Call For Papers
The Society for Late Antiquity announces that the Seventh Biennial Conference on Shifting Frontiers in Late Antiquity will be held at the University of Colorado at Boulder, March 22 - 25, 2007 on the topic of "The Power of Religion in Late Antiquity" [ca. 200 - 700 AD].
In a world that is witnessing a rebirth of the power of religion at the level of politics, social practice, and intellectual discourse, the study of Late Antiquity can offer considerable illumination on the dynamic between power and religion. With its rich pool of sources, its notoriety as a focal point in world history, and its intricate mix of pagan, Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions, Late Antiquity also offers some of the most fertile ground for religious inquiry of any period. The focus of the conference will be the interplay between power and religion. As a form of social discourse, religion is itself part of the broader currency of power in every society. As its own system of knowledge, however, religion interacts with other power discourses in ways that sometimes borrow capital from these sources to augment its own power and sometimes redeploy religious capital to augment other forms of power. In the crudest terms, when an emperor retails himself as divine, the first obtains; when a holy man commandeers military force against heathen opponents, the second. Possible contributions focused around this subject might deal with topics related to (1) the power wielded by religious authorities or religious hierarchies (priests, bishops, rabbis, mullahs); (2) the intersection between religious authorities and civic or political leaders; (3) the role of ritual, prayer, and liturgy in shaping communities of power; (4) the spiritual and worldly power of magic or mysticism; (5) the personal or charismatic power of holy man or holy woman in a social or political context; or (6) the power of texts in their contemporary context; (7) the power of religious images, structures and places and their manipulation by authority figures.
As in the past, we will be particularly concerned to bring together scholars who represent different methodological, disciplinary, geographical, and chronological perspectives. New approaches that perhaps are not subsumed under any of these topics, or that incorporate several of them at the same time, are most welcome. In addition to proposals from specialists in religious studies, history, and classics, we would be particularly happy to receive proposals from persons working in fields such as Near-Eastern or West-Asian studies, linguistics, anthropology, and the history of art and architecture. Proposals should be clearly related to the theme of the conference and should state clearly both the problem being discussed and the nature of the new discoveries, insights, or conclusions that will be presented. Abstracts of not more than 500 words for 15-minute presentations may be submitted via e-mail to Prof. Noel Lenski, lenski@colorado.edu (Department of Classics, UCB 248, University of Colorado, Boulder CO 80309-0248, USA). Deadline for submission of abstracts is November 1, 2006. Please note that there is no guarantee of travel funding for participants and that the submission of an abstract carries with it a commitment to attend the conference should the abstract be accepted. For other matters relating to the conference, contact either Prof. Lenski or Prof. Andrew Cain, andrew.cain@colorado.edu.