24 Jan ADRSA 2024 CFP: The Power of Place
The African and Diasporic Religious Studies Association (ADRSA) is proud to present its twelfth conference on the theme “The Power of Place: Home, ‘Foreign,’ and Belonging in Africana Religions” to be held at The City College of New York on April 19 (With events from Thursday, April 18 – Sunday, April 21).
In Jamaican Creole, the term “foreign” is used to reference any place that is not one’s home. While one’s “yard,” or home base, is a natural space of belonging and comfort, “foreign” is coded as a place of potential alienation and strife, yet it is also often rife with economic, personal, and spiritual opportunities. Africana religious communities are spaces of frequent movement and mixing, as one must often travel far from home–both physically and virtually–to complete spiritual initiations and training, creating cultural crossroads that are continually being negotiated. As frequent victims of persecution, even in their homelands, these spiritual communities also highlight the ways in which home may come to feel like a foreign place. This conference will explore the juxtapositions between home and away, belonging and alienation, inclusion and exclusion. We invite proposals on topics including but not limited to:
– Concepts of home and belonging
– Africana religious homelands and diasporas
– Travel and journeying (physical and virtual) as Africana religious ideologies and practices
– “Foreign” adherents in Africana religions
Submissions must center one or more African Indigenous (Akan, Ndebele, Yorùbá, Kongo, Fon, Dagara, Eedyi, Igbo, Shona, etc.) or African Diasporic (Vodou, Lukumí, Revival Zion, Candomblé, Kumina, Ifá-Orisa, Shango Baptist, etc.) spiritual or religious traditions. Scholar-practitioner perspectives are especially welcomed. Graduate students and junior scholars are encouraged to apply.
For consideration, please submit an abstract, bio, and CV by Monday, February 27. Submit a proposal at www.ADRSA.org/conference
Additionally, the Journal of Africana Religions (JOAR) invites article submissions (8,000-10,000 words) for a special issue on the conference theme. The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2024. Articles for the JOAR should be submitted through the journal’s Editorial Manager System.
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