, or manga. Papers working at the interface of these two areas are particularly encouraged. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

– Comics as cultural, social, religious, political text

– Use of religious imagery and themes

– Fan culture

– Political cartoons and cartoonists

– Gothic comics

– Comics and magic

– Representation of politics, religion, spirituality

– Religious or political rhetoric of comics and their authors

– Myths, legends, fables

-Depiction of religious figures or politicians as comic characters

– Comics and science fiction

– Comics and propaganda

– Representation of apocalypse, utopia, dystopia

– Representation of war

– Superheroes and religious, political identity

– Theoretical approaches to the study of religion, politics in comics

Contributions are sought from researchers at any stage of their careers. Abstracts (300 words) for papers 20 minutes in length should be sent with a short biography to Emily Laycock (Department of Politics, Philosophy & Religion) at e.laycock@lancaster.ac.uk

 

Emily Laycock, Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YL, U.K.

Email: e.laycock@lancaster.ac.uk

or visit the website

 

Posted on by Chris News and Events

Westminster Faith Debates

A series of debates on religion in public life, running from February to May 2012 at RUSI, 61 Whitehall, SW1A 2ET, Wednesdays fortnightly, 5.30-7pm.

Between 2007-2012 £12m was invested by two research councils, the AHRC and ESRC, in the largest-ever funded research programme on ‘Religion and Society’. In this series leading academics will present findings arising from that research, for response by public figures. Together they will open up debate about the place of religion in public life today.

The series is organised by the Rt Hon Charles Clarke, Professor Linda Woodhead and Dr Rebecca Catto, in co-operation with Theos.

1. Religious Identity in ‘Superdiverse’ Societies – 8th Feb

  • Trevor Phillips, Dominic Grieve, Kim Knott, Therese O’Toole

2. What’s the Place of Faith in Schools? – 22nd Feb

  • Richard Dawkins, John Pritchard, Jim Conroy, Robert Jackson

3. What have we Learned about Radicalisation? – 7th March

  • Mehdi Hasan, Ed Husain, Mark Sedgwick, Marat Shterin, Mat Francis

4. What role for Religious Organisations in an era of Shrinking Welfare? – 21st March

  •  David Blunkett, Peter Smith, Adam Dinham, Sarah Johnsen

5. What Limits to Religious Freedom? – 18th April

  • Lisa Appignanesi, Maleiha Malik, Peter Jones

6. What are the main Trends in Religion and Values in Britain? – 2nd May

  • Aaqil Ahmed, Cole Moreton, Linda Woodhead, Grace Davie

Please email p.ainsworth@lancaster.ac.uk to register for the debates you would like to attend, and visit http://www.religionandsociety.org.uk/faith_debates for further details.

Posted on by katieaston Calls for Papers, Teaching

Aarhus University Research Foundation Call for grant applications: Deadline January 24 2012

Please see details below for grant opportunities for PhD’s with focus on the religion in the contemporary world or those wishing to work within a multidisciplinary setting, proposing to study religion, culture and cognition. Details should be presented to either Jørn Borup or Armin W. Geertz, details below.

For those interested in pursuing study or research with the following research groups at the Department of Culture and Society, Aarhus University:

1. Center for Contemporary Religion (CCR)

2. Religion, Cognition and Culture Research Unit (RCC)

Grant applications

AUFF, the Aarhus University Research Foundation invites interested Master or PhD students to apply for grants to be awarded during the first half of 2012.

http://www.au.dk/en/facultiesdepartmentsetc/otherunits/tilknyt/auff/

The foundation’s objective is to support scientific and scholarly research at Aarhus University. The foundation awards grants on the basis of recommendations from Aarhus University. In the evaluation of applications and recommendations, emphasis is placed on academic excellence and on supporting initiatives with the potential to strengthen strategically important research efforts.

The eligible applicant for AUFF is the head of the graduate school. This call is directed to interested Master or PhD students to send forward an expression of interest to:

1. Center for Contemporary Religion (CCR). The CCR constitutes a base for general interest in contemporary issues regarding religion and society. CCR was founded as collaboration between researchers within the Study of Religion and researchers within Theology, but now being placed at the Department of Culture and Society, the center organises research focusing on religion and society in the contemporary world.

2. Religion, Cognition and Culture Research Unit (RCC). The RCC explores the dynamic interrelationships between religion, cognition and culture from both top-down and bottom-up disciplinary approaches. Its scientific methodology is explicitly interdisciplinary and draws on and practices laboratory methods as well as fieldwork, textual, iconological and archaeological methods in close cooperation with its partners in psychology, the neurosciences and the humanities.

The CCR and RCC will send selected candidates further to the head of the graduate school. If more than one candidate is recommended, the head of the graduate school is responsible for ranking the candidates. The head of the graduate school is also responsible for the qualitative evaluation of the potential doctoral student.

Application deadline

Applicants wanting to be associated with CCR should send an expression of interest to Jørn Borup (JB@teo.au.dk)

Applicants wanting to be associated with RCC should send an expression of interest to Armin W. Geertz (AWG@teo.au.dk)

The deadline for application is January 24, 2012.

Funds are distributed in May and December.

The next call for grant applications to the Aarhus University Research Foundation will take place in July 2012.

FUNDING TO FURTHER THE INTERNATIONALISATION OF PHD EDUCATION AT AARHUS UNIVERSITY

Projects and initiatives which are eligible for support:

A. Recruitment of talented foreign researchers to PhD programmes at Aarhus University

Purpose

To increase the number of highly qualified foreign PhD students at Aarhus University. Grants to enable a potential foreign applicant to visit Aarhus University for one to three months are available. The goal of the visit is to facilitate a thorough qualitative evaluation of the potential applicant to a PhD programme at Arhus University. Examples of relevant activities in which a foreign candidate might participate include courses, summer school, and workshops; laboratory work; or developing a PhD project in collaboration with his/her supervisor. The candidate is to be evaluated by his/her supervisor at the end of his/her stay. This evaluation may be included in the candidate’s application for admission to a PhD programme at Aarhus University. Danish citizens are not eligible for this grant. Students with qualifying examinations from Danish institutions are not eligible.

Funding available

Applications for funds to cover the following costs will be considered:

* An introductory grant for the foreign candidate (DKK 10,000 per month)

* Travel expenses (DKK 15,000 maximum)

* Expenses related to courses, workshops, laboratory work, etc. (DKK 20,000 maximum)

Maximum total funding available per candidate: DKK 65,000

Evaluation criteria

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

* The foreign candidate’s qualifications in relation to the research field of the section to which he/she is considering applying

* The ability of the institutional research culture to host the candidate’s visit successfully

* Additional documentation of the foreign candidate’s qualifications (where applicable)

The following documentation must be submitted along with the application

* The foreign candidate’s CV

* Reasons from both principal supervisor and the head of the graduate school in question in support of the candidate’s stay, including any strategic considerations related to the recruitment of doctoral students from specific universities, countries or regions

* Documentation of PhD scholarships the foreign student would be able to apply for

B. Funding for a term of research at Aarhus University for doctoral students enrolled at a foreign university

Purpose

To increase the number of highly qualified foreign PhD students at Aarhus University, thereby contributing to the internationalisation of doctoral education at the university, by establishing three to six-month research collaborations with foreign doctoral students. During their term of study at AU, foreign PhD students may (for example) participate in research activities, PhD courses, summer schools and workshops: perform laboratory work and/or work on their PhD theses, in order to complete a limited portion of their doctoral work at AU. Doctoral students with Danish citizenship are not eligible.

