CFP: ISSR, Religion and Economy in a Global World

International Society for the Sociology of Religion
Société Internationale de Sociologie des Religions
31th ISSR Conference

Aix-en-Provence ( France ) June 30 - July 3, 2011

CONFERENCE THEME

RELIGION AND ECONOMY IN A GLOBAL WORLD

Deadlines

June 15th 2010: Proposals for Thematic Sessions and Working Groups to be
sent to the General Secretary

Session titles and the conveners' names will be published in the next
Network and posted on our web site www.sisr.org by July 2010

October 31st 2010: Abstracts of proposed papers for sessions to be sent
to the convener of the Session, abstracts of miscellaneous papers to be
sent to the General Secretary

January 15th 2011: Programme of the Conference on our Web Site
www.sisr.org and in the first issue of Network of 2011

Description:

The recent financial crisis has opened up new prospects on experimental
financial alternatives, and critical discourse on liberal capitalism,
sometimes underpinned by more or less religious modes of justification.
Besides, this does not only concern the renewal of Islamic finance.
Numerous Buddhist, Christian, and Jewish movements also fit into the
frame of new alternative economic perspectives. Beyond this current
opportunity, which is spotlighting the relationship between the economy
and religion, it is undeniable that beliefs and religious affiliations
may enable us to better understand economic behavior patterns (those of
producer, investor and consumer) in our global world. Besides, the
economic variable is not only relevant downstream (in correlation with
economic choices and behaviors), but also upstream: it is indeed hard to
contest the fact that the standard of living may be a determining factor
in choosing a specific religious affiliation.

Plenary 1 - Religious Life and Economic Life

How religious choices may be determined by standards of living, and how
economic behavior patterns may in turn be determined by religious
affiliations...

The first plenary session will be more empirical, devoted to studies
underpinned by fieldwork in sociology of religion linked with the
economy. The addresses will be devoted to the role of religious
variables in economic behavior patterns (here a few striking figures
connected with economic flows, consumption, investments, etc., powered
by religious dynamics will be shown) and to the more general influence
of standards of living on confessional and spiritual choices. Both
addresses will be general, subject to debate, proposing hypotheses and
orientations for research from empirical reports.

Plenary 2 - Religions in Global Capitalism

The place and function of religions in the current capitalist system;
the legitimization and criticism of the current capitalist system by
religions...

The more theoretical second plenary session will be devoted to
analytical path-finding, to possible proposals of descriptive models in
the process of elaboration, of the relations between the economy and
religion within a globalized humanity. The speakers will expose various
explanatory hypotheses on the contemporary situation of relations
between these two dimensions. They will also describe, analyze and
interpret contemporary (generally but not always critical) religious and
quasi-religious discourses on the global capitalist system, especially
concerning the financial dimension (Islamic, Buddhist, catholic,
protestant criticisms, etc.)

Possible topics for thematic sessions and papers

The Local Committee has suggested the following topics for the Thematic
Sessions, with reference to the general conference theme, `Religions and
Economy in a Global World':

* The economic paradigm of the religious market: a contested paradigm
* Religious values and economic behaviour patterns
* New religious discourses and imaginaries connected with the economy
* Marketing of religious products and globalization
* The economy of religious mobility
* Religious affiliations, standards of living and socio-economic
trajectories
* Religion and economic development
* Religion and alternative finance
* Religions in the firm and religions of the firm
* The new economy of religious donation

Please note: although thematic sessions which relate to the general
conference theme are welcome, thematic sessions are not tied to the
general conference theme.

EACH CONVENER MAY ONLY ORGANIZE ONE THEMATIC SESSION OR ONE WORKING GROUP

Conveners should send to the General Secretary (generalsecretary.
issr@unipd. it) BEFORE the 15th of JUNE 2010 the title of the proposed
session, in English and French and the rationale of the Session (100
words in each of the two languages of the ISSR) mentioning also their
institutional affiliation and their email address

WEBSITE: www.sisr.org