Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ANNUAL MEETINGS
November 29–December 10
Zondervan
Zondervan NRSV
Publishers Weekly
2 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Annual Meetings Information AAR Academy Information............................ 81
2020 Virtual Annual Meetings..................... 4 AAR Program Sessions
How to Use the Program Book...................... 5 Sunday, November 29................................. 89
SBL Society Information.................................. 7 Monday, November 30............................... 92.
SBL Program Sessions Tuesday, December 1.......................................... 102
Wednesday, December 2........................... 115
Sunday, November 29................................. 17
Thursday, December 3............................... 127
Monday, November 30............................... 17
Friday, December 4................................... 139
Tuesday, December 1.................................. 25
Sunday, December 6................................. 139
Wednesday, December 2............................. 32
Monday, December 7................................ 142
Thursday, December 3................................. 41
Tuesday, December 8................................ 155
Sunday, December 6................................... 48 Wednesday, December 9........................... 166
Monday, December 7.................................. 49 Thursday, December 10............................. 177
Tuesday, December 8.................................. 56 Other Events (Additional Meetings) ....... 186
Wednesday, December 9............................. 65 Spotlight on Publishers Events.................. 190
Thursday, December 10............................... 73 Advertising...................................................... 196
Note: Due to the changing nature of the program this year, session and participant indices are not included in the printed book. Please
reference the online program books on the SBL and AAR websites as well as the mobile app for that information.
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 3
The SBL and AAR are proud to partner with ATIV SBL and AAR will provide tech support to participants
Software to bring you our Virtual Annual Meeting on and attendees having difficulties.
their EventPilot Virtual Meetings platform. Annual Please watch your email for the announcement that we
Meeting attendees from prior years will be happy to have launched the Virtual Annual Meeting platform,
learn this, since EventPilot is the mobile app provider with instructions on logging in. Once we do, you can
that SBL and AAR have used for almost a decade. start selecting the sessions to build into your schedule,
They have built a virtual event platform on top of their just like you do with the Mobile App. Your login will
mobile app and desktop planner, and this will allow be tied to your Virtual Annual Meeting registration
us to coordinate and manage hundreds of sessions credentials.
across the two weeks of the Virtual Annual Meeting.
The Event Pilot Virtual Events platform integrates all
of the virtual sessions, which will be Zoom webinars or
meetings. This will allow features like screen-sharing
for slides or, virtual backgrounds, in-meeting chat and
“hand-raising” for Q&A, host controls to mute or
unmute attendees, breakout rooms, and more.
BEST PRACTICES FOR SOCIAL MEDIA USE AT THE 2020 ANNUAL MEETING
SBL and AAR promote the academic study of religion and sacred texts across many channels: print, online,
and the Annual Meeting. Social media outlets, especially “live-tweeting,” can be an important means for
continuing the conversation beyond the audience of an Annual Meeting session. These guidelines are intended
to craft a forum that encourages an open discussion while maintaining the integrity of the scholar’s work.
1. Attendees are encouraged to live-tweet at the 5. Clearly define where the idea originated. Note
Annual Meeting using the official 2020 Annual direct quotes within quotation marks. Make it
Meeting hashtag (#sblaar20). clear when you are summarizing an argument
and when you respond with your own opinion or
2. Program unit chairs are invited to create hash tags
interpretation of it. Note when the presentation
for their units.
is over.
3. Presenters may request that the presentation not
6. Be respectful, even if you disagree.
be broadcast across social media. Similar to a
presenter’s requests not to be filmed or recorded, 7. Keep the dialogue going — bring responses
attendees are asked to respect the presenters’ from social media into the meeting session
wishes. (e.g., ask questions posed to the author from
the Twittersphere) and remember to use the
4. Attribution is key. List the speaker’s name and
meeting hashtag (#sblaar20) so you can see who
presentation title; refer to a social media handle,
is responding to the same session you are.
if known.
4 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
HOW TO USE THE PROGRAM BOOK
This Program Book contains the scheduled times for all sessions. All times are listed in Eastern Standard
Time (EST UTC-5). We anticipate that there will be some changes from the time of this publication
until the Virtual Annual Meeting. The most up-to-date information on all sessions will be reflected in the
SBL and AAR Online Program Books, in the Mobile App, and in the Virtual Annual Meeting platform.
All SBL, AAR, Program Affiliates, Related Scholarly Organizations (RSOs), and Other Events sessions
are listed in this Program Book. The sessions have been divided into four sections:
Z SBL sessions (designated by an S#) and SBL Program Affiliate sessions (designated by a P#)
Z AAR sessions (designated by an A#) and AAR RSO sessions (designated by a P#)
There is some overlap between the SBL’s Program Affiliates and AAR’s RSOs, and in these cases, the
sessions are listed in both the AAR and SBL sections.
The A/S/P/M/B numbers will tell you the date and time of a session. For example, S30-102 is an SBL
session that occurs on Monday, November 30 and begins before noon EST (UTC-5).
Each page has a tab marker on the side indicating the dates located on that page. Additionally, a gray
header bar denotes start times.
Symbols located adjacent to the session number indicate sessions which highlight special subjects in
the AAR program. A symbol key is provided on the bottom of each even numbered page.
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 5
ACADEMY INFORMATION
AAR MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION Religious Studies News (rsn.aarweb.org)
With almost 8,000 members, the American Academy of Religious Studies News is the web magazine of the American
Religion (AAR) is the world’s largest organization dedicated to Academy of Religion and is designed as a platform for students
serving teachers, scholars, and other professionals in the field of and professionals in the field to report on research trends,
religion. AAR members are scholars affiliated with institutions issues in religious studies and higher education, and apply the
of higher education, media and publishing professionals, clergy, academic study of religion to broader public conversations.
independent scholars, high school teachers, and nonprofit RSN also examines critical issues in education and pedagogy
community workers. The professional diversity of the AAR’s (especially through Spotlight on Teaching and Spotlight on
membership reflects the substantial and growing role religion Theological Education), as well as topics especially relevant to
plays in the lives of individuals and communities as well as minority scholars in academia. In addition to serving as a resource
in social, political, and economic events worldwide. Through for people studying in an academic environment, RSN is also
academic conferences and meetings, publications, and a variety intended to be a public face of the scholarly study of religion.
of programs and membership services, the Academy fosters It is published throughout the calendar year with new content
excellence in the scholarship and teaching of religion. about every two weeks.
The AAR holds a seat on the American Council of Learned Reading Religion (readingreligion.org)
Societies and works cooperatively with other associations to Reading Religion (RR) is an open book review website
promote the academic study of religion. Membership is open published by the American Academy of Religion. Launched
to all who share an interest in this field and in the work of the in 2016, the site provides up-to-date coverage of scholarly
Academy. AAR members receive the quarterly Journal of the publishing in religious studies, reviewed by scholars with
American Academy of Religion ( JAAR); Religious Studies News, special interest and/or expertise in the relevant subfields.
an online news publication; and e-Bulletins. All members Reviews are concise, comprehensive, and timely.
receive discounts on Annual Meeting registration fees and on
subscriptions to various publications. Additionally, members RR reviews scholarly books about religion. Reviewers do not
have access to Employment Listings, a web-based employment need to be members of the AAR, or be professional religious
information service. studies scholars. We welcome reviewers from diverse fields and
viewpoints who engage with the topic of religion.
Membership in the American Academy of Religion can
be established by our online membership system at www. If you are interested in reviewing books for RR, please
aarweb.org/AARMBR/Join-Renew/AARMBR/Membership-/ complete the form at aar.wufoo.com/forms/z1vbpzlc08tuwjt/
Membership-Categories-and-Rates.aspx, or by calling our offices and tell us about your areas of expertise. Graduate students are
at 1-404-727-3049. eligible to write reviews for RR and are encouraged to fill out
the form and submit their information.
