Upper Midwest American Academy of Religion Regional Meeting University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN April 10, 2021
Call for Papers: The Regional Program Committee of the AAR invites proposals for individual papers to be presented at the 2021 Regional Meeting in St. Paul, MN. The deadline for all submissions is December 31, 2020. Decisions regarding the acceptance or rejection of papers will be communicated to proposers by mid-February. The Upper Midwest AAR meets at the same time and location as the Society of Biblical Literature regional meeting and in cooperation with them, although our Call for Papers is independent.
We also invite proposals for panels and roundtables with several presentations or discussants. The individual who is proposing the panel or roundtable should organize these sessions ahead of time. Paper presentations at such panels also need to be proposed as individual papers with an indication that paper is part of a prearranged panel.
Proposals may address any aspect of the discipline of Religious Studies and closely related disciplines such as International Studies, Philosophy, the History of Science, Literature, Art, and the Social Sciences. We seek proposals on various religious traditions and from a variety of perspectives, including historical, philosophical, theological, philological, social scientific, comparative, and political. We also have several joint sections with the SBL. Although we currently do not publish the proceedings of the conference, we anticipate that a good number of the papers will be of adequate quality for review by scholarly journals.
Conference plans amidst the pandemic: Our initial aim is to plan for a hybrid (part in- person, part on-line) conference for April 10, 2021, at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN. However, given the uncertainty of the situation of the pandemic, we are also preparing for the online presentation of all papers. The Regional Board will make an evaluation of the situation in the spring whether to switch completely to an online conference and alert participants as soon as possible. Considering the need for flexibility, please indicate with your proposal submission whether you would be able to attend in-person, online, or in either circumstance.
Proposals from last year’s conference: All proposals which were accepted for last spring’s conference (2020) but which were not presented at the digital meeting last spring are accepted for presentation in the program for the spring of 2021. Those of you who did not present digitally should already have received an email from us asking you to confirm your acceptance for the spring of 2021; we have heard back from most of you. If your proposal was accepted last year but you have not heard from us, please contact us as soon as possible to confirm your intention to present your paper. Although it may be that we will have an online rather than in-person conference, please indicate whether you would be able to attend in-person, online, or in either situation. Provided you do not make any changes to your title or proposal, we will include what we received from you this last spring as your submission. We have a list of names of those who have confirmed they would like to resubmit, so we will be sure you are included.
All presenters at the regional meeting must register for the conference. Please check the AAR-SBL Regional website in January for instructions on conference registration.
For Master’s Students: The region encourages MA students to present strong papers. Paper proposals from MA students must be accompanied by the nomination of a faculty advisor. Please include the name and contact information of the faculty advisor in your submission.
For Undergraduates: Reflecting the preponderance of undergraduate institutions in our region, the Upper Midwest regional meeting includes undergraduate papers. The region welcomes the full scholarly participation of undergraduate members in the meeting.
Please note the following requirements for undergraduate papers: • Undergraduates may submit paper proposals for the Undergraduate Research Sessions only. • Each instructor (full-time, contingent, adjunct, or other faculty) may propose two undergraduate papers by students from their institutions; the faculty from these institutions are responsible for selecting the two papers for submission and for vetting them for quality. • Undergraduate students should complete the online registration but there is no registration fee. • Each undergraduate paper must include the name and email address of the faculty sponsor at the end of the paper abstract. The Undergraduate Research Sessions are convened by Dr. James Kroemer, Concordia University, Mequon, WI. • Instructor sponsors should submit undergraduate proposals by email to Dr. James Kroemer ([email protected]). Please indicate in the subject line of your email “Undergraduate Submission to AAR.” It is unnecessary for undergraduate submissions to be done with the Form used for submissions.
Proposal Requirements: All AAR Proposals (except undergraduate proposals, instructions above) should be submitted through this form (linked here). Questions about this form should be directed to the current AAR Regionally Elected Coordinator Dr. Terry Kleven ([email protected]). All papers will be sent to unit reviewers anonymously; names and institutions will be removed before reviewers see proposals. Please indicate the session to which you wish to present your paper. Each proposal should include a title. The proposal text should be no longer than 300 words, and it should formulate a scholarly topic or problem for inquiry and articulate a thesis or argument.
