Weekly Opportunities Digest (28 Feb 2012): Calls for Papers/Participants, Jobs, Studentships & Journals

Following a poll on Facebook and the Website, we have decided to amalgamate the majority of “opportunities” into a single weekly digest. If you would like anything included, please send us an email.

Calls for Papers

SEACHANGES 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

http://wsrt.asn.au/

 

THEME: WOMEN AND RELIGION IN THE PACIFIC REGION

 

Seachanges, a journal, which arose out of the Women Scholars in Religion Association, is an online journal that published 5 volumes of papers between 2001 and 2005.

 

We are calling for papers for a special edition of Seachanges to mark the 20 year anniversary of the Women Scholars in Religion and Theology Association. The Association was an important expression of feminist scholarship in religion and theology in the Pacific region.

Papers should be between 5-7,000 words in length and address one or more the following

topic areas:

  • Women and religion in the Pacific region

  • Theological reflection/Biblical studies

  • Current issues in religion, gender and Culture in the Pacific

In the first instance, please forward an abstract of 100 words to Kathleenn McPhillips with paper title, author biog and abstract.


ISA eSymposium for Sociology  

The initiation and formulation of a new concept for an ISA publication, in the form of the ‘ISA E-Bulletin’, indeed signalled an exciting moment. The ‘ISA E-Bulletin’ has been in continuous publication since July 2005 and with this 18th issue, it moves to a new incarnation and future under a different nomenclature: the new name that takes this document forward is ‘ISA eSymposium for Sociology.’  It is critical by now to have a digital presence for the document on the Internet by setting up a website. This medium will enable us to render the document more interactive by offering readers opportunities for making immediate comments on contributions. We have also initiated the idea of a live forum for feedback and commentaries. Critically, the new medium will allow us to source visual and audio contributions from sociologists and to include ‘non-written’ media in which sociologists express themselves. This medium will also allow us to archive past issues of the ‘ISA E-Bulletin’ and, in time, be a platform that can contribute towards creating a data base of visual and audio work that sociologists produce.

This document is by definition multi-dimensional and multi-functional. It is conceptualised as a forum through which the various ISA members are able engage in debates and communication regarding the intellectual activities of national associations and research committees of the ISA. This publication carries an important and central intellectual agenda. I see this as a forum for showcasing the work, practices, ideas and voices of the diverse community of sociologists, engaged in substantive, ethnographic, demographic, theoretical, historical and critical research, and operating out of diverse locations. The publication has the potential to stimulate and facilitate scholarly and professional communication and interaction amongst individual sociologists, universities, research institutions and non-governmental organisations – local, regional and international- connecting in important ways a widely scattered community.

The plan is for every issue to include a very brief editorial and carry at least two pieces of  theoretical interest (short essays, addresses, reflections) by sociologists from different parts of the world. An essay by a prominent sociologist could be accompanied by commentaries and responses from other practitioners. The publication could also be a space for important conversations with eminent, practising sociologists, presented in the form of in depth interviews or it might carry important review essays on particular subfields of sociology. Personally I am very excited for this opportunity to contribute to developing the intellectual dimension of the new electronic publication, but seek the co-operation and involvement of all ISA members and fellow sociologists in this endeavour.

Call for Submissions

Published three times a year in March, July and November

Article submissions to the ‘ISA eSymposium’ must have sociological value and interest for an international community of social scientists, both from the point of pure, scholarly research as well as from applied dimensions. We welcome all submissions in the following categories:

1) Feature essay

We invite contributions in the form of feature articles from sociologists working in all fields – substantive, methodological and theoretical. The article can be both empirical and theoretical and deal with issues that will be of interest to sociologists practising in a variety of locales- universities, research institutes and NGOS- for example.

2)   In Conversation with…

Here our intention is to showcase the sociological work and life experiences of a prominent sociologist (including ‘retired’) from any part of the world, in the form of a dialogue, conversation, interview with another sociologist. All suggestions and proposals are welcome.

3)   Reflections on…

We are seeking the more personal, biographical accounts from practising sociologists       about their experiences of teaching, researching or leading administratively in a particular setting. The topic and theme is open-ended and we welcome all proposals.

