CFP - Religion, Health, and the Body in North America
CALL FOR PAPERS
“Religion, Health,
and the Body in North America”
Conference to be held
at Western Michigan University,
Kalamazoo, Michigan
May 15, 16, 17, 2014
We are now soliciting abstracts for
papers for a conference entitled “Religion, Health, and the Body in North
America” to be held on May 15, 16, 17th, 2014 on the campus of Western Michigan
University, Kalamazoo, Michigan. The conference is a joint project between
Western Michigan University, Michigan State University, and Kalamazoo College.
Funding for the conference is being provided by these institutions, as well as
through an AAR regional grant. We are hoping to make this conference a biennial
event with the long-term goal of creating a scholarly community to foster
future collaborative research and publication in this area.
In light of the growing interest on
the intersection of religion, health, and the body, what the organizers are
hoping to achieve with this conference is a greater awareness among interested scholars
of the wide range of research now being done in this field. To that end, we invite
Religious Studies scholars, both faculty and graduate students, working in all
periods of American history, from a variety of theoretical perspectives, and
dealing with the concepts of “health” and “the body” broadly construed to
participate. We anticipate some 30 participants, both presenters and
attendees.
Our keynote speaker for the
conference will be Pamela Klassen, Professor in the Department for the
Study of Religion, University of Toronto, whose most recent book, Spirits of Protestantism: Medicine, Healing
& Liberal Christianity (2011), won the 2012 Award for Excellence in the
Study of Religion from the American Academy of Religion. Another highlight of
the conference will be a tour to the Battle Creek Sanitarium in nearby Battle
Creek. Founded shortly after the Civil War and eventually placed under the
management of Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, the Sanitarium became one of the most
influential centers of Christian health reform in this country and a
significant landmark in the history of 19th and early 20th-century
approaches to holistic health.
If you would like to be considered
for one of the panels, please submit the title of your paper, an abstract of
not more than 100 words, and a one-page c.v. to Amy DeRogatis
(derogat1@msu.edu) by December 15, 2013. Those selected to participate will be
notified by e-mail by January 15, 2014.
Conference Organizers:
Brian C. Wilson Amy DeRogatis Shreena Gandhi
Comparative Religion Religious Studies Religious Studies
Western Michigan University Michigan State University Kalamazoo College
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