Proposals which are part of a prearranged panel or roundtable should be the same length and should indicate their contribution to the panel. The individual papers being submitted for these prearranged panels need to identify for which panel they are being submitted. There should be communication between the organizer(s) of the panel and the individual submitting a paper to it prior to submission to AAR.
JOINT AAR/SBL SESSIONS MULTICULTURAL PERSPECTIVES ON THEOLOGY, RELIGION AND BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION This section seeks papers that address theology, religion, or the Bible from diverse racial, ethnic, and demographic perspectives in conversation with analysis of other forms of difference. Coordinators: Bernon Lee, Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota Victor Ezigbo, Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota
TEACHING RELIGION, THEOLOGY, AND THE BIBLE This section welcomes proposals on topics that explore pedagogical issues specific to the teaching of religion, theology and the Bible in undergraduate, graduate, or seminary settings. Analyses of educational theory, teaching practices and the ways values affect teaching and learning are encouraged. In addition to papers, presentations may include opportunities to engage participants in activities or discussion. Coordinator: Suzanne Hequet, Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota
WOMEN IN THE BIBLE Submissions are sought on topics having to do with women and the Bible. This includes papers or creative presentations dealing with women who appear in biblical texts or with feminist, womanist, or mujerista readings of biblical texts. In addition, this section deals with the reception of biblical texts by a woman or women throughout history, or discussions of how a text has affected women at different points in time. Coordinator: Susan Myers, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota
MARTIN LUTHER STUDY GROUP "Reading, Writing, and Teaching Martin Luther," A Panel Discussion. An invited group of scholars from the region will discuss approaches to Luther's life, with special reference to the spate of recent biographies of the Reformer. The 500th anniversary of the 95 Theses occasioned numerous new biographies of Luther. And now, after some time to digest, it is time to discuss: 1) What's new, interesting, distinctive? 2) Which approach the "definitive" category? 3) Which might be particularly well-suited for use in a classroom setting? 4) Any new paradigm/approach worthy of note? Coordinator: The Rev. Dr. William R. Russell, Pastor, Augustana Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota
AAR SESSIONS
BUDDHISM Submissions are welcomed on topics in all areas of the study of Buddhism. Historical periods of interest may range from the inception of Buddhism to the present, and may relate to texts, traditions, teachings, or practices from any geographical area where Buddhism has been or is present, whether Asia, the West, or elsewhere. We seek proposals for scholarly inquiries into a variety of topics: philological and textual studies, new translations, intellectual history, philosophy, art, literature, ethics, ritual, sociology, psychology, centers of education, both ancient and modern, the liberal arts, digital and technological developments in research, and politics, to mention only a number of commonly-recognized topics of inquiry. Proposals are encouraged from both established scholars and graduate students. Coordinators: Donna Brown, St. Paul’s College/ University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Terry Kleven, Central College, Pella, Iowa
ETHICS This section seeks papers that address the intersection of religion and ethics. All papers concerned with this general area of interest are welcome. Topics may be contemporary or historical in nature, and both analytical and practical perspectives are welcome. For the 2021 meeting, preference will be given to papers that explore how moral dimensions of religious life have shaped or been shaped by the significant social, political, and economic events of 2020 (e.g. the global pandemic, Black Lives Matter, 30th anniversary of the ADA, etc.). Coordinator: Dave Scott, Morningside College, Sioux City, Iowa
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES ON RELIGION This section seeks papers dealing with the theological, cultural, intellectual, and institutional history of all religious traditions. Of special interest would be papers dealing with interactions between Muslims, Jews, and Christians throughout history. Coordinator: Jim Kroemer, Concordia University, Mequon, Wisconsin
INTERRELIGIOUS STUDIES This section invites proposals that critically examine, through various modes and methods of inquiry, encounters and relations, in the contemporary world and historically, between, within, and/or among groups with significant difference in worldview or lifeway (including religious, spiritual, and secular traditions). We welcome proposals that are multi- and interdisciplinary, incorporate alternative pedagogies of presentation, make use of new media, and reflect the dialogical nature of this field. In addition to encouraging critical analysis of local, regional, national, and international interfaith organizational models and other praxis-oriented responses to religious pluralism, we also welcome papers that map the discourse of interreligious studies. Coordinator: Hans Gustafson, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota
