The deadline for submitting papers via e-mail to unit chairs for papers for the 2013 AAR/WR Conference has been extended to October 15th. Proposals or abstracts should be no more than 250 words in length and, along with the participant forms, should be sent as attachments to unit chairs at the e-mail addresses provided below. Individuals whose proposals are accepted must be members of the AAR before the conference date in order to present.

Buddhist Studies:

For the 2013 conference, the Buddhist Studies session would like to explore the topic of gay marriages and/or gay relationships. Ever since Proposition 8, there has been much controversy about gay marriages and California has been kind of fickle about whether to support or not support gay marriages. The Christian right has vehemently denounced gay marriages, arguing that such "unions" go against core Christian principles. The Buddhist community, however, seems to be rather silent about the position and perspective they have towards gay marriages and gay relationships in general. In order to explore this taboo topic, the Buddhist Studies session invites papers, which present a glimpse of the discreet Buddhist community pertaining to gay issues and the Buddhist perspective on gay marriages and relationships.

Please send proposals and participant forms to Kenneth Lee (Cal State Northridge) at klee@csun.edu.


Catholic Studies:

The Catholic Studies unit seeks the submission of abstracts that address this year's theme of "Religion in Public Life." We invite papers that explore the dynamic relationships between Catholicism and public affairs, especially papers that focus on the role of Catholicism or Catholics in political processes, public institutions, the media, or other public expressions of religion in the U.S. and around the globe. We encourage papers that promote a deeper understanding of issues at the intersection of Catholicism and public life, such as abortion, church-state law, the death penalty, education, homosexuality, social justice, etc., in either contemporary or historical contexts. This unit seeks to investigate topics related to Catholicism as a global religious tradition and a way of life that has taken different cultural forms in various times and places, using the tools of academic research including critical studies, cultural, ethical, and historical perspectives. Interdisciplinary papers are encouraged.

Please send proposals and participant forms to Lauren Horn Griffin at lhg@umail.ucsb.edu. Proposals of panels are also welcome -- please include abstracts for each paper as well as a short description of your panel theme.


Ecology and Religion:

Religion can be effectively employed in contemporary political realms on behalf of the environment and ecological concerns. The United Church of Christ (UCC) fueled the environmental justice movement through research and resources. Multiple indigenous people's movements have fashioned environmental thought out of "religious" understandings or indigenous lifeways. Jewish and Muslim groups and individuals renew sacred traditions regarding food through eco-Kashrut (Kosher) and green halal movements. These examples illustrate a blend of contemporary political and religious notions as they relate to ecology.

Ecological perspectives often can be perceived as a byproduct of public transformations, religious persuasions, and political policy. For the 2013 conference, we invite proposals that trace threads of ecological thinking among religions that inform public life and influence the political process. We also welcome perspectives on how the public and political realms impact religions. We include the influence of region on ecological thinking and religious narratives. Regional mountains, rivers, forests, and wildlife all inform religious attitudes and worldviews that distinguish regional religion from global communities. We encourage submissions that uncover the dynamics of region-specific religious attitudes on ecological concerns from the historical to the contemporary.

We also encourage submissions that address any number of broader issues regarding religion and ecology including but not limited to: nature, the environment, the energy crisis, mining and other forms of land usage and reformation, human-created waste, modernity, genetic modification of food plants and animals, toxicity, industrialized agriculture, the economics of subsistence farming, fish farming, water rights, oceans, forests, climate change, global warming, natural resources, globalization, transnational commerce and exploitative extraction, eco-theology, ecofeminism, environmental justice, environmental education, ecopsychology, sustainability, greening, green-washing, Gaia, environmental ethics, anthropocentrism/speciesism, and particular communities of animals, plants, and peoples. These topics may be contextualized in continuity with past and future generations; with awareness of contemporary impacts on future generations of species, landscapes, and ecosystems; and with attention to communities' conceptual and practical regenerative capacities as they move towards ecological balance, health, sustainability, or other formidable goals.

Please email proposals to unit co-chairs Sarah Robinson at mssarahrobinson@gmail.com and Joel Stoker at jstoker@asu.edu.


Education and Workshops:

Submissions for papers and panels for the annual meeting of the Western Region of the American Academy of Religion (March 2013) are welcome on all topics in teaching religious studies or theology.

