Category Archives: Uncategorized

Annual Submission information, including deadlines and selection committee members, can be found on the Announcements page. 

Ted Jelen Best Journal Article Award
This annual award goes to the best paper in the Politics & Religion journal.

Committee Members:
Jacob Neihiesel, Chair
Karrie Koesel
Matthew H Young

Hubert Morken Best Book Award
The Hubert Morken Award is given for the best book dealing with religion and politics published within the previous year. The criteria for the award include the originality of the argument presented, quality of the research, innovative methods, readability of the text and the policy or practical implications of the scholarship. To be eligible for the award, books must have been published in the preceding year.

Committee Members:

John Compton
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
625 W PALM AVE
ORANGE, CA 92868-2224

Nandini Deo/ Qatar Office
3700 O Street, N.W
LEAVEY CENTER, SUITE 1202
Washington DC 20057
Ph: 2026875246

Güneş Murat Tezcür
Professor and Director School of Politics and Global Studies, 
Arizona State University, P.O. Box 873902, 
Tempe, AZ 85287-3902

**Please note that all three members request hard copy delivered by April 1**

Aaron Wildavsky Best Dissertation Award
The Aaron Wildavsky Award recognizes the best dissertation in the field of religion and politics. Eligible dissertations have been defended in the last two years and should make a distinctive contribution to the study of religion and politics, broadly understood. 

Committee Members:
Levi Allen, Chair
Rajeshwari Majumdar
Laura Olson (TCU)

Kenneth D. Wald Best Graduate Student Paper Award
The Kenneth D. Wald Best Graduate Student Paper Award is given annually to a conference paper studying any aspect of religion and politics presented by a Ph.D. student in political science. The conference can be affiliated with any of the US-based political science associations or a conference affiliated with another association, such as the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, the American Academy of Religion, the Middle East Studies Association, or the International Studies Association, as long as the paper was written by a student or students enrolled in a graduate program in political science and presented in 2024 or 2025. Papers written with faculty will not be considered. Papers presented at poster sessions are welcome.

Committee Members:
Vineeta Yadav, Chair
Aala Abdelgadir
Michele Margolis

Weber Best Conference Paper in Religion and Politics Award
Weber Best Paper in Religion and Politics Award recognizes the best paper dealing with religion and politics presented at the previous year’s APSA Annual Meeting (2025). The paper should address a timely and relevant topic, within the discipline and beyond, in a theoretically innovative and methodologically thorough manner. All papers presented at the 2025 Annual Meeting are eligible, regardless of modality of presentation (ie. in person, virtual/synchronous, and pre-recorded paper presentations are all eligible).

Committee Members:
Anirvan Chowdhury, Chair
Guadalupe Tunon
Mohammad Isaqzadeh

Susanne Hoeber Rudolph Outstanding Scholar Award
The Susanne Hoeber Rudolph Outstanding Scholar Award recognizes a scholar who has made outstanding contributions to the field of religion and politics. These contributions should be through a combination of excellent and widely influential scholarship, policy input/impact, public engagement, service, teaching, and mentorship.

Committee Member:
Angelia Wilson, Chair

Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award of the Religion & Politics Section of the American Political Science Association (APSA) recognizes outstanding scholars of religion and politics at the point of retirement (or shortly thereafter) who have made enduring contributions to the field through their scholarship, service, and mentorship. The award is intended to honor recipients who were regular and active Religion & Politics Section members during the periods of their primary contributions to the field. Anticipating that such scholars are exceptional, the call for nominations will remain open, the nominations will be confidential, and the award is not expected to be given every year. The Award committee will be composed of the Executive Committee of the Religion & Politics Section, chaired by the section chair, to whom nominations shall be addressed.

Committee Members:
Religion & Politics Board
Nandini Deo

**All nominations due April 1, 2026**
**All decisions are due May 25, 2026**

Call for Proposals: 

Small Grants for Research in Religion and Politics

Due November 10, 2025

The Religion and Politics section of the American Political Science Association is requesting proposals for small grant awards of up to $2,500 for research on religion and politics. Proposals may address any topic of theoretical, empirical, and practical significance for the study of religion and politics. 

Effective proposals will make clear what the author(s) intend to do, why that research is important, and how the project will be executed. 

