SSSR Annual Meeting, 31 October-2 November 2014, Indianapolis, USA
SOCIETY FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION,
Annual Meeting, 31 October – 2 November 2014, Indianapolis, Indiana (USA)
Conference Theme: Building Interdisciplinary Bridges in the Study of Religion
Session: Visual Bridges: Visual Research and the Study of Religion
Call for Session Papers
Organizer: Roman R. Williams, PhD (Calvin College); roman.williams@calvin.edu
Deadline for Proposals: 28 March 2014
Paper Session Description
The potential of visual research techniques for the study of religion is vast, but largely untapped. This comes as a surprise, however, given the visual, symbolic, and material nature of religion and spirituality. Houses of worship, for example, are a prominent feature of the modern landscape and images permeate religious culture. Everyday faith and practice are materially present in everything from clothing and jewelry to artifacts found in people’s homes and workplaces. Not only is the symbolic and material presence of religion palpable throughout society, religion also informs behaviors, practices, and attitudes which are embodied and enacted throughout the many domains of everyday life. Standard research methods that rely on words and numbers alone, however, are not sufficient to capture important dimensions of religion and spirituality in the contemporary cultural landscape. This paper session explores the potential of visual research methods to bridge academic disciplines, cross the qualitative-quantitative divide, connect academic and non-academic audiences, and extend knowledge related to the study of religion. Papers addressing these themes and/or reporting on relevant research are welcome.
Submitting Proposals
Proposals must be submitted to Roman Williams (roman.williams@calvin.edu) by 28 March 2014 and include the following information:
(1) Name and institutional affiliation of author (and co-authors)
(2) Contact information (email address of first author)
(3) Title of proposed paper
(4) Abstract (up to 150 words)
