{"id":12050,"date":"2021-02-05T14:20:19","date_gmt":"2021-02-05T21:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?p=12050"},"modified":"2021-02-05T14:20:19","modified_gmt":"2021-02-05T21:20:19","slug":"pagan-studies-call-for-papers-american-academy-of-religion-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.chasclifton.com\/?p=12050","title":{"rendered":"Pagan Studies Call for Papers, American Academy of Religion 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Part of San Antonio’s restaurant-packed Rivewalk. Let’s hope it looks like this by November again. (Image: AAR)<\/p><\/div>\n

This is the call for papers for the Contemporary Pagan Studies unit of the American Academy of Religion for the 2021 annual meeting, to be held in San Antonio, Texas, Nov. 20\u201323.<\/a> (Insert pandemic disclaimer here.)<\/p>\n

Contemporary Pagan Studies<\/a> is an interdisciplinary unit, and we welcome submissions of theoretically and analytically engaged papers and panels relating to modern Paganism and Polytheism, employing scholarly analysis to discuss the topic from any relevant methodology or theoretical orientation. In addition to receiving paper or panel proposals on topics generally in the purview of Contemporary Pagan Studies, we especially welcome proposals that address the following themes:<\/p>\n

\u2022 What is the relationship<\/strong> between Contemporary Paganisms and other religious traditions and populations? Where are there shared goals, values and experiences? Are there common concerns such as sexual abuse, religious minority representation, and climate change? What is the impact and role of interfaith initiatives in increasing Pagan visibility in public discourses and in promoting religious pluralism?
\n\u2022 How are Pagans responding<\/strong> to various crises including economic, political, climate change and systemic racism? Suggestions might include explorations of ritual, political action and activism, community driven initiatives, or ideological shifts such as a tighter embrace of anti-modernism, orthodoxy or exclusivity.
\n\u2022 What is the relationship<\/strong> between Pagan worldviews and science, rationality and narratives of progress?
\n\u2022 Pagan responses to aging and end of life.<\/strong> As Pagans face the realities of an aging population, how are Pagan communities preparing? What are Pagan spiritual attitudes toward aging and the end of life? How do they ritualize aging and death? How do Pagans handle pastoral care and ministry for older demographics?
\n\u2022 What are some of the ways in which Paganisms and Witchcraft interacts with and responds to Neoliberalism? Examples may involve explorations of globalization, late capitalism, ideas about individualism and collectivism, marketing and branding.
\n\u2022 We are seeking presentations for a co-sponsored session between the Ecology Unit and the Contemporary Pagan Studies Unit related to ideologies of ‘blood and soil’ and white nationalism in recent radical political movements, and engagements with this in contemporary Paganism and Heathenry. Questions to address might include but not be limited to: what is the significance of religious identity, ancestry, and connections to land in these movements; how are concerns related to authenticity, legitimation, and “imagined community” involved in these narratives; and what implications does this suggest for developing attachment to place, and bioregional identity in settler and other populations?<\/p>\n

Mission Statement<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Contemporary Pagan Studies Unit provides a place for scholars interested in pursuing research in this newly developing and interdisciplinary field and puts them in direct communication with one another in the context of a professional meeting. New scholars are welcomed and supported, while existing scholars are challenged to improve their work and deepen the level of conversation. By liaising with other AAR Program Units, the Unit creates opportunities to examine the place of Pagan religions both historically and within contemporary society and to examine how other religions may intersect with these dynamic and mutable religious communities.<\/p>\n

Method of Submission: INSPIRE<\/a><\/p>\n

Chairs:<\/p>\n