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This might be of interest to some. Dave CALL FOR PAPERS THE SPIRIT OF CAPITALISM: CRITICAL APPROACHES TO RELIGON AND SPIRITUALITY IN ORGANIZATION Stream at the 5th Critical Management Studies Conference, Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, UK 11-13 July 2007 http://www.cms5.org/ <outbind://51-0000000057201AB172CDE843B4C293D1CF5940150700CBAF405E7B9C8B4999BB0FD3F29496E300000023D87B0000CBAF405E7B9C8B4999BB0FD3F29496E3000001D9FBFE0000/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.cms5.org/> Convenors Scott Taylor, University of Birmingham, UK Emma Bell, Queen Mary University of London, UK Roy Stager-Jacques, Massey University, New Zealand In this stream at the 5th Critical Management Studies Conference we seek to encourage development of critical approaches to understanding religion and spirituality in organization. Belief systems feature prominently in organization and management; the 'transforming power' of Protestantism is credited with providing the social force that stimulated the development of capitalism (Weber 1930) and a means of enforcing factory discipline (Thompson 1963), and more recently spirituality has been proposed as a route to increasing organizational productivity and profit (c.f. Giacalone and Jurkiewicz, 2003). However, religion and spirituality tend to be viewed by critical scholars as suspect or even delusional, providing only a source of false consciousness in a dark world of capitalist exploitation and domination. This overlooks the potentially productive role of religious and spiritual belief systems as a means of protesting against, disrupting and challenging oppressive organizational practices. We therefore invite theoretical and empirical explorations of the perceived incompatibility of religion and/or spirituality with critical management studies. Contributions may explore radical theological praxis, how religious resources can drive and sustain social movements (Smith 1996), or the role of religious belief as a disruptive force encouraging organizational resistance and protest (McCloskey 2006). We further welcome contributions that explore the historical role of religion in organization. These might for example include reinterpretations of the impact of Quakerism on management thought, or the role of spirituality in changing work ethics - from Protestantism to the New Age. Papers might also focus on how religious organizations such as monasteries have influenced the development of market capitalism, the role of religion in providing beliefs and practices that informed the development of organizational structure and culture in a secular context, or how religious organizations are structured in ways that have the potential to inspire alternative forms of organization. We encourage contributions that explore whether spirituality provides potential for greater emancipation through meaning-making activities and value orientations that present an alternative to rationalising modernity in the workplace. Such discussion might be located in the context of what Heelas and Woodhead (2005) describe as the shift from 'life-as religion' (characterised by conformity to external authority and involving subordination to a 'higher' authority of transcendent meaning and truth), to 'subjective-life spirituality' (based upon authentic connection with the inner depths of one's unique life). Exploration of the bottom-up as well as top-down nature of religious discourses in organizations (i.e. the constructions of members as well as the designs of managers) would be especially welcome. Contributors might also wish to explore the extent to which New Age or countercultural spiritual practices have been co-opted by capitalist interests or how the new spiritual marketplace offers opportunities that have been taken up by entrepreneurial baby boomers. We also want to provide a forum within which to discuss the role of religion as an instrument of capitalism by inviting contributions that, for example, analyse the development of evangelical capitalism and explore the potential consequences of conjoining religious ideology with the politics of the state, or consider the ideologically repressive potential of spiritual discourses in organisations. Contributions are invited that build upon analyses of the mobilisation of religion or spirituality as yet another managerial discourse that enables the further intensification of labour and increased commodification of self in relation to work. Contributors are encouraged to engage critically with the gendered aspects of contemporary spirituality, following the work of Casey (2002) in suggesting that a more spiritual or holistic approach to work challenges traditional career trajectories and provides an alternative to traditional masculinised labour relations by offering a more relational subjectivity. Contributions which go beyond essentialist explanations of this relationship are especially encouraged. Feminist analyses might for example explore the influence of religious paternalism on the development of work organizations or consider the patriarchal leadership principles associated with evangelical capitalism. Finally, we invite contributions which consider the role of religion and spirituality in relation to the ethical development of critical management studies. This relates to debates over the impact of secularization on the moral fabric of organizations, stemming from MacIntyre's (1968) observation that Christianity has yet to be replaced by an alternative set of rational moral beliefs that provide a potential guide to critical moral action. Contributions might therefore explore the potential for religious and/or spiritual beliefs to inform the development of critical management studies as a form of engaged moral praxis. Specific topics might include but are not limited to: Ø the development of New Age practices in the workplace (e.g. yoga, T'ai Chi, Reiki, aromatherapy, acupuncture, psychotherapy, Shiatsu, reflexology); Ø the relationship between spiritual belief systems and contemporary organizational discourses (e.g. leadership, corporate social responsibility, wellbeing); Ø the role of religious beliefs in shaping managerial thought; Ø the rise of evangelical capitalism; Ø the organization of business according to religious or spiritual principles (e.g. Mormon, Quaker, Bruderhof); Ø religion or belief as means of organizing protest against capitalism or managerialism; Ø the adoption of belief systems such as Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism in Western organizational contexts; Ø cases involving the adoption of religious or spiritual beliefs as the basis for critical organizational praxis; Ø the mobilisation of religious beliefs or spiritualities as a means of increasing organizational productivity, profit or performance; Ø the role of religion and spirituality in shaping the meaning of work. Abstract submission The deadline for submission of abstracts is November 6th 2006. Abstracts should be no more than 300 words and emailed as a Word or PDF file attachment to Scott Taylor at: [log in to unmask] Birmingham Business School University of Birmingham Birmingham B15 2TT UK Fax: +44 (0)121 414 2982 Tel: +44 (0)121 414 6697 Abstracts should conform to the following format: Ø Authors (including affiliation and contact details, with lead author clearly indicated) Ø Stream to which the abstract is submitted Ø Title Ø Body text Ø References Text should be single-spaced, 11-point Arial font, with a left margin at least 1 inch for binding, and formatted for A4 paper (21cm*29.7 cm). We will inform potential contributors of the outcome of abstract submissions by February 23rd 2007. References Casey, C. (2002) Critical Analysis of Organizations: Theory, Practice, Revitalization. London: Sage. Giacalone, R.A. and Jurkiewicz, C.L. (eds) (2003) Handbook of Workplace Spirituality and Organizational Performance. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe. Heelas, P. and Woodhead, L. (2005) The Spiritual Revolution: Why Religion is Giving Way to Spirituality. Oxford: Blackwell. MacIntyre, A. (1968) Marxism & Christianity. London: Duckworth. McCloskey, D. (2006) Bourgeois Virtue: Ethics for an Age of Capitalism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Smith, C. (ed.) (1996) Disruptive Religion: The force of faith in social movement activism. New York: Routledge. Thompson, E.P. (1963) The Making of the English Working Class. London: Victor Gollancz. Weber, M. (1930) The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. London: George Allen & Unwin. Scott Taylor Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham, UK This email has been independently scanned for viruses and any virus software has been removed using McAfee anti-virus software