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The History Department of Boston College invites papers and panels for its Biennial Conference on the History of Religion to be held on March 14-15, 2008. Since the increased emphasis on social history during the 1960s and 1970s, historians of religion have considered the variety of categories that shape both institutional and individual religious identity. These categories include ethnicity, race, socio-economic standing, gender, and political affiliation among others. At the same time, historians recognize that religious affiliation is only one of many factors that shape an individual’s personal identity. Also at play are processes of construction, contestation, and connection. Moreover, there are a myriad of factors that influence these processes and define the boundaries of religious identities – the clerical and lay, the national and transnational, the urban and rural, subjective and objective realities. Far from closed, these boundaries are fluid and malleable; a single religious community or individual may possess multiple religious identities that permeate and influence one another.
We welcome paper and panel proposals from both established scholars and graduate students on topics from the Reformation period and beyond that touch upon the question of religious identity. The geographic scope is broadly defined to include areas from the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Suggested themes include the factors contributing to the construction of religious identities, the active processes involved in creating religious identity, the malleability of religious identities, the transnational features and connections of religious identity, and/or the moments of crisis in religious identity.
Individual paper proposals should include a 300-word proposal, paper title, and current c.v. Panel proposals for two to three presenters should include a 250-word panel abstract (including panel title), a 300-word proposal for each individual paper (including paper title), and a current c.v. for each presenter.
Deadline for submission is October 1, 2007.
Please direct all proposals to:
Sarah K. Nytroe
Boston College History Department
Lower Campus Office Building
4th Floor
21 Campanella Way
Chestnut Hill MA 02467
OR
nytroe@bc.edu.
Boston College will host the conference on March 14-15, 2008.
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