2017 Pacific Northwest Region Call for Papers

2017 Pacific Northwest Regional Meeting May 5–7, 2017 St. Mary’s University in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

2017 Call for Papers 

Guidelines for Submitting Proposals

Step 1: Complete the Individual-Proposal-Participant-Form-for-Submissions (click on the title to open) for any proposal submitted. Carefully note any audiovisual equipment you require before you submit your proposal.

Step 2: E-mail with Attachments: Submit your proposal via email attachment to the Program Unit Chair/Co-Chairs no later than Friday, January 20th, 2017.

Step 3: Notification of your proposal acceptance status for the Annual Regional Meeting program will be sent by Friday, February 21st, 2017.

General Participation Requirements at the Regional Meeting

• Membership to AAR, SBL or ASOR is not required to submit a proposal in response to the Call for Papers.
• However all participants must be members in order to present, and all participants accepted to the program must be registered for the Regional Meeting by Wednesday, March 15, 2017 at 11:59pm.
• You must make your own travel and housing arrangements to present at St. Mary’s University in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Registration and Housing

• Registration and housing information will be available on the Regional website in February, 2017 (www.pnw-aarsbl.org). Hotel will honour discount only until Monday, April 3rd, 2017. Please note that all hotel and banquet registration must be completed by April 3rd. 
• Banquet cost will be $30 USD with a new option this year of attendees donating a scholarship/meal for someone who cannot join us without assistance (i.e. contingent faculty and graduate students).

PNWAAR/ASOR/SBL – CALL FOR PAPERS 2017

• Submit proposals electronically to section chairs by Jan 20th, 2017 by 11:59 p.m.
• Paper proposals should be 400–500 words.
• Papers should be no longer than 17–20 minutes in length.

All accepted presenters MUST register by Friday, March 15th, 2017 or their presentation will be cancelled and omitted from online program. 

Membership is not required to submit a proposal, but membership IS REQUIRED to present at the conference. A small number of partial scholarships to assist with membership fees for currently enrolled students are available. 

THE AMERICAN SCHOOLS OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH (ASOR)
The program unit is affiliated with the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR), whose mission is to initiate, encourage and support research into, and public understanding of, the peoples and cultures of the Near East and Eastern Mediterranean from the earliest times. As such, the unit is concerned with:

• Fostering original research, archaeological excavations, salvage work and the preservation of cultural heritage collections
• Encouraging scholarship in basic languages, cultural histories and traditions of the ANE and Eastern Mediterranean
• Offering opportunities for all levels of scholarship, especially students, to share their research

We invite the submission of abstracts detailing ancient Near Eastern languages, original research, archaeological excavations, salvage work, or the preservation of cultural heritage collections related to Ancient Near Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean archaeology. Undergraduates, graduate students and independent scholars are especially welcome to present dissertation topics and research.

Proposals should be submitted directly to Gloria London: glondon@earthlink.net, Museum of Traditional Pottery in Agios Demetrios, Cyprus.

ARTS AND RELIGION
The Arts and Religion section provides a space for interdisciplinary exploration of religion through the arts (in broad contexts). We invite multiple perspectives, embodied passionate scholarship, and rich discussion of the vital role arts have played and continue to play in attempts to create meaning of the human condition, and to address the enduring questions posed by the world’s religions and spiritual traditions.

The arts have always played a part in world religions and spiritual traditions through the use of image, symbol, ritual, music, percussion, dance, poetry, theatre, storytelling (myth and folklore), architecture, and geomancy. This program unit welcomes individual papers or panel proposals on any topic, from ancient to contemporary, which explore the arts and religion. Papers exploring traditional institutionalized religions as well as world spiritual traditions (including indigenous and oral traditions) are welcome.

Proposals should be submitted directly to the co-chairs: Marion Dumont mariondumont@gmail.com and Karen Villanueva knvillanueva@yahoo.com

ASIAN AND COMPARATIVE STUDIES
To promote scholarship in non-Western areas of religion and theology and to assess various comparative methods of investigation.

Call for papers: Abstracts of papers on topics in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Proposals should be submitted directly to the chair: Nick Gier, University of Idaho ngier@uidaho.edu

HEBREW BIBLE
Since the Biblical Hebrew texts are part of the larger category of ‘biblical texts’, the rationale for the Hebrew Bible session falls naturally within the mandate of the SBL, the central purpose of which is “…advancing the academic study of biblical texts and their contexts as well as of the traditions and contexts of biblical interpretation.”

The primary goal of the Hebrew Bible session is to foster study and interaction in the field, more specifically:

• To promote academic dialogue between scholars in the Pacific Northwest Region.
• To showcase and promote research in the Hebrew Bible.
• To advance the quality of research and writing in the area of Hebrew Bible by mentoring and recommending work for publication.
• To provide mentoring and opportunities for graduate students to present their work to the Hebrew Bible session, thus incorporating new scholars into the greater goals of the SBL.

