2016
CfP for a book on African proverbs in honour of Prof. John S. Mbiti
A CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS to a book on African proverbs in honor of Prof. John S. Mbiti
Editors: Anne Kubai and Damaris Parsitau
Proposed title: Indigenous Epistemologies: African Proverbs on Human Relations, the Supernatural and the Environment
Prof. John Mbiti’s pioneering research and lifetime devotion to the study of African religions and philosophy is acclaimed globally. To honour Prof. Mbiti for his enormous contribution to scholarship, we are calling for essays to be put together in an edited volume.
When Prof. Mbiti gave his keynote speech at Egerton University during the AASR conference in 2012, he made a plea for research on African proverbs, which, in his view, is a theme that has not been adequately examined by African scholars of religion and philosophy. In his honor therefore, it is fitting for this volume to focus on a theme that he is interested in – that is the gap in current research on the philosophy and indigenous knowledge preserved in and transmitted through African proverbs.
With the processes of social change that have characterized the 21st Century, and the attendant weakening of ‘traditional’ social institutions, many societies are witnessing global challenges that call for multi-pronged responses. Without making the obvious reference to the terrain of social media, the question of knowledge – old and new – how it can be preserved, used and generated not only for social and economic advancement, but also as a common good in society, has come into sharp focus in recent times. One of the questions that needs to be answered is: what type of knowledge is not only necessary but also appropriate for different purposes? By focusing on African epistemologies through proverbs in his key note address at the African Association for the Study of Religions (AASR) conference in 2012, Prof. Mbiti called upon us at Egerton to take up the noble task of exploring this treasure of indigenous knowledge.
The contributions will take cognizance of Prof. Mbiti’s achievements in laying the foundation for the development of scholarship on African religion and philosophy, starting with his all-time classic An Introduction to African religions and Philosophy, published in 1969. The essays in the edited volume therefore, will be organized around (though not limited to) the following three broad areas:
(a) Analysis of proverbs that speak to the issues of human relations and wellbeing
- social networks
- peace and conflict
- taboos, rituals, behavior, etc
- gender relations
- health – the body, sexuality, etc
- rites of passage
(b) Analysis of proverbs that address the relationship between the supernatural and human beings
- sacrifices
- prayers
(c) Analysis of proverbs that address the relationship between human beings and the
environment, nature or natural resources
- sacred places: mountains, rivers, shrines, animals, etc
- human connection to land, sea, etc
Time frame
– Submission of abstracts: 30-12-2016
– Submission of first drafts of chapters: 30-4-2017
– Comments from reviewers to authors: 30-9-2017
– Submission of revised drafts: 30-12-2017
Please, send your proposal for a contribution to the editors:
Prof. Anne Kubai, anne.kubai@teol.uu.se
Dr. Damaris Parsitau, dparsitau@yahoo.com; dparsitau@egerton.ac.ke
NB. A writers’ workshop to bring together the writers for two days is envisaged in the project,
but this depends on the availability of funds.
2016
Conference: Leiden University Centre for the Study of Religion (10-11 November 2016)
The Leiden University Centre for the Study of Religion (LUCSOR) will be hosting an international conference on 10-11 November 2016. The theme is:
Compassion, Social Engagement, and Discontent: Believing and the Politics of Belonging in Europe Today
This LUCSoR conference aims to investigate forms and elements of religion in public settings and technologies of belonging in Europe today by taking compassion as a locus. We approach compassion not primarily as an emotion but as a social relation. Compassion may lead to social engagement, but also to the desire not to connect, to refuse engagement, or to turn away.
The conference is intended for scholars of religion of various disciplinary backgrounds interested in exploring new ways of studying religion in public settings.
The conference is free and open to all. Please register before 1 November 2016. For a tentative programme, see the conference website.
The papers start from small stories or vignettes of:
1. Compassion and social engagement of religious community groups and individuals
These may vary from local-based initiatives of informal care and volunteer aid, to more institutionalized forms of aid provided by religious community groups, such as faith-based refugee work and social service agencies caring for the poor and homeless. The vignettes provide a window into forms and elements of religion today and the politics of belonging: who deserves compassion, who is excluded or undeserving, and what does the response toward suffering entail?
2. Discontent and anxiety about multiculturalism in everyday life
This category of papers engages with a relatively under-researched topic: the discontent of the “angry” citizen, who feels ignored by politicians, who, unlike the elites in their ivory tower, experiences daily what it means to live in a multicultural society, and who may express her- or himself in riotous protests against the resettlement of refugees. What values underlie their discontent? What makes them reject certain forms of compassionate action and choose others?
The focus of the conference is Europe today, but other times and other places also receive attention.
2016
2 PhD Positions and 1 Faculty Position at University of Groningen
PhD scholarship in Theology and Religious Studies: Comparative Studies of Religion
More information
PhD scholarship in Faculty Theology and Religious Studies: Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Origins
More information
Assistant/Associate Professor Religion, Law and Human Rights (1.0 ate)
More information
2016
Job post: Assistant Professor in Material Culture and Religion at UPenn
Position Description: The Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor in the field of Religious Studies and Material/Visual Culture. Time period, religious tradition, and sub-specialization are open and may include scholars who approach the study of religion through related methodological approaches in the areas of art history, archaeology, architecture, ethnography, film and media studies, gender and embodiment, material texts, and visual studies. The search committee is interested in specialists with research experience in religions in Africa and the African Diaspora, the Americas, Asia, or the Middle East. The successful candidate for this new faculty position should have a compelling and original research agenda and a commitment to pursue it within the interdisciplinary framework offered by the Department of Religious Studies, the School of Arts and Sciences, and the wider University. Recent PhDs are particularly welcome to apply. The successful candidate will participate in the departmentas undergraduate and graduate teaching mission. A normal teaching load is 4 courses per year on a semester system. Interested candidates should apply at http://facultysearches.provost.upenn.edu/postings/960 and submit a letter of application, CV, statement of research, writing sample, and the contact information for three individuals who will be asked by the University to submit a letter of recommendation. Review of applications will begin November 1, 2016 and continue until the position is filled. The Department of Religious Studies is strongly committed to Pennas Action Plan for Faculty Diversity and Excellence and to creating a more diverse faculty (for more information see: http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/volumes/v58/n02/diversityplan.html). The University of Pennsylvania is an EOE. Minorities/Women/Individuals with disabilities/Protected Veterans are encouraged to apply.
2016
Call for Papers: THE BIBLE AND GENDER TROUBLES IN AFRICA
Biblical scholars and other academics are invited to contribute an article to the forthcoming volume of the BiAS series. The articles should focus very rigidly on the topic of THE BIBLE AND GENDER TROUBLES IN AFRICA. Articles that tend to ignore the topic will be rejected. The volume will be peer-reviewed. Every contributor will be expected to act anonymously as peer-reviewer for another article.
Deadline for submission is END OF APRIL 2017. Please send your article to: joachim.kuegler@online.de Please tell us as soon as possible if you are planning to contribute an article.
Style regulations:
Please avoid formatting a lot. Footnotes are reserved for real annotations. Bibliographical reference is given within the main te+t like this (Kuegler 2010:35) i.e. (Author Year: Page). For the full bibliographic information add a literature list at the end of your te+x. Please avoid internet links in the main te+t. Include them in the literature list and quote them according to the short way given above. Every article should start with a short summary (not more than 10 lines). At the end (after the literature list) some information on the author should be given: Full name (as used in publications); academic titles; professional status; university; research fields; one or two important publications; e-mail
