15th Annual Conference in Citizenship Studies: Religion and Citizenship
Date and time
April 12 - 14, 2018
About the conference
Religion has been and continues to be, central to any notion of citizenship. The ideal of a rights-bearing citizen has its roots in assertions of freedom from religious persecution. While the separation of church and state continues to serve as a foundational principle for secular states, religion remains entwined with those states and the public lives of their citizens. Communitarian thinkers argue that this is as it should be, religion provides purpose and value to community membership and cannot be removed from any meaningful definition of citizenship. Despite claims for secular tolerance of religious beliefs, exclusions from citizenship are too often based on religious differences, differences that can also involve ethnic and racial identity. Tensions created by religious exclusion, persecution, and discrimination can further impact citizenship by fueling secessionist movements, political revolutions, and genocides.
The theme of this year's conference, Religion and Citizenship, will explore the role of religion – practice and concept – in the recognition and exercise of citizenship over a three-day conference. The subject includes a broad range of philosophical, legal, and historical matters, such as the extent of religious influence on governance, the use of religion to restrict ascription of citizenship, and the positing of limits to citizens' legitimate relationships with foreign nations or to their activities in opposition to their own governments. Papers may also deal with such issues as the enforcement and crossing of national borders, the relations (political, cultural, economic, social, artistic, environmental) between religious and government entities, or the consequences of religious identity or practice for citizens' participation in global or regional commerce, their realization of human rights, or their susceptibility to transnational law enforcement.
Key dates
- Sep. 1, 2017: Early decision deadline for international scholars
- Sep. 15, 2017: Responses sent to early submitters as to acceptance
- Sep. 29, 2017: Abstract submission deadline
- Jan. 31, 2018: Deadline for early registration rates. Registration deadline for presenters to be included in the program book
- Mar. 1, 2018: Deadline for refunds
- Mar. 5, 2018: Speaker information forms due
- Mar. 10, 2018: Hotel room blocks open; rooms may or may not be available afterward
- Apr. 12, 2018: Conference begins
Location
Student Center Building
Wayne State University
5221 Gullen Mall
Detroit, MI 48202 (map)
Registration
Presenters must be registered by Jan. 31, 2018, to qualify for the early registration rate, and by March 12, 2018, for their papers to be included in the conference program book.
Speaker(s)
Keynote: Saeed Khan
Khan is a senior lecturer in global studies, Islamic and Middle East History, Islamic Civilizations and History of Islamic Political Thought at Wayne State University. The title of his presentation is "Religion and Citizenship in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: The End of Disbelief?"
Plenary speaker: Dr. Bryan Turner
Dr. Turner's current research involves the role of religion and the changing nature of citizenship in a globalizing world. He's written, coauthored, or edited more than seventy books and more than two hundred articles and chapters, including most recently The Religious and the Political: A Comparative Sociology of Religion (2013) and Religion and Modern Society: Citizenship, Secularisation and the State (2011).
Agenda
FAQs
Who can submit an abstract/paper for the academic conference?
This academic conference gives the opportunity to academics, practitioners, consultants, scholars, researchers and policymakers with different backgrounds and experiences, to present their papers at the conference and to discuss their experiences, new ideas, research results, as well as any practical challenges encountered and/or the solutions adopted during their work.
The conference committee highly encourages doctorate (Ph.D.) and postdoctoral students to present their research proposals, literature reviews, findings, or issues in this conference with a special registration rate. Case studies, abstracts of research in progress, as well as full research papers, will be considered for the conference program for presentation purposes. Undergraduate students may present at the conferences if (a) his/her research is funded by an organization/institute, and/or (b) supervised by the member or faculty, and/or (c) co-authored by a master's (or higher) student.
Presentations and notes
Post-conference
Keynote
Plenary presentation
Papers
Presented papers deal with such issues as the enforcement and crossing of national borders, the relations (political, cultural, economic, social, artistic, environmental) between religious and government entities, or the consequences of religious identity or practice for citizens' participation in global or regional commerce, their realization of human rights, and their susceptibility to transnational law enforcement.