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Call for Papers Theme: Paths to Dialogue in our Age Subtitle: Interfaith Dialogue Type: International Theological Conference Institution: Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue, Australian Catholic University Location: Melbourne, VIC (Australia) Date: 26.–29.5.2014 Deadline: 15.10.2013 __________________________________________________ In our age, when day by day humanity is being drawn closer together, and the ties between different peoples are becoming stronger, the adherents of the world’s religions are examining what they have in common and what draws them to fellowship. Through the praxis of interfaith dialogue some headway has already been made on this path to peace, understanding and collaboration. Within Roman Catholicism, the Second Vatican Council, convened by Pope John XXIII, heightened the consciousness of the Church with regard to other religions. His successor, Pope Paul VI, had as his first encyclical the 1964 document Ecclesiam Suam (subtitled “paths of the church”) where dialogue was promoted as the new way of being Church. Hence, the theme of the present conference, beginning with “paths to dialogue,” commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the proclamation of this landmark document. The topic of dialogue was given further attention in the 1965 document Nostra Aetate (“in our age”) which counseled the Church to be in “dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions.” While celebrating the bold spirit of dialogue expressed in these two documents, we are conscious that much has changed in the world in the last half century, even within the sphere of inter-religious relations. With this in view, the Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue at Australian Catholic University (ACU-CID) is hosting an International Theological Conference to explore the advances and setbacks of the last five decades and to investigate new paths that can contribute to the wellbeing of humanity and the entire cosmos in our age. Topics The conference is open to - exploring the history, theory, practice and challenges of interfaith encounters and the opportunities for dialogue that exist between Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Australians and other First Nations Peoples, and scholars of other religious communities. - discussions on models, proponents or exemplars of dialogue from within a particular tradition or within a specific context or period (e.g. Fetullah Gülen, Thich Nhat Hanh, Vivekananda, Martin Buber, Raimon Panikkar, D.T. Suzuki, Mateo Ricci, Jalaluddin Rumi, John Paul II, Mother Teresa or Gandhi). - inter-religious explorations on such themes as the understanding of the human person, ethical values, justice, peace, sin, salvation, education, formation, the role of women and youth, the place of prayer, spirituality, poverty, and consumerism. - examining concerns such as the possibility of multiple religious belonging; the challenge of secularism, relativism or fundamentalism; the practice of cross-textual or inter-textual hermeneutics; methodologies of comparative theology or religious studies; and discussion about the means and ends of dialogue. Submissions We now invite scholars to submit abstracts on the conference theme and topics. All submissions should address some aspect of religion or theology, as well as interaction and dialogical encounter within or between religious traditions. A small number of proposals will be selected for presentation at plenary sessions, while others will be chosen for delivery at concurrent sessions. Abstracts of about 100-200 words and a presenter’s bio should be sent to: [email protected] Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until the quota for presentations is filled. The final paper of 5,000 – 8,000 words is due by 31 March 2014 and will be made available to participants at the conference. Selected papers will be further peer-reviewed for publication. Contact: Dr Edmund Chia, Conference Chair Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue Australian Catholic University 115 Victoria Parade Fitzroy, VIC 3065 Australia Phone: +61 3 9953 3432 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.acu.edu.au/581641 __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org __________________________________________________
