Sociology

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CFP: Formatting Non-religion in Late Modern Society – Institutional and Legal Perspective (Eurel 2018)

EUREL Conference 2018

University of Oslo

26-27 September 2018

 

  • Submission of abstracts 28 February 2018
  • Notification of results 31 March 2018

 

Formatting Non-religion in Late Modern Society – Institutional and Legal Perspective invites scholars across disciplines to address the conceptualisation and knowledge of nonreligion in the late modern society. The starting point of the conference is that nonreligion is a culturally contingent concept that displays sociocultural variations across different geographical regions and socio-political systems. With an increasing nonreligious population, the maps of religious belonging needs to be reconfigured, which also could impact how both religious and nonreligious affiliations are recognised by the state.

The conference features keynote speeches by Professors Lori Beaman (University of Ottawa) and Lois Lee (University of Kent).

The conference invites papers with approaches based in political science, sociology, and law. Sociological approaches can draw on both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Papers will address any of the following questions:

  • How can nonreligion be defined, and how can the “nones” be grasped and taken into account in studies on religion?
  • How does the sociocultural and religious backdrop of different countries affect the regulation and representation of nonreligion in law and policymaking?
  • Where and how do nonreligious individuals and collectives fit into institutions in contemporary societies?
  • In which ways do services developed to satisfy the existential needs of citizens provided by the state through law and politics (“from above”) – recognise worldviews and sentiments that are something other than religious? How can nonreligious beliefs be addressed by the law?
  • How does nonreligion “from above” affect notions of citizenship and national belonging?

Paper proposals of no more than 300 words can be submitted here by February 28th, 2018. Proposals must specify which conference theme the paper addresses, and indicate the author’s contact information and institutional affiliation.

The Eurel prize will be awarded at the 2018 conference. It is open to PhD students and young researchers (less than 3 years after defence of the doctorate). Specify in your proposal if you are in such a situation.

Authors will be notified by March 31st 2018 if their proposal has been accepted. The organizers will cover accommodation for one night and all meals for presenters. Transportation fees will not be taken in charge.

Papers must be presented in English or French, normally no more than 20 minutes. If possible, the presentation documents will be in the language not used for the presentation. Although not not mandatory for participation, this would be appreciated.

For more information, see the conference website.

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Call for Papers: Annual Review of the Sociology of Religion – “Atheism”

Proposal for a special issue of the Annual Review of the Sociology of Religion, edited by Franco Garelli and Roberto Cipriani, on atheism (cut-off date for delivery of papers, 30th June 2015; forthcoming 2016)

arsrIn the spring of 1969 an International Symposium on the Culture of Unbelief was held in Rome, organized by the Vatican Secretariat for Unbelievers, with the participation of illustrious sociologists like Parsons, Berger and Luckmann: see R. Caporale, A. Grumelli (eds.), The Culture of Unbelief, University of California Press, 1971 (published in Italian as Religione e ateismo nelle società secolarizzate, Mulino, 1972). This pioneering experience sought to understand the evolution of the secularization then taking place. Later, the topics of religious non-belonging, indifference, agnosticism, ceased to attract the specific attention of sociologists, who began taking a greater interest in pluralism, globalization, multiple modernity and intercultural phenomena. But for some years now the issue of non-religious attitudes and behaviour has come to the fore again. The Sociology of Religion review devoted most of one of its recent issues (Winter 2013, with two essays by Stephen LeDrew and one by Jesse M. Smith) to the phenomenon of atheism. The Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (March 2013) also showed an interest in unbelief by publishing essays by Jesse M. Smith (Godless Community), Eran Shor and David J. Roelfs (Nonreligious Participation). Previously the Journal of Contemporary Religion had devoted a special issue (January 2012) to the topic of “Non Religion and Secularity”.

The time seems to have come for sociology to take stock of the situation, not merely in partial or territorial terms, but in a much broader sense, in order to obtain a better understanding of the dynamics presently at play in this area. Among other things, it is significant that, in the meantime, a neologism, previously unknown to the literature of sociology has been coined: Nones, those who deny, do not believe, do not belong, do not participate, do not pray, do not refer at all to values of a religious nature.

However, adequate statistical references and specific research devoted entirely to the issue of unbelief are lacking. Without claiming to present a comprehensive picture of the situation at world level, nevertheless, the intention underscoring this proposal is that of trying to provide as varied an analytical perspective as possible, one capable of acting, maybe, as a new starting point for a future sociology of non-religion.

