Queer Studies in Religion Print

Call for Proposals

This Group welcomes proposals for individual papers, papers sessions, and roundtables on all topics related to queer theory and LGBT studies in religion, in particular those focused on bisexual and/or transgender studies and on religions other than Christianity. We are especially interested in proposals exploring the following topics:

  • Reflecting on the expanding boundaries of queer studies and reflecting on conditions of life in our host city, Baltimore. Who are the “new queers” — the economically disenfranchised, people of color, immigrants, religious Others, the disabled, etc.?

  • Given that Baltimore is home to “bad taste” icon John Waters, what do bad taste, bad feelings, bad affect, and filth contribute to queer studies in religion?

  • Given queer theory’s historical interest in troubling and disturbing coherent identity, as well as more recent interest in negativity and failure, what is queer studies’ relationship to apophaticism and negative theology as practiced and conceptualized in various religious and philosophical traditions?

  • For a possible cosponsored session with the Arts, Literature, and Religion Section, queer theory’s reliance on art and literature, and its investment in and interrogation of the category of the “aesthetic”

  • For a possible cosponsored session with the Death, Dying, and Beyond Group, the role of the death drive in queer studies

Mission

The core goals of this Group are as follows:

  • Foster the application of queer theory and gender theory to the study of religion

  • Encourage comparative study of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues in religion

  • Support the growth of bisexual studies and transgender studies in the field

We actively seek to explore the connections between queer theory in religion and complementary or overlapping fields of inquiry, such as postcolonial theory, critical race theory, disability theory, feminist theory, and cultural studies, among others.

Anonymity of Review Process

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

Questions?

Kent Brintnall
University of North Carolina, Charlotte
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Claudia Schippert
University of Central Florida
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Method of Submission