Re-centralizing the importance of sensory perception, the organizers of this seminar are calling for ethnographic and/or theoretical contributions that: a) make sense of religion through performance and art and b) approach performative and artistic action as religion in a variety of sociocultural, political, and spiritual contexts. Deadline is January 15.
The aim of the seminar, to be held in Lisbon, Portugal May 22-23, 2014, is not to ask what the senses and “performance” of religion does to it (corrupts it, enhances it, promotes it, transforms it), but in what senses religion is constituted by its virtual or inherent senses, performativities and aesthetics? Questions of interest include how sport, technologies, artistic movements and forms of consumption, as well as modes of social and gender contestation, reveal and articulate religious dimensions; as well as how these can form novel configurations of religions themselves. Taking these points in mind, some specific topics within ethnology, anthropology and folklore studies studies the organizers aim to focus on are:
– ritual: sensing and performing
– senses, performance and popular religious art
– trends and consume of popular religious art and social contestation
– popular religious art in past and present
– feminism, gender and religious art
– contemporary spirituality and art
– performance, heritage and religious “authenticity”
Clara Saraiva
Universidade Nova de Lisboa-FCSH
Avenida de Berna, 26, Lisbon, Portugal
clarasaraivaATfcsh.unl.pt
Email, for more information: clarasaraivaATfcsh.unl.pt and povedakistvanATgmail.com