Please send proposals and participant forms to Bret Lewis at lewis1@asu.edu (Education and Workshops Unit Chair, Department of Religious Studies, Arizona State University, Tempe AZ 85287)


Ethics:

The Ethics Unit invites papers relating to this year's Conference Theme, "Religion in Public Discourse". We are interested in papers that investigate the ethical connection concerning the ways in which religion is brought into public discourse, but papers may also explore the ways in which religion is depicted in the public realm. Related questions include: Ought religious language to be accepted or prohibited from the various public institutions of culture (politics, education, media, medicine, etc.)? What are the effects of pluralism on public discourse regarding religion? Is there common ground for public discussion when we have fundamental religious disagreements? Additionally, the Ethics Unit continues its interest in plumbing the depths of the longstanding popular and academic conflation and interconnectedness of the topics of Religion and Ethics.

Please submit a CV, abstract and participant form to Kelly Fitzsimmons Burton at Kelly.Fitzsimmons@asu.edu.


Goddess Studies:

Goddess Studies invites papers related to the 2013 conference theme, religion and public life. Please send proposals and participant forms to Laura Truxler at lauratruxler@gmail.com.


Graduate Student Professional Development:

We are excited to introduce our new unit dedicated to discussing professional development, especially as it relates to graduate students. The conference theme of Religion in Public Life offers an opportunity to reflect on how graduate students are prepared to present religion--as well as represent the fields of Religious Studies or Theological Studies--to the public through their teaching, publications, and research presentations. Other topics that may be addressed include grant writing, mentoring, job applications, graduate training in research methods, and more. We invite a variety of formats, including workshops, guided discussions, individual papers, or panels.

Please send your proposal and participant form to unit chair Kristy Slominski at slominski@umail.ucsb.edu. If you are proposing a panel of several presenters, please include short abstracts for each topic on the panel, and a short description of the overall panel theme.


History of Christianity:

From the Catholic Church's inquisition of American nuns to Jeremiah Wrights' "God damn America," religion is a permanent ingredient of public conversation, in America and beyond. The diplomatic relations between the Vatican and China's government, the surviving strategy of the Christians in the Arab Spring struggle, the Religious Right in America, are just a few examples of this state of affairs. However, the history of the Church has been deeply involved in politics since the beginnings. The trial of Jesus, the martyrs and the persecutions, the schisms, the crusades, the rise and fall of the State of Vatican, are all cases in point. The History of Christianity Unit welcomes proposals for papers or entire panels on: 1) Martyrdom as a political act; 2) Medieval mysticism and the battle for the soul of the Church; 3) The Society of Jesus and the Chinese Emperors; 4) The Eastern Churches in Asia under Islam; 5) Protestantism and Capitalism: a love story; and 6) Vatican Council II and the Cold War. We will consider proposals on other topics as well. Papers should be conceived for effective twenty-minute presentations

Please send proposals and participant forms to Enrico Beltramini at ebeltramini@ndnu.edu. and Dyron Daughrity at Dyron.Daughrity@pepperdine.edu.


Indigenous Religions:

Indigenous Religions invites papers related to the 2013 conference theme, religion and public life.

Please send proposals and participant forms to Mutombo Nkulu-N'Sengha at
mutombo.nkulu-nsengha@csun.edu.


Islamic Studies:

The Islam Unit encourages paper and panel proposals in all areas of Islamic studies for the 2013 annual conference. This year's theme uses a broad question: how do we in religious studies make sense of religion's place in public life? As always, we encourage papers dealing with historical and contemporary issues in the field such as the Arab spring, Muslim experiences and institutions, globalized Islamic studies, and Islam in America. Interdisciplinary papers are encouraged. Successful proposals will reflect theoretical and methodological sophistication and promote deeper understanding of the issues that relate to Islam's place in public life along with thorough examination of Muslim practices. We encourage individual papers, or panels.

Please send proposals and participant forms Dr. Abdullahi A. Gallab at abdullahi.gallab@asu.edu and Sophia Pandya at spandyab@csulb.edu.


Jewish Studies:

Jewish Studies welcomes all papers on any aspect of Jewish Studies. This year we have a particular interest in papers addressing the public role of Judaism and Jewish Organizations have in America, ranging from American politics to the practice of Judaism. For example, what impact do organizations, such as the Anti Defamation League, have on civil rights and giving voice to hate crimes? Do lobbyists such as American Israel Public Affairs Committee or J. Street have an influence on American legislation? What is the critique of J. Street of AIPAC or vice versa? How have the different movements of Judaism handled gay marriage? Other topics of interest are the influence of Jewish theologians/ philosophers Abraham Joshua Heschel and Martin Buber on American Christian Theology; Starhawk's Jewishness in relation to the Reclaiming and Wiccan Community in America; the difference between the practice of Northern California grassroots Jewish Communities of worship such as Chomat HaLev, the Aquarius Minyan, Kehillah from New York East Coast Jewish practice; and the presence of Afro-American Jews or Converso Jews in American Judaism. How have African American Jews, Converso Jews been received and how has this cultural diversity influenced American Judaism. How has the Jewish pop culture scene influenced American pop music, visual art and other forms of entertainment? Again, do not be afraid to submit a paper if it does not cover one of these topics.

