Author: aledthomasbasr

BASR Annual Conference 2023

In collaboration with CenSAMM

Clare College, Cambridge

11 – 13 September 2023

“Environmental Endings and Religious Futures”

Keynote Speakers:

Professor Catherine Wessinger, Professor of the History of Religions, Loyola University New Orleans.

Dr. Katherine Swancutt, Reader in Social Anthropology, King’s College London.

Conference Timetable:

Call for Papers:

Religions have long offered frameworks of meaning for concepts of world ending. Amid the contemporary social and political importance of climate change and fears about environmental degradation, ideas of world ending and widespread cataclysm have become pressing in both religious and secular contexts. Equally, as apocalyptic discourses proliferate, so too do human imaginations of the future, with optimistic and pessimistic narratives of the post-apocalyptic world jostling for attention. Reflecting on these overlapping strands, the theme of this year’s annual conference is “Environmental Endings and Religious Futures.”  

Held in collaboration with the Centre for the Critical Study of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements (CenSAMM), BASR 2023 invites submissions reflecting on how religion interacts with narratives of environmental decline, catastrophe, hope, and renewal. We also invite submissions reflecting on the connections and tensions between religious practice, environmental activism, and climate justice (as well as passivity and injustice). We also welcome critical and methodological studies of the ways Religious Studies scholars might seek to understand and evaluate the complex ways that religious beliefs and practices interact with contemporary concerns about imminent environmental cataclysm.

This year, we are offering up to four full bursaries (excluding travel) for students and early career researchers. In addition, as part of our increased commitment to diversity in all its forms, we will be awarding an additional two full bursaries for those who self-identify as belonging to an under-represented Protected Characteristic. As well as these, we are offering up to five partial bursaries of £150 each for those facing financial challenges, irrespective of their status, though priority will be given to those attending the full conference and who will be travelling by public transport.

Please find the application form attached below and return the form to S.Owen@leedstrinity.ac.uk by the deadline of 14 July 2023. 

While some practical details for the conference are still being arranged, we have included below a breakdown of the various cost options for the event. As always, we have worked hard to secure the best possible deal for delegates, and are thankful for the financial support we have received from CenSAMM and from the University of Cambridge to help make the event as affordable as possible. Costs are as follows:

All Inclusive Conference Package: £360 (full conference registration, all meals including gala dinner, and two nights single ensuite B&B at Clare).

Full Conference Package (no accommodation): £180 (as above, minus B&B).

Whole Conference Day Rate: £100 (registration for whole conference, including lunches and coffee breaks)

Single Day Rate: £50 (one day conference registration, including lunch and coffee breaks)

Single Ensuite B&B at Clare: £90 per night

Cafeteria Dinner: £20 each

Gala Dinner: £40

Whole Conference Online Registration for BASR Members: free

Whole Conference Online Registration for waged non-members: £40

Whole Conference Online Registration for unwaged non-members: £25

General questions concerning the conference should be directed to the Conference Committee at BASRconference2023@gmail.com. Please keep an eye on your junk folders for potential correspondence!

BASR 2022 Conference

Booking is now open for the first in-person BASR conference since the beginning of the pandemic (with hybrid options)! The conference is taking place from 30 August to 1 September at The Open University, Milton Keynes. See here for booking and more information: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/british-association-for-the-study-of-religions-annual-conference-2022-tickets-380260729077

The conference schedule, including individual papers, is also available here:

We are also offering four full bursaries for students and early career researchers – which cover the full conference package accommodation, but not travel – and an additional eight bursaries of £100 to assist colleagues who are facing financial hardship. An application form, which must be returned to the BASR Secretary by 3 August, can be found here:

This year the theme of the British Association for the Study of Religions (BASR) conference focuses on Religion and Public Engagement. We want to explore the many ways in which religion engages with various specific publics, and various publics engage with religion (however construed).

Religion can be used to motivate and inflame ‘the public’ – from encouraging support or opposition to war in the Ukraine, storming the US Capitol building in support of freedom, or to accept or refuse a vaccine. Although relevant aspects of current events may seem obvious to scholars of religion, we must proactively work to justify our subject of study as important and relevant to others. We are also increasingly expected to engage specific publics and demonstrate impact from our research. Reflections on how, why, where, when, and with whom we engage are very welcome.

Fittingly, this year’s conference is co-sponsored by Inform (www.inform.ac) which exists to prevent harm based on misinformation by bringing the insights and methods of academic research into the public domain.

We look forward to welcoming you all at this year’s conference!