2013
A New Book by Victor Ezigbo, Bethel University
Ezigbo, Victor, 2013, Introducing Christian Theologies, Volume One: Voices from Global Christian Communities. Eugene [OR}: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 304 pp., ISBN 13: 978-1-61097-364-9 (pbk), US$33 (retail price), US$26.40 (web price)
Should Christianity’s theological face remain largely European and North American in the twenty-first century in the wake of the expansion of Christianity in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America? The question about the “theological face” of Christianity cannot be ignored. For too long African, Asian, and Latin American theologians have been left out of mainstream theological discussions. Few standard textbooks on Christian theology acknowledge the unique contributions theologians from these continents have made to global Christianity. Introducing Christian Theologies: Voices from Global Christian Communities is a two-volume textbook that alters the predominantly European and North American “theological face” of Christianity by interacting with the voices of the Christian communities from around the globe. Introducing Christian Theologies explores the works of key theologians from across the globe, highlighting their unique contributions to Christian theology and doctrine. It covers preliminary issues in theology, divine revelation, Scripture, the Trinity, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, and divine providence and creation. It presents the views of classical and contemporary theologians as well as male and female theologians. The textbook is also ecumenical: it converses with voices from different church denominations & traditions; and it is global: it converses with theologians from different parts of the world.
2013
IAHR-IC Meeting, Liverpool, UK, 14.09.2013
The International Committee (IC) of the International Association for the Study of Religions (IAHR) will meet at Liverpool, UK, on 4 September 2013, during the 12th EASR Annual Conference at Liverpool Hope University, 3-6 September 2013.
IAHR-IC meetings are held at the IAHR quinquennial congresses and mid-term, e.g. at Toronto, Canada, in 2010 during the last IAHR congress; mid-term in 2013 at Liverpool; and in 2015 at Ehrfurt, Germany, during the next AASR congress. Members of the IAHR-IC meetings with speaking and voting rights are two delegates of the odd-forty national and regional associations affiliated to the IAHR, and the members of the IAHR Executive.
The AASR President, Prof. Elias Bongmba, and the IAHR Secretary General, Prof. Afe Adogame, will attend the IAHR-IC as the two AASR delegates.
The agenda of this important meeting, and all the documents relating to it, have been published online as a PDF at www.iahr.dk/bulletins/IAHR_e-Bull_Suppl_August_2013.pdf
2013
Affiliation w/ AAR
Great news! We have started consultations to seek affiliate status with the African Studies Association (ASA) For now we are interested in affiliate membership only. However, if you are a member of the ASA, please let President Bongmba know (bongmba@rice.edu) because if 25 members of the AASR are members of the ASA, we would ask for Coordinate status which allows us to organize our own panels at the annual meetings of the ASA if our application is approved.
2013
Congratulations Prof. Wuaku!
We congratulate Professor Albert Wuaku who has been promoted to Associate Professor of Religious Studies with tenure at Albert has published in Hinduism in Ghana and currently doing research on the religious traditions of Haiti. Congratulations Prof. Wuaku! 
2013
A new book by Frans Wijsen, AASR Representative for Europe
Wijsen, Frans, 2013, Religious Discourse, Social Cohesion and Conflict: Studying Muslim-Christian Relations. Oxford, etc. Peter Lang Academic Publishing, 231 pp., ISBN 978-3-0343-0944-8 (pbk.), €52, BP42, US$67.95; ISBN 978-3-0353-0484-8 (eBook), €52, BP42, US$67.95 (= Religions and Discourse, 55)
This book analyses religious identity transformations through inter-religious relations. It aims to highlight the link between religious discourse and social cohesion, or the lack of such a link, and ultimately seeks to contribute to the dominant discourse on Muslim–Christian relations. The book is based on fieldwork in Indonesia and Tanzania, and is timely because of the growing tensions between Muslims and Christians in both countries. Its relevance lies in its fresh look at theories of religion and science.
From its establishment as an academic discipline, the phenomenology of religion has dominated religious studies. Its theory of religion is ‘realist’ (religion is a reality ‘in itself’) and its view of science is objectivist (scientific knowledge is true if its representation of reality corresponds with reality itself). Based on Discourse Theory, the author argues that religion does not exist ‘in itself’. Human practices and artifacts become religious because they are placed in a narrative context by the believers. By using discourse analysis as a research method, the author shows how religious identities in Tanzania and Indonesia are constructed, negotiated and manipulated in order to gain material or symbolic profit.
