Post-Atheism conference / ASU February 2013

[Alexei Lalo]

“Post-Atheism”: Religion, Society and Culture in Post-communist Eastern Europe and Eurasia

The Melikian Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies at Arizona State University is pleased to announce an international conference on “Post-Atheism” in Eastern Europe and Eurasia, to be held on the ASU campus in Tempe, Arizona, February 7-9, 2013.

The conference is designed to address one of the most fascinating and controversial issues of the post-communist world of Eastern Europe and Eurasia—namely, the new public role of religion in society and culture.  Is there separation of church and state in today’s Eastern Europe, Russia or Eurasia?  Are Iranian-like theocracies a possibility in some regions? Is the forceful entry of religion into the public sphere just a fleeting fashion or a deeper phenomenon of lasting importance?  How has religion been reintroduced into the Academy and public education?  Is religion being used to replace the ideological and epistemological vacuum left by the collapse of the dominant communist ideology in matters of social policy and morality? What are the relationships between a dominant religious faith tradition and minority confessions (often stigmatized as “destructive sects”) in a given country?

The conference is intended to generate sustained debate and discussion on a variety of perspectives relating to all the major faith traditions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism) of the region, from Central and Southeastern Europe to Russia, Ukraine, Transcaucasia, Central Asia, and Mongolia. We will also welcome panels/roundtables/individual presentations dealing with non-traditional religious movements and transnational religious currents. Conference lodging will be provided, and limited funding will be available to support international travel.

While we are open to other topics, we specifically invite individual and panel proposals on the following themes:

•	Religion, National Identity and Conflict: The Role of Religious Actors in Framing Ideologies of Nationalism and Transnational Globalization; Ethno-religious Conflict and Peacemaking.
•	Religion and Policymaking: Clerics and Religious Institutions in the Public Arena.
•	Religion as a Business: Religious Institutions as Economic Agents.
•	Religion and Education: Theology vs. Religious Studies in the Academy; Religion in Public Education.
•	Religion, Sexuality, and Gender: Patriarchy, Gender Equality, and LGBT Issues in Modern Religious Culture.
•	Religion and Culture: Popular Culture, Literature, TV/Film, Folklore.

Please send us a brief (250-word limit) abstract of your individual paper/panel proposal and a one-page bio or CV.

Deadline for Proposal Submission:	June 1, 2012

Contact:	  Alexei Lalo, Research Administrator, ASU Melikian Center (alalo at asu.edu)
                  Stephen Batalden, Director, ASU Melikian Center (stephen.batalden at asu.edu)
Web page: http://melikian.asu.edu/events 

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