Possible topics include:

  • Irreligion
  • Religious nones
  • Agnosticism
  • Non religious education
  • Non religious participation
  • Non religion
  • Non religion in Britain
  • Atheism in India
  • Non religion in USA
  • Religious indifference
  • Atheism and religion in Eastern and Western Countries
  • World statistics of religion and irreligion
  • Atheism and islam in Eastern and Western Countries
  • Atheism and Orthodox Churches
  • American atheists
  • Teaching atheism
  • Paganism
  • Religion and Non Religion
  • Religion and Secularism
  • New Atheism and Non Religion
  • Atheism in International Social Survey Program

Please send all proposals (300 words) to Roberto Cipriani: rciprian@uniroma3.it

Deadlines:

  • Submission of proposals: June 30, 2014
  • Notification of acceptance: September 30, 2014
  • Completed manuscripts (7000 words): June 30, 2015
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CFP Association for the Sociology of Religion, Denver, Colorado 12-18August

2012 Annual Meeting

August 17-18 – Denver, Colorado

Religion and Social Change

Papers and discussion sessions on all themes within the sociology of religion are welcome, but especially those related to the meeting theme, including, but not limited to, the following: Religion is both an agent and a product of social change. Closely linked to many historical and global transformations, religion has served as both an opiate and an amphetamine for change. Indeed, most religious 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; 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. We want to explore this complex relationship between religion and social change. To what extent do the characteristics of religious groups and their members determine the manner in which they attempt to enact change? Do religious groups have special advantages or disadvantages in their ability to foster social change as compared to secular groups and institutions? How do larger social changes influence the religious beliefs and actions of individuals and institutions?

Papers and discussion sessions on all themes within the sociology of religion are welcome, but especially those related to the meeting theme, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • religion and politics
  • religion and gender
  • religion and racial harmony
  • religion and science
  • religion and volunteering
  • religion and morality issues
  • religion and extremist behavior
  • utopian and millenarian movements in religion
  • religious charitable organizations
  • religious conversion, religious experiences and personal transformation
  • theoretical perspectives regarding religion and engagement with society

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 amaximum of 100 words. (3) 2012 membership in ASR is required for program consideration (one author, for multi-authored papers). Do not submit proposals prior to 1 January. PROGRAM CHAIR: Christopher Bader, Chapman University.

RALPH A. GALLAGHER TRAVEL GRANT

ASR makes available a limited number of travel assistance grants for members who are presenting papers at its annual meeting. These fall into two categories: student grants and grants for foreign scholars living outside of North America. Grants for students range up to $500.

Foreign scholar grants are subdivided between those living or working in ISA Category A or B countries and those living or working in ISA Category C countries. (The ISA geopolitical category scheme may be accessed at http://www.isa-sociology.org/form_isa.pdf. Note that ISA

membership is NOT required for consideration. ASR simply uses its scheme as the most universally recognized basis within the profession.) Grants for those in Category A and B countries are limited to $500. Grants for those in Category C countries may range up to $1,000. In no case will anyone receive a grant in excess of $1,000.

Applications should take the form of a letter submitted to the program chair along with the applicant’s program paper proposal. Applicants should state both the amount of their request to ASR and also indicate how they will fund that portion of their trip not funded by the

Gallagher Grant. It is acceptable to state that the remainder will come from the applicant’s personal funds. Applicants should understand that these grants are competitive and that the total amount of grants awarded seldom exceeds $5,000.

One-quarter of the grants may made by the Program Chair on his or her own initiative. The remainder of domestic Student awards are also made by the Program Chair based on applications. International award applications are vetted by the International Committee, to whom they are forwarded by the Program Chair. For 2012, the International Committee is composed of Prema Kurien (chair), Giuseppe Giordan, and Afe Adogame.


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CFP Panel on Religion and Social Inequality‏

The 36th Congress of the German Society for Sociolgy (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Soziologie – DGS) will be held from 1 -5 October 2012 in Bochum and Dortmund.

The Section for Sociology of Religion is organizing a panel on “Religion and Social Inequality” during this conference. The call for paper is only in German, but papers in English are also very welcome.

In the early sociology of religion the relationship between social class and religion was a central topic. Weber for example analysed social strata as carriers of religious ideas. Following Weber this research question was picked up by Niebuhr in his exploration of the social sources of denominations and by Bourdieu in his analysis of the religious field. In the last decades, the problem of social inequality has been mostly neglected as a research question in the sociology of religion.

Papers presenting empirical findings, quantitative as well as qualitative, from a national or transnational perspective, about the  impact of social class and life conditions on religious beliefs,practices and affiliations are invited. The religions of the upper classes and the lower classes, of the privileged and the “negatively privileged” are of special interest for this panel.

Please send abstracts of 2500 signs maximum (inclunding spaces) until

March 15th to the organizers:

Prof.Dr. Gert Pickel: pickel@rz.uni-leipzig.de

Dr. Kornelia Sammet: sammet@uni-leipzig.de

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‘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

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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.