Funding available

* Fellowships (DKK 5,000 – 10,000 per month)

* Travel expenses (DKK 15,000 maximum)

* Expenses related to courses, workshops, laboratory work, etc. (DKK 20,000 maximum)

Maximum total funding available per candidate: DKK 65,000

Evaluation criteria

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

* The foreign student’s individual qualifications

* The foreign candidate’s qualifications in relation to the research field of the section at which he/she would continue his/her studies

* The ability of the institutional research culture to host the candidate’s term of study successfully

* The extent to which the foreign student’s presence would strengthen the institutional collaboration between the foreign student’s home university and Aarhus University

The following documentation must be submitted along with the application

* The foreign student’s CV

* The head of the graduate school’s reasons in support of the candidate’s term of study at AU, including any strategic considerations related to the recruitment of doctoral students from specific universities, countries or regions

Posted on by katieaston Calls for Papers

Call for Applications Doctoral dissertation fellowship in religion and philanthropy‏

THE LAKE INSTITUTE ON FAITH & GIVING

THE CENTER ON PHILANTHROPY

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

2012 – 2013 DOCTORAL DISSERTATION FELLOWSHIP

The Lake Institute on Faith and Giving at the Center on Philanthropy, Indiana University will offer a one year doctoral dissertation fellowship of $22,000 for the academic year 2012-2013. This doctoral dissertation fellowship will be given to a scholar whose primary research focus is in the area of religion and philanthropy or faith and giving. The fellowship is intended to support the final year of dissertation writing. The fellowship stipend will be paid in three installments: $10,000 at the beginning of the 2012-2013 academic year; $10,000 at the mid-point of the 2012-2013 academic year; $2,000 upon the successful completion of the dissertation.

Eligibility

Applicants for the Lake Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship must:

· be candidates for the Ph.D. degree at a graduate school in the United

States.

· fulfill all pre-dissertation requirements by December 31, 2011,

including approval of the dissertation proposal with the expectation

that the dissertation will be completed no later than June 1, 2014.

· have not received a similar grant or fellowship for the writing of the

dissertation. Please note that Lake Doctoral Dissertation Fellows may

not accept other awards that provide similar benefits in the same

academic year. Smaller awards and/or those involving limited

opportunities to teach may be permitted, at the discretion of the

Research Advisory Committee of the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving.

Application Information

All application materials must be received by January 31, 2012.

Applications must include the following:

· an application form.

· a current resume.

· an executive summary no longer than 15 pages in length summarizing

your topic and its relevance for the understanding of an important

question(s) or issue(s) related to religion and philanthropy / faith and

giving. Please write this executive summary so that scholars outside of

your discipline would not have difficulty comprehending your proposal.

· a copy of the approved dissertation proposal describing the proposed

work, demonstrating relevance to the field of religion and philanthropy,

describing source materials and their availability, commenting on any

special skills or interests you have for carrying out the proposed work,

and giving a clear statement of the research or scholarly methodology to

be employed.

· a selected bibliography no longer than two pages, double-spaced,

indicating the major theoretical, practical and critical works that bear

on your dissertation. “Selected” means you should include those works

that most clearly demonstrate your command of the scholarship necessary

to write the proposed dissertation. In most cases this will already be

part of your proposal.

· a timetable detailing your chapter outline, your progress to date, and

your schedule for the fellowship year. It should be no longer than one

page, double-spaced.

Supporting materials

· Three letters of recommendation must accompany your application: one

from your dissertation director and two from faculty members familiar

with your work.

· One official transcript from the graduate school which will award the

Ph.D. degree.

All requested materials must be mailed to:

Please find details below.

The Lake Institute on Faith & Giving

The Center on Philanthropy, Indiana University

ATTN: Dissertation Fellowship

550 West North Street

Suite 301

Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202-3272

Posted on by Chris News, Publications

50 New Additions to the NSRN Bibliography

Now that things are slowly getting back to normal after the holiday season, we thought some extra reading might be in order.

The following items have been added to the NSRN’s bibliography today, and are mostly the result of suggestions from visitors to the website. A huge thanks to everyone who suggested items – please keep them coming.

