CURA Seeks Proposals For Religion and World Affairs Colloquium
The Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs (CURA), an affiliated center of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, is seeking proposals for the 2020-2021 Religion and World Affairs Colloquium.
CURA invites BU faculty and graduate students to apply to become fellows in the interdisciplinary Colloquium on Religion and World Affairs run in cooperation with the BU School of Theology. The CURA Colloquium involves bimonthly meetings throughout the academic year to discuss working papers on a chosen theme. The papers are prepared by both the BU fellows and invited scholars from outside BU. The colloquium sessions are open to the general public, with the expectation that all attendees read the papers in advance and that the sessions focus on providing feedback and suggestions to the authors.
The theme for this year’s Colloquium is religion and communal interaction. Religion plays an important role in how communities across the globe interact. Religion can play a role in peacemaking or can foster social divisions. Religion is a major aspect of identity, and conflict both between and within religious communities is an important aspect of world affairs. Religion plays an important part in debates of definitions of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and race. In an election year, we are particularly aware of the role that religion can play in politics, as religious identity helps to shape various communities and how they interact with the political system. CURA invites proposals that explore various aspects of religion and the ways that it affects interactions between and within communities.
Those selected as CURA Fellows will be asked to prepare a working paper of 5,000-8,000 words that will be scheduled for presentation next year. Fellows will be expected to attend all sessions and provide feedback for other participants. Colloquium sessions will be held on Fridays, 12:00-1:30. Fellows will receive a $1,000 stipend for successful participation in the colloquium.
To Apply: Send your resume and a paragraph about your paper topic to Arlene Brennan arleneb@bu.edu. The deadline for applications is Friday, April 17, 2020.