Call for Proposals

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

• Modern meditative yoga
• David White’s Yoga in Practice (forthcoming, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2011) — for a possible cosponsored session with the Religion in South Asia Section
• California yoga gurus (for a possible cosponsored session with the North American Hinduism Consultation)
• “Abrahamic” yoga traditions
• Yoga and the category of religion
• Jain yoga (for a possible cosponsored session with the Jain Studies Consultation)
• Mark Singleton’s Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2010)

You are encouraged to contact the co-Chairs for more information about the suggested topics and for the purpose of organizing complete sessions when possible.

Mission

This Consultation 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 Consultation 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 Consultation.

Anonymity of Review Process

Proposer names are visible to Chairs but anonymous to Steering Committee Members.

Questions?

Andrew J. Nicholson
Stony Brook University
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Stuart R. Sarbacker
Oregon State University
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Method of Submission