4)   Forum

We invite brief comments, notes, communications and letters from sociologists on any topic of relevance to an international community of sociologists. We intend for the ‘Forum” section to be a regular feature in this publication. This will need the support of the members to be successful.

5)   Photo Essays, Audio and Video Clips

The new on-line technology allows us to conceptualise and include different kinds of material, in addition to the written/printed word.  We welcome submissions in the form of photo essays, audio and video clips, photos and films.

6)   Reaching Out to the Community

In this section, the intention is to showcase important contributions to the sociological enterprise from practitioners working outside of academia – such as NGOs, development agencies and others in applied fields. This is in recognition of the multifaceted engagement and contributions of sociologists with domains beyond the academia- teaching and research, whose work enriches the discipline as a whole.

All expression of interest should include a contact name, institutional affiliation and an abstract of submission. Please direct all communications, submissions and enquires to the Editor, Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore,  e-mail: socvs@nus.edu.sg


The International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture<http://www.religionandnature.com/society/> (ISSRNC) is pleased to announce its next conference in Malibu, California at Pepperdine University in August 2012.  The conference theme will be “Nature and the Popular Imagination.” 

For generations, the interconnections between religion and nature have been expressed, promoted, and contested through the incubator of popular culture, including films produced in nearby Hollywood. As a global and symbolic center that reflects and invents nature/religion representations, Malibu and its environs provide a fantastic venue for critical reflection on the religion/nature nexus in the popular imagination. Along with keynote addresses and other scholarly sessions, a number of special events and excursions are in the works, including a scholar-led tour of The Getty Villa in Malibu and opportunities to enjoy the beautiful and famous Malibu coast.  Some of these may be offered before or after the official conference period.  Affordable on-campus housing will be available to conference participants.

We invite proposals about nature and religion in diverse expressions of popular culture, including films, television, comics, fiction, music, sports, graffiti, clothing, and festivals. As always, while we encourage proposals focused on the conference’s theme, we welcome proposals from all areas (regional and historical) and from all disciplinary perspectives that explore the complex relationships between religious beliefs and practices (however defined and understood), cultural traditions and productions, and the earth’s diverse ecological systems.  We encourage proposals that include theoretical frameworks and analyses, emphasize dialogue and discussion, promote collaborative research, and are unusual in terms of format and structure.

Proposals for individual paper presentations, sessions, panels, and posters should be submitted directly to Sarah Pike at spike@csuchico.edu. It is not necessary to be an ISSRNC member to submit a proposal. Individual paper proposals should include, in a single, attached word or rich text document, the name and email of the presenter(s), title, a 250-300 word abstract, and a brief, 150 word biography (including highest degree earned and current institutional affiliation, if any).  Proposals for entire sessions must include a title and abstract for the session as a whole as well as for each individual paper. Proposers should also provide information about ideal and acceptable lengths for proposed sessions, and whether any technology, such as data projectors, are desired. Most paper presentations will be scheduled at 15-20 minutes and a premium will be placed on discussion in all sessions. Proposals will be evaluated anonymously by the Scientific Committee, but conference directors will be aware of proposers’ identities in order to select for diversity in terms of geographical area and career stage. Student proposals are particularly welcome.

The deadline for proposals is 1 May 2012.

For more information and updates, please go to: http://www.religionandnature.com/society/conferences.htm#malibu


CALL FOR PAPERS- International Workshop

Religion, Politics and Policy-making in Russia: Domestic and International Dimensions

Center for EU-Russia Studies (CEURUS), University of Tartu Tartu, Estonia, June 6-7, 2012

Organizers: Prof Jerry G. Pankhurst (Wittenberg University, USA; visiting Fulbright scholar at the University of Tartu) and Alar Kilp (University of Tartu)

http://ceurus.ut.ee/conferences/international-workshop-call-for-papers/

The Center for EU-Russia Studies (CEURUS) at the University of Tartu invites your participation in a workshop on Religion, Politics and Policy-making in Russia: Domestic and International Dimensions. The workshop is meant to highlight new research on the questions of religion and politics in Russia, to foster collaborative relations for future projects, and to provide an opportunity for everyone to learn about high-quality research that is being carried out in this area of inquiry. 

