CFP>AAR Western Region, Buddhist Studies Unit 2017
by Jake Nagasawa
Dear Colleagues,The Buddhist Studies unit of the American Academy of Religion Western Region is currently accepting paper proposals for the 2017 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles on March 10-12. The overall conference theme is Race, Racism, and Religion. Proposals should be no more than 250 words and are due by Friday, September 30. They should be submitted together with the conference participation form which can be found at http://www.aarwr.com/uploads/2/0/4/2/20420409/aar_wr_participation_form_2017.doc. Our Buddhist Studies unit CFP is as follows:
The Buddhist Studies section invites papers on any topic exploring the intersections among Buddhism and race, ethnicity, and/or racism. Is the Buddha’s rejection of the caste system relevant to this discussion, or are race and ethnicity distinct from social stratification? What bearing does this have on Buddhist attitudes toward social justice or violence? How does Buddhist concepts of race inform our understanding of situations such as that in Myanmar? We welcome papers covering all regions of Asia and from all disciplinary approaches that address any facet of this year’s conference theme “Religion, Race, and Racism,” directly or tangentially, or on other topics related to Buddhism.
Please send proposals and forms to my co-chair, Dr. Alison C. Jameson at ajameson@email.arizona.edu and me, Jake Nagasawa, at jnagasawa@umail.ucsb.edu.
Buddhist Studies is also convening a joint session with the Queer Studies unit. This session has a separate CFP:
The Queer Studies/Buddhist Studies Co-Sponsored section invites papers on any topic exploring the intersection between Queer Studies and Buddhism, particularly in regard to the marginalization of the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/queer community. It has been argued by Roger Corless that “Buddhism itself is queer” due to the Buddhist teaching of non-duality. In the Pali Canon, rules for monastic and lay practitioners vary, but queer identity is not directly addressed. The interpretation of canonical teachings, therefore, has been heavily influenced by socio-cultural traditions. Can Queer Theory address the marginalization of LGBTQ+ Buddhists? Can it be used to inform the study of Buddhism from a more inclusive perspective? We welcome papers covering this topic either directly or tangentially.
Proposals and forms should be sent to Alison and me, and to the Queer Studies chairs: Marie Cartier at ezmeralda@earthlink.net and John Erickson at jerickson85@gmail.com.
For more information about the conference, see http://www.aarwr.com/call-for-papers.html.
Yours,
Jake Nagasawa
University of California, Santa Barbara
