Call for Proposals

This Group seeks individual paper, papers session, or roundtable proposals on the topic of Yoga in theory and practice from a variety of perspectives, including sociology, anthropology, history of religions, philosophy and theology, and cultural studies. Suggested topics include:

• Premodern and modern yogas in conversation


• Yoga and science


• The commemoration of the life and work of Georg Feuerstein


• Aesthetics and yoga


• Modern Jain Yoga


• Photography in the history of modern yoga


• Yoga and women’s studies


• For a cosponsored session with the Religion, Film, and Visual Culture Group, art, visual culture, and yoga (in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution’s “Yoga: the Art of Transformation” exhibition at the Sackler Gallery)

You are encouraged to contact the co-Chairs for more information about the suggested topics and to suggest other possible topics. We prefer complete session submissions rather than individual paper proposals whenever possible.

Mission

This Group seeks to elucidate the religious and sectarian representations of yoga in South Asian history and the profoundly fascinating contemporary yoga culture that has emerged in the past century. Among other topics that are addressed in our Group is the emergence of modern yoga out of the encounter between Indian and European cultures in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. In connection with this, it examines the relative pervasiveness of spiritual and religious ideologies in manifest or latent forms within the contemporary yoga scene, and the overarching sociological relevance of yoga within global culture. We also examine changing paradigms with respect to the nature and function of yoga in the larger South Asian religious context. Our goal is to provide a venue in which the body of scholars working in this area can collectively evaluate this extremely timely material. We actively pursue scholars from Europe, Asia, and other areas that have worked at length on these issues, so as to bring an important international component to the Group.

Anonymity of Review Process

Proposer names are anonymous to Chairs and Steering Committee members until after final acceptance or rejection.

Questions?

Andrew J. Nicholson
Stony Brook University
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Mark Singleton
Saint John’s College, Santa Fe
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Method of Submission