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 81
Nominations for Elected Office Dorrie Toney
Each year the Nominations Committee nominates persons for Chief Public Engagement Officer
election by members. Because terms of office vary, not every Matt Vieson
position is open every year. The Nominations Committee seeks Director of Membership
the participation of the membership in its processes. Please send
Myrriam Zion
your suggestions for nominations for elective office (along with
Office Operations and Membership Support Coordinator
a rationale) to the Nominations Committee in care of the AAR
executive offices at nominations@aarweb.org.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Nominations for Appointments to Working Groups The Board of Directors consists of twelve members elected by the
Appointments to working groups are made by the president membership and the AAR Executive Director, who serves in a
in consultation with the executive director. If you want to nonvoting role. The Board of Directors governs the organization
nominate a colleague or yourself, please send a letter explaining through strategic planning, policy development, assessment, and
interest in serving on a particular committee, participation in advocacy, and it oversees the AAR’s working groups as well as
the AAR, academic and professional interests, and a C.V. to the staff.
nominations@aarweb.org. Calls for nominations to elective office
and committee appointments are published regularly on the José Cabezón, University of California, Santa Barbara
AAR Web site at www.aarweb.org, and in the AAR e-Bulletins. President
Marla Frederick, Emory University
AAR EXECUTIVE STAFF President-Elect
Sarah Cassel Mayra Rivera, Harvard University
Scholarly Engagement Coordinator Vice President
Kimberly Davis Kimberly Rae Connor, University of San Francisco
Senior Editor, Reading Religion Secretary
Alice Hunt Randall Styers, University of North Carolina
Executive Director Treasurer
Elizabeth Hardcastle Whitney Bauman, Florida International University
Governance and Executive Office Specialist Program Unit Director
Marchell Jackson Kerry Danner, Georgetown University
Professional Development Specialist Contingent Faculty Director
Sarah Levine Katherine Downey, Dallas, TX
Director of Publications Regions Director
Nicholé Jefferson Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Vanderbilt University
Chief Finance and Administration Officer At-Large Director
Jill Marshall Amir Hussain, Loyola Marymount University
Publications and Communications Coordinator At-Large Director
Amy Parker Zayn Kassam, Pomona College
Director of Communications Status Committee Director
Joshua Patterson Aarti Patel, Syracuse University
Research Fellow Student Director
Marion Pierre Alice Hunt, American Academy of Religion
Public Programs Specialist Executive Director
Robert Puckett
Chief Scholarly Engagement Officer
Jane Smith
Accounting Manager
Sandy Stevens
Events Manager
82 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD Robert P. Jones, Public Religion Research Institute
The composition and responsibilities of the Committees of the Reiko Ohnuma, Dartmouth College
Board are defined by Article VII of the AAR Bylaws. Jeremy Posadas, Austin College
Mayra Rivera, Harvard University
Audit
Santiago H. Slabodsky, Hofstra University
José Cabezón, University of California, Santa Barbara
Roger A. Sneed, Furman University
Marla Frederick, Emory University
Deborah Whitehead, University of Colorado
Heidi Hadsell, Hartford Seminary
Mayra Rivera, Harvard University STANDING COMMITTEES
Committee on Professional Conduct The AAR’s committees serve the needs of AAR constituents,
Joseph Blankholm, University of California, Santa Barbara public programming, and the academic study of religion.
Katherine Downey, Dallas, TX
Academic Labor and Contingent Faculty Committee
Marla Frederick, Emory University
Kerry Danner, Chair, Georgetown University
Zayn Kassam, Pomona College
Edwin David Aponte, Chair, Louisville Institute
Herbert Marbury, Vanderbilt University
Christopher Duncanson-Hales, University of Sudbury
Aarti Patel, Syracuse University
Jennifer Scheper Hughes, University of California,
Thelathia Young, Bucknell University Riverside
Executive Committee Elizabeth Lemons, Tufts University
José Cabezón, Chair, University of California, Santa Rachel Lindsey, Saint Louis University
Barbara Janes Dennis LoRusso, Georgia State University
Marla Frederick, Emory University Kristy Slominski, University of Arizona
Mayra Rivera, Harvard University Gabe Veas, Ashland Theological Seminary
Kimberly Rae Connor, University of San Francisco
Academic Relations Committee
Randall Styers, University of North Carolina
Susan E. Hill, Chair, University of Northern Iowa
Finance Committee Elizabeth Castelli, Barnard College
Randall Styers, Chair, University of North Carolina Joanne Maguire Robinson, University of North Carolina,
Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Vanderbilt University Charlotte
Fred Glennon, Le Moyne College Martha Newman, University of Texas
Barbara Holmes, Retired Jennifer Rycenga, San Jose State University
Nadine Pence, emeritus, Wabash Center for Teaching American Lectures in the History of Religions Committee
and Learning
Duncan Williams, Chair, University of Southern
Governance and Leadership Development Committee California
Keri Day, Princeton Theological Seminary Barbara Ambros, University of North Carolina
Sylvester Johnson, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado, University of Scranton
University R. Marie Griffith, Washington University, St. Louis
Zayn Kassam, Pomona College
Applied Religious Studies Committee
Jin Y. Park, American University
Cristine Hutchison-Jones, Chair, Harvard University
Laurie Louise Patton, Middlebury College
Amy Defibaugh, Temple University
Program Committee Sara Kamali, University of Oxford
Whitney Bauman, Florida International University Jenny Wiley Legath, Princeton University
Monica Coleman, University of Delaware Benjamin Marcus, Religious Freedom Center
Amy DeRogatis, Michigan State University Kathleen Moore, University of California, Santa Barbara
Juliane Hammer, University of North Carolina Jana Riess, Religion News Service
Tracey Hucks, Colgate University Annette Stott, University of Denver
Amir Hussain, Loyola Marymount University Mary Beth Yount, Neumann University
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 83
Graduate Student Committee Status of People with Disabilities in the Profession Committee
Aarti Patel, Syracuse University, Chair Darla Schumm, Chair, Hollins University
James Berry, Claremont Graduate University Monica Coleman, University of Delaware
Shaunesse’ Jacobs, Boston University Heike Peckruhn, Daemen College
Abby Kulisz, Indiana University Rebecca Spurrier, Columbia Theological Seminary
Kaitlyn Lindgren-Hansen, University of Iowa Devan Stahl, Baylor University
Michael McLaughlin, Florida State University Raedorah Stewart, Wesley Theological Seminary
Chris Miller, University of Waterloo Michael A. Walker, North Park Theological Seminary
Joe Paxton, Claremont School of Theology Status of Racial and Ethnic Minorities in the Profession Committee
Josefrayn Sanchez-Perry, University of Texas Munir Jiwa, Chair, Graduate Theological Union
International Connections Committee Swasti Bhattacharyya, Buena Vista University
Olga Kazmina, Chair, Moscow State University Arun W. Jones, Emory University
Vivienne Angeles, La Salle University Elias Ortega-Aponte, Drew University
Kimberly Hill, University of Texas, Dallas Angela Parker, Seattle School of Theology and
Jon Keune, Michigan State University Psychology
James Ponniah Kulandai Raj, University of Madras C. Vanessa White, Catholic Theological Union
Andrea Pinkney, McGill University Status of Women in the Profession Committee
Publications Committee Melissa M. Wilcox, Chair, University of California,
Timothy Beal, Chair, Case Western Reserve University Riverside
Anthony Cerulli, University of Wisconsin Neomi De Anda, University of Dayton
Susan E. Henking, Shimer College Sarah Imhoff, Indiana University
Andrea Jain, Indiana University-Purdue University, Nami Kim, Spelman College
Indianapolis Vanessa Lovelace, Interdenominational Theological
Margaret Kamitsuka, Oberlin College Seminary
Vincent Lloyd, Villanova University Cassie Trentaz, Warner Pacific University
John Nemec, University of Virginia Teaching and Learning Committee
Gwendolyn Reece, American University Brian K. Pennington, Chair, Elon University
Robert A. Yelle, University of Munich Fannie Bialek, Washington University, St. Louis
Public Understanding of Religion Committee Rosemary P. Carbine, Whittier College
Evan Berry, Chair, American University Jamil Drake, Florida State University
Asma Afsaruddin, Indiana University Amy Hale, Atlanta, GA
Vincent Biondo, Humboldt State University Mary T. Stimming, Wabash Center for Teaching and
Learning in Theology and Religion
Terrence Johnson, Georgetown University
Jessica Tinklenberg, Claremont University Consortium
Nathan C. Walker, 1791 Delegates
Thelathia Young, Bucknell University Theological Education Committee
Laurl Schneider, Chair, Vanderbilt University
Status of LGBTIQ Persons in the Profession Committee
Cláudio Carvalhaes, Union Theological Seminary
Mary Hunt, Chair, Women’s Alliance for Theology,
Ethics, and Ritual Ramon Luzarraga, Benedictine University Mesa
S.J. Crasnow, Rockhurst University Nevin Reda, University of Toronto
Amanullah De Sondy, University College Cork Angela Sims, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School
W. Scott Haldeman, Chicago Theological Seminary Mark G. Toulouse, Fort Worth, TX
Robyn Henderson-Espinoza, Activist Theology Project
Roger A. Sneed, Furman University
84 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
TASK FORCES Book Award Juries
Task Forces are convened for a limited time with a narrow charge Analytical-Descriptive Studies Jury
to work on a specific issue. Russell T. McCutcheon, Chair, University of Alabama
Leslie Dorrough Smith, Avila University
AAR/SBL Regions Task Force
Adil Hussain Khan, Loyola University New Orleans
Katherine Downey, American Academy of Religion
Suzanne Owen, Leeds Trinity University
Cynthia Hogan, Washington and Jefferson College
Joe Paxton, Claremont School of Theology Constructive-Reflective Studies Jury
John Thatamanil, Chair, Union Theological Seminary
Hiring, Evaluation, and Promotion Task Force
Emily Bailey, Towson University
Marla Frederick, Chair, Harvard University
Lori K. Pearson, Carleton College
Kimberly Rae Connor, University of San Francisco
Ruben Rosario Rodriguez, Saint Louis University
Kerry Danner, Georgetown University
Zayn Kassam, Pomona College Historical Studies Jury
