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Call for Papers Theme: Religion, the State and Global Politics Type: 9th Toyin Falola Annual International Conference on Africa and the African Diaspora (TOFAC 2019) Institution: Babcock University Location: Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State (Nigeria) Date: 1.–3.7.2019 Deadline: 1.4.2018 __________________________________________________ This conference will examine all the major narratives and theories of religion and politics produced by scholars and policy-makers over the years. It will encourage intellectual collaboration and production from within and/or focused on Africa and the African Diaspora. It will also contribute to contemporary discourse on religion, the State, and Global Politics, in order to illuminate Africa’s position in global religions, international policy, and national development and identity formation. Participants are expected to critically question and hopefully set aside misleading representations and narratives on African religious experience. In the past, scholars of African religion and politics have engaged topics such as missionary activities, colonialism, and the spread of religion in Africa, as well as questions of cultural survival or defeat. In Western societies, policies and narratives regarding religion are often produced under the assumption that the Church and the State remain fundamentally and ideologically separate. Meanwhile, the connections between religion and state are becoming increasingly relevant worldwide. The global community is being confronted with violent terrorism, which is often tied to organized religion, wrongly or rightly by the media, the State, and international government and non-governmental organizations. Therefore, in the contemporary geopolitical landscape, state policymakers and scholars of politics, state formation, international relations, and globalization can hardly ignore issues of religion, raising questions of religious freedom, tolerance, violence, and oppression. In light of the oversimplified, popular rhetoric surrounding religion and state policy, scholars and policymakers are tasked to think conceptually and empirically about the role of religion in the state and in international affairs. Whereas Western scholarship has necessarily focused on the tensions between religions and secularisms at the State and international level, and on producing responses to religious terrorist movements such as ISIS and Boko Haram, there is also the need to explore alternative indigenous religions and spiritualities in Africa and the African Diaspora, to uncover local expressions and practices of religion in Africa and their impact on State policy, social organization, and/or global connections, and to analyze recent developments by African states to foster or hamper religious movements and understandings in Africa. It is also useful to consider the Diasporic movement of religious ideas and practices across national boundaries. Approaching these issues from within the African and African Diasporic context, it is important to reconsider hegemonic understandings of religion, as well as hegemonic understandings of nationalism, policy, and development. The conference will attempt to push the boundaries of Western epistemology and engage African knowledge as a means of working through popular assumptions and contentious debates about the past, present, and future of Africa, African religions, spiritualities, and secularisms, and the connections between local, national, and global politics. While many participants will present in English, we encourage presentations in other languages, most notably in Ajami, Arabic, and French. A cross-disciplinary approach is necessary for understanding the entanglement of religion, the State, and global politics in Africa and the African Diaspora. Therefore, this conference welcomes paper submissions from a variety of disciplines, including but not limited to history, political science, sociology, religious studies, philosophy, economics, international relations, peace and conflict studies, literary and cultural studies, communication and language studies, education, management sciences, and area studies. We encourage scholars, activists, politicians, policy makers, and other contributors to the conference to consider the following sub-themes: - African and African Diasporic Religions - African and African Diasporic Religious Art, Music and Performance - African and African Diasporic Religious Knowledge - African and African Diasporic Religious Leaders - African and African Diasporic Religious Philosophy - Children in Religion - Christian and Islamic Bodies - Colonialism and Religion in Africa - Comparative case studies in religion and the state - Contemporary Youth Cultures - Continuity, Change, and Survival Strategies - Ecumenical Exchanges and Interactions - Expressions and Practices of Spirituality - Global Religions in Local Context/Local Religions in Global Context - Globalization and Religion - History of Religion in Africa and/or the African Diaspora - Islamophobia - Law and Religions - Law, Politics, and Religions - Literary Studies - Local Politics in Global Context/Global Politics in Local Context - Masculine Spiritualities/Feminine Spiritualities - Methodological Approaches to the Study of Religion in Africa - Nationalism and Religion in Africa - Plural Secularisms/Plural Religions - Political Theology - Post colonialism and Religion in Africa - Private Faiths, Public Religions - Private Politics, Public Policies - Recent Policy Changes on Religion in Africa - Religion and Empowerment - Religion and Ethics - Religion and Gender - Religion and Human Rights - Religion and Judicial Systems - Religion and Languages - Religion and Literary Expressions (Poetry/Prose/Drama) - Religion and Migration in Africa and the African Diaspora - Religion and Modernity - Religion and Nollywood - Religion and Poverty - Religion and Security issues - Religion and Terrorism - Religion and the Multimedia (musicals, films, etc) - Religion and the Social Media - Religion and Theories of the State in Africa - Religion and Violent Groups (e.g., ISIS, Boko Haram, The Lord’s Resistance Army, etc) - Religion and World Civilizations: Architecture; Art/Visual Art; Science and Technology - Religion and Youth Culture (e.g., Islamic Religious Culture: (Aid groups, musical ensembles, Muslim Students' Society, NACOMYO, Da'awa, etc.) - Religion as Identity Politics - Religion in African Schools and Universities - Religions, Race and other Identities - Religious Connections in the African Diaspora - Religious Conversion Mechanisms - Religious Culture in Africa - Religious Literatures - Religious, State, and Global Human Rights Movements - Religious/Political Freedom in Africa - Religious/Political Oppression in Africa - Religious/Political Pacifism in Africa - Religious/Political Violence in Africa - Slavery, Religion, and Politics - State Policy on Religion - State Secularism - The Vatican and Global Politics - Theocracy and Global Democracy - Transnational Religious Organizations - Other relevant topics Submission Information Submission is open now. Proposals for paper presentations, panels and/or performances should include a 150-200-word abstract and title, as well as the author's name, institutional affiliation/address, email address(es) and telephone number. All proposals for presentation and eventual publication must be the original work of the author/artist. The deadline for the submission of abstracts is April 1, 2019. All abstracts should be sent to [email protected] and also copied to [email protected]. Registration Details A mandatory, non-refundable registration fee must be paid as soon as an abstract is accepted. The registration fee for Nigeria-based scholars will be N17,500 and N10,000 for graduate students, while all international participants will pay $100. This conference fee includes admission to all panels, conference materials, lunch and breaks, and the conference banquet. A late registration fee of N2,500 applies for any payments made after the close of registration, including for those who choose onsite payment. Important Dates Below are the deadlines for each of the activities listed, showing the last day for intending participants to act: Abstract Submission: 1 April 2019 Notification of acceptance of Abstracts: 30 April 2019 Registration & Payment: 31 May 2019 Late Registration begins: 1 June 2019 Arrival for conference: 30 June 2019 Departure from conference: 4 July 2019 Full draft paper submission: Pre-conference, 31 May 2019 Full corrected paper submission: Post-conference, 5 August 2019 Conference Outcomes - The research papers presented will be reviewed for publication by editorial teams. - Accepted quality papers will form part of edited book series. Other chosen papers will also be recommended to special issues of relevant journals. It is expected that all publication processes will be completed within a year of the end of the conference, all things being equal. Conference website: http://tofac.com.ng __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: https://interphil.polylog.org InterPhil List Archive: https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ __________________________________________________