The complete bibliography can  be viewed in a list organised by author surname or publication date.

—————–

  • Alicino, F. 2011. “The Collaborations-Relations Between Western (Secular) Law and Religious Nomoi Groups in Today’s Multicultural Context : The Cases of France and Canada.” Transition Studies Review 18 (2): 430-444.
  • Aston, Katie. 2011. Atheism Explained by Jonathan Lanman (NSRN Annual Lecture 2011). NSRN Events Report series [online]. NSRN, October 25. http://nsrn.net/events/events-reports.
  • Baker, Joseph O’Brian, and Buster Smith. 2009. “The Nones: Social Characteristics of the Religiously Unaffiliated.” Social Forces 87 (3): 1251-1263.
  • Bradley, Arthur, and Andrew Tate. 2010. The new atheist novel: fiction, philosophy and polemic after 9/11. Continuum International Publishing Group, April 11.
  • Bullivant, Stephen, and Lois Lee. 2012. “Interdisciplinary Studies of Non-religion and Secularity: The State of the Union.” Journal of Contemporary Religion 27 (1).
  • Caplow, T. 1998. “The Case of the Phantom Episcopalians.” American Sociological Review 63 (1): 112-113.
  • Chatterjee, Nandini. 2011. The Making of Indian Secularism: Empire, Law and Christianity, 1830-1960. Palgrave Macmillan, March 1.
  • Cragun, Ryan, Barry A. Kosmin, Ariela Keysar, Joseph H. Hammer, and Michael Nielsen. 2012. “On the Receiving End: Discrimination Toward the Non-Religious in the United States.” Journal of Contemporary Religion 27 (1).
  • Demerath, N. J., III, and Victor Thiessen. 1966. “On Spitting Against the Wind: Organizational Precariousness and American Irreligion.” American Journal of Sociology 71 (6): 674-687.
  • Ellison, Christopher G., and Darren E. Sherkat. 1995. “The ‘Semi -Involuntary Institution’ Revisited: Regional Differences in Church Participation Among Black Americans.” Social Forces 74.
  • Festinger, L. 1956. When Prophecy Fails. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
  • Gorski, Philip S., and Ateş Altinordu. 2008. “After Secularization?” Annual Review of Sociology 34 (1): 55-85.
  • Gutkowski, Stacey. 2012. “The British Secular habitus and the War on Terror.” Journal of Contemporary Religion 27 (1).
  • Hadaway, C. Kirk, and Wade Clark Roof. 1979. “Those Who Stay Religious ‘Nones’ and Those Who Don’t: A Research Note.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 18 (2): 194-200.
  • Hadaway, C.K., and P.L. Marler. 1993. “All in the Family: Religious Mobility in America.” Review of Religious Research 35 (2): 97-116.
  • Hadaway, C.K., P.L. Marler, and M. Chaves. 1998. “Overreporting Church Attendance in America: Evidence That Demands the Same Verdict.” American Sociological Review 63 (1): 122-130.
  • Hout, Michael, and Andrew Greeley. 1998. “What Church Officials’ Reports Don’t Show: Another Look at Church Attendance Data.” American Sociological Review 63 (1): 113-119.
  • Hunter, Laura A. 2010. “Explaining Atheism: Testing the Secondary Compensator Model and Proposing an Alternative.” Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion 6.
  • Knott, Kim. 2010. “Theoretical and Methodological Resources for Breaking OPen the Secular and Exploring the Boundary between Religion and Non-religion.” Historia Religionum 2: 115-133.
  • Kraut, Benny. 1979. From Reform Judaism to Ethical Culture: The Religious Evolution of Felix Adler. New York: Hebrew Union College Press.
  • Lanman, Jonathan. 2011. “Thou Shalt Believe -: Or Not.” New Scientist.
  • ———. 2012. “The Importance of Religious Displays for Belief Acquisition and Secularization.” Journal of Contemporary Religion 27 (1).
  • Lee, Lois. 2012. “Research Note: Talking about a Revolution: Terminology for the New Field of Non-religion Studies.” Journal of Contemporary Religion 27 (1).
  • Lerner, Berel Dov. 1995. “Understanding a (Secular) Primitive Society.” Religious Studies 31: 303-309.
  • Lowis, M.J., A.J. Jewell, M.I. Jackson, and R. Merchant. 2011. “Religious and Secular Coping Methods Used by Older Adults : An Empirical Investigation.” Journal of Religion, Spirituality and Aging 23 (4): 279-303.