Lerone Martin, Washington University, St. Louis Paul Lim, Chair, Vanderbilt University
Kathryn McClymond, Georgia State University Diane Apostolos-Cappadona, Georgetown University
Martha Newman, University of Texas Ray F. Kibler, Claremont, CA
Jin Y. Park, American University Anna Sun, Duke University
Richard A. Rosengarten, University of Chicago Best 1st Book in the History of Religions Jury
Presidential Futures Task Force Robert Campany, Chair, Vanderbilt University
Kathryn McClymond, Chair, Georgia State University Stephen Angell, Earlham School of Religion
Warren G. Frisina, Hofstra University Christopher Moreman, California State University, East
Bay
Amir Hussain, Loyola Marymount University
Archana Venkatesan, University of California, Davis
Andrea Jain, Indiana University-Purdue University,
Indianapolis Textual Studies Jury
Aarti Patel, Syracuse University Aaron W. Hughes, Chair, University of Rochester
Mayra Rivera, Harvard University Emily Filler, Earlham College
Rohit Singh, Unibversity of North Carolina, Greensboro Zhange Ni, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
Amy Elizabeth Steele, Vanderbilt University University
Randall Styers, University of North Carolina Andrew Quintman, Wesleyan University
Matthew Wesley Williams, Interdenominational Graduate Student Awards Jury
Theological Center Anne Joh, Chair, Garrett-Evangelical Theological
Seminary
JURIES Victor Anderson, Vanderbilt University
The AAR’s juries select the winners of various grants and awards. Rachel Fell McDermott, Barnard College
Annual Meeting Travel Grants Jury Religion and the Arts Award Jury
Liza Anderson, College of Saint Scholastica Jason C. Bivins, Chair, North Carolina State University
Gil Ben-Herut, University of South Florida Tracy Fessenden, Arizona State University
Joseph Caldwell, Memphis Center for Urban Theological Anthony Petro, Boston University
Studies Aaron Rosen, Rocky Mountain College
Elissa Cutter, Georgian Court University Jolyon Thomas, University of Pennsylvania
Kyrah Malika Daniels, Boston College
Zhiru Ng, Pomona College
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 85
Research Grants Jury Z Association of Social Scientists of Religion of
Ki Joo Choi, Seton Hall University MERCOSUR
Antoinette E. DeNapoli, Texas Christian University Z Center for Interdisciplinary Study of Monotheistic
Philip Freeman, Pepperdine University Religions
Peter Heltzel, New York Theological Seminary Z College Theology Society
Jacob K. Olupona, Harvard University Z Colloquium on Violence and Religion
Scott Paeth, DePaul University Z European Society for the Study of Western
Esotericism
REGIONAL COORDINATORS Z Feminist Studies in Religion
The AAR’s ten regions are each represented by a Regionally Z Hagiography Society
Elected Coordinator who promotes the work of the regional group. Z Institute for American Religious and Philosophical
Ronald Bernier, Wentworth Institute of Technology, New Thought
England Maritimes Z International Association for the Cognitive Science of
Cynthia Hogan, Washington and Jefferson College, Religion
Eastern International Z International Association of Shin Buddhist Studies
Mari Kim, Everett Community College, Pacific Northwest Z International Bonhoeffer Society-English Language
Terry Kleven, Central College, Upper Midwest Section
Philippa Koch, Missouri State University, Midwest Z International Society for Chinese Philosophy
Derrick Lemons, University of Georgia, Southeast Z International Society for Science and Religion
Hester Oberman, University of Arizona, Western Z International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature
and Culture
Tiffany Puett, Institute for Diversity and Civic Life,
Austin, TX, Southwest Z Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced
Holocaust Studies
Zachary Smith, Creighton University, Rocky Mountains-
Great Plains Z Karl Barth Society of North America
Matthew Vaughan, Columbia University, Mid-Atlantic Z La Comunidad of Hispanic Scholars
Z Manchester Wesley Research Centre
PROGRAM UNIT CHAIRS Z Niebuhr Society
Each AAR Program Unit has two co-chairs who oversee the Z North American Association for the Study of Religion
Program Unit’s activities. Program Unit chairs provide the Z North American Paul Tillich Society
leadership needed to conduct the AAR’s Annual Meeting. Z Polanyi Society
Without them, there simply would not be an Annual Meeting. We
Z Public Religion Research Institute
are grateful for their service on behalf of the AAR and the field.
Z Religious Education Association
For the full list of Program Unit Chairs, please visit: aarweb.org/ Z Société internationale d’études sur Alfred Loisy
AARMBR/Events-and-Networking-/Program-Units-/Thank-
Z Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy
you-to-2020-Program-Unit-Chairs.aspx.
Z Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies
RELATED SCHOLARLY ORGANIZATIONS Z Society for Comparative Research on Iconic and
Performative Texts (SCRIPT)
The American Academy of Religion cooperates with organizations
that have similar missions to its own, which is to foster excellence Z Society for Hindu-Christian Studies
in the academic study of religion and enhance the public Z Society for the Arts in Religious and Theological
understanding of religion. Such organizations may be recognized Studies
as Related Scholarly Organizations (RSOs). Learn more about Z Society for the Study of Chinese Religions
our RSOs at aarweb.org/AARMBR/Who-We-Are-/Partnerships/ Z Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality
Related-Scholarly-Organizations.aspx. Z Society for the Study of Japanese Religions
Z Adventist Society for Religious Studies Z Søren Kierkegaard Society
Z African Association for the Study of Religions Z Theta Alpha Kappa
Z Association of Practical Theology Z Thomas F. Torrance Theological Fellowship
Z William James Society
86 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Member Benefits
The AAR serves as the largest learned society dedicated to the academic study of religion. Through the AAR’s many
programs and services, members from around the world can connect at in-person events, through online communities,
and as volunteer leaders on committees, task forces, and juries.
PUBLICATIONS
Members enjoy online access to the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, the monthly Member News,
Religious Studies News, the AAR book series, In the Field, the Reading Religion book review website. The AAR also
has partnerships with JSTOR and academic presses to help members without strong library privileges continue their
research.
EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
AAR members enjoy access to numerous career resources, including Employment Listings, the most comprehensive
listings of job postings within the field, online training for job seekers, funding opportunities for research projects
and travel to the Annual Meeting, and promotion of professional accomplishments through official AAR channels.
VOLUNTEER
Serving on a committee, task force, or jury offers meaningful opportunities to connect with scholars who share
similar interests or expertise. Becoming a volunteer leader also helps advance the AAR’s work and strengthen the
overall membership.
GRANTS
The AAR maintains several grant programs for members, awarding tens of thousands of dollars each year. Eligible
applicants can seek funding for regional development grants, travel grants to attend the AAR Annual Meeting, public
engagement fellowships and seed grants, and research grants for international dissertation work, collaboration with
other scholars, and individual projects.
DISCOUNTS
AAR’s partner in publishing, Oxford University Press, offers members a 30% discount on academic and trade books
across all disciplines. More than twenty academic journals and book publishers offer discounts to AAR members.
In addition, all members receive a discount on registration to the Annual Meetings hosted by the AAR and SBL.
The AAR is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization recognized by the IRS. Your gift is tax deductible
to the extent allowed by law.
88 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
PROGRAM SESSIONS
Although the American Academy of Religion cooperates with Related Scholarly Organizations (RSOs) that have similar missions
as the AAR, and provides them space for their meetings (sessions marked with a P#), the content of these sessions is not reviewed
by either the AAR’s Program Units or its Program Committee
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29
Sunday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Arts Series M
Theme: Protest In Word and Music
A29-200
The year of 2020 marks the 55th anniversary of Detroit’s Broadside
Press, one of the country’s first black publishing houses, which co- Academic Labor and Contingent Faculty Committee
launched the Black Arts Movement, and the 50th anniversary of Meeting
Black Forum. The latter was Motown Records’ spoken word label that Sunday, 12:00 PM–3:00 PM
released material from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., former
Black Panther leader Elaine Brown, Huey P. Newton and Stokely Kerry Danner, Georgetown University, and Edwin David Aponte,
Carmichael, to name a few. Together, these two entities provided Louisville Institute, Presiding
outlets for a city in pain to cry out its woes and angsts through music
and literature. During the tumult of the historic 1967 Detroit riot, the
city was at a pinnacle stage of societal challenges, with white flight A29-201
on the rise, urban blight and the loss of residential property reaching
a peak, while black-owned businesses went up in flames, along with Academic Relations Committee Meeting
the morale of many of its loyal residents. This virtual exhibit looks at Sunday, 12:00 PM–3:00 PM
how art, in the form of literature and music, served as an avenue for Susan E. Hill, University of Northern Iowa, Presiding
espousing feelings of anger, frustration and dashes of hopefulness in
the midst of an oppressed population in inner cities during a series of
civil unrests. Through an exemplary exhibition of Detroit during the A29-202
period of 1965 to 1970, the virtual exhibit reflects upon the impact
of discrimination, racial suppression and inner city struggles for fair Public Understanding of Religion Committee Meeting
housing and employment. This exhibit is a mini virtual gallery of video
Sunday, 12:00 PM–3:00 PM
from the riots, images and music from Black Forum and spoken word
material from Broadside Press. Conveniently, some of the published Evan Berry, Arizona State University, Presiding
authors on Broadside Press were released on Black Forum.