 The program organizers seek to explore the politics of religious affairs in Russia and the former Soviet countries and to assess the activities and role of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and other organized religious groups in domestic and foreign policy. Issues related to religious diversity and religious tolerance in Russia and the neighboring countries are also of interest.

Confirmed keynote speakers include Irina Papkova, Professor of Political Science, Public Policy and International Relations at the Central European University, and Viacheslav Karpov, Professor of Sociology at Western Michigan University.

Workshop organizers will actively seek opportunities to publish selected papers in a special issue of a journal or in an edited volume.

Workshop Venue:  University of Tartu, Estonia. Tartu is a home to one of the oldest universities in Eastern Europe. It was founded by the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus in 1632. Today the University of Tartu is the only classical university in Estonia. It is a leading center of research and training, ranked among the 400 best universities of the world by Times Higher Education. The city of Tartu is a charming university town whose relaxed and sophisticated atmosphere creates a perfect environment for scholarly conversations. Tartu is well-served with bus and train connection with the city of Tallinn and its Lennart Meri Airport. There are also flights to Tartu from Tallinn (Estonian Air) and Helsinki (Flybe, in connection with Finnair). For more information, see: www.tartu.ee;  www.ut.ee.

Who may participate?  We invite scholars of Russian religious affairs and scholars with research focusing on the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church both in and outside of Russia.  Graduate students carrying out advanced work are welcomed to submit proposals for a presentation.
 
The workshop sessions will be open to the public.  Anyone who has a serious and informed interest in scholarly research on the topical issues is invited to attend the presentations and participate in question and answer sessions.
 
Cost:  There will be no registration fee for this workshop. The sponsoring organizations will host a reception and a dinner but are not able to cover travel or accommodation expenses of individual participants. However, limited travel support is available to participants from the CIS countries. CEURUS will assist as much as possible with information about local accommodations and other arrangements. If you have questions, please contact Britt Ressar at britt.ressar@ut.ee
 
Proposing a paper: If you are interested in presenting a paper, please consider the topic preferences below and send your abstract (250-300 words) and a succinct statement of your present position and recent publications and grants (if any) to Alar Kilp (alar.kilp@ut.ee).
 
The deadline for receiving abstracts for consideration for the program is April 2, 2012. 
 
Abstracts will the evaluated by the workshop organizers for quality of scholarship and appropriateness for the program structure and workshop theme.  Authors of abstracts selected to be presented will be notified by April 13 via email.
 
Full papers by presenters will be due by 25 May, 2012.  Send papers via email to Alar Kilp (alar.kilp@ut.ee)  
 
Potential Topics for Workshop Presentations: Below are some areas of special interest, but this is not a complete list of options for the program.  Within the overall guidelines of the workshop, all proposals will be given serious consideration even if their topics are not explicitly listed below.
 
  • What is the political and social role and influence of the Russian Orthodox Church (including its role in Russian politics in general, its role in Russian foreign policy/international affairs, contributions to EU-Russia relations)?
  • What is the nature of religious or church engagement in various social and political institutions in Russia (schools, marriage, military, prisons, etc.)
  • Given Russia’s religious diversity, what is the state of inter-group relations on a scale of tolerance-intolerance or accommodated-alienated?  Of special interest is the state of adaptation and acceptance of Muslim groups in Russia.
  • What are the issues related to religion in the Russian diaspora in the EU (including the Baltic states) and the Russian “Near Abroad” – religious practices, needs; role of Orthodox churches, Eastern orthodoxy in Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia?
  • How well have Russian practices and policies lived up to European norms regarding religion?  What are the European concerns regarding freedom of religion/religious life in Russia?   What is the role of various European institutions: ECHR, Council of Europe, European Parliament, OSCE, etc.?
  • To what extent have Russian religious groups been active in European governing institutions like those just named?  How much do Russians see these institutions as appropriate venues for their own political or politically relevant pursuits?
  •  How much and in what ways have Russian religious groups expressed their concerns about problems in religious conditions in Europe, excessive secularity in Europe, and the like?
  •  To what extent and in what ways is the Russian Orthodox Church engaged in a “politics of family values” on the broader European stage?  How are common interests with Orthodox churches of the countries of the European Union enlisted in these endeavors, and how are non-Orthodox churches (Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, other Protestant churches, etc.) involved with the Russian Orthodox?  Are non-Christian groups, especially Jews and Muslims, involved in these efforts?
 