Call for Papers

1. We welcome papers on any topic related to Hebrew Bible, with priority given to papers that deal with language and linguistics, wisdom literature, and prophetic literature. Early proposals are especially welcome with the goal of organizing a panel discussion for a regional scholar’s recent work and/or organizing a thematic topic session. Graduate students are required to send full copies of their papers for consideration.
2. The Hebrew Bible Research Group on Clothing will continue working during the 2016–17 Academic Year but does not accept any new proposals at this stage.

Proposals should be submitted directly to Antonios Finitsis: finitsak@plu.edu

HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY AND NORTH AMERICAN RELIGIONS
This program unit invites both historians of Christianity and scholars studying North American religions to present their research and engage in collegial discussion of their work. Review panels of selected new works in these fields are also included in the sessions. The section seeks to develop an ongoing dialog and network among participants.

Papers are welcome in any area of the History of Christianity and North American Religions. Proposals are especially invited on the following themes:

1. Papers reflecting current research in the history of Christianity (any era).
2. Papers related to the history and practice of North American religions and its expressions in the public square.
3. Papers related to religious understandings of World War I and its repercussions.

Proposals should be submitted directly to Jon Kershner, jon.kershner@gmail.com and Timothy Burdick, Edmonds Community College timburdick@comcast.net

THEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
The Theology and Philosophy of Religion Section exists to provide a forum for scholars to critically examine politics, scriptures, ethics, history, art, literature and/or culture from explicitly philosophical and theological perspectives. We welcome diverse perspectives, and encourage the collegiality of frank and open dialogue between and among disciplinary areas.

The Theology and Philosophy of Religion Section welcomes proposals for papers or panels concerning any aspect of theology and/or the philosophy of religion.

Proposals should be submitted directly to the chairpersons, Sarah Gallant, smgallant@hotmail.com, and Norman Metzler, npjmetzler@gmail.com.

Joint session with Theology and Philosophy of Religion and Religion and Society
“On Refugees and Strangers”: We invite paper proposals that examine refugees and other outsiders in either past or present contexts. Papers that discuss ethical responses to refugees and displaced communities are also encouraged. Proposals should be submitted electronically to the session organizers: Joseph Kim Paxton joseph.paxton@cst.edu and Sarah Gallant smgallant@hotmail.com

If the presenter would prefer to avoid a particular time due to religious observance (e.g. Friday night or Sunday morning) please include this information in the proposal and we will do our best to accommodate all requests.

RELIGION AND SOCIETY
Our section welcomes all papers related to ethics, contemporary social issues or events, and social scientific perspectives on religion. Recurring themes in our discussions include neuroscience, psychology of religious experience, demographic and cultural transitions, war and violence, science, and Speculative Fiction (SF).

For 2017 we are looking, in particular, for papers on:

1. The Integration of the Religious Stranger: Papers that broadly discuss the integration of the religious stranger are welcome. Submissions should address the complexity of the social dynamics surrounding immigration and co-citizenry in contemporary diasporas. Topics and sub-topics can address how social and societal integration of the religious stranger can be addressed ethically, psychologically, sociologically, and religiously. In addition, paper topics can address intergroup processes that lead to group conflict surrounding the integration of or ostracism and oppression of the religious stranger. An integration of approaches are also welcomed.
2. LGBTQIAA Experience and Religious Impacts: Papers that address and explore non-heterosexual and Queer sexualities from religious frameworks and contexts are welcome.   Particular attention will be paid to papers that attend to lived experience from non-heterosexual and queer perspectives within religious frameworks and contexts. Ethics, social scientific perspectives, and sociology can be potential entry points for paper submissions. Proposals should be submitted directly to the co-chairs: Bruce Hiebert, Independent Scholar, brucehiebert@shaw.ca and Joseph Paxton, Claremont School of Theology, joseph.paxton@cst.edu
3. Joint session with Theology and Philosophy of Religion and Religion and Society“On Refugees and Strangers”: The Religion and Society Section and the Theology and Philosophy Section will be organizing a special session on the topic of refugees and strangers at the upcoming Pacific Northwest Regional Meeting in Calgary. We invite paper proposals that examine refugees and other outsiders in either past or present contexts. Papers that discuss ethical responses to refugees and displaced communities are also encouraged. Proposals for this joint session should be submitted electronically to the session organizers: Joseph Kim Paxton joseph.paxton@cst.edu and Sarah Gallant smgallant@hotmail.com

MORMON STUDIES
Mormon Studies promotes the exploration of a wide range of topics relating to Mormonism. This section seeks to provide scholarly inquiry into Mormon history, culture, belief and practice, theology, scripture, and the role of Mormonism in contemporary politics. This section encourages the study of Mormonism from multiple disciplines and methodologies. This section will better equip those in the academy to teach on the subject of Mormonism and actively promotes opportunities for interfaith dialogue.

