Strong Religion and Mainstream Culture: Youth, Education, and Technology

Call for Papers

Date: November 9-10, 2017

Venue: Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

Abstract Submission Deadline: June 30, 2017

Conference Theme

Historically, the relationship between strong, conservative religion and modern society has been a complex one. Various means of inclusion and exclusion have been employed by mainstream society, and the religious groups themselves have applied both world-fleeing and world-mastering strategies. In contemporary Europe, the liberal multicultural society is being challenged by polarized religious fundamentalism of both Christian and Islamic foundation. This conference wants to highlight the past and present encounters between strong religion and mainstream society in general, but preferably with respect to youth, education and technology. Special interest will be paid to young people and their ways of relating to both strong religion and the ideologies and attributes of modernity.

The organizers invite papers that address the theme in various ways. Papers can focus on either general aspects of the main theme or any of the subthemes, and develop both internal and external perspectives on religious communities, in history as well as contemporary culture. Possible aspects include approaches to and use of technology at individual and group levels; ideas and mechanisms of upbringing, socialization and education; sites of separation and integration such as schools, including attempts at interreligious education and religious dialogue, etc. Empirical cases are encouraged, but theoretical contributions are also welcome.

Keynotes

• Dr Wolfram Weisse, Professor of Religious Education at University of Hamburg, Germany
• Dr Pauline Cheong, Professor of Communication at Arizona State University, USA

Abstracts

Proposals for papers to be presented at the conference must be submitted no later than 30 June 2017. The requested information includes name, title and institutional affiliation of presenter(s), title of paper, and an abstract of the proposed paper of maximum 300 words.

Important Dates

– 30 June 2017 Deadline for submission of abstracts

– 31 July 2017 Notification of acceptance

– 30 September 2017 Deadline for registration and payment of conference fee

Organizers

The conference is an activity of the European Bible Belt project, funded by the Dutch research council NWO and directed by Professor Fred van Lieburg, Free University, Amsterdam. It will be co-hosted by the Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, and Humlab, Umeå University.

Conference Website: www.trippus.net/Strongreligion2017