Explorations of additional issues in the area of politics and religion related to Russia will be considered for inclusion in the workshop program.

 

Additional information: Workshop participants may be interested in a conference at the University of Tartu that is scheduled to take place in the week following this workshop.  It is the 2012 annual conference of CIHEC, the Commission Internationale d’Histoire et d’etudes du Christianisme.  For more information on this conference, see http://www.history.ac.uk/cihec/our-conferences

 

 Academic conveners: Prof Jerry Pankhurst (jerrygp@ut.ee), Alar Kilp (alar.kilp@ut.ee)

Administrative support: Britt Ressar (britt.ressar@ut.ee)

For more information about the Centre for EU-Russia Studies and the University of Tartu, see http://ceurus.ut.ee and www.ut.ee


CALL FOR PAPERS

ALTERNATIVE SALVATIONS

One Day Conference, Sept 18th 2012, University of Chester

The conference will explore how ‘unorthodox’ readings of sacred texts inform salvation experience; how life

transformations outside of religious contexts might be considered spiritual; how ideas of this-worldly salvation

are politicised; how ideas of salvation are simultaneously secularised and infused with new power; what alternative salvations can be discovered within Christianity and how might they be practised? In particular, we are seeking to

explore the ways that alternative religious, spiritual and secular understandings of the notion of salvation already

shape, and have the potential to shape, how people live and act in Christian and post-Christian contexts .

This exciting conference breaks new ground in exploring alternative approaches to salvation. Proposals for

short papers are invited on any aspect of the theme of ‘alternative salvations’ as outlined here. Papers will normally

be 20 minutes in length with an additional 10 minutes for discussion. Applications to submit a short paper should

include:

• Proposer’s name and affiliation

• a title for the paper

• a 200 word abstract

• Details of any audio-visual equipment you will need

to deliver your paper

Short paper proposals should be submitted to alternativesalvations@chester.ac.uk by no later than 4:00pm on 16th April 2012.

Applicants should know the outcome of their proposal by 18th May 2012.

Conference costs: £28 (£18 for unwaged and students) inclusive of lunch and refreshments.

If you would like any further information, please contact: alternativesalvations@chester.ac.uk


 Calls for Participants


Negotiating Religion in Urban Space

7th March 2012, 10.30am – 6pm

Chadwick LT G08

UCL Main Campus

WC1E 6BT

Speakers

Dr Nazneen Ahmed

Dr Luke Bretherton

Dr Andrew Crompton

Dr Claire Dwyer

Professor John Eade

Dr Richard Gale

Dr David Garbin

Liz Hingley

Ali Mangera

Enrico Masi

Dr John Zavos

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/european-institute/events/religion

This workshop will investigate the spatial incorporation of religious communities in the city both in the form of the material urban environment, for example in the presence of religious buildings and other faith spaces, and in  everyday urban cultures, practices and politics.

Questions which will be explored in this workshop include: How are new religious buildings incorporated into contemporary urban spaces? What continuities are there with the emergence of religious architecture in earlier times? What significance do religious buildings and other markers in the urban landscape have for different religious communities? How are existing and new forms of religious spatial practice (processions, festivals, pilgrimage) incorporated into the urban environment? What kinds of transformations of urban space are produced by religious spatial practices? What role do faith groups play in the making and remaking of urban spaces?


Job Opportunities


Princeton University

The Institute for the Transregional Study of the contemporary Middle East, North Africa & Central Asia

2012-2013 Fellowship Competition

Research Theme for 2012-13: “Contestation in the Contemporary Arab World”

