Sixth Annual Conference of the
Irish Society for the Academic Study of Religions (ISASR)
Hosted by Waterford Institute of Technology
Religion, Myth and Migration
Friday 16th June 2017
We are pleased to invite scholars to take part in the sixth annual conference of the Irish Society for the Academic Study of Religions (ISASR), themed ‘Religion, Myth and Migration’. Religious traditions often draw on powerful myths which make sense of their cosmological, as well as their historical, social and geo-political position. These myths frequently involve migration, from the biblical Exodus to the Islamic Hegira, to various migratory foundation narratives in new religious movements. As religions travel, so do myths, with new forms being created over time. The physical migration of peoples means that their religions travel with them to new geographical and cultural milieus and now, in a globalised world, knowledge is transmitted and ‘migrates’ in ways that are tied in with rapid advancements in technology and information exchanges. With President Donald Trump’s recent ban on Muslim migration, the challenges of Brexit, and movement of refugees and economic migrants around the world, the religious landscapes are swiftly changing. Conceptualising ‘myth’ and ‘migration’ in the broadest sense, conference participants will discuss, reflect upon and explore these themes in relation to changing religious landscapes and the Society invites papers and contributions on areas such as:
- Migration of religions and associated myths
- Myths of religious migration and foundation myths
- Folk religion, folklore and migrant legends
- Migration of peoples, cultures and religious change
- Imaginaries/imaginaires of religious migration (cultural fears, racist agendas and religions)
- Myths within religions
- Migration of religious ideas
Please Note:
Scholars based in any region of the world and working on any aspect of religion, from any disciplinary perspective, are welcome to submit a paper that relates to the conference theme.
Scholars working in Ireland are free to submit a paper proposal on any aspect of religion in any context (i.e. the paper does not have to relate to the conference theme.
As always, we welcome presentations on research on any aspect of religions in Ireland from scholars worldwide (i.e. the paper does not have to relate to the conference theme).
Call for papers: Please submit your proposal in the form of a title and an abstract (max. 250 words).
Call for slam contributions: We invite ‘slam’ contributions for a maximum duration of 6 minutes on in-progress research, new projects and publications, research networks and new programmes. Please submit a title and brief description of your slam (max. 150 words).
Both paper and slam proposals are to be submitted via email to isasrconference2017@gmail.com by the deadline of 10th April 2017. Notification of abstract/slam acceptance will be given by 17th April 2017.
Please bear in mind that papers should contribute to the aims of the ISASR as set out in the Society’s constitution, specifically that ‘The main object [is] to advance education through the academic study of religions by providing a forum for scholarly activity (…). The Society is a forum for the critical, analytical and cross-cultural study of religions, past and present. It is not a forum for confessional, apologetical, interfaith or other similar concerns’.
The final programme will be posted on the ISASR website: