Religionising Fieldwork and Fieldworking Religion: Hermeneutics of the engagement between religion and research methodologies in the field
3-4 November 2008

School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

Convenors:

James Kapalo, SOAS, Dept. Study of Religions
Stefania Travagnin, SOAS, Dept. Study of Religions

Keynote address:

Prof. Paul Gifford, Chair of African Christianity, SOAS, Dept. Study of Religions (more…)

See for descriptions the VISOR website or contact the VISOR office: info@visor.vu.nl / +31 20 5986603

GloPent (re)search engine

EASA 2008 conference: Experiencing Diversity and Mutuality

26-30 August, Ljubljana, Slovenia

African Christianities in Europe: the politics of religious recognition

(W029)
Location TBA
Date and Time TBA
Convenors
Simon Coleman (University of Sussex) s.m.coleman@ sussex.ac. uk
Ramon Sarró (Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon)
ramon.sarro@ ics.ul.pt

Through an analysis of how some migrant churches seek recognition within and interact with other forms of Christianity, this panel explores the capacity of African Christian diasporas to reconfigure the European religious heritage, influence local identities and establish international connections.
(more…)

New Media and Religious Transformations in Africa
International Conference
Abuja, Nigeria, July 10-12 2008

Centre for the Study of African Culture and Communication
Catholic Institute of West Africa
Port Harcourt

(text link)

The next international conference of the European Research Network on Global Pentecostalism (GloPent) will be held at the University of Heidelberg on February 1-2, 2008 under the title “Theory and Method in the Study of Global Pentecostalism”.

Keynote lectures by Allan Anderson, Elizabeth Brusco, Michael Bergunder, Mark Cartledge, Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen and Birgit Meyer.

see for more details and programme

Flanagan, Kieran & Peter C. Jupp (2007) A Sociology of Spirituality, Aldershot: Ashgate.

“The emergence of spirituality in contemporary culture in holistic forms suggests that organised religions have failed. This thesis is explored and disputed in this book in ways that mark important critical divisions. This is the first collection of essays to assess the significance of spirituality in the sociology of religion. The authors explore the relationship of spirituality to the visual, individualism, gender, identity politics, education and cultural capital. The relationship between secularisation and spirituality is examined and consideration is given to the significance of Simmel in relation to a sociology of spirituality. Problems of defining spirituality are debated with reference to its expression in the UK, the USA, France and Holland. This timely, original and well structured volume provides undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers with a scholarly appraisal of a phenomenon that can only increase in sociological significance.” (more…)

Announcement and Call for Papers
Rethinking Religion in India
24-27 January 2008
Delhi, India

Increasingly, it is felt that the current knowledge about the Indian culture and its traditions is unsatisfactory at best or erroneous at worst. In the domain of religious studies, in postcolonial studies and in the field of comparative science of cultures, scholars have begun to argue that the questions and conceptual framework for the study of India and its religions are firmly embedded within the Western cultural history. Therefore, Rethinking Religion in India, a five year international conference cluster, aims at developing an alternative theoretical framework to understand the Indian religions and traditions. The Research Centre Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap (Ghent University), the Centre for the Study of Local Cultures (Kuvempu
University) and the Karnataka Academy of Social Sciences and Humanities (KASSH) invite you to participate in this joint endeavour.
(more…)

The British Sociological Association Study of Religion Group

Study Day, 17th November, 2007

Call for papers on the subject of

Religion, Spirituality and Gay Sexuality

The subject of gay sexuality and religion has become one of the most contentious issues for the contemporary Christian Church. It has also developed as a concern for many of the other major world religions, as well as a number of new expressions of religiosity and spirituality. This study day, to be held at the University of the West of England (UK), seeks to explore a number of themes for which papers are invited. It is hoped that a selection of papers, in one form or another, will be published. (more…)