Bulletin Number115 November2009 ABOUT THE BASR The British Association for the Study of Religions, formerly the British Association for the History of Religions (founded in 1954), is affiliated to the European Association for the Study of Religions (EASR) and to the International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR). Its object is the promotion of the academic study of religions through international interdisciplinary collaboration. The BASR pursues these aims within the United Kingdom through the arrangement of conferences and symposia, the publication of a Bulletin and an Annual General Meeting. Membership of the BASR is open to scholars whose work has a bearing on the academic study of religions. Membership of the BASR confers membership of the IAHR and the EASR. The BASR Committee President and Chair Professor Douglas Davies [email protected] Secretary Dr Bettina Schmidt [email protected] Treasurer Dermot Tredget [email protected] Bulletin Co-editors Dr Dominic Corrywright & Dr Helen Waterhouse [email protected] 01865 488358 [email protected] 01908 659028 Co-ordinating Editor of Diskus Dr Mathew Guest [email protected] 01913 343944 Web manager Dr Graham Harvey [email protected] 01908 654033 Membership enquiries and general correspondence should be sent to: Dr Bettina Schmidt School of Theology and Religious Studies Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2DG BASR website address: www.basr.ac.uk All rights reserved. Edition, selection, arrangement and original material © BASR 2009. The rights of individual authors are reserved by those individuals and are not affected by the above copyright. Printed at Oxford Brookes University. The deadline for contributions to the May 2010 edition is 15 April 2010 2 CONTENTS Editorial…………………………………………………………….……..3 Minutes of the 2009 AGM……………………………………………….4 2007-2008 Accounts……………..………………………………….…..9 Conference Reports………………………..……………….….….…...13 Obituary……………………………………………………………….…18 Book Reviews ……………………………………………………….... 20 Conference Announcements and Calls for papers……………….. .22 Members recent publications………………………………………….25 Guidelines for Contributors…………………………………………... 26 Occasional papers……………………………………………...………27 EDITORIAL Welcome to the November 2009 edition of Bowman, in Bangor. Congratulations are the BASR Bulletin, number 115 . As is due to Douglas for having been made an usual for a November edition, much of the Academician of the Academy of Social Sci- content relates to the annual BASR confer- ences in September. We look forward to ence. ‘Religions, landscapes and other Douglas’s time in the chair. Graham Har- uncertain boundaries’ was held at the Uni- vey also finished his tenure as BASR sec- versity of Bangor. We are indebted to Bet- retary this year. Bettina Schmidt, who has tina Schmidt for hosting the event and for already proven her efficiency as an organ- her hard work in organising it on behalf of iser takes over from Graham. Graham is the BASR committee. A record 12 students not leaving the committee however. In an attended the conference with BASR bur- age when electronic communication is in- saries this year. Bursary students pay no creasingly significant, Graham takes a fees and have only to find their travel ex- sidestep to take on a new role as web penses. We benefit from this system be- manager. All other post holders remain cause we hear about their research and the same. Our thanks go to Marion the re- fulfil part of our charitable mission. The tiring president for her service to BASR students themselves, who are the future over many years. staff in our departments, benefit from the opportunity to network and to get feedback In this edition you will find the usual an- on their projects. In return for bed and nouncements and reports. Also included is board, every year we ask the students to an obituary for Hew McLeod who died ear- collaborate in the writing of a conference lier this year. Your editors are still keen to report. You’ll find the result of their efforts publish debate in the Bulletin. We re- in this edition. In a break from recent tradi- ceived no response to Olaf Hammer’s tion this is the only report of the conference piece in the April edition. It is not too late this year. to send a reply for publication in April 2010. Alternatively, you may like to set the A major item of business at the conference ball rolling on another matter, for example was the election and co-option of new offi- the issues raised by the breadth of the cers. Professor Douglas Davies became Study of Religion(s) as a discipline area. the President elect in September 2008 and Guidelines for word lengths are included in so took over as President, from Marion every edition. Things are moving fast in 3 the current climate and the Bulletin is not BASR officers sometimes enjoy an oppor- the place to debate all of the initiatives that tunity to represent the discipline much affect our disciplinary identity. However, more widely. On October 30 th 