Proposals should have the following components:

1. Cover Page: This should contain project title, author(s), institutional affiliation(s), title(s), email address(es), and a project abstract of 250 words or less.
2. Narrative: This text should be no more than three pages, single-spaced, in a standard font. The narrative should have (at a minimum) the following sections:
   • Project Overview
   • Background and Literature Review
   • Research Design and Analysis Plans
3. Brief Budget and Narrative Explaining Budget: Authors may request up to $2,500.
   • Please note that funds may be used for research purposes, such as hiring of research assistants, survey data collection and interviews, purchasing of data, or travel expenses (e.g., travel, lodging, food, ground transportation). 
   • Funds may not be used for salary or honoraria for the researcher. University indirect costs (NDCs) will not be allowed.
4. Bibliography containing only references cited within the proposal.
5. Biography(ies): Please limit each author’s biography to no more than 200 words.
6. CV(s) of author(s)
7. Applicants who have not completed their PhDs should request a letter of support from their advisor. Letters should be emailed to apsa.religion.politics@gmail.com.

Award terms and requirements:

• Application opens October 1. Please submit proposals to apsa.religion.politics@gmail.com by 11:59 PM on November 10, 2025. 
• Awards will be announced by December 10, 2025.
• Funds may be spent through December 10, 2026.
• Applicants must be members of the Religion & Politics section (note that section membership is free to graduate students).
• Preference will be given to graduate students, recent PhDs, and untenured faculty. 
• Questions may be addressed to Nandini Deo nandini.deo@georgetown.edu

Call for Proposals: 

Small Grants for Research in Religion and Politics

Due November 10, 2025

The Religion and Politics section of the American Political Science Association is requesting proposals for small grant awards of up to $2,500 for research on religion and politics. Proposals may address any topic of theoretical, empirical, and practical significance for the study of religion and politics. 

Effective proposals will make clear what the author(s) intend to do, why that research is important, and how the project will be executed. 

Proposals should have the following components:

1. Cover Page: This should contain project title, author(s), institutional affiliation(s), title(s), email address(es), and a project abstract of 250 words or less.
2. Narrative: This text should be no more than three pages, single-spaced, in a standard font. The narrative should have (at a minimum) the following sections:
   • Project Overview
   • Background and Literature Review
   • Research Design and Analysis Plans
3. Brief Budget and Narrative Explaining Budget: Authors may request up to $2,500.
   • Please note that funds may be used for research purposes, such as hiring of research assistants, survey data collection and interviews, purchasing of data, or travel expenses (e.g., travel, lodging, food, ground transportation). 
   • Funds may not be used for salary or honoraria for the researcher. University indirect costs (NDCs) will not be allowed.
4. Bibliography containing only references cited within the proposal.
5. Biography(ies): Please limit each author’s biography to no more than 200 words.
6. CV(s) of author(s)
7. Applicants who have not completed their PhDs should request a letter of support from their advisor. Letters should be emailed to apsa.religion.politics@gmail.com.

Award terms and requirements:

• Application opens October 1. Please submit proposals to apsa.religion.politics@gmail.com by 11:59 PM on November 10, 2025. 
• Awards will be announced by December 10, 2025.
• Funds may be spent through December 10, 2026.
• Applicants must be members of the Religion & Politics section (note that section membership is free to graduate students).
• Preference will be given to graduate students, recent PhDs, and untenured faculty. 
• Questions may be addressed to Nandini Deo nandini.deo@georgetown.edu

Call for Proposals: 

Small Grants for Research in Religion and Politics

Due November 10, 2025

The Religion and Politics section of the American Political Science Association is requesting proposals for small grant awards of up to $2,500 for research on religion and politics. Proposals may address any topic of theoretical, empirical, and practical significance for the study of religion and politics. 

Effective proposals will make clear what the author(s) intend to do, why that research is important, and how the project will be executed. 

