Religion, Ideology and Violence — Concordia University

The Department of Religion at Concordia University announces the 22th Annual Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference. Inaugurated in 1995, the conference seeks to encourage dynamic interdisciplinary discussion in relation to this year’s central theme: “Religion, Ideology & Violence.” Last year, 35 students and early career scholars representing over 15 graduate programs gathered to present their research. Following the success of previous conferences, we invite graduate students and scholars to consider how religion and/or ideology have been manifested and deployed, either through violence, or non-violence. We ask participants to question, explore, critique, and challenge previous and ongoing models, as well as assumptions made regarding violence and the role that religion and/or ideology have played in it.

Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, humanity has witnessed the decay of empires, a multitude of wars, coup d’états, new global economic frameworks, all while also transitioning through a vast array of ideologies. These conceptual models and ideas influenced not only the political spectrum but also shaped philosophy, historiography, economics, global politics, sciences, theories in religion, etc. Furthermore, they questioned our construct of history and our subsequent interpretation of the past, probing not only our endeavor to narrate the pas but also our positionality, our descriptive lens, as well as our implication with the “other.” While many have blamed religion or politics for the decadent amount of violence deployed, others have interrogated our modern discourse regarding identity, nationalism and/or understanding of the “other.” Continuing with this academic movement, we hope to stimulate interest in the area of religion and/or ideology, and how they have been exerted through the use of violence and/or non-violence. We welcome papers that explore the following topics, contributions on related issues, or topics outside of this list:

– History, historiography, hermeneutics

– Philosophy, methods, theories

– Political science, nationalism,

– Morals, ethics, non-violent resistance

– Arts (Films, visual arts, music)

– Sports, athletic discourse

– Law, social justice, global politics

– Global economy

The official languages for this conference are French and English. Your abstract of 300 words, along with five keywords must be submitted by October 14th, 2016 to the following e-mail address: agic.concordia@gmail.com. Please include your name, e-mail address, university affiliation, degree, as well as any special needs required to participate in the conference. All submissions received will be acknowledged. A notification of decision will be sent by early November 2016. The 2017 Annual Interdisciplinary Graduate Conference is hosted by the Department of Religion at Concordia University and will be held on January 19th, 2017.

All accepted presenters will have the opportunity to enter an essay contest, with a first place prize of $100, and a second place prize of $50. In order to be considered for the essay contest, please send your complete paper (no longer than 2,500 words) by December 15th, 2016. Note that the best papers will be published in the “Proceedings of the Annual Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference,” in collaboration with the Journal of Religion and Culture (JRC). For more information, please visit our website: agic-concordia.ca.

Click here for CFP in English

Cliquez ici pour Appel de Communication en français