Please send proposals and participant forms to Emily L. Sivlerman at ebinah@gmail.com and Miri Hunter Haruach at eizorakdanit@yahoo.com.


Latino/a Latin American Studies:

We are asking for papers that relate to Arizona HB 2281, which bans ethnic studies in Arizona's public schools. Specifically, the bill targets classes that: (1) promote the overthrow of the United States government; (2) promote resentment toward a race or class of people; (3) are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group; and (4) advocate ethnic solidarity instead of treatment of pupils as individuals. While it is no secret that this bill was directed toward Tucson's Mexican-American studies program, this unit is looking for papers that explore the ways in which such a ban effects religious studies. Suggested avenues of exploration:

• Implications of legislative intervention in Public Education or the Academy
• Relating Multicultural education and Religious Studies
• Relating American exceptionalism and Latino/a Studies
• Role of Individualism/the individual within the study of subjects that inherently deal with collectivities

The unit is open to other subjects of interest, especially ones that relate to the past, present, or future state of the academic study of Latino religion.

Please send proposals and participant forms to Paul Rodriguez at paul.rodriguez@cgu.edu.


Nineteenth Century:

The Nineteenth Century Unit provides a forum for the study of various religions around the world in the 19th century. This year we invite papers or panels that reflect the 2013 conference theme, Religion in Public Life. We welcome papers that explore the dynamic relationships between religion and the public sphere in the nineteenth century, especially papers that focus on people, events, or trends unique to this time period. A variety of methods are welcome.

Please send your proposal and participant form via email attachment to unit chair Natalie Fawcett at natalie_fawcett@umail.ucsb.edu. If you are proposing a panel of 3 to 4 papers, please include short abstracts for each paper on the panel, and a short description of your panel theme.


Philosophy of Religion:

We invite papers relevant to this year's theme, "Religion in Public Life." We are especially interested in papers that address questions and themes such as the following: what is the interrelation between religious and secular reasoning? How should we evaluate the Doctrine of Religious Restraint (DRR) from a post-Enlightenment perspective? How to think about the political claim that 'a deficit of religious freedom is a driving force behind insecurity and violence'? The Philosophy of Religion unit invites such presentations and, as always, presentations from other subjects related to the conference theme or philosophy of religion.
We also encourage proposals for thematic panels or for joint sessions with other AAR units.

Please send proposals and participant forms to Hester Oberman at hoberman@email.arizona.edu and Joshua Kira at jkira@masters.edu .


Psychology, Culture, and Religion:

Talal Asad urges that the concept of religion as discrete from other aspects of political and social life is a post-Enlightenment idea found primarily in western societies. Moreover, to suggest that even these societies have in fact succeeded in severing religion from broader public sphere borders on the naïve. Can you envision a future in which culture does not derive much of its content from religious influence? Alternatively, is the best that we can hope for from the academy an awareness of religion's persistent influence on culture? If you can conceive a society without religion, how would such a society develop its values and identity? In what ways would a secular value system be similar to or different from a religious value system? If, on the other hand, you devote most of your energy to helping students see the ubiquity of religion in the public space, how do you go about promoting such awareness? PCR invites exploration of the inter-relatedness and severability of religion and culture in the public space. As always, we strongly encourage creative proposals that challenge preconceived notions of what an academic "paper" or "panel" should or could be.

Please send proposals and participant forms to Franz Metcalf at franz@mind2mind.net.

PCR is an informal association of scholars and practitioners in the fields of religion and psychology. Our members share common interests in the relationships between religions, individuals, and the contemporary cultures that mediate and construct them. To learn more about us, see http://www.pcr-aar.org.


Queer Studies in Religion:

Queer Studies in Religion invites paper and/or panel proposals dealing with this year's theme of Religion in Public Life. We seek proposals that attempt to make sense of queers in/queering of spaces occupied by religion in public life. Papers may focus on topics related to politics and the body, family and same-sex marriage, male/female bodies and reproductive rights, and the ways these institutions shape how we participate in civic life. Special attention will be given to papers that question the ways issues have cultivated a critical dialogue across diverse religious spaces. We are also open to proposals discussing any aspect of queer studies in religion.

Please send proposals and participant forms to Queer Studies in Religion Co-Chairs Marie Cartier at ezmerelda@earthlink.net and John Erickson at jerickson85@gmail.com.


