2019 Call for Papers
The Society for the Arts in Religious and Theological Studies, a community of inquiry devoted to the development of the arts in religion and society, seeks papers by scholars and artists (visual, film, dance, literature, poetry and prose) that will investigate, illuminate, and/or interrogate whether and how religious or theologically inspired artistic expression contributes to movements of resistance and the work of decolonization. Themes for exploration could include but are not limited to race, gender, religious and cultural imperialism, and anthropomorphism.
Questions to consider:
- Are artists using religious themes or symbols to participate in movements of resistance and decolonization today and to what texts and imagery are they most drawn?
- How is critical theory, whether in relation to race, class, gender, sexuality, or their intersections, informing visual expression as artists approach their work?
- What aesthetic and theological theories, hermeneutics, or frameworks inform reception of visual exegesis regarding decolonization, religion, and the arts?
- How do visual images function as acts of resistance or "interruption" during times of social protest? How do they perform as "dangerous memories"?
Abstracts of no more than 2000 characters will be accepted through March 1, 2019.