Religion has served to legitimize political power, but it has also been a basis for resistance against order and authority. Be it the Maccabean revolt, Gandhi's practice of non-violence resistance, contemporary neo-pagan religions, or the counter-system movements portrayed by Mark Juergensmeyer in his 2001 book Terror in the Mind of God, religious beliefs have motivated people to reject social order that they deem as unjust, and possibly rise against it. Even in today’s secularized societies, religion has served as the ground for social movements and manifestations addressing pressing socioeconomic threats such as climate change, social inequality, authoritarian governments and minority discrimination. These observations have encouraged new trends in scholarly debate, especially regarding the emergence of alternative religious ideas and rituals in modern societies.  old and new religious convictions legitimized various resistance movements among different communities? Which causes have influenced violent mobilizations against established social order, non-violent struggle, or the establishment of alternative community frameworks? What can these movements and ideas tell us about the role that religion plays today both in secularized and non-secularized societies?

Argument

Religion has served to legitimize political power, but it has also been a basis for resistance against order and authority. Be it the Maccabean revolt, Gandhi's practice of non-violence resistance, contemporary neo-pagan religions, or the counter-system movements portrayed by Mark Juergensmeyer in his 2001 book Terror in the Mind of God, religious beliefs have motivated people to reject social order that they deem as unjust, and possibly rise against it. Even in today’s secularized societies, religion has served as the ground for social movements and manifestations addressing pressing socio-economic threats such as climate change, social inequality, authoritarian governments and minority discrimination. These observations have encouraged new trends in scholarly debate, especially regarding the emergence of alternative religious ideas and rituals in modern societies. How have old and new religious convictions legitimized various resistance movements among different communities? Which causes have influenced violent mobilizations against established social order, non-violent struggle, or the establishment of alternative community frameworks? What can these movements and ideas tell us about the role that religion plays today both in secularized and non-secularized societies? The conference invites contributions studying the conceptualization, management and instrumentalization of religious ideas and beliefs with regard to past and contemporary resistance movements. We welcome applications from PhD students, as well as advanced Master’s students from all fields of humanities and social sciences including but not restricted to: Anthropology Law Political Sciences Economy Philology Psychology History Philosophy Sociology. Persons from other fields and their sub-disciplines are encouraged to apply. The Center will receive applications focusing on all aspects of the interplay between religions, states, and societies, in all regions and historical periods.

Submission Guidelines

Abstracts, no longer than 300 words, should be sent to crsconference2020@ceu.edu

by 15 March 2020

Applicants will receive the final decision no later than 27 March 2020.

Accepted participants will have the possibility to choose to register their participation through:

Basic Registration Fee: EUR 50

Advanced Registration Fee: EUR 140, which includes a three-night accommodation in the CEU Residence Center (more information at http://residencecenter.ceu.edu/) and a three-day public transportation pass.

Please find the Call for Papers on the CRS Website: https://religion.ceu.edu/crs-elte-masaryk-phd-conference-25-27-june-2020 or on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/crsconference2020/

For further information, please address the student organizers Juan Manuel Rubio Arevalo, Krisztina Bodzásné Csényi-Nagy, and Jan Trtílek by e-mail at crsconference2020@ceu.edu.

Application Evaluation Committee

1. Juan Manuel Rubio Arevalo (PhD, CEU, Medieval Studies)
2. Krisztina Bodzásné Csényi-Nagy (PhD, ELTE, Philosophy)
3. Jan Trtílek (PhD, Masaryk, Religious Studies)