Call for papers
Modern Pagan or Native Faith movements are “religious” movements in the sense of being concerned with “spiritual” and “sacred” matters such as the worship of deities, the articulation of values and ethics, and the organization of communal ritual activities, but are also, at least in part, social and political movements as they inevitably reflect upon and respond to political and social trends of their time and place. Indeed, the core Pagan project of revisiting and refashioning pre-Christian religions of the European past for use in the current day often expresses a fundamental discontent with the conditions of contemporary life and a wish to transform modern life in a Pagan manner, however differently this might be interpreted by Pagan movements in different locations.
Our theme this year is intended to encourage scholars to reflect on the ways in which Native Faith or Modern Pagan religious movements address political and social trends in their respective national contexts.
Possible topics may include but are not limited to:
Pagans and Left-Right Politics: Where do Pagans position themselves politically in regards to traditional left-right spectrum? Do their political stances differ based on regional, social and cultural specifics, or are there any unifying elements?
Pagans and Conservativism/Liberalism: Where do Pagans stand in regard to socio-cultural attitudes? Do Pagans tend to be more liberal or are they rather conservative?
Pagans and Environmentalism: Does Pagan religious devotion to nature translate into action or advocacy to protect the environment?
Pagans and Religious Diversity and Multi-ethnic Society: Does Pagan regard for the preservation of ethnic traditions generate hostility or sympathy for social diversity and multiculturalism? How do Pagans reflect on the recent situation of (Muslim) immigration into Europe?
Pagans and Feminism, LGBTQ and Gender: Most Pagan religious movements claim to highly value goddesses and the feminine, but how are women represented in membership and leadership? How are gender roles interpreted, and what is the attitude of Pagan movements toward sexual minorities and their rights?
We are also open to arranging one or two panels on papers unrelated to the main theme, as other topics will add richness to the conference.
Select conference papers will be considered for publication in the journal The Pomegranate: International Journal of Pagan Studies, by prior arrangement with the editors.
All interested scholars and students should submit their proposals for papers by 30 March 2016 using the workshop’s online registration form.
- The conference fee is 40 EUR. The students pay the reduced fee 20 EUR.
- The workshop language is English.
- Proposals for papers (including abstracts in the length of 200-300 words) are to be submitted via the registration form.
- Each paper will be given 20 minutes + 10 minutes for the discussion.
- You will find all important dates (including the deadlines for the submission of abstracts) on the main page.
If you have any questions, please contact organizators via the workshop’s e-mail, paganismpolitics.workshop@gmail.com.
We look forward to seeing you in Brno!
On behalf of the organizing committee
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Michael Francis Strmiska
Dr. Aleš Chalupa
Matouš Vencálek
Miroslav Vrzal