Author: aledthomasbasr

Call for Papers: Futures and Frontiers

Joint Conference between the British Association for the Study of Religions (BASR) and the Irish Society for the Academic Study of Religions (ISASR) organised in conjunction with the Centre for the Critical Study of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements (CenSAMM).

19-21 August 2026

The conference will be held at Dublin City University, All Hallows Campus, Grace Park Rd, Drumcondra, Dublin, D09 N920, Ireland.

Confirmed Keynote Speaker:

Marion Bowman (The Open University)

Oliver Scharbrodt (Lund University)

Current experiences of ecological, political and economic instability and fragmentation are reconfiguring anticipations of the future. On the one hand, liberal ideas of technological progress, shared prosperity and political freedom increasingly share space with dystopias of climate collapse, re-feudalisation, technological determinism and the rise of authoritarianism. On the other, the idea of the frontier – as a line, border or limit – increasingly defines the public square, whether the conversation concerns AI and the limits of personhood or national identity and the borders of the state. The BASR and the ISASR invite panels, roundtables and papers on the themes of Futures and Frontiers. Contributions may wish to address the following themes:

• Millenarian and apocalyptic traditions;
• Secularization or the resurgence of religion;
• Religion and technology;
• Divination and prophecy;
• Transhumanism and posthumanism;
• Religion and populism;
• Religion and mobilities;
• Postcolonial religion;
• Boundaries of ‘religion’;
• Future of the study of religion(s).

Scholars working on religion and related categories are welcome to submit proposals on any topic whether or not it relates to the conference theme, though priority will be given to proposals that address the conference theme.

Deadline for proposals: May 15, 2026

Please send title, abstract of no more than 150 words, and your affiliation, if any, to: basrisasr@gmail.com 

Confirmation of participation by email: May 18, 2026

Deadline for booking accommodation through DCU: May 31, 2026

Deadline for registration: June 15, 2026

Conference Registration link here

Bursaries

Several bursaries for postgraduate students and ECRs will be available and, as part of our commitment to diversity, 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 (covering conference registration and conference meal) 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.

To apply for a bursary, please complete the form available here and follow the submission instructions.

Conference costs

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 to help make the event as affordable as possible. Costs are as follows:

Full Conference (to include lunches and teas/coffees; accommodation and conference dinner booked separately): €110

Single Day Rate (one day conference registration, including lunch and coffee breaks): €50 for Wed/Fri, €75 for Thursday

Conference Dinner (capped at 60 participants): €40 (drinks not included)

The conference dinner will be held on the evening of Thursday 20th August. There is a cap of 60 attendees on a first come basis. The other evenings are open for delegates to explore Dublin, and we will circulate helpful information closer to the time.

The conference will begin early afternoon on the 19th and end around lunchtime on the 21st August.

Follow eventbrite link to sign up.

Accommodation: 

Rooms are available through DCU on both the DCU All Hallows Campus, and the DCU Glasnevin Campus (ca. 3km from All Hallows). Single, twin, and double rooms are available on a first come, first serve basis. Room rates include bed and breakfast. For those wanting to come early or stay on after the conference, rooms can be booked for a day in advance of and following the conference. Accessible rooms are available on the Glasevin campus. Accommodation through DCU can be cancelled up to one month before the check-in date, so we advise booking as soon as possible with this in mind.

Accommodation bookings must be made by 31 May 2026. Click here to make your room booking.

Room Rates (per night, breakfast included): 

• All Hallows Small Double Ensuite: €120
• All Hallows Double Ensuite: €130
• All Hallows Single Ensuite: €110
• Glasnevin Superior Twin: €130

For those looking for hotel accommodation, we can recommend the Skylon Hotel, which is a 5 minute walk from All Hallows, or the Maples House Hotel, which is c. 2km from All Hallows.

General questions concerning the conference should be directed to the Conference Committee at basrisasr@gmail.com.* 

*Please keep an eye on your junk folders for correspondence!

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!