Panelist:
A29-203
Marilyn Batchelor, Claremont Graduate University
Regions Committee Meeting
Sunday, 12:00 PM–1:30 PM
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29 Katherine Downey, Dallas, TX, Presiding
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5).
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify A29-204
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app.
Status of LGBTIQ Persons in the Profession Committee
Meeting
A29-100 Sunday, 12:00 PM–3:00 PM
Mary E. Hunt, Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual,
International Connections Committee Meeting Presiding
Sunday, 10:00 AM–1:00 PM
Olga Kazmina, Moscow State University, Presiding
A29-101
Theological Education Committee Meeting
Sunday, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM
Laurel C. Schneider, Vanderbilt University, Presiding
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 89
This workshop will offer participants the opportunity to discuss their
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29 on-going work and to network with other researchers in religious
studies or theology who focus on common research themes such as
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). alternative forms of motherhood and mothering in religion, divine
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29
90 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Sunday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
A29-301
Teaching and Learning Committee Meeting
A29-210 K
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29
Sunday, 3:00 PM–5:00 PM
Centers for Religion and Public Life Workshop: Continuing Brian K. Pennington, Elon University, Presiding
Collaborations
Sunday, 2:00 PM–5:00 PM
Andrew Davies, University of Birmingham, Presiding
A29-302
This annual gathering of leaders and members of our global network American Association for the Advancement of Science
of centers working, in some capacity, on religion and public life seeks (AAAS) program of Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and
to find common cause, share best practices (and pitfalls), and discuss Religion (DoSER) Workshop: Racism and Anti-Racism in
the future of our work and build strategic collaborations. The meeting Science and Theology
is open to everyone who is involved in the leadership, management or
support of one of these centers. Sunday, 3:30 PM–5:00 PM
Laurel C. Schneider, Vanderbilt University, Presiding
The Dialogue on the Science, Ethics, and Religion Program (DoSER)
A29-211 of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
(AAAS) invites religious scholars to join us in discussing the role of
Reading Religion Editorial Board Meeting racism in the past and present of science and theology. How have
Sunday, 2:00 PM–3:00 PM racist ideas affected the development of both scientific and theological
Kimberly Davis, American Academy of Religion, Presiding thought, and how does that history affect how the intersection of
the two subjects is discussed today? After presentations by several
scholars on the topic, the panel will open a moderated discussion
A29-212 G about pedagogies, practices, and goals for moving forward. Topics will
include climate change, evolution, and public health. We hope to see
Regional Officers Meeting you there!
Sunday, 2:00 PM–3:00 PM Panelists:
Katherine Downey, Dallas, TX, Presiding Curtis Baxter, American Association for the Advancement of
Science
Augustín Fuentes, Princeton University
A29-213 Sharon Grant, Hood Theological Seminary
Religion, Memory, History Unit Business Meeting Melanie Harris, Texas Christian University
Sunday, 2:00 PM–2:30 PM Terence Keel, University of California, Los Angeles
Rachel Gross, San Francisco State University, and Tim Langille, John Slattery, American Association for the Advancement of
Arizona State University, Presiding Science
A29-300
Status of Racial and Ethnic Minorities in the Profession
Committee Meeting
Sunday, 3:00 PM–6:00 PM
Munir Jiwa, Graduate Theological Union, Presiding
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 91
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). A30-102
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Academic Labor and Contingent Faculty Committee
Theme: Breaking the Guild Open
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
A30-100 James Dennis LoRusso, Georgia State University, Presiding
Arts, Literature, and Religion Unit and Chinese Religions Panelists:
Unit and Daoist Studies Unit Joerg Rieger, Vanderbilt University
Theme: Bodies Divine: Art, Agency, and Body in Daoist and
Buddhist Images
A30-103 K
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30
Symbol Key:
92 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Karola Radler, Stellenbosch University Brendan Case, Duke University
Navigating a Road Through Law, Faith, and Justice “The Doers of the Law Will Be Justified”: Resolving a Pauline
William Boyce, University of Virginia Dilemma
The Unnatural in Bonhoeffer’s Ethics Responding:
Joanna Leidenhag, University of Saint Andrews
A30-105 AC A30-108
Buddhist Critical-Constructive Reflection Unit
Theme: Joanna Macy and the Work of Our Time (Shambhala, 2020) Hinduism Unit
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Theme: New Books in Hindu Studies
Christopher Ives, Stonehill College, Presiding Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Panelists: Harshita Mruthinti Kamath, Emory University, Presiding
Judith Simmer-Brown, Naropa University Panelists:
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30
William Edelglass, Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Marlboro Marko Geslani, University of South Carolina
College Hamsa Stainton, McGill University
Rebecca Kneale Gould, Middlebury College Tulasi Srinivas, Emerson College
Ruben L. F. Habito, Southern Methodist University Deonnie Moodie, University of Oklahoma
Responding:
Stephanie Kaza, University of Vermont
Joanna Macy, Work That Reconnects Network
A30-109 C
Business Meeting: Innovations in Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Unit
Hsiao-Lan Hu, University of Detroit Mercy, and Sid Brown, Theme: Movement Chaplaincy
University of the South, Presiding Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Micky Scottbey Jones, Faith Matters Network, Presiding
A30-106 W Panelists:
Hilary Allen, Faith Matters Network
Contemporary Pagan Studies Unit and History of Jennifer Bailey, Faith Matters Network
Christianity Unit and Religion in Premodern Europe and
Responding:
the Mediterranean Unit
Aly Benitez, Faith Matters Network
Theme: Author Meets Critics: Celebrating Ronald Hutton’s
Contribution to the Academic Study of Religion Kirstin Boswell Ford, University of Chicago
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Business Meeting:
David Frankfurter, Boston University, Presiding Wendy Cadge, Brandeis University, and Michael Skaggs, Brandeis
Panelists: University, Presiding
Michael Ostling, Arizona State University
Sabina Magliocco, University of British Columbia A30-110
Alexis S. Wells-Oghoghomeh, Vanderbilt University
North American Religions Unit
Chris Miller, University of Waterloo
Theme: Blackness, Indigeneity, and the Arts in North American
Laurel Zwissler, Central Michigan University Religions
Responding: Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Ronald Hutton, University of Bristol Samira Mehta, University of Colorado, Presiding
Justine Bakker, Rice University
Blue Humanities, Blue Religion
A30-107
Meaghan Weatherdon, University of Toronto
Theology and Religious Reflection Unit From Discovery Park to Pimisi Station: Public Art and the Spiritual
Theme: Accountability as a Theological Virtue Politics of Commemorating Colonial Violence and Indigenous
Survivance in the City
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Janan Graham, Harvard University
Aaron Griffith, Sattler College, Presiding
Cuts and Crossroads: Religio-Horror, Secularism, and the
C. Stephen Evans, Baylor University ‘Supernatural’ in Black Cinema
Accountability and the Fear of the Lord
Responding:
Andrew Torrance, University of St. Andrews
Yvonne Chireau, Swarthmore College
A Baptismal Theology of Accountability
Kathleen Holscher, University of New Mexico
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 93
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30 A30-114 C
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Tillich: Issues in Theology, Religion, and Culture Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: Tillich and Health
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Devan Stahl, Baylor University, Presiding
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Kirk MacGregor, McPherson College
Tillichian Courage as Theologically Foundational to the Treatment of
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
A30-112 A Taylor Thomas, Boston University
A Tillichian Analysis on Substance Abuse
Religion and Disability Studies Unit
Katharina Opalka, Evangelische Theologie; Rheinische Friedrich-
Theme: 25 Years On: Re-Imagining, Expanding, Enriching Nancy
Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30
Symbol Key:
94 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
A30-200/S30-210 A30-202
Cognitive Science of Religion Unit and SBL Mind, Society, Buddhism Unit
and Religion: Cognitive Science Approaches to the Biblical Theme: New Work in Buddhist Studies
World Unit Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Theme: Cultural Evolution and Cognitive Historiography Reiko Ohnuma, Dartmouth College, Presiding
Monday, 1:00 PM–3:00 PM Jeff Schroeder, University of Oregon
Rikard Roitto, Stockholm School of Theology, Presiding Is Buddhism Democratic? Discourse from Postwar Japan
Hillary Lenfesty, Arizona State University Kati Fitzgerald, Ohio State University
The Cultural Evolution of Early Christianity via Prestige-Biased No Pure Lands: Theological Understandings of Impurity from the
Transmission of Cooperative Norms Perspective of Tibetan Lay Women
Petri Luomanen, University of Helsinki Gilbert Chen, Towson University
Cultural-Evolutionary Analysis of the Reception of the Gospels of The “Lustful Nun”: Sexual Transgression Committed by Buddhist
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30
Luke and John Nuns in Nineteenth-Century Chongqing
Ronit Nikolsky, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen Lang Chen, University of Michigan
The Rise of Rabbinic Judaism in Light of Cognitive and Cultural Repressed Modern Buddhism? Gong Zizhen (1792 - 1841)’s Buddhist
Evolution Thoughts and Praxis
Colleen Shantz, University of Toronto
Constructing Heaven: The Cultural Adaptation of Afterlife Belief
Jarkko Vikman, University of Helsinki
A30-203 C
Mister Worldwide? Areal Prominence in the Prestige of Ephesian Christian Spirituality Unit
Religious
Theme: Spiritual Dimensions of Memory
Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Jessica Smith, United Methodist Church, Presiding
Nathan White, Institute for Faith and Resilience
A30-201 Dangerous Memory? TBI, PTSD, and the Nature of Forgetfulness
and Remembrance in Paul Ricoeur’s Thought
African Religions Unit
Michelle Marvin, University of Notre Dame
Theme: Public, Political and Material Religions in Contemporary Writing as a Spiritual Practice for those with Alzheimer’s Disease
West Africa
Business Meeting:
Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Beringia Zen, Saint Agnes Medical Center, and Margaret
David Amponsah, University of Pennsylvania, Presiding Benefiel, Shalem Institute For Spiritual Formation, Presiding
Emily Stratton, Indiana University
Jesus in the Apple Icon: Vehicle Decals and Ecologies of Value in Urban
Ghana A30-204
James Kwateng-Yeboah, Queen’s University
Framing Debates About Homosexuality in Ghana (2006-2018): The Comparative Theology Unit
Multiple Modernities Paradigm? Theme: Jewish-Christian Comparative Theology: Engaging Ideas
of Divinity, Love, and Eschatology
Justice Anquandah Arthur, Pentecost University College
Religion in Public Spheres: Exploring Religious Education and Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Religious Diversity in Public Schools in Ghana Kristin Johnston Largen, United Lutheran Seminary, Presiding
Thomas Seat, Princeton Theological Seminary Alan Brill, Seton Hall University
Theorizing the Local and the Global of Religion in the Niger Delta: A A Jewish Understanding of the Trinity
Pragmatic Account Devorah Schoenfeld, Loyola University, Chicago
Can God love All of Us? Reading Origen’s Song of Songs Commentary
from a Jewish Theological Perspective
Matthew Tapie, Saint Leo University
A Thomistic Reflection on the Biblical Eschatology of Nahmanides
David Maayan, Boston College
Hermeneutic Hope in Judaism and Christianity
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 95
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30 A30-208 C
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). North American Hinduism Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: The Search for Communal Identity and the Making of
Digital Hindu Publics in North America
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app.
Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Amy L. Allocco, Elon University, Presiding
Bhakti Mamtora, College of Wooster
Digital Media and Religious Programming in the Swaminarayan
A30-205 A Sampraday During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Venu Mehta, University of Florida
Critical Theory and Discourses on Religion Unit and From Digital Hindu Nationalism to the Construction of Material
Sociology of Religion Unit and Critical Research on Hindu Identity: Facebook and Hindu International Student
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30
A30-209
A30-207 S Psychology, Culture, and Religion Unit
Nineteenth Century Theology Unit Theme: Psychology, Religion and Politics: Responding to the
Theme: Women Shaping Theology and Religion in the Nineteenth Coronavirus Pandemic and Presidential Election of 2020
Century: I Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Eileen Campbell-Reed, Union Theological Seminary, Presiding
Sheila Briggs, University of Southern California, Presiding Panelists:
Theodore Vial, Iliff School of Theology John Blevins, Emory University
“Rahel Varnhagen as Radical Theorist of a Distributed Self ”
Pamela Cooper-White, Union Theological Seminary
Emilie Casey, Yale University Kirsten Sonkyo Oh, Azusa Pacific University
Enfleshing the Spirit: Performances of Objecthood in 19th-Century
Women Preachers
Stephanie Paulsell, Harvard University
Virginia Woolf, the Long Nineteenth Century, and the Ministry of
Women
Responding:
Thandeka Thandeka, Love Beyond Belief, Inc.
Symbol Key:
96 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
A30-210 A30-213 C
Queer Studies in Religion Unit Ricoeur Unit
Theme: Queer Secularities Theme: Ricoeur, Feminism and Intersectionality
Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Kori Pacyniak, University of California, Riverside, Presiding Hille Haker, Loyola University Chicago, Presiding
Marco Pflanzen, University of Alabama Nathan Pederson, Loyola University Chicago
Sexularisms Ricoeur, Opacity, and Intersectionality: Multi-Dimensional
Eric Stephen, Harvard University Pathologization of the Symbol
“To Excite Agreeable Sensations”: The Knowlton Affair, the Victorian- Georg Kalinna, Georg-August-University Goettingen
Era Secularist Movement, and the Shaping of Sexual Subjectivities Concepts of Metaphors — Liberal-Feminist and Hermeneutical
Within Modern Secularity Readings of Paul Ricœur and Their Consequences for a Concept of
Daniel Miller, Landmark College Religious Innovation
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30
Secularization and the Queer Social Body Business Meeting:
W. David Hall, Centre College, and Glenn Whitehouse, Florida
Gulf Coast University, Presiding
A30-211
Religion and Food Unit A30-214
Theme: New England, Thanksgiving, and the American Context
Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Roman Catholic Studies Unit
Benjamin Zeller, Lake Forest College, Presiding Theme: Catholicism and the Formation of Conscience
Jonathan D. Brumberg-Kraus, Wheaton College, Massachussets Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Myths, Micro-practices, and Identity in Th American Civil Religious Katherine Dugan, Springfield College, Presiding
Meal Ritual: What’s Cooking for Thanksgiving Now? Benjamin Peters, University of Saint Joseph
William Schanbacher, University of South Florida “A Presumption of Injustice”: Franz Jägerstätter, Gordon Zahn, and
Norman Rockwell, Alice Brock and Arlo Guthrie Walk into a Bar… the Formation of Conscientious Resistance
What’s on the Menu for Conversation? Kathryn Lilla Cox, University of San Diego
Lydia Willsky-Ciollo, Fairfield University Conscience as Metaphor: Breaking Open the Dialogical Nature of
“Not-so Forbidden Fruits”: Wild Apples, Thoreau, and the Tasteful Moral Formation
Sacrament of Healing Mary Gratton, Villa Maria Academy
Responding: Forming Consciences: A Modern Consideration for Conscience as a
“Dimension of the Self ”
Daniel McKanan, Harvard University
Marcus Mescher, Xavier University
Toward a “Restorative Church:” Moral Injury, Conscience Formation,
A30-212 C and Restorative Justice in Response to Clergy Sexual Abuse
Responding:
Religion, Memory, History Unit
Peter Cajka, University of Notre Dame
Theme: Religion, Memory, and the State: Commemorating Power
from Inquisition to Empire
Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM A30-215
Tim Langille, Arizona State University, Presiding
Exploratory Session: A Public-Focused Religious Studies
Pamela Stevens, Graduate Theological Union
Ghostly Effigies, Suspended Shame: Assemblages of Garments of Shame Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
in Churches During the Spanish Inquisition Sandra L. Gravett, Appalachian State University, Presiding
Rubina Salikuddin, Bryn Mawr College Panelists:
Saintly Shrines in Timurid Iran and Central Asia: Issues of State, Laura Ammon, Appalachian State University
Religion, and Collective Memory
Ann M. Burlein, Hofstra University
Maayan Raveh, Hebrew University, Jerusalem Anandi Silva Knuppel, Lawrence University
Witness in the Holy Land: The Formation of the Palestinian-Christian
Narrative Amanda Mbuvi, High Point, University
Verena Meyer, Columbia University Andrew Monteith, Elon University
The Agency of Memory: Modernism, Traditionalism, and Islamic Brian K. Pennington, Elon University
Graves in Java Pamela D. Winfield, Elon University
Business Meeting: Joseph Witt, Mississippi State University
Rachel Gross, San Francisco State University, and Tim Langille,
Arizona State University, Presiding
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 97
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5).