2009 Profes- the BASR fulfils a representative role and sor Davies, as President, hosted at Dur- you should feel free to contact the Associa- ham a delegation of some thirty Chinese tion’s officers about government and fund- visitors who had requested a meeting to ing council initiatives that affect us all. discuss the place of the teaching of religion in British higher education institutions. The An example of how BASR can represent party was headed by the deputy Director, its membership is that in response to the State Administration for Religious Affairs of Committee’s request, a variety of opinion The Peoples Republic of China, along with has been gathered from members regard- the Deputy Divisional Directors for Person- ing the potential merger of the Theology nel, of Policy and Legal Affairs, and of and Religious Studies Panel with the Phi- State Administration for Religious Affairs. losophy Panel for the next REF. The over- We’re told that an interesting and open dis- all view was more negative than positive cussion was enjoyed by all present. even though in some institutions the two areas work well together. The Committee We hope you will enjoy this edition of the was impressed by those who argued that Bulletin and look forward to receiving your research on Eastern and/or minority reli- contributions for the May 2010 edition. gious traditions might be marginalized and disadvantaged. This balance of opinion will Dominic Corrywright & Helen Waterhouse now be reported to the appropriate re- search councils and academies. Minutes of the Annual General Meeting Held at 4pm on Tuesday 8 September 2009 at Bangor University 1. Welcome . Marion Bowman opened the 2008 (published in the BASR Bulletin 113, meeting by welcoming members and visi- November 2008: 4-9). Accepted and tors (31 attending). She thanked Bettina signed. Schmidt, her colleagues and the student helpers for organising and looking after the 4. Presidential address—Full Text conference so well. She welcomed Doug- We live in interesting but turbulent times, las Davies, incoming President, who par- within and beyond academia. There is in- ticipated by video-link from Durham Uni- creased awareness and media coverage of versity. Douglas Davies explained that the religion as well as an apparent growth of organisation of another conference (on interest in it. For the sixth year in a row, death, dying and disposal) required his the number of students studying religion at presence in Durham, and apologised for A Level has risen (4.7% over 2008 fig- his physical absence from BASR confer- ures). Religion is on the government’s ra- ence. dar, resulting in the hefce initiative on Is- lamic Studies, while the Religion and Soci- 2. Apologies received from Elisabeth Ar- ety research programme funded by the weck, Brian Bocking, Mathew Guest, AHRC and ESRC was (according to its Ursula King, Kim Knott, Eleanor Nesbitt website) ‘the first in the UK to foster col- and Helen Waterhouse. laborative endeavours across the arts and humanities and social sciences communi- 3. Minutes of the AGM, 3 September ties.’ In a recent Times article Ruth Gledhill 4 declared that ‘There is no understanding of In addition, at this briefing the increased the current world we live in without first importance of public accountability in rela- having an understanding of relig- tion to research funding, ‘impact’ and ion.’ ( Times Online, 01/09/2009) knowledge transfer were flagged. These can raise particular issues for those study- So, there is a growing awareness of relig- ing religion, bearing in mind the potentially ion, interest in religion, and even a willing- problematic role of the ‘public academic’ in ness to invest in research into matters reli- relation to religion, practitioner engage- gious, but how does all this influence or ment and insider / outsider considerations, have an impact on the study of religion in what religious communities want to say the UK, and by extension the BASR? and what they want said (or not said) by Somewhat counter-intuitively, the non- academics, and so on. (Some of these confessional study of religion at higher issues were raised also at the recent meet- education level does not appear to be ing of AUDTRS (Association of University flourishing uniformly - or at least that is the Departments of Theology and Religious perception of those in Religious Studies/ Studies.) Study of Religions whose departments have been absorbed within other units or I reported in the BASR bulletin on our in- whose staff numbers have been cut. While volvement in A-HUG (The Arts & Humani- we should celebrate some aspects of the ties User Group). We will continue to act in raised profile of religion and successes in concert with other groups and associa- research funding, we also have to be tions, as this sort of intervention can be aware of the need for a range of depart- useful in addition - or as an alternative - to ments, institutions and associations to act institutional responses.