Study of Religions
We live in a time when religion is discussed, analysed, criticised or defended every day in the public arena. The mass media often use religion to help explain different social phenomena, and political discussions often cite religious arguments in a way that many find surprising.
ENDS AND BEGINNINGS
Annual conference of the EASR
Special conference of the IAHR
Södertörn University, Stockholm. 23-26 August, 2012
It is now possible to register to the conference. If you have submitted an abstract you have to finalize your registration by following the link that has been sent to you via e-mail. If you wish to take part in the conference but have not sent in an abstract please click use the following link: http://eventus.trippus.se/easr2012_conferencereg
Religion, it has been claimed, is generated by our desire to escape from the tyranny of time. Through certain thoughts and practices, people have sought to evade the end that our temporal existence so inevitably seems to lead up to. Religion often circles around the promise of a new beginning - a prosperous life in this world or a renewed existence in the hereafter. In the Abrahamic traditions, humankind is placed at the heart of a cosmic drama that is framed by notions of an absolute beginning, an apocalyptic end, and, beyond that, an eternity that obliterates the boundaries of time. Ritualized activities, furthermore, are often performed as expressions or celebrations of ends and beginnings - of seasons, communities or of phases in an individual's life.
Picture: Stolen kiss, collage painting by Anna-Karin Brus, 2009. © Anna-Karin Brus. http://www.haka.nu/
All these matters have attracted the attention of scholars of religion, as has the larger question of whether there can be said to be a beginning or an end of religion in general. Can we - in the darkness of prehistory or in the evolution of human cognition - localise a beginning of religion? And, is it - in a time when theories of secularisation, rationalisation and disenchantment are increasingly put into question - still possible to speak of the decline of religion or of its end?
We are pleased to invite scholars of different disciplines to take part in this conference, by which we hope to stimulate theoretical, methodological and empirical progress within the academic study of religion. Ends and beginnings is the 11th annual conference of EASR (European Association for the Study of Religion). It is a special conference of the IAHR (International Association for the History of Religions) and is organized in collaboration with SSRF (Swedish Association for the History of Religions).
Abstract submission deadline: May 1, 2012
Conference fees:
170€ Late registration fee (after 15th of June)
120€ Late registration fee for PhD/Students (after 15th of June)
If you have any questions related to the academic content of the conference, please contact the organising commitee.
If you have questions about your registration or other administrative services, please contact Meetagain Konferens: easr2012@meetagain.se
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