Call for Session Papers — Theme: Young People, Religion and Diversity — Society for the Scientific Study of Religion Annual Conference 2014
Society for the Scientific Study of Religion Annual Conference 2014
31 October–2 November 2014 Indianapolis, Indiana Conference theme: “Building Bridges”
Session Proposal 1
Theme: Young People, Religion and Diversity
Session Organisers
Elisabeth Arweck, University of Warwick, UK e-mail: elisabeth.arweck@warwick.ac.uk
Heather Shipley, University of Ottawa, Canada e-mail: hshipley@uottawa.ca
Call for Session Papers
Youth and (non-)religion is an area of academic interest that has been gaining increasing attention, especially as it pertains to youthful expressions of (non-)religion and identities. As research on religion and young people spans and expands across academic disciplines and across geographic areas, comparative approaches and perspectives offer important spaces for reflecting about the experience of religiosity among young people and the ways they are learning about, and developing, (non-)religious identities. This session aims to build bridges geographically and methodologically by bringing together current research on young people, (non-)religion, and diversity, whatever forms such stances may take and in whatever social or spatial contexts they may be formed. Social contexts include the family, school, and faith communities, while spatial contexts include (sub)urban and rural geographies and places of worship and pilgrimage. The session further aims to build bridges across academic disciplines in order to promote a constructive dialogue between them and to offer new research insights arising from the study of young people and (non-)religious identities.
We welcome paper proposals to this session. In line with the conference theme, we invite the submission of presentations that represent diverse geographical and cultural areas and conceive of religious identity in broad terms, including young people who are spiritual-but-not-religious, non-religious, and atheist for reflections on religious education (understood here in the wider sense) and learning about religious stances.
Paper proposals to this session should include the following details:
name
title
institutional affiliation
contact details, esp. e-mail
title of proposed paper
abstract (no more than 150 words) which clearly outlines how the presentation
connects with the session theme, what central research questions have been used to motivate the research, the data and methods, and what the paper contributes or expects to contribute to the knowledge or understanding of the session theme.
Please send your proposals to both session organisers (contact details as above) by 20 February 2014.