JUDAISM We invite proposals on topics related to Judaism in any historical period and in any geographical place. We encourage papers on a variety of topics, including Rabbinic Judaism, Medieval Judaism, and Judaism during and after the Enlightenment. We welcome a variety of types of inquiry, including textual, philological, philosophical, legal, historical, and political, and from both established scholars and graduate students. Coordinators: Samuel Kessler, Gustavus Adolphus College, Saint Peter, Minnesota Terry Kleven, Central College, Pella, Iowa
ISLAM We invite proposals on topics in Islamic Studies. We are especially interested in Classical Islamic religious, literary, and philosophical studies, but we also encourage proposals on topics on Islam and the modern world as these topics emerge in various countries and diverse cultural contexts. We would like to know more what type of research is being done in Islamic Studies, especially as it is pertinent to Islamic communities in our region. We welcome proposals from established and contingent faculty as well as graduate students. Coordinators: Terry Kleven, Central College, Pella, Iowa Samuel Kessler, Gustavus Adolphus College, Saint Peter, Minnesota
NEW RELIGIONS This section seeks papers relating to religious movements less than 150 years old, as well as recent sects and movements emerging from historical traditions, worldwide, from a wide range of disciplinary approaches. Coordinator: Murphy Pizza, St. Catherine University / Minneapolis College of Art and Design / St. Mary’s University of Minnesota
PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION/ SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY This section invites papers that examine the interface between philosophy and religion, including both philosophical positions within religion and philosophy of religion more generally, as well as constructive theological work in dialogue with both historical traditions and aspects of the contemporary context. Coordinator: Andrés Albertsen, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota
RELIGIONS IN NORTH AMERICA This section seeks proposals analyzing religious traditions, practices, and communities in North America from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives. Coordinator: Murphy Pizza, St. Catherine University / Minneapolis College of Art and Design / St. Mary’s University of Minnesota
RELIGION AND SCIENCE This section encourages proposals that engage the intersection of religion and science as an academic discipline. A wide range of topics are welcome, especially those that look at current issues in religion/science debate, methodology, and the historical engagement of religion and science. Scholars from all disciplines are welcome to submit, both from the humanities and the sciences. In the spirit of creating themed sections, proposals that engage psychology, cognitive science, and religion are especially encouraged, but all relevant proposals are welcome. Coordinator: James C. Ungureanu, Historian in Residence, George L. Mosse Program in History, University of Wisconsin-Madison
RELIGION, GENDER AND SEXUALITY The Religion, Gender, and Sexuality Unit invites individual and panel proposals on religion, gender, and sexuality at the intersections of race, ethnicity, class, ability, and nation. Submissions are welcome on all topics that explore religious ideas and institutions in relation to social and cultural constructions of gender and/or sexuality. We encourage proposals from various cultural and religious traditions that analyze gender and/or sexuality in local and transnational contexts. This unit consolidates the women & religion and religion & sexuality units Coordinator: C. Neal Keye, College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, Minnesota
RELIGION, THEOLOGY, AND THE ARTS Submissions are welcome on all topics examining the theoretical, historical, and/or practical interrelationships among religion, theology, spirituality, and the arts. In 2021, the session is particularly interested in receiving papers treating concepts of distance (e.g., “6 ft”), touch and intimacy, and imagining new futures—particularly considering the ongoing pandemic and uprisings. We are open but not limited to papers treating the visual, musical, literary, and dramatic arts. Coordinator: Jennifer Awes-Freeman, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, St. Paul, Minnesota
WORLD RELIGIONS Submissions are welcomed on topics in all areas of South Asian and East Asian religions, focusing on Hinduism (South Asia) and the religions of Shinto, Confucius, and the Dao (East Asia). Historical periods of interest are open, from the inception of these traditions to the present, and may relate to texts, traditions, teachings, or practices from any geographical area where these traditions have been present, whether Asia, the West, or elsewhere. We seek proposals for scholarly inquiries into a variety of topics: philological and textual studies, new translations, intellectual history, philosophy, art, literature, ethics, ritual, sociology, psychology, centers of education, both ancient and modern, the liberal arts, digital and technological developments in research, and politics, to mention only a number of commonly-recognized topics of inquiry. Proposals are encouraged from both established scholars and graduate students. Coordinator: Michael Baltutis, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, Wisconsin
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS Scholars may submit only one paper proposal to one session of the Upper Midwest AAR regional meeting.