The recent uprisings in the Arab world, the so-called “Arab Spring,” represent a watershed in the history of this region and its peoples, from Morocco to the Gulf. The stability and endurance of the Arab state has been called into question, as has “Arab exceptionalism” in resisting political change and the democratic wave that swept many regions of the globe in the late twentieth century. The Institute of Transregional Study would like to sponsor research that explores these events in-depth and what they mean for the territorial states, governments, societies, national boundaries as well as the regional system. Is the Arab system of states as rigid as has been claimed? Has Islamism given way to secular forms of politics? Can demographics, the so-called “youth bulge,” explain what we are witnessing? What has been the role of women? What is the role of social media and the information revolution in bringing this about? Has the rise in commodity prices also played a role? Are different types of regime affected differently by these developments (monarchies vs. republics; rentier states vs. production states)? What about the differences in the social makeup of these states? Are homogenous populations (e.g., Tunisia, Egypt) more able to effect change peacefully than those in which regional, sectarian or tribal cleavages are prominent (e.g., Syria, Yemen)? Successful fellows will be expected to tackle such questions. In the process, the Institute hopes that their research will contribute to a better understanding of these important events and offer ideas and frameworks for how to think about them as well as consider potential policy implications.

Research Support Opportunities

Under this general theme, the Institute invites applications for Postdoctoral or Visiting Research Scholar positions from candidates with any disciplinary or theoretical perspective (e.g., law, sociology, anthropology, demography, politics, literature, as well as Islamic and gender studies). Appointments will be for the academic year, September 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013, with the possibility of renewal, subject to satisfactory performance and continued funding. Subject to the approval of the Department of Near Eastern Studies and the Dean of the Faculty, research associates will be expected to teach a one-semester undergraduate course, which may be open to graduate students. Candidates must hold the Ph.D. degree and are expected to pursue independent research at Princeton and to participate in Institute-related activities on campus. Preference will be given to academics whose research, teaching, and professional activities relate to the Institute’s 2012-13 theme. Travel assistance of up to $1500 for round-trip, economy-class airfare will be available to appointees and their immediate families. Salary, title and eligibility to teach will be based on successful applicants’ qualifications and is subject to approval by Princeton’s Dean of the Faculty and relevant academic departments.

To Apply

Interested applicants must apply online at https://jobs.princeton.edu and submit a current curriculum vitae, a research statement (maximum length 2 pages), a cover letter, and contact information for three references. Princeton University is an equal opportunity employer and complies with applicable EEO and affirmative action regulations. For information, contact: Department of Near Eastern Studies, Transregional Institute Research Fellowships, 110 Jones Hall, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544 (fax: +1-609-258-0204; tri@princeton.edu; www.princeton.edu/transregional). Application deadline: March 26, 2012.


Postgraduate Part-time Research Assistants – QMU London

The Department of Law is seeking to employ two suitably qualified Postgraduate Research Assistants to work within the research project RELIGARE. These are EU grant funded positions. The project researches the area of: ‘Religious Diversity and Secular Models in Europe – Innovative Approaches to Law and Policy’.

Candidates will be required to undertake research in collaboration with and under the supervision of the Principal Investigator, Dr Prakash Shah, in order to realise the objectives and development of the research programme. Duties will involve writing case notes, assisting in the organisation of project meetings, attending project meetings, coordinating volunteers’ activities, and writing and editing research papers and reports. Good academic and legal writing skills are necessary.

These are part-time, fixed term posts available for 6 months. The posts are to commence mid March 2012 or as soon as possible thereafter. Remuneration will be made on an hourly basis and will be in the range of £15.43 – £16.27 per hour depending on the tasks allocated and experience of the employee. Benefits include 30 days annual leave (pro-rata) and defined benefit pension scheme.

Candidates must be able to demonstrate their eligibility to work in the UK in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006. Where required, this may include entry clearance or continued leave to remain under the Points Based Immigration Scheme.

Informal enquiries should be addressed to please contact Dr Prakash Shah (prakash.shah@qmul.ac.uk).

Details about the department and further particulars are available from: www.laws.qmul.ac.uk

Further details and an application form can be found at: http://webapps.qmul.ac.uk/hr/vacancies/jobs.php?id=2882

Completed application forms, quoting 12012/NL, should be returned to law-recruitment@qmul.ac.uk. Applications must be made on the official College application form and must include the applicant’s CV and the names of three referees.

The closing date for applications is 4th March 2012 at 17:00 hrs BST and interviews will be held shortly thereafter.


