The conference page for the upcoming 2020 conference has been updated. The conferencewill now be a virtual event, free to attend. A link will be made available on the conference page nearer the time.
Category: news
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BASR Letter to University of Gloucestershire
Re: Threat to jobs in the Religion, Philosophy and Ethics department at the University
of Gloucestershire
Dear Vice Chancellor Stephen Marston,As the executive committee of the British Association for the Study of Religions, we
write to urge you to reconsider the very real threat of job losses in the Religion,
Philosophy and Ethics department, a department that is greatly valued nationally and
internationally. We recognise the pressures on the university in the current economic
climate but consider this to be precisely the wrong time to diminish scholarly debate
about religion and religions. The academic study of religion has a key role within
higher education institutions in its critical examination of the essential historical role
of religions in culture and society. Moreover; the study of contemporary religions in a
global perspective is a vital aspect of scholarly studies informing current geo-political
debates, issues of religious identity, sustainability, social justice and what it is to be
human.The Religion, Philosophy and Ethics department at the University of Gloucestershire
is a vibrant and dynamic department and colleagues are at the cutting edge in terms
of research in such areas as contemporary Hinduism and Islam, continental
philosophy, social justice and sustainability. Their work in the wider debate
concerning BAMEs and issues of social justice is crucial and more important than
ever in the current situation. The intersection of the growing importance of
understanding religion and the quality of your Religion, Philosophy and Ethics
department encourage us to hope that you will find ways to support the continued
work of our esteemed colleagues.Yours sincerely,
Prof Bettina Schmidt, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, President of the British
Association for Study of ReligionsDr Stephen Gregg, Wolverhampton University, Honorary Secretary of the British
Association for Study of ReligionsDr Chris Cotter, University of Edinburgh, Honorary Treasurer of the British
Association for Study of Religions -
BASR Annual Conference| September 7, 2020
Due to the 22nd Congress of the IAHR, the 2020 BASR Annual Conference will be a one-day event, held at the Open University in Milton Keynes.
Paper and panel submissions are welcome on any aspect of the historical, social, theoretical, critical and comparative study of religion/s. The conference has no single theme.
Additionally, contributions are sought for open panels on:
· ‘Worldviews’ in religious education (curated by Wendy Dossett)
· Teaching and Learning (curated by current T&L Fellow, Dawn Llewellyn)
· approaches to and studies of minority religions (curated by INFORM)The conference will close with a reception in honour of Peggy Morgan, with tributes from many of her colleagues, to acknowledge and celebrate her great contribution to the field.
SUBMISSION:
Please send a word document containing a 200-word abstract, short bio and contact details to basrcon@gmail.com. Deadline for submissions is Friday, May 29, 2020 -
BASR Ethics Guidelines
BASR Ethics Guidelines final 17092019
Following several roundtable discussions at conferences, the BASR has decided to establish a guidelines of ethics for researchers to consider.
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BASR 2019 Bursary Information
Are you a PhD student or Early Careers Researcher who wishes to attend the British Association in the Study of Religion? The BASR is pleased to present conference bursaries for early stage academics, in order to help to foster the helpful and learning environment the conference provides.Please note that you must be (or become) a member of BASR to qualify for a Bursary, and that bursary holders are required to co-author a report on the conference for the BASR Bulletin, and to attend the BASR AGM during the conference.
Please email your application by 15 May 2019 to: Dr Stephen Gregg, s.gregg@wlv.ac.uk
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“Visualising Cultures: Media, Technology and Religion” Leeds Trinity University, 2-4 September 2019
Finalised schedule now available!! Click Here to Download Now
The British Association for the Study of Religions (BASR) is receptive to including the
participation of scholars in other disciplines and fields of study. This year, the conference
will be held in collaboration with documentary film makers from Leeds Trinity University’s Media, Film and Culture team and IRIS (International Research Centre for Interactive storytelling) and will include the screening of several documentary projects. As such, we welcome papers and panels on the theme of screen media, film and religion as well as on the academic study of religion/s more generally.This can include religion in all types of media, including, but not limited to:
• Film
• Documentary
• Gaming – virtual worlds
• Digital technology
• Production of screen media projects on religionIn addition, we welcome any research approach applicable to the study of religion/s,
including but not limited to:
• Visual ethnography
• Filmmaking
• Collaborative practice
• Photo-elicitation
• Other innovative research methodsSelected papers will be published in the peer-reviewed open-access Journal of the British
Association for the Study of Religions (JBASR).Keynote: Dr James Kapalo, University College, Cork, who is the Principal Investigator of
the European Research Council Project Creative Agency and Religious Minorities: Hidden
Galleries in the Secret Police Archives in Central and Eastern Europe (Hidden Galleries).
