CFP: Religion, Nature, and the Popular Imagination

[Monique Ingalls]

The International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature and
Culture<http://www.religionandnature.com/society/> (ISSRNC) is pleased
to announce its next conference in Malibu, California at Pepperdine
University in August 2012. The conference theme will be “Nature and
the Popular Imagination.”

For generations, the interconnections between religion and nature have
been expressed, promoted, and contested through the incubator of
popular culture, including films produced in nearby Hollywood. As a
global and symbolic center that reflects and invents nature/religion
representations, Malibu and its environs provide a fantastic venue for
critical reflection on the religion/nature nexus in the popular
imagination. Along with keynote addresses and other scholarly
sessions, a number of special events and excursions are in the works,
including a scholar-led tour of The Getty Villa in Malibu and
opportunities to enjoy the beautiful and famous Malibu coast. Some of
these may be offered before or after the official conference period.
Affordable on-campus housing will be available to conference
participants.

We invite proposals about nature and religion in diverse expressions
of popular culture, including films, television, comics, fiction,
music, sports, graffiti, clothing, and festivals. As always, while we
encourage proposals focused on the conference’s theme, we welcome
proposals from all areas (regional and historical) and from all
disciplinary perspectives that explore the complex relationships
between religious beliefs and practices (however defined and
understood), cultural traditions and productions, and the earth’s
diverse ecological systems. We encourage proposals that include
theoretical frameworks and analyses, emphasize dialogue and
discussion, promote collaborative research, and are unusual in terms
of format and structure.

Proposals for individual paper presentations, sessions, panels, and
posters should be submitted directly to Sarah Pike at
sp...@csuchico.edu. It is not necessary to be an ISSRNC member to
submit a proposal. Individual paper proposals should include, in a
single, attached word or rich text document, the name and email of the
presenter(s), title, a 250-300 word abstract, and a brief, 150 word
biography (including highest degree earned and current institutional
affiliation, if any). Proposals for entire sessions must include a
title and abstract for the session as a whole as well as for each
individual paper. Proposers should also provide information about
ideal and acceptable lengths for proposed sessions, and whether any
technology, such as data projectors, are desired. Most paper
presentations will be scheduled at 15-20 minutes and a premium will be
placed on discussion in all sessions. Proposals will be evaluated
anonymously by the Scientific Committee, but conference directors will
be aware of proposers’ identities in order to select for diversity in
terms of geographical area and career stage. Student proposals are
particularly welcome.


The deadline for proposals is 1 May 2012.

For more information and updates, please go to:
http://www.religionandnature.com/society/conferences.htm#malibu