The International Journal of Religion will publish a special issue about the CSRCS symposium in 2022.
The 2021 Religion at the Borders Symposium hosted by the Elon Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society is set to be featured in a special issue of the International Journal of Religion. Guest editors Sandy Marshall, assistant professor of geography, and Shayna Mehas, visiting assistant professor of history, are also co-authors of a special introduction to the issue. The edition will also feature an afterword discussion by one of the symposium’s keynote speakers Banu Gökariksel of UNC Chapel Hill’s Department of Geography.
Marshall says that the papers featured in the upcoming publication focus on how religion has the ability to affect political, social and cultural boundaries, but also how religious communities, sensibilities and commitments are mobilized along political borders.
“It’s just been really exciting to work with this interdisciplinary group of scholars,” Marshall said. “We tend to operate in our own little disciplinary silos but getting a chance to read papers and engage with scholars coming from medieval studies, religious studies and art history has been really eye-opening for all of us.”
The International Journal of Religion is a leading peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal that looks at topics in the cutting edge of religion and research of Religious Studies. Marshall said that while looking for journals for the papers to be published in he wanted to make sure that the journal had an interdisciplinary perspective on religion but also includes perspectives on global themes as well as contemporary political and social issues.
“We’re just looking forward to seeing it finally out in print,” Marshall said. “There’s a kind of synergy between the papers I think, and it has been really valuable to advancing all of our research.”
Marshall said that outside of the upcoming publication he is also excited for the 2023 On the Edge symposium “Race and Civil Religion in the United States.” The symposium will take place from Feb. 9-11 at the Numen Lumen Pavillon.
“Religion at the Borders” was the 2021 theme for the CSRCS biannual On the Edge Symposium. Faculty converners along with Marshall and Mehas were Amy Allocco (Religious Studies) and Evan Gatti (Art History). The topic for the upcoming 2023 symposium is “Civil Religion and Race in the United States,” to take place Feb. 9-11, 2023. Andrew Monteith (Religious Studies) and Jessica Carew (Political Science), are the faculty conveners. For more information about previous or upcoming symposiums visit the link here.