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify
A30-301 C
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. African Diaspora Religions Unit
Theme: African Diaspora Religion, Embodiment and Survival
Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Amidst an Eshu/Legba/Anansi Moment
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Scott Alves Barton, New York University, Presiding
P30-200 Carol Marie Webster, Columbia University
Fall/Rise...Repeat: Bringing Down Babylon, An Embodied
Manchester Wesley Research Centre Exploration of African Diaspora Spiritual Resilience as Warfare
Theme: Global British Methodism and Nonconformity in the 19th Against Oppression
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30
A30-300
American Lectures in the History of Religions Committee
Meeting
Monday, 3:00 PM–5:00 PM
Duncan Williams, University of Southern California, Presiding
Symbol Key:
98 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
A30-303 A30-306 C
Asian North American Religion, Culture, and Society Religion in South Asia Unit
Unit and Class, Religion, and Theology Unit and Latina/o Theme: Lives and Afterlives of Texts: Translation and Reception
Religion, Culture, and Society Unit of the Tiruvāymoḻi — Round Table Discussion of Endless Song:
Theme: On Brown and Yellow Labor: Immigrant Bodies in/and US Tiruvāymoḻi by Archana Venkatesan
Religious Traditions Monday, 4:00 PM–6:30 PM
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Leah Comeau, University of the Sciences, Presiding
Jeremy V. Cruz, Saint John’s University, New York, Presiding Panelists:
Ashlee Andrews, University of North Carolina, Greensboro Sucharita Adluri, Cleveland State University
Labor Negotiations at the Home Shrine: Analyzing Bengali American Manasicha Akepiyapornchai, Cornell University
Hindu Women’s Home Shrine Care as Reproductive Labor
Francis X. Clooney, Harvard University
Jessica Wong, Azusa Pacific University
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30
Steven P. Hopkins, Swarthmore College
Orderly Bodies, Orderly Souls, Orderly Citizens: Reforming the
Racialized Immigrant Through Physical Discipline Vasudha Narayanan, University of Florida
Francisco Garcia, Vanderbilt University Christian Lee Novetzke, University of Washington
Moving From the Table to the Streets: The Solidarity and Promise of Responding:
Interfaith Organizing Archana Venkatesan, University of California, Davis
Business Meeting:
A30-304 Deonnie Moodie, University of Oklahoma, and Patton Burchett,
College of William and Mary, Presiding
Christian Systematic Theology Unit
Theme: Participation and Life in God
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM A30-307 C
Natalia Marandiuc, Southern Methodist University, Presiding Islamic Mysticism Unit
Kirsten Guidero, Indiana Wesleyan University Theme: Theoretical Sufism and the Lived Human Experience
Participation, Theosis, and Deification, All Yes: A Modest Proposal Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Charles Guth, Princeton Theological Seminary Maria Massi Dakake, George Mason University, Presiding
To Share Life with God: Participation as Friendship Adam Tyson, University of California, Riverside
Eric Mabry, Christ the King Seminary Religious Pluralism and the Philosophy of Wahdat al-Wujud in
Repraesentatur et Efficitur: Sacramental Presence, Participation, and Bedreddin’s Revolt
Meaning in the Life of Christ Mohammed Rustom, New York University, Abu Dhabi
Fallen in Love: ‘Ayn al-Qudat’s Satanology in Context
A30-305 Arthur Schechter, University of Chicago
Nearness to the Real: Sainthood as Ontological Proximity in the
Gay Men and Religion Unit and Religion and Sexuality Unit Thought of Dawūd al-Qayṣarī
Theme: Explorations of A Post-Queer Worldly Aesthetic Elizabeth Sartell, University of Chicago
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM The Letters of Creation in Judaism and Islam
Nina Hoel, University of Oslo, Presiding Kabira Masotta, Catholic University of Louvain
Spiritual Anthropology of the Border in the First Ascetics of Islam
Timothy Jones, La Trobe University
Being Ex-Trans in Australia? Gender in LGBT Conversion Ideology Business Meeting:
and Practice Cyrus Zargar, University of Central Florida, Presiding
Wei-Jen Chen, Chicago Theological Seminary
Challenges to the LGBTQ-Identical Churches in Taiwan in the Post-
Equal Marriage Era
Tristan Carwile, Princeton Theological Seminary
The Queer Eschaton: An Anti-Doctrine of Embodiment
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 99
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30 A30-310 C
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Political Theology Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: Political Theology and Imagination
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Inese Radzins, California State University, Stanislaus, Presiding
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Maria Tedesco, Seattle University
Embodying Islamic Political Theology: Towards a Theory of Theological
Imaginary
A30-308 A Travis LaCouter, University of Oxford
To Speak with Scorched Tongues: Denise Levertov’s Revolutionary
Martin Luther and Global Lutheran Traditions Unit Theopoetics
Theme: Book Panel, John D. Caputo’s Cross and Cosmos: A Theology
Joseph Harroff, Temple University
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30
A30-311
A30-309 C
Pentecostal–Charismatic Movements Unit Reformed Theology and History Unit
Theme: Reformed and Always in Need of Reform
Theme: Guarding Virtue and/or Garnering Respectability:
Holiness Dress Codes and Female Pentecostal Bodies Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Christina Larsen, Grand Canyon University, Presiding
Zachary Michael Tackett, Southeastern University, Presiding Craig Meek, University of Edinburgh
Searching for Continuity Amidst Change: Scottish Reformed Theology
Panelists:
at the Turn of the 20th Century
Andrea Johnson, California State University, Dominguez Hills
Chelsea Williams, Princeton Theological Seminary
Leah Payne, George Fox University Reforming the Reformers: Karl Barth’s Reading of the Lord’s Prayer,
Dara Delgado, University of Dayton the Kingdom and Its Coming
Erica Ramirez, Drew University Henry Kuo, Greensboro College
Kimberly Alexander, Regent University The Dangers of Being Reformed and Reforming
Business Meeting:
Andrea Johnson, California State University, Dominguez Hills,
and Leah Payne, George Fox University, Presiding
Symbol Key:
100 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
A30-312 RC A30-315
Religion and Human Rights Unit Vatican II Studies Unit
Theme: Orthodox Christianity, Human Rights, and the State Theme: Structural Reform for a New Epoch
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Laura Alexander, University of Nebraska, Omaha, Presiding Peter De Mey, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Presiding
Paul Ladouceur, University of Toronto Peter Folan, S.J., Georgetown University
Ethno-Theology, Human Rights and Orthodoxy in Romania “Concerns About ‘Sharing the Concerns’: A Critical Re-Examination
Vebjorn Horsfjord, Inland Norway University of Applied Science of the Office of Auxiliary Bishop”
The Russian Orthodox Church on Human Rights, Dignity and a Julia H. Brumbaugh, Regis University
Dignified Life — A Critical Analysis Vatican II, Reform & Continuity of Tradition: As We have [Not]
Philip Lemasters, McMurry University Always Taught
“Liberal Democracy, Human Rights, and Eastern Orthodox Elyse Raby, Boston College
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30
Christianity” The Missionary Body of Christ: Merleau-Ponty and Postconciliar
Business Meeting: Ecclesiology
Laura Alexander, University of Nebraska, Omaha, Presiding
P30-300 Y
A30-313 C Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and
Religion, Colonialism, and Postcolonialism Unit Religion
Theme: After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging
Theme: Roundtable: The Futures of Postcolonialism and Religion
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Nancy Lynne Westfield, Drew University, Presiding
Adrian Hermann, University of Bonn, Presiding
The conversation will consider the implications of Dr. Jennings’ book
Panelists:
After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging for teaching and learning in
Anne Joh, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary North American college, university, and theological school contexts.
Prea Persaud, University of North Carolina, Charlotte The session will begin and end with comments by the author, Dr.
Kathleen Foody, College of Charleston Jennings, about his book and its implications for pedagogy in the 21st
century. The bulk of the session will involve a conversation among
Syed Adnan Hussain, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax peers, moderated by Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield, about how the book
Caleb Elfenbein, Grinnell College raises specific questions about contemporary higher education practice
Business Meeting: and the implications of these questions for the future of higher
education, particularly as it relates to theological education.
Adrian Hermann, University of Bonn, and Prea Persaud,
University of North Carolina, Charlotte, Presiding In the book, Dr. Jennings asserts, “Theological education has always
been about formation: first of people, then of communities, then of
the world. If we continue to promote whiteness and its related ideas of
A30-314 Y masculinity and individualism in our educational work, it will remain
diseased and thwart our efforts to heal the church and the world. But
Teaching Religion Unit if theological education aims to form people who can gather others
together through border-crossing pluralism and God-drenched
Theme: Building A “Public-Focused” Future for Non-Sectarian communion, we can begin to cultivate the radical belonging that is at
Undergraduate Religious Studies Programs the heart of God’s transformative work.” (Eerdmans.com)
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Panelists:
Sandra L. Gravett, Appalachian State University, Presiding M. Craig Barnes, Princeton Theological Seminary
Panelists: Kwok Pui Lan, Emory University
Ann M. Burlein, Hofstra University M. Shawn Copeland, Boston College
Laura Ammon, Appalachian State University Responding:
Anandi Silva Knuppel, Lawrence University Willie J. Jennings, Yale University
Andrew Monteith, Elon University
Amanda Mbuvi, High Point, University
Brian K. Pennington, Elon University
Joseph Witt, Mississippi State University
Cuong Mai, Appalachian State University
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 101
Kimberley Patton, Harvard University
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30 Gil Raz, Dartmouth College
Responding:
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5).
Poul Andersen, University of Hawai’i
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify
Business Meeting:
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app.
Jessey Choo, Rutgers University, and Jonathan Pettit, University
of Hawaii, Presiding
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
A30-400 P1-101
Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies Board Meeting
Japanese Religions Unit
Tuesday, 9:00 AM–12:00 PM
Theme: Beyond Kami and Buddhas: Demons, Ghosts, and
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30
Symbol Key:
102 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
A1-103 E A1-104 Y
Public Understanding of Religion Committee Theological Education Committee
Theme: 2020 AAR Award-Winning Religion Journalists: Theme: Creating and Teaching Seminary Courses Online: A
Covering the Religion Beat in an Election Year Workshop
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Nathan Walker, 1791 Delegates, and Jacqueline Charles, Miami This will be a workshop for theological educators thrust into online
Herald, Presiding and distance teaching by the COVID-19 crisis in the spring. Dr. Ken
Stone, professor of Hebrew Bible at Chicago Theological Seminary,
The 2020 AAR Best In-depth Newswriting Award winners will is an experienced theological educator who has been developing and
engage some of the most provocative news and religion-related teaching online courses for the seminary for ten years. He describes
stories of 2019. Emmy Award-winning Correspondent Jacqueline himself as an online skeptic-turned-convert, and will lead participants
Charles of the Miami Herald will join the three award recipients. through the process of developing and conducting a course online,
Charles’ celebrated reporting on the Caribbean has brought especially geared toward students in theological education. In the
attention to issues of health, migration, and natural disasters, workshop Dr. Stone will focus on key differences between online
especially in the Republic of Haiti. Given the importance of and in-person curriculum, and provide practical instruction in online
religion in contemporary U.S. politics, the panel will also discuss course development, teaching, evaluating, and student participation.
religion reporting and campaigning in 2020, the presidential He will lead the participants through his own process of course
election, and religion-related “hot topics” that may emerge in the development from beginning to end, focusing on the practical wisdom
coming year. he has gained through trial and error. Participants may be asked to
First-place finisher Peter Smith, religion editor of bring laptops to do some work on their own syllabi in a workshop
the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, is part of the Post- format.