Rice University

The Religion and Public Life Program (RPLP) in the Social Sciences Research Institute at Rice University is offering one two-year postdoctoral fellowship in the social sciences to begin on July 1, 2012 at a rate of $52,000 per year. The fellow will be housed in the Department of Sociology and work primarily with Associate Professor of Sociology and RPLP Director Elaine Howard Ecklund (www.ehecklund.rice.edu <http://www.ehecklund.rice.edu/>) on the Religion among Scientists in International Context study, a six-nation study of how scientists understand religion and science ethics.  The fellow will also work with Kirstin Matthews, Science and Technology Fellow in the Baker Institute for Public Policy and Steve Lewis, C.V. Starr Transnational China Fellow in the Baker Institute for Public Policy, who are participating with Dr. Ecklund on the RASIC study.  There are no teaching responsibilities associated with the fellowship.
Because of the needs of the study, preference will be given to applicants who speak one or more of the following languages fluently: French, Italian, Turkish, or Mandarin, in addition to fluent English. Ability to do high-level statistical analysis or experience conducting qualitative interviews is also an asset to the application.  An online application is required, and additional required application materials include a curriculum vitae, a copy of at least one recent social science publication, and a transcript for language courses taken or other evidence of fluency (article published in language, for example).
Please apply online at jobs.rice.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=53111.  In addition to the online application materials, three letters of recommendation sent by writers under separate cover will be required.  Letters should be sent to Samuel Kye, RASIC Postdoctoral Selection Committee, Department of Sociology MS-28, Rice University, 6100 Main St, Houston TX 77005-1892.  Application review will begin on April 1, 2012.  Rice University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

Studentships

Nohoudh PhD Scholarships for the study of the integration of Muslims in the UK

Thanks to the generosity of the Nohoudh Trust for development Studies up to PhD scholarships have been established at SOAS to study ‘The integration of Muslims in British Society’.

The aim is to support PhD research by British graduates, who can demonstrate intimate knowledge and substantial experience of interacting with UK Muslim communities, to use their intellectual skills for the benefit of sound scholarship on the subject, the future development of these communities and understanding within the wider society.

Four Nohoudh Scholarships of £19,990 each, per annum for a maximum of three years will be available for PhD students applying for entry in autumn 2012.

The scholarships can be used for fees and the remainder towards maintenance. The Nohoudh scholarship is awarded on the basis of academic merit along with intimate knowledge and substantial experience of interacting with UK Muslim communities.

Eligible Programs
  • Only full-time research degrees which involve research into aspects of ‘The integration of Muslims in British Society’.
  • A list of suggested research topics is provided in annex 1 on the Nohoudh Scholarship application form
  • Part-time programmes are not eligible.
  • New admissions only
Candidate Criteria

Applicants intending to commence a full-time research degree in 2012/13 on a relevant topic are eligible to apply for the award. They must:

  • be classified as home/EU for fee purposes
  • be British Citizens, born and raised in the UK)
  • be Muslims and demonstrate in their application an intimate knowledge and substantial experience of interacting with Muslims communities in the UK
  • be holders of at least a 2.1 honours undergraduate degree and possess a masters degree with merit or distinction
Candidate Assessment
  •  Candidates will be assessed on academic merit by an Advisory Panel consisting of three academic members.
  • The assessment of your application will be based on the information in your application.  Selectors will be looking at the degree result, your references, your statement, an interview and other relevant information.
Scholarship Application Deadline
  • Applications must be received by 5pm on 30 April 2012
  •  Late applications will not be considered.
  • Applicants must also have applied for a place to study at the School preferably four weeks before the scholarship closing date (i.e. by 4 April 2012) but no later than the scholarship application deadline in order to be considered for this scholarship.
  • The application for a place must be complete.
Number of Applications normally received

This is a new scholarship

Notification of Results

All applicants will be notified by e-mail regarding the outcome of their application, generally by the beginning of July

If you have not heard from us by the beginning of July, please contact the Scholarships Officer.

Application Procedures

A scholarship application form is available for download from the download box at the top right or can be obtained from:

Scholarships Officer

Registry

SOAS

Thornhaugh Street

Russell Square

London

WC1H 0XG

United Kingdom

Email: scholarships@soas.ac.uk

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7074 5094/5091


New Journals

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new journal dedicated to Japanese religions, the Journal of Religion in Japan (JRJ) published from Brill.

