Tributaries, Eddies, and Cross-Currents: Religion Outside the Mainstream
August 11-12, 2013
New York, New York
PROGRAM CHAIR: Kelly H. Chong, University of Kansas.
NOTE: Our annual meetings take place immediately prior to the meetings of the ASA’s Religion Section, but will not overlap with those sessions. This will allow members to attend sessions at both meetings in a shorter window than previous years.
THEME: When operating in the mode of “normal science,” the sociology of religion has been dominated by studies of mainstream religious institutions, beliefs and practices. But there is much to be learned in science by exploring anomalies. Global changes in recent decades have dramatically increased religious pluralism and innovation in local and regional settings, raising serious questions about the character, relevance, perhaps even the very existence of the “mainstream.” Research in the sociology of religion has begun to reflect these shifts, challenging previously dominant theories of religion via studies of new religious movements, new immigrant/transnational religion, lived religion, and/or new spiritualities. The 2013 Annual Meeting will explore what we may learn by turning our attention to religious forms, practices and beliefs existing outside the mainstream, in both institutional and noninstitutional expressions.
Papers and discussion sessions on all topics within the sociology of religion are welcome, but especially those related to the meeting theme, including, but not limited to the following:
- Religion and power; Religion and politics; Religion and state; Religion and race; Religion and gender or sexuality; Religion and culture; Religion and morality; Religion and spirituality; Theorizing religion; Religion and science; “Lived” religion; Religious conversion; New Religious Movements; Religious Innovations; Non-traditional and/or institutional religion; Religion and globalization; Religion and immigration; Transnational religion; Non-western religion; Religion and missionizing; Religious pluralism.
DEADLINES: Session Proposals are due by March 15, 2013 (submit to ASR2013@augustana.edu)
Paper Proposals and abstracts are due by April 30, 2013 (submit to ASR2013@augustana.edu)
Meeting registration is due by July 1, 2013 (complete registration using the Member Portal on this website)
Hotel registration is due by July 10, 2013 (click on the “2013 Hotel Registration” on the sidebar of this page)
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
(1) Because 2013 membership in ASR is required for program consideration (one author, for multi-authored papers), if you haven’t joined or renewed your membership in the Association, please do so before submitting a proposal. Anyone who will present a paper or serve as a panelist or discussant during the conference must be an ASR member and be willing to register for the conference.* Session organizers should make this clear to anyone they invite to participate in a session or serve on a panel.
(2) Email your proposal to ASR2013@augustana.edu using the following format:
For session/panel proposals, place the title of the proposal first, followed by a one paragraph description of the panel proposal, then names, affiliations, and email addresses of all presenters/authors. Also provide titles for all the papers in the panel and a brief abstract of each paper (maximum of 100 words each), in which you describe the paper’s research question(s), methodology, and preliminary results. All information should be presented on one page.
For individual paper proposals, place the title of your paper first, then your name, affiliation, and email address (and the names, affiliations, and email addresses of any co-authors). Then, present your abstract (maximum of 100 words), in which you describe your research question(s), methodology, and preliminary results. All information should be provided on one page.
(3) If possible, save your proposal in Microsoft Word and send it as an email attachment to ASR2013@augustana.edu.
MEETING REGISTRATION:
Everyone whose paper or session has been approved by the Program Chair must submit their registration fee ($60 for general members; $25 for student members) using the Member Portal on this website by July 1, 2013, to guarantee their place on the program. Registration fees are nonrefundable. We also invite everyone, especially the new members of our Association, to sign up for the New Attendees Welcoming Breakfast, which will be held the first morning of the conference. This is a great way to meet members before the sessions begin! You can sign up for this breakfast using the same registration form available in the Member Portal of this website. Tickets for this breakfast, which are $10 for first time attendees and $25 for others, will be distributed to members at the ASR registration desk upon their arrival at the hotel.
Although everyone is asked to complete their registration using the Member Portal on this website before July 1, 2013, those who are not members and those who do not make the July 1 deadline may register by mail or on-site by using this Registration Form for Non-Member and On-Site Registration. Please note that registration fees are higher for non-members and on-site registrants.
HOTEL REGISTRATION:
For details about hotel registration, please click on the “2013 Hotel Registration” on the sidebar of this page.
*Rare exceptions to the membership requirement are made: (a) when the person is part of a session that is jointly sponsored with ASA or another academic association and he/she is a member of that other association; (b) when an undergraduate student is the co-author or co-presenter of a paper with a faculty adviser who is an ASR member, or (c) when a session panelist or discussant does not specialize in the sociology of religion or a cognate field but nevertheless is believed to contribute uniquely to the session. Exceptions are determined by the Program Chair and Executive Officer in consultation with each other and the President, if necessary.