  • Luehrmann, S. 2011. Secularism Soviet Style: Teaching Atheism and Religion in a Volga Republic. Indiana: Indiana University Press.
  • MacKillop, I.D. 1986. The British Ethical Societies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Merino, Stephen M. 2012. “Irreligious Socialization? The Adult Religious Preferences of Individuals Raised with No Religion PDF Stephen M. Merino.” Secularism and Nonreligion 1: 1-16.
  • Mumford, Lorna. 2011. Atheism and Anthropology: Researching Atheism and Self-Searching Belief and Experience Workshop. NSRN Events Report series [online]. NSRN, December. http://www.nsrn.net/events/events-reports.
  • Orsi, R. 2005. Between heaven and earth: the religious worlds people make and the scholars who study them. Princeton, NJ and Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Parmeggiani, F. 2011. “Speaking of God : The Post-Secular Challenge for Italian Feminist Thought and Practices.” Annali D Italianistica 29: 417-430.
  • Presser, S., and M. Chaves. 2007. “Is Religious Service Attendance Declining?” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 46 (3): 417-423.
  • Quack, Johannes. 2012. “Organised Atheism in India: An Overview.” Journal of Contemporary Religion 27 (1).
  • Radest, Howard B. 1969. Toward Common Ground: The Story of the Ethical Societies in the United States. New York: Frederick Unger Publishing Co.
  • ———. 1990. The Devil and Secular Humanism: The Children of the Enlightenment. Westport, CT: Praeger.
  • Roof, W.C., and W. McKinney. 1987. American Mainline Religion: Its Changing Shape and Future. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
  • Sandomirsky, S., and J. Wilson. 1990. “Processes of Disaffiliation: Religious Mobility among Men and Women.” Social Forces 68: 1211-1229.
  • Schwadel, P. 2010. “Period and Cohort Effects on Religious Nonaffiliation and Religious Disaffiliation: A Research Note.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 49 (2): 311-319.
  • Stark, Rodney, Eva Hamberg, and Allen S. Miller. 2005. “Exploring Spirituality and Unchurched Religions in America, Sweden, and Japan.” Journal of Contemporary Religion 20 (1): 3-23.
  • Stolzenberg, R.M., M. Blair-Loy, and L.J. Waite. 1994. “Stolzenberg, R. M., Blair-Loy, M., & Waite, L. J. (1994). Religious Participation in Early Adulthood: Age and Family Life Cycle Effects on Church Membership. American Sociological Review, 60, 84-103.” American Sociological Review 60: 84-103.
  • Tamney, Joseph B., Shawn Powell, and Stephen Johnson. 1989. “Innovation Theory and Religious Nones.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 28 (2): 216-229.
  • Taylor, Charles. 1998. Modes of Secularism. In Secularism and its Critics: Themes in Politics, ed. Rajeev Bhargava, 32-53. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
  • Vargas, N. 2011. “Retrospective Accounts of Religious Disaffiliation in the United States: Stressors, Skepticism, and Political Factors.” Sociology of Religion (October 11). doi:10.1093/socrel/srr044. http://secularismandnonreligion.org/index.php/snr/article/view/5.
  • Veevers, J.E., and D.F. Cousineau. 1980. “The Heathen Canadians: Demographic Correlates of Nonbelief.” The Pacific Sociological Review 23 (2): 199-216.
  • Voas, David, and Siobhan McAndrew. 2012. “Three Puzzles of Non-religion in Britain.” Journal of Contemporary Religion 27 (1).
  • Welch, Michael R. 1978a. “Religious Non-Affiliates and Worldly Success.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 17 (1): 59-61.
  • ———. 1978b. “The Unchurched: Black Religious Non-Affiliates.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 17 (3): 289-293.
  • Wilson, J., and Darren E. Sherkat. 1994. “Returning to the Fold.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 33: 148-161.
  • Zuckerman, Phil. 2009. “Why are Danes and Swedes so Irreligious?” Nordic Journal of Religion and Society 22 (1).
  • ———. 2011. Faith No More: Why People Reject Religion. New York: Oxford University Press.
Posted on by Chris News, News and Events

