[ecrea] cfp Media, Religion and Culture Conference

Media, Religion and Culture Conference

University of Colorado, Boulder

August 8-11, 2018

Deadline for panel and paper proposals is approaching: December
        4, 2017



The new visibility of religion in public life is a theme of growing 
relevance in academic research as well as in public policy making. This 
increasingly visible trend emphasizes the societal impact of research 
and invites scholars of media and religion to actively take part in 
public debate and negotiation over the meaning and significance of 
religion in contemporary society. Consequently, new possibilities for 
dialogue with academia, media and society emerge and may result in 
better understandings of the role of religion in present public life.

However, new challenges also appear. In some societies scholars face 
serious risks if and when they voice views that contradict dominant 
political, ideological and/or religious interests in those societies. 
Hence, it is equally important to recognize those mechanisms of explicit 
and implicit silencing that prevent researchers from taking on roles as 
public scholars in society.

In addition, the present digital age provides new communicative 
opportunities to contribute to the public debate beyond local and 
national contexts.  Global digitalization also challenges academic 
expression and related free speech as messages travel across a variety 
of media platforms and interpretive communities.

All of these perspectives call for the need to re-think the relationship 
between media, religion and public scholarship. We need a framework that 
better acknowledges the cultural, historical and societal contexts in 
which research occurs and may have influence.

The conference will explore the theme of public scholarship in the study 
of media and religion from a variety of different perspectives. Some of 
the questions that may be addressed in panel, workshop/roundtable and 
paper proposals include:

  * Religion and mediatized public life
  * Media, ethics and public scholarship
  * Public scholarship, gender/race and religion
  * Religion, media and politics/public policy
  * Media, religion, and authority
  * Religious conflict, media representation and public opinion/public
    policy
  * Journalism and public religion
  * Free speech, religion and public scholarship
  * Hate speech, religion and public scholarship
  * Religious audiences and public scholarship
  * Public religiosity: spirituality in popular culture
  * Theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of religion,
    media and public scholarship
  * Public theology and media
  * Digital religion, global and transnational trends

We invite proposals of up to 350 words for panels, workshops and/or 
roundtable sessions as well as for individual papers. Panel and 
workshop/roundtable proposals should include the following: a) title for 
the panel or workshop/roundtable, b) 100 word abstract for panel or 
workshop/ roundtable, c) 150 word abstracts for each paper, d) names, 
contact details and titles of up to four participants, and e) names, 
contact details and titles of proposed moderator and/or respondent.

The conference, the biennial meeting of the International Society for 
Media, Religion and Culture, will explore these issues from a range of 
disciplinary perspectives. International participants will represent 
disciplines including media studies, journalism, politics, religious 
studies, the anthropology and sociology of religion, history, the study 
of literature and public policy. The conference, since its first meeting 
in 1996, has become the leading international gathering for the 
discussion of research in religion, media and culture.

Confirmed keynotes include:

John Durham Peters, Yale University

Merlyna Lim, Carleton University

Anthea Butler, University of Pennsylvania


The conference will be held at the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 
the United States. The university is home for the Center for Media, 
Religion and Culture, which is dedicated to building knowledge and 
expertise in the emerging field of media and religion studies. The 
Center draws on resources from a broad range of disciplines and seeks to 
engage scholars, professionals, students and interested publics to 
explore the ways that religion and media are interacting and evolving in 
contemporary global cultures.

Proposals for should be sent to: (cmrc /at/ colorado.edu) 
<mailto:(cmrc /at/ colorado.edu)> and (johanna.sumiala /at/ helsinki.fi) 
<mailto:(johanna.sumiala /at/ helsinki.fi)>

Details about registration, the venue, housing and transportation for 
the conference are available on the conference webpage 
<https://www.colorado.edu/ismrc/conferences/conference-media-religion-and-public-scholarship>.

Queries may be sent to the local organizing committee at 
(erin.ashbaugh /at/ colorado.edu) <mailto:(erin.ashbaugh /at/ colorado.edu)>

We warmly welcome you to Boulder and ISMRC 2018!

Johanna Sumiala, Professor, University of Helsinki, Conference Program 
Planner and Vice President, International Society for Media, Religion, 
and Culture: (johanna.sumiala /at/ helsinki.fi) 
<mailto:(johanna.sumiala /at/ helsinki.fi)>

Professor Stewart Hoover, University of Colorado, Boulder, Chair, local 
host committee: (hoover /at/ colorado.edu) <mailto:(hoover /at/ colorado.edu)>

Administrative Assistant Erin Ashbaugh, University of Colorado, Boulder, 
local host committee: (erin.ashbaugh /at/ colorado.edu) 
<mailto:(erin.ashbaugh /at/ colorado.edu)>


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