The first issue (March 2012) focuses on Religion and the Secular in Japan and contains the following articles and book reviews:

JOURNAL OF RELIGION IN JAPAN 1/1 (March 2012)

  • Publisher’s note
  • Editorial
  • Articles
  • – Ian Reader. Secularisation, R.I.P.? Nonsense! The ‘Rush Hour Away from the Gods’ and the Decline of Religion in Contemporary Japan.
  • – John Nelson. Japanese Secularities and the Decline of Temple Buddhism.
  • – Mark Mullins. Secularization, Deprivatization, and the Reappearance of ‘Public Religion’ in Japanese Society.
  • – Elisabetta Porcu. Observations on the Blurring of the Religious and the Secular in a Japanese Urban Setting.
  •  Book reviews
  • – Paula Arai. Bringing Zen Home: The Healing Heart of Japanese Women’s Rituals. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2011 (Helen J. Baroni).
  • – Ugo Dessì (ed.).  The Social Dimension of Shin Buddhism. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2010 (Paul Watt).
  • – Lori Meeks. Hokkeji and the Reemergence of Female Monastic Orders in Premodern Japan, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2010 (Matthew Mitchell).

JOURNAL OF RELIGION IN JAPAN (Brill)

Editorial board:

Editors:

  • Elisabetta Porcu, University of Leipzig
  • Paul B. Watt, Waseda University, Tokyo

Book Review Editor:

  • Helen Baroni, University of Hawaii

Editorial Advisory Board:

  • Galen Amstutz, Institute of Buddhist Studies, Berkeley
  • Ugo Dessì, University of Leipzig
  • Bernard Faure, Columbia University
  • Nam-lin Hur, University of British Columbia
  • Inoue Nobutaka, Kokugakuin University
  • Richard Jaffe, Duke University
  • Nakamaki Hirochika, National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka Fabio Rambelli, University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Janine T. A. Sawada, Brown University
  • Robert Sharf, University of California, Berkeley
  • George J. Tanabe, University of Hawaii
Founding Editor:
  • Elisabetta Porcu, University of Leipzig

More information on the Journal of Religion in Japan can be found here: http://www.brill.nl/jrj

Individual subscribers can apply for a free online subscription to the first volume (3 issues, 2012) of the Journal. To apply for such a subscription please contact Maarten Frieswijk, Editor Religious Studies, Frieswijk@brill.nl.

We hope that the Journal of Religion in Japan would provide a stimulating and challenging venue for enriching the study of religion in Japan. We welcome submissions to the Journal through Editorial Manager: http://www.editorialmanager.com/jrj/


We are proud to announce the launching of the new Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion (JCSR) which is the official journal of the International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion (IACSR).

http://www.equinoxpub.com/JCSR

Editors

  • Pascal Boyer, University of Washington in St. Louis
  • Armin W. Geertz, Aarhus University
  • Luther H. Martin, University of Vermont

Managing Editors

  • Ryan McKay, Oxford University
  • Dimitris Xygalatas, Aarhus University

Book review Editor

  • Istvan Czachesz, University of Bochum

Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion is the official journal of the International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion (IACSR). The Association was founded in 2006 and since then has sponsored a number of international collaborative projects and biennial conferences. A subscription to the journal is included in membership.

The cognitive science of religion is a burgeoning field that finds itself in the center of cross-disciplinary research. Cognition is understood in a variety of ways from bottom-up to top-down models and theories. New insights into cognition, culture and religion are being discovered, new ways of doing research are being established and new methodologies and technologies are being used in the cognitive science of religion. The number of scholars and scientists working in this exciting field are expanding exponentially, and the journal provides a cutting-edge publication channel for this field.

The editors will consider the following types of original papers:

  • General and research articles (maximum 6,000 words)
  • Research reports (up to 4,000 words)
  • Short Reports (up to 2,500 words)
  • Commentaries, Addenda, and Book Reviews (up to 1,500 words)
  • Invited target articles (up to 8,000 words)

Frequency: Continuous online publication comprising 2 issues per volume year

Please do consider sending your manuscripts to the journal. Submission information as well as subscription information is found at the journal website.