Gazette team that won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Panelists:
breaking news coverage of the Tree of Life
synagogue massacre. Smith’s winning submission Ken Stone, Chicago Theological Seminary
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1
includes articles about the Amish community, sexual
abuse in the Mennonite community, aftermath of the
Peter Smith
Tree of Life shootings, and Notre Dame’s fire in A1-105
Paris.
Buddhism in the West Unit and Buddhism Unit
Second-place finisher Jaweed Kaleem, a national
Theme: Buddhism and Racism Across Asia, Europe and North
correspondent at the Los Angeles Times, writes about
America
how race, ethnicity, and faith shape the evolving
understanding of what it means to be American. Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Kaleem’s series takes readers on a ride along a Joseph Cheah, University of Saint Joseph, Presiding
Punjabi American highway while seamlessly Paride Stortini, University of Chicago
Jaweed Kaleem integrating the story of the trucking industry with The Buddha as an Aryan Samurai: Julius Evola’s Spiritual Racism
substantial and much-needed education about and its Legacy on Italian Buddhism
Sikhism.
Third-place finisher Kalpana Jain, a senior editor, Bruce Grover, University of Heidelberg
who heads the ethics and religion desk at The Race, Ethnic Nationalism and Power in Modern Japanese Buddhism,
Conversation, writes on religion and rise of Hindu 1880–1945
nationalism in India. Jain offers articles surrounding Melyn McKay, Oxford University
a study of women warriors within the Durga Vahini Risk Mitigation as a Moral Undertaking in Modern Myanmar
movement, Interreligious Resilience, and the path of Adeana McNicholl, Vanderbilt University
Kalpana Jain Kabir, a 15th century mystic, and the attraction of Shades of Whiteness in American Buddhism
India’s millennials to him.
Responding:
At the beginning of the session, the AAR will hold the 2020
award ceremony. Duncan Williams, University of Southern California
Panelists:
Peter Smith, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times
Kalpana Jain, The Conversation
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 103
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1 A1-108 S
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Indigenous Religious Traditions Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: Rising the Feathered Serpent: A First Flight Over
Indigenous Contemplative Traditions
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app.
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Seth Schermerhorn, Hamilton College, Presiding
Guilhem Olivier, Instituto de Investigaciones Históricas -
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
A1-106 C Divination, Conception of Time and Body Among the Mexica
Juan Santoyo, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Contemporary Islam Unit Weaving Indigenous Traditions and Contemplative Research in
Theme: The Ethics of Critique and Care Colombia
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Tenzin Namdul, Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality &
Kirsten Wesselhoeft, Vassar College, Presiding Healing University of Minnesota
Sayed Hassan Hussaini Akhlaq, Coppin State University Familiarizing Consciousness with the Unfamiliar World: Death
The Islamic (Sunni-Shia) Unity and the Contemporary Mujtahids, Rituals Among a Tibetan Refugee Community in Mundgod, Southern
(Case Study of Ayatollahs Mohseni and Salehi Najafabadi) India
Donohon Abdugafurova, Emory University Yuria Celidwen, Pacifica Graduate Institute
Adab and Elder Care: Islamic Values of Elder Care in Central Asia Mictlan, Our Shared Home: Funerary Rites, Ethics of Belonging, and
Contemplative Science in Indigenous Mexico
Adel Hashemi, McMaster University
Martyrdom, Messianism, and Sectarianism in the Contemporary Responding:
Twelver Shi’ism: The Case of Martyred Shrine Defenders Gabriel Estrada, California State University, Long Beach
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1
Symbol Key:
104 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
A1-110 C A1-113 A
Qur’an Unit Religion in Europe Unit and Sociology of Religion Unit and
Theme: Issues in Qur’anic Interpretation Critical Research on Religion
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Theme: Faith, Knowledge, and Rational Freedom: A Roundtable
Aisha (Ash) Geissinger, Carleton University, Presiding on Jürgen Habermas’ Also a History of Philosophy (Suhrkamp, 2019)
Syed Zaidi, Emory University Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
The Use of the Qur’ān in the Brethren of Purity’s (Ikhwān al-Ṣafā’) Warren S. Goldstein, Center for Critical Research on Religion,
Conception of Theurgy and Magic Presiding
Zarif Rahman, University of Virginia Panelists:
Al-Māturidī’s Typology of Waḥī: Towards a Nuanced Understanding Eduardo Mendieta, Pennsylvania State University
of a Central Islamic Term Francis Schussler Fiorenza, Harvard University
Younus Mirza, Shenandoah University Maeve Cooke, University College Dublin
Islamic Mary: Between Prophecy and Orthodoxy
Business Meeting:
Gordon D. Newby, Emory University, and Lauren Osborne, A1-114 C
Whitman College, Presiding Religions in the Latina/o Americas Unit
Theme: Catholicism, Colonialism and Ambulant Devotion in the
A1-111 Global Imperial Church
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Religion and Ecology Unit Jennifer Scheper Hughes, University of California, Riverside,
Theme: Religion and Ecological Futures Presiding
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Panelists:
Terra Schwerin Rowe, University of North Texas, Presiding Karin Velez, Macalester College
Jeremy Sorgen, University of Virginia Jessica Delgado, Ohio State University
By Faith and Fossil Fuels: Cultural Strategies of Christian Life
J. Michelle Molina, Northwestern University
Joseph Viola, Boston University Kelsey Moss, University of Southern California
Baptism in the Jordan: Christian Zionist Theology Perpetrating
Environmental Injustices Business Meeting:
Hans Olsson, University of Copenhagen Daisy Vargas, University of Arizona, Presiding
Restoring the Divine Order of Creation? Christian Food Production,
Class and Sustainable Profitability in South Africa
A1-115
Religions, Medicines, and Healing Unit
A1-112 C Theme: Responding to COVID-19: A Comparative Religion &
Religion and Popular Culture Unit Healing Perspective
Theme: 100 Years After Prohibition: Temperance and Alcohol in Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Popular Culture Linda L. Barnes, Boston University, Presiding
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Panelists:
Nora L. Rubel, University of Rochester, Presiding William McGrath, Manhattan College
David Grumett, University of Edinburgh Marcus Harvey, University of North Carolina, Asheville
Christian Responses to Spirits: Medicine or Poison? Matilde Moros, Virginia Commonwealth University
Lisle Dalton, Hartwick College Shin Kwon Kim, Ajou University Medical College
“Booze”
Amy DeRogatis, Michigan State University
Taylor Dean, Florida State University
Isaac Weiner, Ohio State University
John Barleycorn Must Die: The Trial and Execution of Alcohol in
Juvenile Temperance Literature Rahimjon Abdugafurov, Emory University
Responding:
Gary M. Laderman, Emory University
Business Meeting:
Rabia Gregory, University of Missouri, and Elijah Siegler, College
of Charleston, Presiding
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 105
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1 A1-118 C
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Exploratory Session: “Things That Go Bump in the Night”:
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Folklore, the Supernatural, and Vernacular Religion
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app.
Stephen Wehmeyer, Champlain College, Presiding
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Patrick Polk, University of California, Los Angeles
When Legends Die: Local Lore and the Spiritualist Resurrection of a
Renowned Black Bostonian
A1-116 SC Kelly E. Hayes, Indiana University - Purdue University,
Indianapolis
Ritual Studies Unit Enchanted Landscapes: Materializing the Imagined World of Brazil’s
Theme: Strategies of Ritual Performance Valley of the Dawn
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Lo Valk, University of Tartu
Sarah M. Pike, California State University, Chico, Presiding Ghosts and Disenchantment: Vernacular Strategies and Theories of
Dealing with the Supernatural in Contemporary Estonia
Kie Man Bryan Mok, Chinese University of Hong Kong
Revisiting Ritual in Public Protests in the Light of Recent Hong Leonard Norman Primiano, Cabrini University
Kong Protest Movements and Confucian Perspectives “The Best Place to Bury St. Joseph”: American Vernacular Religion,
the Plastic Votive, and the Power of Intercession in Residential Real
Jacob Latham, University of Tennessee Estate
Roman Strategies of Ritualization and the Performance of the Pompa
Circensis David Hufford, Pennsylvania State University College of
Medicine
Kenny Schmitt, Al-Quds Bard College The Extraordinary Spiritual Experiences of Combat Veterans and the
Disruption, Improvisation, and Resonance: A Productive Frame for
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1
Symbol Key:
106 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Morten Schlutter, University of Iowa Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Michaela Mross, Stanford University
Responding:
Steven Heine, Florida International University A1-200 WK
Public Understanding of Religion Committee
A1-216 Theme: Centering the Guild: The Role of Academic Centers in the
Field of Religion
Publications Committee Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Theme: Meet the Editor: Vincent Lloyd, Editor of AAR-OUP Terrence Johnson, Georgetown University, Presiding
Reflection and Theory in the Study of Religion Series Academic research centers play distinct and important roles within
Tuesday, 12:00 PM–2:30 PM scholarly guilds and as bridges to other guilds and the broader public.
