Sorry for cross-posting but some here may be interested in that described 
below.

All the best

Chris

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Simon Michael Coleman" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2008 4:39 PM
Subject: [Religion EASA] Call for papers -- Religion and Cognition



Call for Papers

"Religious Ritual, Cognition and Culture", Aarhus 28-30 May 2008

Hosted by the Religion, Cognition and Culture (RCC) priority area,
University of Aarhus, Denmark, Southern Denmark University Odense and
the International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion
(IACSR), with the generous support of Carlsberg Foundation, Aarhus
University Research Foundation, European Science Foundation, and the
Faculty of Theology, University of Aarhus.

This conference is immediately followed by a workshop on the following
theme:

"Religion and Cognition in Context" Aarhus 31 May - 1 June, 2008

Hosted by the European Science Foundation, the Religion, Cognition and
Culture (RCC) priority area, University of Aarhus and the Faculty of
Theology, University of Aarhus.

The IACSR will also be conducting its General Assembly on May 30th,
immediately followed by a Presidential Address by Prof. E. Thomas
Lawson, Western Michigan University and Queen's University Belfast.

Participants can register for both events. The "Religious Ritual,
Cognition and Culture" registration fee is DKK 500, for students the
price is DKK 300. Registration for the "Religion and Cognition in
Context" is free of charge.

A little over 40 years ago, the Royal Society of London hosted a
conference on ritualization and behaviour in animals and man
[Phil.Trans.Roy.Soc.Lon. 251 (772) 1966]. It was a signal event that
influenced the following decades of ritual research. One of the
strengths of the conference was the wide variety of disciplines
represented by the participants. The meeting brought sociologists,
anthropologists, ethnologist, biologists, ethologists, psychologists   and
art historians together in order to explore human ritual behavior   in its
biological, social and cultural contexts. Since then, the rise   of the
neural and cognitive sciences has moved the intricate dynamics   between
biology and culture center stage. And with it we witnessed the   exciting
rise of cooperative research clusters and teams which consist   of
scholars and scientists from a wide variety of natural, human and   social
sciences.

During the past two decades, the cultural sciences have drawn
inspiration, theories and models from the cognitive and (during the   past
decade) neural sciences. An astounding variety of research
results has given us insight into human abilities and domains such as
consciousness, categorization, memory, perception, social cognition,
morality, language, etc. which have significantly changed our
understanding of human culture and cognition. With the pioneering work
of Lawson, McCauley, Boyer and Whitehouse, we are now in the position   to
address fundamental issues which the cognitive study of rituals and
ritualization raise for comparative religion, anthropology and
psychology. The possibilities of fruitful interdisciplinary research
have only just begun in the field of ritual studies. This conference
hopes to provide a context for further intensive cooperation and
discussion. Where the pioneers of the cognitive science of religion   with
good reason were inspired by cognitive linguistics, the current   increase
of knowledge in the experimental and neurological sciences   encourages us
to explore further new avenues.

The study of religious rituals and ritualization can gain from the
insights, methodologies and theories of experimental and neurological
sciences. But this 'bottom-up' approach is not the only path of
inspiration. Just as important is research which focusses on the
'top-down' approach, i.e. from culture and social relations to
cognition and neural patterns. Studies of ritualized behavior in
different cultural, social and historical contexts clearly expand the
database of behaviors that can be studied experimentally and
neurologically. In order to understand further human action and
cognitive representation, cultural and social scientists can
contribute insights on how certain types of behavior latch on to   various
cultural patterns. An obvious example is why do we find a   universal
tendency in all human cultures to assume or explain ritual   behavior
religiously, i.e. with reference to gods, ancestors and   spirits? It
would seem that ritual behavior is universal among most   animals. Why are
certain types of rituals thought to be religious in   the human species?
Answers to this and similar questions can enrich   historical,
sociological and anthropological studies of religious   behavior, but also
cognitive and neurological scientists can gain   subsequent insight into
how cultural traditions influence universal   mental dispositions.

The organizers encourage papers from all relevant disciplines that
address the dynamics of religious ritual, cognition and culture. Both
empirical and theoretical papers are welcome.

Papers consist of 30 minute presentations and 15 minutes for
discussion. Brief papers consist of 20 minute presentations and 10
minutes for discussion.

Please send your proposals no later than April 1, 2008 to Secretary
Marlene Jessen ([log in to unmask]). Further registration information and a
registration sheet will be made available at our website in January
2008.

We have a great list of keynotes and look forward to seeing you all at
what promises to be a big event.

Armin W. Geertz
Jeppe Sinding Jensen
Jesper Sørensen



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