Call for Proposals - Religious Studies and Beyond: Exploring Religion and Identity

Religion is a social, cultural and historical phenomenon and therefore intersects with every facet of identity formation. Social, political, ethnic, cultural, linguistic identities, and others, all structure the way that religion is experienced and practiced. The question of how religion informs identity (and how personal and social identities inform the religious experience) extends beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries.

We welcome undergraduate student submissions that engage with any of the many ways that religion and identity formation intersect. This may include, but is not limited to:

Religion and politics (contemporary or historical)
Religion and popular culture (literature, film, television, music, games, etc.)
Religious traditions and ethnic/cultural identities
Religion, cults and conspiracy theories
Psychological, economic or social scientific analyses of religion
Education and religious identity (ex. debates on school curricula)
Science/environment (ex. healthcare, climate change, conservation, ecological challenges and religious belief)
Religion and technology, digital media and artificial intelligence

Students who have never presented at an academic conference, students who are presenting research done in a previous or current course, or students who are still formulating research ideas are encouraged to apply. We are especially eager to welcome submissions from students engaged in advanced research (senior theses, honors projects, capstones) related to the study of religion.

Presenters are asked to submit the following:

Presenter name and email address
Institutional affiliation (school name and graduation year)
The name and email address for a faculty mentor associated with the paper*
Title of paper or presentation
An abstract for the paper or presentation, no more than 250 words

All students must submit their paper title, an abstract of 100-250 words and name and email address for a faculty mentor using this Google Form. Proposals must be submitted by September 27, 2024. Students selected to present will be asked to submit their presentations in full by October 28, 2024.