‘Atheism and Non-religion’ Panel at SOCREL 2012

The draft programme for the 2012 Sociology of Religion Study Group of the British Sociological Association (SOCREL) – Religion and (In)Equalities – has recently been announced, and is available here.

The conference dates are 28-30 March 2012 at the University of Chester, UK. The entire programme looks thoroughly stimulating, and contains a number of papers which should be of interest to NSRN researchers.

Of particular relevance is the ‘Atheism and Non-Religion’ panel on 29 March at 09.00:

Spencer Bullivant
Atheist summer camps: Transitioning away from conceptions of disbelief to belief

Christopher R. Cotter
The inherent inequalities of the religion-nonreligion dichotomy: A narrative approach to individual (non-)religiosity

Lydia Reid
Religion and modernity

Janet Eccles & Rebecca Catto
Countercultural or mainstream? Some reflections from the Young Atheist Project

Posted on by Chris Calls for Papers, News and Events

Religion and Social Change – Association for the Sociology of Religion 2012 Annual Meeting

http://www.sociologyofreligion.com/annual-meeting/

The 2012 annual meeting of the Association for the Sociology of Religion will take place August 17-18 in Denver, Colorado at the Grand Hyatt. The Grant Hyatt is a Four Diamond hotel in the heart of downtown Denver, close to restaurants, shopping and entertainment, including the world famous Tattered Cover bookstore.

Our 2012 meeting will take place immediately prior to the meetings of
the ASA’s religion section, but will not overlap with those sessions. This will allow members to attend sessions at both meetings in a shorter window than previous years. The Grant Hyatt is a block away from the ASA conference hotel, the Hyatt Regency.

The theme of this year’s meeting is religion and social change. Most religions traditions are predicated upon the idea that conversion transforms the individual and widespread acceptance of religious principles results in a utopian society. Some religions attempt to produce or prevent change by influencing the wider discourse surrounding key moral and political debates; others promote programs at the local level; and still others, viewing society as beyond repair, attempt to produce their own utopian sub-societies. Yet, religion is also the product of social changes that mold beliefs and transform religious institutions.

While we welcome papers on all subjects, we expect many presentations to explore the complex relationship between religion and social change. Further, this year’s meeting will have a strong focus on professional development with special sessions on funding and disseminating research, navigating the tenure process, publishing and writing, and resources available for research. These sessions will include a panel with the editors of Sociology of Religion and Review of Religious Research.

LCD projectors and screens will be available for all presentations.

DEADLINES:
-Session Proposals are due by 31 March 2012
-Paper Proposals and Abstracts are due by 30 April 2012

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: (1) Email your proposal to ASR2012@augustana.edu as a Word attachment. Place the title of your proposal first, then names, affiliations, and email addresses of all authors, then your abstract/proposal, all on one sheet of paper. (2) Limit paper abstracts to a maximum of 100 words. (3) 2012 membership in ASR is required for program consideration (one author, for multiauthored papers). Do not submit proposals prior to 1 January.

PROGRAM CHAIR: Christopher Bader, Chapman University.