Religion in America:

Following the regional theme for this year, the Religion and America unit seeks proposals for presentations that look at how we as scholars and instructors approach religion and public life in our teaching and scholarship. How do we choose which religious threads we ultimately research and teach? What methods and media do we use to enact and facilitate our interests and concerns? To what extent do we feel constrained by various ideological and/or pedagogical mandates imposed by our institutions or other outside (or even personal/internal) forces that aim to shape the frameworks we use to
investigate "religion" in various contexts? We will consider proposals that speak to the regional theme in general. However, this unit specifically invites insightful and creative proposals about how you and other scholars are approaching (1) the current "Mormon Moment" in America (e.g. the responses of various media, individuals, and groups to Mormonism and Mitt Romney's candidacy; the Book of Mormon musical; the grassroots movement to reform various aspects of the LDS Church, including but not limited to the impact of LDS Church political activism against same-sex marriage on that movement; etc.); (2) conflicts you have experienced or concerns you have had as students and as instructors with approaches to religion and public life, especially with regard to region and other geographic and cultural milieus; and (3) how technology has affected how you teach and do research.

Please send proposals and participant forms to Doe Daughtrey at ddaughtrey@gmail.com.


Religion and the Arts:

The Religion and the Arts Unit seeks abstract submissions that address this year's theme of "Religion in Public Life." All papers that explore how visual, literary, and/or performing art mediums (e.g. painting, television, video, theater, music, dance) represent religion's place in public life or show how the arts make public space for religion are welcome. Below is a partial list of topics that would fit this unit:

• Religious Art and U.S. Presidential Elections
  
• Religious Art and Evolution
• Religious Art and Terrorism
• Religious Art and Social Welfare Programs
• Religious Art and Liberationist Movements

Other topics and novel methods that reflect participants' own interests are welcome as well.

Please send proposals and participant forms to Dirk von der Horst at dirkster42@yahoo.com and Roy Whitaker at roy_whitaker@hotmail.com.

Choices are determined based on a combination of factors, including the quality, originality, and coherence of the abstract with other selections on the panel.


Religions of Asia:

Religions of Asia invites individual papers that address Asian religious traditions, ideas, rituals, and influence in the public sphere. What is the interplay between the sacred and secular? What are the limits and limitations of teaching and researching Asian religions in a rapidly changing Asian public sphere? How is religion used or not-used vis-à-vis global economic and political developments? How do Asian religious practitioners and lay believers situate themselves in contemporary public processes and debates in Asia and around the world? Also relevant to the discussion is the institutional, cultural, and legal challenges that teachers and scholars face when they engage with Asian religions outside of the walls of classrooms, temples, and churches. We welcome papers grounded in individual and group experiences as well as those that engage with public discourses about these topics. We seek papers covering all religions of Asia and from all disciplinary approaches that address any facet of the call, directly or tangentially.

Please submit proposals and participant forms to Dr. Jonathan H. X. Lee at jlee@sfsu.edu.


Religion and Social Sciences:

Religion and Social Sciences invites papers related to the 2013 conference theme, religion and public life.

Please send proposals and participant forms to Siroj Sorajjakool at ssorajjakool@llu.edu.


Religion, Literature and Film:

The Religion, Literature, and Film unit welcomes proposals directly related to the 2013 conference theme, "Religion and Public Life," particularly as expressed in current or contemporary literary works or viewed in current or contemporary films. We also welcome proposals that extend the ongoing discussion in this unit as it relates to literary and film criticism and the academic study of religion.

Please send proposals and participant forms to Jon R. Stone at jrstone@csulb.edu.


Womanist/Pan-African:

Womanist/Pan-African invites papers related to the 2013 conference theme, religion and public life.

Please send proposals and participant forms to Paula McGee at paulamcgee@aol.com. and Arisika Razak at arazak@ciis.edu.


Women and Religion:

We invite papers relevant to Women in Religion, including papers concerning women's roles in various religious traditions; women's spiritualities; and feminist critiques of religion. We encourage papers that provide an intersectional analysis of gender, sexuality, race, class, and other social identities.

We especially invite papers relevant to the 2013 conference theme, "Religion in Public Life." Papers that address the role of religion/spirituality in public debates related to gender and sexuality are encouraged. For example:

• The encroachment on women's reproductive rights by the religious Right
• Debates over same-sex marriage
• The Vatican's censure of "radical" nuns
• Public discussions about gender-neutral childrearing

Of interest too are papers that address religion/spirituality as resources for political resistance and social justice. We welcome exploration of how activists who identify as religious and/or spiritual can constructively partner with secular activists in re-shaping public discourses around women's concerns.

Please send proposals and participant forms to co-chairs Chandra Alexandre at cma38@columbia.edu and Alka Arora at aarora@ciis.edu.