Papers are welcome in any area of Mormon Studies. We encourage papers from multiple disciplinary and methodological perspectives and especially invite proposals on the following themes:

1. Papers that consider the history and culture of Mormonism, especially those that discuss the social and religious impact of women and minorities. Papers that contribute to a joint discussion with the Women and Religion section are especially encouraged this year.
2. Papers on the development of Mormon beliefs and practices, scripture, ethics, and theology.
3. Papers related to interfaith dialogue between Mormonism and other Christian (and non-Christian) faith traditions.
4. Papers related to Mormonism and contemporary politics.
5. Papers that consider the place of Mormon Studies within the academic study of religion.
6. Papers that place Mormonism within the larger context of North American culture and religions. Papers that contribute to a joint discussion with the North American Religions section are especially encouraged this year.

Proposals should be submitted directly to Kirk Caudle (Independent Scholar) mixlom@msn.com and Susanna Morrill (Lewis & Clark College) smorrill@lclark.edu

NEW TESTAMENT AND THE WORLD OF EARLY CHRISTIANITY 
This program unit provides an opportunity to discuss topics in New Testament and related interdisciplinary studies, such as Hebrew Bible and Early Christianity, as well as topics relating to Hellenistic Religions and related literature. While the name of the program unit has recently changed (from New Testament and Hellenistic Religions), the focus of the unit has not, as we strive to be inclusive of a wide range of topics of interest to the study of early Christian writings and the world in which they developed.

We welcome papers reflecting the research endeavors especially of Pacific Northwest scholars in the fields of New Testament and the World of Early Christianity. This year our Program Unit will host several different sessions.

1. Greco-Roman Environment and Early Christian Movements (Coordinator: Anne Moore, amoore@ucalgary.ca). We invite papers on the influence of Greco-Roman culture on various forms of early Christianity and their writings (including non-canonical texts), as well as on the reception of early Christian texts in Greco-Roman circles.
2. Open session. All topics relevant to the Program Unit are invited.
3. Book panel(s). We are interested in conducting a book review panel for one or more books published in the past year by participants in the New Testament and the World of Early Christianity PU. If you will have had a relevant book published by the time of the 2017 regional meeting, send suggestions directly to the chairpersons.

Proposal should be submitted directly to Anne Moore, University of Calgary, amoore@ucalgary.ca and Ron Clark, George Fox Evangelical Seminary, rclark@georgefox.edu

STUDY OF ISLAM
The Study of Islam program unit fosters intellectual exchange and collaboration among regional scholars working in any area of Islamic Studies. In addition to research panels, we host an annual roundtable devoted to a topic of current pedagogical concern, and we have launched an annual film series.

We welcome papers from academics at any career stage.

1. We encourage proposals for individual papers or full panels investigating any aspect of historical or contemporary Islam, including but not limited to Islamic texts, practices, law, history, and theology.
2. Pedagogy Panel: We also seek participants for our annual pedagogy roundtable, this year on the theme of “Islamic art, architecture, and aesthetics.” We will explore ways to approach these topics in stand-alone classes or (more likely) as discreet sections or general themes in a variety of courses on Islamic topics. The primary concern will be helping those of us without specialized training in Islamic art history to incorporate into our teaching an appreciation for the distinctive and important role of arts, crafts, architecture, and aesthetics in a variety of Islamic societies in a range of historical contexts. Anyone interested in participating in our relatively informal discussion—and we very much welcome non-Islamicists.

All proposals should be submitted electronically to Paul Powers, Lewis & Clark College, ppowers@lclark.edu

WOMEN IN RELIGION
This section explores the lives of women in religion from antiquity to the modern era. It is a forum for the inquiry into literary and material culture of the activity and presence of women in religion and the history of interpretation. It is also a forum for how female and gender related issues are portrayed in sacred texts.

Call for Papers
AAR: We invite individual papers or panels on any aspect of the study of women and religion. This section especially welcomes proposals that facilitate cross-disciplinary and/or religious traditions in the study of women. Papers exploring feminist pedagogy are also welcome.

SBL: We invite proposals on women in religious literature including, but not limited to, ancient Greek and Roman, Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and Asian religions.

Proposals should be submitted directly to the co-chairs: Elizabeth Goldstein, Gonzaga University goldstein@gonzaga.edu and Valarie Ziegler, DePauw University vziegler@depauw.edu