FW: International Conference on Religious Diversification - Kaunas, Lithuania, April 24-27, 2014

[Kim Östman]

FYI

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ISORECEA in cooperation with Vytautas Magnus University

and Lithuanian Society for the Study of Religions

 

CALL FOR PAPERS

 

11^th ISORECEA conference

RELIGIOUS DIVERSIFICATION WORLDWIDE AND IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Kaunas, Lithuania, April 24-27, 2014

 

 

For a long time the secularization thesis dominated the field of studies of religions in contemporary societies. Many definitions and even more explanations of the process of secularization in contemporary societies led scholars of religions to search for new theoretical insights about the rapidly changing global social situation. Opponents of this paradigm claim that we are witnessing growing religious vitality at religious market or change in religion itself – here we find the privatization thesis, precarious religion or religious bricolage. Independently of how we approach it from theoretical perspective religious diversification is the process that is evident in the majority of contemporary societies. It is manifested through numerous religious traditions and new emerging religious communities not only within the religious traditions, but also at the individual level, as well as by the increasing number of non-believers and non-adherents, etc.

 

In many cases Central and Eastern European societies have been analyzed as places where the monopoly of scientific atheism was replaced by the monopolies of national churches. But after more than twenty years of the post-communist period, religious diversification processes within these societies is visibly emerging, despite the fact that the dominance of the so-called national churches is still obvious.

 

How do worldwide and CEE societies adapt to religious diversification? How do religious communities approach the diversification of religion? How do states react towards the changing situation? How do worldwide and CEE societies differ from each other in relation to religious diversification?

 

We would like to approach these questions in the forthcoming international conference and to encourage scholars from various parts of the world to share their theoretical and empirical insights about religious diversification.

 

In this conference we also invite discussion of the following topics:

·        Religious diversification and Church and State relations;

·        Religious tolerance and discrimination;

·        Religious minorities and majorities;

·        Religious diversification and human rights;

·        Religious diversification and social participation;

·        Religious diversification and social exclusion;

·        Religious diversification and media;

·        Religiosity or Spirituality – within or outside religious institutions.

 

 

Please submit a 250-300 words abstract of your presentation by e-mail to: isorec...@smf.vdu.lt by November 15, 2013. If you are interested in another topic related to the study of religion in the CEE or worldwide, we encourage you to organize a session/panel. In this case, please submit a 200-300 words proposal by November 15, 2013 to the same email address.

 

 

Key dates

Submission of paper and session/panel proposals – November 15, 2013

Notification of acceptance and opening of the registration – December 15, 2013

The final date of the registration for the conference – January 31, 2014

Final program – February 20, 2014

 

 

Fees

Please, note that in order to present a paper you need to be a member of ISORECEA for the years 2014-2015. The membership fees for two years and conference fees for Lithuania are as follows (in EURO) for countries falling into the ISA categories, A, B and C*:

 

List of Countries*	A	B	C
Membership fee	60	40	20
Conference fee (including membership fee)	140 (of which 60 is the membership fee)	100 (of which 40 is the membership fee)	60 (of which 20 is the membership fee)
Conference fee for non-members**	160	120	80
Conference fee (including membership fee) for students and unemployed	50 (of which 20 is the membership fee)	30 (of which 12 is the membership fee)	20 (of which 8 is the membership fee)
Conference fee?for non-members students and unemployed**	80	60	40
Retired	50% of the conference fee and membership fee for regular members or non-members
Conference fee paid on the spot**	25% higher (each category)

* This is according to the Table of Economies used by the International Sociological Association:

http://www.isa-sociology.org/table_c.htm

** This refers to those who do not present a paper.

 

 

Those accepted for the conference will be asked to pay their fees through the PayPal system. Payment details as well as the information about accommodation and the conference venue will be given in the second half of December 2013. In case of any earlier questions, please send an email to: isorec...@smf.vdu.lt. For any further information about ISORECEA please visit the website: http://www.isorecea.net/ or contact Dorota Hall, General Secretary: dh...@ifispan.waw.pl.

 

Special events

Participants of the conference will be offered two field trips – to (1) the Hill of Crosses (near Šiauliai city) and (2) the Pyramid of Merkin? (near Druskininkai city) for special prices not included in the registration fee.

 

 

Miklós Tomka Award

 

The ISORECEA Board has established the Miklós Tomka Award to honour Miklós Tomka, the internationally acknowledged and widely esteemed scholar of religion specializing in the Central and Eastern European region who died unexpectedly in 2010.

 

The Award is granted based on a competitive basis for the best conference paper submitted to the award committee. The paper should refer to the conference theme. The competition is open to early career scholars, with a special focus on PhD students. The Award comprises:

 

- the publication of the paper in the ISORECEA on-line journal Religion and Society in Central and Eastern Europe;

- exemption from the conference fee;

- covering accommodation costs at the conference.

 

Early career scholars interested in entering the competition are invited to submit their full papers to the email address isorec...@smf.vdu.lt by January 10, 2014. The winner will be announced by January 31, 2014, which is the final date for registration for being on the program of the ISORECEA conference.

 

Papers submitted for the Award should be between 5,000 and 7,000 words long and should strictly follow the rules applying to papers submitted to the ISORECEA journal Religion and Society in Central and Eastern Europe. For details see:

http://www.rascee.net/index.php/rascee/about/submissions#authorGuidelines

 

We are looking forward to receiving your papers!

 

 

 

ISORECEA President                                                   President of the Local Committee

Siniša Zrinšc?ak                                                                       Milda Ališauskien?