For his research profile, see http://research.ucc.ie/profiles/A040/jkapaloPanel proposal (title, 200-word abstract, participants’ titles, abstracts) deadline: 15 May 2019
Paper proposal (presenter/s, title, 200-word abstract) deadline: 1 June 2019
Send to: basrcon@gmail.comBursary applications (to cover full conference package) for postgraduate and early-career scholars: please complete the form (which is available here) and send directly to the Secretary of the BASR (email is on the form). Deadline: 15 May 2019
Conference team:
Dr Suzanne Owen, Reader in Religious Studies [contact for conference queries]
Dr Stefano Odorico, Reader in Contemporary Screen Media
Ilaria Vecchi, PGR in the School of Arts and Communicationbasr 2019 conference cfp
leeds trinity location map
campus map – sept 2018
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BASR-ISASR Conference Programme Available
We are delighted to announce that the complete programme booklet for next week’s conference is now available and has been circulated around delegates. It can be downloaded below.
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Research in Religion – One Day Conference
CfP: Research in Religion CfP final
“Research in Religion” is a one-day interdisciplinary conference organized jointly by the University of Edinburgh and Queen’s University, Belfast. The conference will explore the impact of religion and belief in various local, national, and international contexts, and will create a space for scholars across Scotland and Ireland to meet and exchange ideas in a lively and supportive environment.
The conference will include a plenary session from Logia, an initiative of the University of St Andrews’ Logos Institute designed to support women in divinity, led by Christa McKirland (University of St Andrews) and Dr. Iyiola Solanke (University of Leeds).
The conference will take place in New College, Edinburgh, on 20 October 2018.
Find out more on their website here.
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BASR Annual Teaching Fellowship
BASRTeachingFellowship_ApplicationForm
The British Association for the Study of Religion’s Annual Teaching Fellowship is now in its second year, and taking applications.
Self-nominations are welcomed, but please also encourage colleagues who you think should be applying to submit an application.The application form is attached. The deadline for applications is 1st June 2018 – please email the form to Hon. Secretary Stephen Gregg at s.gregg@wlv.ac.uk.___________________________________________________________________________________________British Association for the Study of Religions Teaching Fellowship
BASR Executive proposes a new Fellowship for Teaching and Learning for members of the Association.
1. Teaching Fellowship to be £300 plus a funded place at BASR Annual conference.
2. Teaching Fellowship to be instigated for an initial period of 3 years before review by BASR executive committee.
3. A single Fellowship to be made annually
4. Applications or nominations to be sent to BASR Executive Secretary (application form on BASR website)
5. Eligibility – BASR members of over 1 year standing
6. Deadline for applications or nominations 1st June in each Academic year
7. Applications to be submitted in any format up to a maximum of equivalent 3000 wordsThe foci of applications to meet the criteria of excellence, innovation and transformation of the student learning experience in the study of Religions. Applications may include some, but not necessarily all of the following examples areas of excellence and types of evidence.
Examples of areas of excellence are:
* impact, national and local, on enhancing pedagogic practice in Religious Studies
* publications and cutting edge research on teaching and learning in RS
* creative teaching projects for specific modules or across a course
* organisation and evidence for field work, study trips
* innovative course design enabling flexible and distributed learning
* transformative projects with profound experiential learning outcomes
* individual excellence in teaching and learning,
* effective collaborationsExamples of Types of Evidence
* Metrics – course evaluations; impact data
* Publications and products
* Citation and reference by other scholars
* Links to public social media
* Reference by colleagueFellowship holders Responsibilities
1. To present a report at the September conference
2. To write a short article for the ‘Teaching Matters’ section of the Bulletin for either Nov or May of year following receipt of Fellowship.Application
Applicants will be self-nominated using the form on the BASR website -
Open Letter To UUK On USS Dispute
Hello all, our President Steven Sutcliffe has signed the linked letter to Alistair Jarvis, Chief Executive of UUK. Please circulate as you see fit, thought it is an important read in the middle of what has now been 13 days of striking.
https://tinyurl.com/y9jrb8pk -
BASR | For Students
As you will most likely be aware, the joint BASR/ISASR Conference is now accepting paper and panel submissions (more information can be found here). For those of you in university jobs, you are well versed in how conferences like these go, and you know what to expect. But for those of you, and there may be loads of you, who are new to this strange academic world of papers and conferences – new Masters and PhD students – you may not know what to expect from this event.
Luckily, the Religious Studies Project is here to help. At the 2017 BASR Conference which took place at University of Chester, the wonderful folk with the Religious Studies Project recorded a short video highlighting how the BASR conference can help new and grown postgraduates.
You can find the video here.
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2018 Joint Conference with ISASR
We are pleased to announce the first joint annual conference between the BASR and Irish Society for the Academic Study of Religions (ISASR) to be held at Queen’s University Belfast in association with RSRF and HAPP on 3-5 September 2018, to bring together all scholars working in the academic study of religion/s in the UK, the Republic of Ireland and beyond. The conference theme is Borders and Boundaries: ‘Religion’ on the Periphery, and will feature keynote from Gladys Ganiel (Queen’s University, Belfast) and Naomi Goldenberg (University of Ottawa). Please see here, or the attached PDFs, for more information.
**The call for papers for this conference has now closed, and the organizers are working on a draft schedule. Registration is open, and will close on 3 August 2018. The link to the booking system is here: https://knock.qub.ac.uk/ecommerce/basr/index.php
The conference will open around 12.30pm on 3 September, and close around 1.30pm on 5 September. More details to follow.**
British Association for the Study of Religions 