2020
Nigerian Pentecostalism and Development Spirit, Power, and Transformation – New Book by AASR Member Richard Burgess
New Book, Nigerian Pentecostalism and Development Spirit, Power, and Transformation (Series: Routledge Research in Religion and Development) by Richard Burgess (Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities, University of Roehampton). April 2020: 234×156: 272pp, 15 illustrations, Hb: 978-1-138-05330-4 | £120.00. eBook: 978-1-315-16729-9
“The Nigerian Pentecostal landscape is one of the most vibrant in Africa, with churches increasingly assuming
more prominent roles as they seek to address the social and moral ills of contemporary society. This book examines the contributions of Nigerian Pentecostal churches to development, studying their practices broadly in relation to the intersecting spheres of politics, economics, health, education, human rights, and peacebuilding. The book will be of considerable interest to scholars and students with an interest in the intersection between religion and development, and to practitioners and policy makers working in the region.”
Nigerian Pentecostalism and Development: Spirit, Power and Transformation (Book Flyer)
2020
Nagel Institute announces new African Theology project – Request for Proposals
“The Nagel Institute, with generous support from the Templeton Religion Trust, invites project proposals for “Engaging African Realities: Integrating Social Science within African Theology.” Its aim is to support African theologians to engage in fresh social scientific integrated approaches with the goal of producing creative and original projects in grounded theology…”
Please follow the PDF documents below for further details or visit the website Nagel Institute.
Request for Proposal Brochure | Request for Proposals (English)
2020
AASR Statement on the Death of Mr. George P. Floyd
The members of the African Association for the Study of Religions around the world received
the news of the death of Mr. George P. Floyd with sadness and watched in horror the video of a
police officer kneeling with both legs and his hands in his pocket as the already handcuffed Mr.
Floyd laid on the ground and complained that he could not breathe. The 8 minutes and 46
seconds captured on the video show to many viewers killing in slow, painful motion in a process
that despised and took away the humanity of Mr. Floyd, but ultimately his life.
The killing of Mr. Floyed reminds the world of the killing of Emmett Till, 1955
The brutal beatings of Mr. Rodney King and the acquittal of the officers involved in 1992 and
the riots that was sparked by that injustice,
The murder of James Byrd Jr. in Jasper Texas in 1998,
The killing of Eric Garner in 2014,
The Killing of Michael Brown also in 2014, and the rise of the Black Life Matter Movement
The killing of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia
The killing of Breonna Taylor in how own house in Louisville
And the Shooting of Tony McDade in Tallahassee.
Add to the above the many other brutal killings of black men and women that were not captured
on camera or publicized. These killings and the national and international response to them
underscore the importance and significance of the Black Lives Matter movement. It has called
attention to the brutalities meted on Blacks nowadays which demonstrate the obscenity of life
along the color line. They underscore the urgency of addressing the brutalities Blacks have
experienced since they were forcefully brought to the United States from 1619. Today, the world
stands with Blacks in the United States and call on Congress to pass and enforce legislation that
will ensure that Blacks receive equal treatment before the law as guaranteed by the Constitution
of the United States of America.
The African Association for the Study of Religions will continue to carry research and analysis
that exposes all forms of discrimination and injustice around the world and call on all other
institutions to study and fight discrimination to ensure that all people live their lives with dignity
and freedom. We call on the leaders of the United States of America to open a national dialogue
on race that would create the conditions for national reconciliation.
Elias Kifon Bongmba
President
2020
AAR Annual Meeting Travel Grants
Open for Applications
Annual Meeting Travel Grants This year, the AAR will award 25 travel grants ($500 + complimentary registration) to members who demonstrate financial need and a desire to participate in the 2020 AAR Annual Meeting in Boston.
Deadline to apply: April 15 at 5:00PM EDT
Learn more about the Annual Meeting Travel Grants Program, or submit an application.
Annual Meeting Religion and the Arts Travel Grant Through the generosity of Diane Apostolos-Cappadona, the AAR will award a travel grant (up to $1,500) to a graduate student studying Religion and the Arts who is without institutional support to attend the 2020 AAR Annual Meeting in Boston.
Deadline to apply: April 15 at 5:00PM EDT
Learn more about the Annual Meeting Religion and the Arts Travel Grant Program, or submit an application.
2020
Cancellation of IAHR Congress 2020
The IAHR Congress due to take place in New Zealand in August 2020 has been cancelled. See below for the message sent from the IAHR Organizing Committee to partner organizations.
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Kia ora koutou
It is with great regret that we announce the cancellation of the 22nd World Congress of the IAHR which was to have been held in Otago, New Zealand.
Following our previous update on 10 March, we have continued to monitor the situation which (as we are sure you are all aware) has only become worse almost everywhere. Today, New Zealand has entered a period of total lockdown – no-one is permitted to leave their home except to fetch essential items of food and fuel, or for short walks in their neighbourhood. The borders are closed to all but New Zealand citizens, residents and their immediate family members.
The hope, of course, is that such a lockdown will eliminate the virus within New Zealand and allow a return to normal life. But there can be no certainty that this will succeed. Even (or perhaps especially) if New Zealand is successful in eliminating the virus here, there will continue to be tight restrictions on who can travel to New Zealand. It is already clear that we cannot possibly meet in August. We have considered a long postponement, but for many of us (including the local organisers) the first priority in the coming months will be providing teaching to our students in order to minimize the impact on their education. It is not at all clear even when we might begin to be able to plan with any certainty for a large international gathering in the near future. We have also considered also the possibility of holding a virtual Congress online, but New Zealand’s time zone and limited IT infrastructure means that we are not well-placed to do so.
We will contact separately those who have already registered for the Congress, to make arrangements to refund registration, accommodation and excursion fees paid in advance. In the current environment (everyone in New Zealand working from home) this may take a little while and we ask again for your patience.
The Executive Committee of the IAHR will make a further announcement about the consequences of the cancellation for the business meetings of the IAHR that would have been conducted in New Zealand.
We would like to extend our thanks to all those who submitted abstracts. We thank also the academic programme committee who reviewed the abstracts and to the many others who supported the Congress in different way, and in particular the officers of the IAHR Executive Committee. We look forward to meeting again in happier times!
Will Sweetman and Satoko Fujiwara
on behalf of the organising committee
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