DUE: January 16, 2018
Questions about the impacts of religion on democratic processes are often at the heart of debates about religion and conflict/peace, secularism, multiculturalism, and globalization. In line with the theme for this year’s general conference, the APSA Religion and Politics Section invites submissions of individual papers, panels and roundtables that explore the relationship between religion (and/or secularism) and democracy from various perspectives and vis-à-vis diverse issue areas.
What is the relationship between religion and democracy? Do strong democracies require a strict separation of religion and the state? Is such a separation even possible? When does religion (or secularism) contribute to illiberal vs. liberal practices? How does religion interact with other factors such as gender, class, and race within the context of democratic politics? How are immigration and refugee flows changing or challenging understandings about the appropriate role of religion in democracies? How do different religious actors conceptualize democracy? Can religious understandings provide new ways to think about democratic possibilities? How are religious organizations contributing to or challenging democratic institutions? How do religious or secular discourses shape democratic norms, including norms related to human rights? How does secularism manage multicultural challenges? What is the role of religious freedom in furthering and maintaining democratic ideals? What is the role of scholars, especially political scientists and IR scholars, in contributing to, informing and supporting common narratives about the relationship between religion (or secularism) and democracy?
We invite panels and individual papers addressing these and other related questions at the intersection of religion and politics in either contemporary or historical frameworks, as well as across diverse geographic and cultural contexts. In addition, we encourage submission of new and innovative program formats, such as mini-workshops, interactive discussion and conversation style sessions, and other styles and formats. Religion and Politics is an interdisciplinary field and panels and papers that foster exchange between diverse theoretical and analytical approaches are welcome.