[Call for Papers] The 2021 Annual Conference

The 3rd Annual Conference of the East Asian Society for the Scientific Study of Religion

 “Religion and Peace in East Asia:

The Roles of Religion in Times of Crises”

July 17 to 19, 2021

Jeju National University, Republic of Korea

(Online meeting)

 Call for papers

The spread of COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to move to an unprecedented situation of “a new normal”. Under such circumstances, EASSSR had no option but to postpone the 3rd Annual Conference in 2020. However, our host – the Jeju National University- kindly offered to host the meeting next year and the Council has finally decided to hold the 3rd Annual Conference at Jeju National University, Korea again from July 17 to 19 in 2021.

Given the unpredictable and unforeseeable circumstances in which a considerable number of academic associations have already announced to hold their annual conference online next year, EASSSR will also prepare a Plan B: online conference. The council will watch carefully the situation and, as the pandemic evolves, make flexible decisions whether the conference will be held on-site and/or online.

For those members who have already submitted their papers in 2020 and are still planning to join us in 2021, we would like you to apply once again to indicate your participation. Of course, we welcome new papers. We would also like you to let us know your preferences for the style of the conference: 1) on-site meeting at Jeju National University, 2) online meeting, 3) either way is fine. We are looking forward to your application and participation.

             The theme of the coming conference is “Religion and Peace in East Asia: The Roles of Religion in Times of Crises”. In recent years, we have seen that our modern world is faced with many threats and challenges as a result of environmental, political, and social changes. For instance, global warming is affecting the climate and ecosystem, causing massive wildfires and typhoons in the Pacific rim and infectious diseases and parasitic zoonoses in many parts of the world. In some countries, authoritarianism is on the rise, undermining civil society and aggravating the division between nations and ethnicities. Information technology and global capitalism have widened the gap between the rich and the poor. The list goes on and no one is invulnerable to these crises. Against this background, how has religion dealt with these issues? Does religion offer answers and/or solutions to these problems? Does religion provide perspectives regarding the direction and future of human civilization? How has religion provided consolation and support to people who are suffering? How has religion promoted peace in a conflicted world? And can we still believe that religion has always played, and will continue to play, a central role in promoting hopes and visions of mankind for the realization of peace?

We welcome any topic in the social scientific study of religion. In particular, priority will be given to topics that include the following detailed topics and interests.

 

– Socio-historical studies on religion as an agent of peace or conflict

– Socially engaged religions in times of crisis.

– Comparison of Eastern and Western religions in the quest for peace.

– Case studies on peace building and making civil society in East Asia

– Thoughts and practices of peace in traditional religions and/or new religions in East Asia.

– Case studies on the transformations (or appropriation) of traditional religions.

 

Any proposals of closed sessions organized by three or four papers are welcome, focusing on different perspectives within a same religious tradition. In case of individual papers, we will arrange them into each session in accordance with their topics.

 

For questions, please visit the EASSSR website

Email: easssr2017@gmail.com

 

Deadlines

Your abstract should be submitted by March 21, 2021.

Please submit your paper’s title, abstract (200 to 500 words), personal information

by clicking here:

Submit Abstract and Register for EASSSR 2021 Conference.

▷ Notification of acceptance of paper presentation proposals will be sent out

by April 20, 2021. Then you may pay registration and membership fees for joining the conference.

▷ An extra fee will be charged on registration on the site.

 

Fees

EASSSR Membership Fee:

Regular Members: $50 (one year) / $90 (two years) / $130 (three years)

Student Members: $30 (one year) / $50 (two years) / $70 (three years)

 

Conference Registration Fee:

Regular Members: $30 / Established Scholar without membership: $60

Student Members: $15 / Student without membership: $30

 

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