Proposals should have the following components:

1. Cover Page: This should contain project title, author(s), institutional affiliation(s), title(s), email address(es), and a project abstract of 250 words or less.
2. Narrative: This text should be no more than three pages, single-spaced, in a standard font. The narrative should have (at a minimum) the following sections:
   • Project Overview
   • Background and Literature Review
   • Research Design and Analysis Plans
3. Brief Budget and Narrative Explaining Budget: Authors may request up to $2,500.
   • Please note that funds may be used for research purposes, such as hiring of research assistants, survey data collection and interviews, purchasing of data, or travel expenses (e.g., travel, lodging, food, ground transportation). 
   • Funds may not be used for salary or honoraria for the researcher. University indirect costs (NDCs) will not be allowed.
4. Bibliography containing only references cited within the proposal.
5. Biography(ies): Please limit each author’s biography to no more than 200 words.
6. CV(s) of author(s)
7. Applicants who have not completed their PhDs should request a letter of support from their advisor. Letters should be emailed to apsa.religion.politics@gmail.com.

Award terms and requirements:

• Application opens October 1. Please submit proposals to apsa.religion.politics@gmail.com by 11:59 PM on November 10, 2025. 
• Awards will be announced by December 10, 2025.
• Funds may be spent through December 10, 2026.
• Applicants must be members of the Religion & Politics section (note that section membership is free to graduate students).
• Preference will be given to graduate students, recent PhDs, and untenured faculty. 
• Questions may be addressed to Nandini Deo nandini.deo@georgetown.edu

Call for Proposals: 

Small Grants for Research in Religion and Politics

Due November 10, 2025

The Religion and Politics section of the American Political Science Association is requesting proposals for small grant awards of up to $2,500 for research on religion and politics. Proposals may address any topic of theoretical, empirical, and practical significance for the study of religion and politics. 

Effective proposals will make clear what the author(s) intend to do, why that research is important, and how the project will be executed. 

Proposals should have the following components:

1. Cover Page: This should contain project title, author(s), institutional affiliation(s), title(s), email address(es), and a project abstract of 250 words or less.
2. Narrative: This text should be no more than three pages, single-spaced, in a standard font. The narrative should have (at a minimum) the following sections:
   • Project Overview
   • Background and Literature Review
   • Research Design and Analysis Plans
3. Brief Budget and Narrative Explaining Budget: Authors may request up to $2,500.
   • Please note that funds may be used for research purposes, such as hiring of research assistants, survey data collection and interviews, purchasing of data, or travel expenses (e.g., travel, lodging, food, ground transportation). 
   • Funds may not be used for salary or honoraria for the researcher. University indirect costs (NDCs) will not be allowed.
4. Bibliography containing only references cited within the proposal.
5. Biography(ies): Please limit each author’s biography to no more than 200 words.
6. CV(s) of author(s)
7. Applicants who have not completed their PhDs should request a letter of support from their advisor. Letters should be emailed to apsa.religion.politics@gmail.com.

Award terms and requirements:

• Application opens October 1. Please submit proposals to apsa.religion.politics@gmail.com by 11:59 PM on November 10, 2025. 
• Awards will be announced by December 10, 2025.
• Funds may be spent through December 10, 2026.
• Applicants must be members of the Religion & Politics section (note that section membership is free to graduate students).
• Preference will be given to graduate students, recent PhDs, and untenured faculty. 
• Questions may be addressed to Nandini Deo nandini.deo@georgetown.edu

We’d like to start by welcoming our new chair, Nandini Deo, Professor of Political Science at Lehigh University. Her research engages South Asian politics, civil society organizations, religion and secularism, gender and childhood.

Our new chair-elect is Sabri Ciftci, Professor at Kansas State University. Sabri is primarily a scholar of Islam and democracy, Muslim political attitudes, Arab public opinion, and Turkish politics.

Treasurer Angelia Wilson is a Professor of Politics at the University of Manchester. Angelia is research explores the intersections of social conservatism, Christianity, feminist political theory and policies regulating sexuality. 

Our executive committee consists of: Jacob Neiheisel, Angelia Wilson, Guadalupe Tunon, Aala Abdelgadir, John Compton, and Levi Allen.

Our Program Chairs are Alexandra Blackman, Assistant Professor of Government at Cornell and Enrique Quezada-Llanes, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Agnes Scott College. 

Our new Communications Coordinator is Katie Marie Glenn, PhD Candidate at University of Colorado. Katie’s current research focuses on the weaponization of religious rhetoric by elites for political gain.

We’re looking forward to a great new year!