[Bilimsel Haber] CFP: Belief Matters: Reconceptualizing Belief and Its Use (Columbia University, April 2009)

[Gonul Pultar]

From: Daniel Vaca <daniel.vaca at columbia.edu>


Belief Matters: Reconceptualizing Belief and Its Use
2 April 2009
Columbia University, New York City
Hosted by the Columbia University Religion Graduate Students Association

CFP deadline: 1 December 2008
Email 400-500 word paper proposals and brief bios to
columbia.religion at gmail.com


In recent decades, sociologically- and anthropologically-minded scholars 
of religion have attempted to shift scholarly attention away from belief 
and doctrine to rituals, practices, identities, and institutions. This 
turn away from belief-as-doctrine has helped scholars see religion as a 
dynamic phenomenon that exists beyond the confines of peoples' heads. At 
the same time, however, has this shift kept scholars from examining 
other ways in which belief and believing remain central to how people 
conceptualize what religion is and how it operates in the world? By 
reexamining what it means to "believe," this conference explores if and 
how belief matters.

Papers might relate to any of the following themes:

Belief vs. Practice
Papers on this theme might sharpen the critique of belief-centered 
paradigms, or defend their importance. Are ritual and practice better 
ways of conceiving religion and identity? Should belief play a role in 
studies of religious practice? Papers might address the ambiguous (and
sometimes seemingly inconsistent) relationship between belief and behavior.

Belief in People and Places
Papers on this theme might focus on the notion of believing in 
something--as opposed to believing that something is true. Objects of 
belief may include charismatic leaders, saints (hagiography), and sacred 
places (e.g., pilgrimage sites).

Ways of Believing
Papers on this theme might focus on cultural, historical, and sectarian 
differences or developments in what it means to believe. Papers may 
examine, for example, post-enlightenment developments in western notions 
of belief and believing, the role of law in structuring acceptable ways 
of believing and belonging, or issues relating to how groups and 
individuals conceive and present their "beliefs"--including varying uses 
of such terms as "spiritual" and "religious." Papers might address 
atheism, science, or nationalism as alternative modes of belief.

Conflict, Cosmopolitanism, and Social Reform
Papers might address the rhetoric about belief and believing that 
governments and political and humanitarian groups use to justify or 
engender support for their policies or actions. How have groups in 
various cultural contexts situated their own beliefs or those of others 
in relation to "universal" human rights? How have social reformers in 
various historical contexts used language about beliefs in tactical ways?

Counting Believers
Papers on this theme might discuss questions about the role of belief in 
determining community membership--both from the perspective of 
practitioners and scholars. Papers might focus not just on modern 
communities (who, for example, count as "evangelical Christians"?) but 
also on communities from the distant past (who, for example, count as 
"early Christians"?).

Belief and Science
Scientific critiques of "religion" often frame their critiques in 
general terms but in fact focus their criticism on certain beliefs or 
modes of belief. How do alternate ways of thinking about belief unsettle 
conventional oppositions between religious belief and science?

Belief and Ethics
How do belief and believing inform decisions regarding right and wrong
conduct in the world?

* * * * *

Featured speakers include Michael Taussig (Professor of Anthropology, 
Columbia University) and Penny Edgell (Professor of Sociology, 
University of Minnesota)

* * * * *

SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Deadline: Monday, December 1st

Email 400-500 word paper proposal and a brief bio to:
columbia.religion at gmail.com

Final papers should be 9-12 double-spaced pages in length
(presenters will have approximately 20-25 minutes to speak)

Conference Co-chairs
Patton Burchett
Daniel Vaca

Daniel Vaca
<daniel.vaca at columbia.edu>