QUESTIONS AND OTHER TOPICS Questions about the upcoming meeting or the appropriate section for proposals should be directed to the current Regionally Elected Coordinator, Dr. Terry Kleven, [email protected]). Proposals for panels on topics not listed in the Call for Papers are to be brought to his attention. Papers for submission to the SBL should contact Dr. Blake Couey ([email protected]).
TRAVEL GRANTS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS The Upper Midwest region is pleased to announce the availability of a limited number of awards to graduate students for completed papers. The Upper Midwest AAR/SBL Student Travel Grant is competitive. Two hundred fifty dollars and one night of housing during the conference will be awarded to a small number of graduate students on the basis of a submitted paper of appropriate length for a cogent 20-minute presentation (that is, no more than 2500 words. To apply, please submit papers to Dr. Terry Kleven ([email protected]) with the exact subject line “Submission: UMW Student Paper Travel Grant Competition” by December 31, 2019.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS (see website for additional information):
We are excited to announce that our AAR national plenary speaker for 2021 will be Professor José Ignacio Cabezón, the Dalai Lama Professor of Tibetan Buddhist Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara and current President of the American Academy of Religion. Professor Cabezón’s contribution to Buddhist Studies is exemplified by his book Sexuality in Classical South Asian Buddhism.
We are also glad to announce the SBL regional plenary speaker for 2021 will be Professor Bernard M. Levinson, the Berman Family Chair in Jewish Studies and Hebrew Bible and Professor of Classical and Near Eastern Studies and of Law at the University of Minnesota. Professor Levinson’s contribution to Biblical and Legal Studies is exemplified by his book “The Right Chorale”: Studies in Biblical Law and Interpretation.
Note: The selection of keynote speakers for each society (AAR and SBL) alternates between scholars outside our region who are of national and international reputation and exemplary scholars in our own region. The two societies alternate national and regional scholars between them in successive years. For example, if the SBL has selected a scholar from the national or international community, AAR will select a scholar from the region, or vice versa.
Our Purpose as a regional body of the AAR is to foster conversation and scholarly research on a wide range of topics pertaining to Religious Studies. As scholars and teachers in the Upper Midwest, we seek to create a forum for renewal of our scholarly inquiries with friends and neighbors in the region and also to provide an opportunity to explore new areas of study and teaching for the enrichment of our home institutions.
Pre-UMWAAR Conference Colloquium on “Religion, Public Education, and Diversity”: We are pleased to inform members of the Upper Midwest American Academy of Religion of a colloquium being held on April 9, 2021, immediately prior to the Spring meeting of the UMAAR, and also held in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. The colloquium is organized by The Religion and the Public University Collaborative (RPUC) which is sponsored by The Institute of Advanced Study at the University of Minnesota. The colloquium seeks to address questions and issues that arise at the intersections of religious freedom, academic freedom, and church-state separation on public university campuses. For further information, please check their website link at: The Religion and the Public University Collaborative or contact Dr. Jeanne Kilde, Director of the Religious Studies Program at the University of Minnesota ([email protected]), or Dr. Virajita Singh, Senior Research Fellow in the Center for Sustainable Building Research at the University of Minnesota ([email protected]). This colloquium has its own Call for Papers: see the website.
AAR UPPER MIDWEST REGIONAL OFFICERS
President and Program Coordinator: Dr. Samuel J. Kessler, Åke and Kristina Bonnier Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies, Gustavus Adolphus College, [email protected] Vice-President: Dr. David Scott, Morningside College, [email protected] Regionally Elected Coordinator: Prof. Terence J. Kleven, Fulbright Fellow 2020-21, Central College, [email protected] Graduate Student Representative: Kaitlyn Lindgren-Hanson, University of Iowa, [email protected]