Just a friendly reminder to those of you who haven't submitted your paper and session proposals for the Religion in the American West Group's session at this year's annual meeting of the AAR, submissions are due today (March 1) at 5:00 pm EST!
Here is the CFP for the Religion in the American West Group: https://papers.aarweb.org/content/religion-american-west-group
Religion in the American West Group
Statement of Purpose:
The Religion in the American West Group is a
forum for graduate students, independent scholars, and faculty who
situate their work regionally in the North American West, broadly
conceived. The study of religion in this region allows scholars to use a
broad array of methodologies (historical, anthropological, literary,
sociological, and others) to explore the most pressing questions in the
field of American religion and in Religious Studies more generally.
These include, but are not limited to: the history of empire and
colonialism; the connections between religion and violence; the
construction and deployment of racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual
identities; transnational movement of people and ideas; religion and the
natural and built environments; myth-making and its role in the
construction and critique of nationalist ideologies; and the development
of the category of religion. The purpose of this subfield is not to
remain in the American West, to define the West, or to argue that
religion in the West is unique. Instead, by situating scholarship
regionally, scholars of the American West are able to develop theories
and methods that can be useful interpretive lenses for other regions
defined by land, transnationalism, migrations, diversity, and
colonialism. Moreover, the Group supports the development of a rigorous
intellectual community by pre-circulating papers in advance of the
national meeting and maintaining a blog.
Call for Papers:
Migration in the American West: Settling, Populating, Transplanting, Displacing, Moving, Claiming, and Leaving
The American West is an imagined place that is often idealized as new, dynamic, a tabula rasa ripe with possibility. Or, it is the destination of the down and out, the economic migrant and immigrant, the last chance. Or, it is the ancient home of native peoples as well as Spanish haciendas and missions. Finally, perhaps it is also where people depart from, a point of disembarkation to other regions, other lands, carrying with them some ineffable sense of being “Western.” Early histories of the West focused on pioneers and settlement as well on displacement while more contemporary analyses of the West address issues of cultural contact, environmental concerns, transnational flows, and economic growth.
Drawing on this ideational context of mobility, we solicit paper and panel proposals on the myriad intersections of religion with migration into and out of the American West. How have religious homes been made in the West? How have westerners brought their religions with them when they leave the region? How have racial, ethnic, gender, and religious identities been co-constituted in this space of continual migratory cultural flows?
We are interested in all patterns of religion and migration, and also are particularly interested in papers contributing to a co-sponsored session with the Native Traditions in the Americas, on indigenous pilgrimages, forced migrations, and commemorative rides in the Western United States.
Please note that the format for the session will feature pre-circulated papers as is the long custom of this group.
“Reimagining or Reclaiming Home: Pilgrimages, Forced Migrations, and Commemorative Rides”, as related to the western United States. This topic is for a possible co-sponsored session with the Native Traditions in the Americas.
The American West is an imagined place that is often idealized as new, dynamic, a tabula rasa ripe with possibility. Or, it is the destination of the down and out, the economic migrant and immigrant, the last chance. Or, it is the ancient home of native peoples as well as Spanish haciendas and missions. Finally, perhaps it is also where people depart from, a point of disembarkation to other regions, other lands, carrying with them some ineffable sense of being “Western.” Early histories of the West focused on pioneers and settlement as well on displacement while more contemporary analyses of the West address issues of cultural contact, environmental concerns, transnational flows, and economic growth.
Drawing on this ideational context of mobility, we solicit paper and panel proposals on the myriad intersections of religion with migration into and out of the American West. How have religious homes been made in the West? How have westerners brought their religions with them when they leave the region? How have racial, ethnic, gender, and religious identities been co-constituted in this space of continual migratory cultural flows?
We are interested in all patterns of religion and migration, and also are particularly interested in papers contributing to a co-sponsored session with the Native Traditions in the Americas, on indigenous pilgrimages, forced migrations, and commemorative rides in the Western United States.
Please note that the format for the session will feature pre-circulated papers as is the long custom of this group.
“Reimagining or Reclaiming Home: Pilgrimages, Forced Migrations, and Commemorative Rides”, as related to the western United States. This topic is for a possible co-sponsored session with the Native Traditions in the Americas.
Method: PAPERS
Process: Proposals are anonymous to chairs and steering
committee members during review, but visible to chairs prior to final
acceptance or rejection
Leadership:
Chair- Brandi Denison, b.denison@unf.edu
- Brett Hendrickson, hendribr@lafayette.edu
- Brandon Bayne, bayne@unc.edu
- John-Charles Duffy, duffyjc@miamioh.edu
- Patricia O'Connell Killen, killen@gonzaga.edu
- Sarah Dees, sarahdees@tennessee.edu
- Sarah M. Pike, spike@csuchico.edu