New and prospective authors interested in learning more about This panel, organized by the Committee on the Public Understanding
publishing in the Reflection and Theory in the Study of Religion of Religion, the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory
series published by Oxford University Press are encouraged to email University, and the Centers on Religion and Public Life, brings
Vincent Lloyd, series editor, to schedule a time to between noon and together representatives from academic research centers whose
2:30 PM Eastern to share conversation. Learn more about the series missions include the public understanding of religion to discuss the
at aarweb.org/reflection-theory-series. Contact Vincent Lloyd at vincent. presidential theme: “The AAR as a Scholarly Guild.”
lloyd@villanova.edu. Panelists will address questions such as: What do academic research
Panelist: centers contribute to the study of religion as a scholarly guild? What
are the opportunities and challenges of running centers for the study
Vincent Lloyd, Villanova University of religion, especially interdisciplinary or interprofessional ones? What
are the public questions these centers address? What does it take to
pitch their mission to wider publics outside of the guild? How do
A1-119 C centers impact the scholarship, teaching, and research of their affiliate
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1
scholars? How does participating in the life of a center, particularly
Religion and Human Rights Unit Business Meeting an interdisciplinary center, affect scholars’ sense of their guild(s), their
Tuesday, 12:50 PM–1:45 PM field(s) of study, and their public(s)?
Laura Alexander, University of Nebraska, Omaha, and Jenna Panelists:
Reinbold, Colgate University, Presiding
Zahra Jamal, Rice University
Shaun Casey, Georgetown University
P1-103 Debra Mason, University of Missouri
Thomas F. Torrance Theological Fellowship Justin Latterell, Emory University
Theme: T. F. Torrance’s Soteriological Suspension of the Ethical Joseph Tucker Edmonds, Indiana University-Purdue University,
Indianapolis
Tuesday, 1:00 PM–4:00 PM
Gary Deddo, Grace Communion Seminary, Presiding
Dr. Speidell (Ph.D. Fuller Theological Seminary) serves as the
Editor of Participatio: The Journal of the Thomas F. Torrance Theological
A1-201 Y
Fellowship. His most recent book is Fully Human in Christ: The African Religions Unit
Incarnation as the End of Christian Ethics. He has served as editor, Theme: Teaching African Religions
contributor or co-editor of several books including Trinity and Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Transformation: J.B. Torrance’s Vision of Worship, Mission, and Society;
Adriaan Van Klinken, University of Leeds, Presiding
T. F. Torrance and Eastern Orthodoxy: Theology in Reconciliation; and
Incarnational Ministry: The Presence of Christ in Church, Society, and Panelists:
Family. Now retired, he has most recently served as Director of Devaka Premawardhana, Emory University
Education for Acadia Healthcare Corporation and Instructor in Mary Nyangweso, East Carolina University
Theology at Montreat College.
David Ngong, Stillman College
This year we have invited Dr. Chris Kettler to offer a response to Dr.
Speidell’s paper. After a time of exchange between them, we will have Joseph Hellweg, Florida State University
a time for Q&A from the online participants. Corey Williams, Leiden University
Todd Speidell, Thomas F. Torrance Theological Fellowship
T. F. Torrance’s Soteriological Suspension of the Ethical
Responding:
Christian D. Kettler, Friends University
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 107
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1 A1-204 C
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Body and Religion Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: Sensing Religion: Smell, Touch, Perception, and Sight
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
George Pati, Valparaiso University, Presiding
Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Iva Patel, University of Iowa
Sensory Engagement as Authentic and Authenticating Experience: An
Argument for Knowing Versus Approximating God in Hindu Songs
A1-202 A from Nineteenth Century Gujarat
Sinah Kloß, Univesrity of Cologne
Arts, Literature, and Religion Unit and Cognitive Science of Touching Deities: Offerings, Energies, and the Notion of Touch in
Religion Unit Guyanese Hinduism
Theme: The Ethology of Religion and Art: Potential Avenues of Kira Ganga Kieffer, Boston University
New Research What does Exodus II Smell Like?: Essential Oils and the Scent of
Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Spirituality
John Allison, Rice University, Presiding Matthew Drew, University of Virginia
Zoe Anthony, University of Toronto The Feeling of Perception: Affect, Sensation, and Truth in the Work of
The Ethics and Ethology of Religion and Art Jon Kabat-Zinn
Kevin Schilbrack, Appalachian State University Business Meeting:
Religion, Art, and our Animal History Megan Adamson Sijapati, Gettysburg College, and Katherine C.
Norman J. Girardot, Lehigh University Zubko, University of North Carolina, Asheville, Presiding
Case Studies in the Visionary Nexus of Religious Ecstasy and Artistic
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1
Symbol Key:
108 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
A1-206 A1-209 YC
Latina/o Religion, Culture, and Society Unit and Religion, Religion and Public Schools: International Perspectives
Holocaust, and Genocide Unit Unit
Theme: Reconciling Latinx Identities Post-Genocide Theme: Religious Education in the Context of Digital/Social
Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Media and Religious Nationalism
Lloyd Barba, Amherst College, Presiding Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Rita Rodriguez, University of Chicago Erik Owens, Boston College, Presiding
Reconciling Indigeneity for a Decolonial Mujerista Theology: La Jussi Ikkala, University of Helsinki, Arto Kallioniemi, University
Preservacion de los Taínos en Puerto Rico of Helsinki, and Arniika Kuusisto, Stockholm University
Mary Diggin, Velarde, NM Digital Medias in Religious Education: The Need for Powerful
The Albuquerque Cuartocentenario Memorial: Contestation and Knowledge and Religious Literacy Skills
Dissent in NM Shino Yokotsuka, University of Massachusetts Boston
Responding: Breaking the Taboo: the Rise of Global Religious Nationalism and
Public School Teachers’ Struggles Over School Prayer in the USA and
Matilde Moros, Virginia Commonwealth University Japan
Business Meeting:
A1-207 Jenny Berglund, Stockholm University, Presiding
Practical Theology Unit
Theme: Vulnerability, Dignity and the Ecological Crisis A1-210
Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Religions, Social Conflict, and Peace Unit
Sabrina Mueller, University of Zurich, Presiding
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1
Theme: A Critical Reassessment of Religion and Nonviolent Praxis
Pamela McCarroll, Emmanuel College, University of Toronto in Populist Times
Living in the Anthropocene: Embracing Eco-Anxiety and the
Vulnerability of Being Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Ellen Ott Marshall, Emory University, Presiding
Allison Covey, Villanova University
Cats on the Crossing: Dignity and Relationality in the Syrian Refugee Rasheed Rabbi, Hartford Seminary
Crisis An Interconnected and Iterative Framework to Deconstruct American
Mosques and Acculturate Muslim Identity
Wilson Dickinson, Lexington Theological Seminary
Out of the Mouths of Infants: Parenthood, Climate Change, and a Purvi Parikh, Muhlenberg College
Practical Theological Aesthetics of the Psalms Gandhian Satyagraha and Hindu Nationalism in Contemporary
India
Responding:
Tsz Him Lai, Drew University
Christian Scharen, Auburn Theological Seminary Hong Kong Theology: After the 2019 Protests
Responding:
A1-208 Heather M. DuBois, Stonehill College
Qur’an Unit
Theme: Boundaries and the Qur’an
Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
A1-211 A
Secularism and Secularity Unit
Lauren Osborne, Whitman College, Presiding
Theme: African American Secularism and Freethinking: Recent
Johanne Louise Christiansen, University of Southern Denmark Work in the Field
“I Would Just Light a Fire in my Backyard and Burn It” (Imām
from Arab Mosque in Denmark, 2018): A Qualitative Study of the Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Material Qur’ān Bradley Onishi, Skidmore College, Presiding
Pieter Coppens, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Panelists:
Tafsīr and a Silent Print Revolution: Book Culture in Early 20th Carol Wayne White, Bucknell University
Century Damascus Joseph Winters, Duke University
Shuaib Ally, University of Toronto Nathan Alexander, Max Planck Institute
Policing the Discipline in late 8th C Mamluk Cairo – Sirāj al-Dīn
al-Bulqīnī and Qur’ānic Interpretation
Omer Awass, American Islamic College
The Quran and Its Structural Influences on Early Islamic Theological
Discourse
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 109
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1 A1-215
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Martin Luther and Global Lutheran Traditions Unit and
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Reformed Theology and History Unit
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Theme: Reformation Theologies: Continuities and
Transformations
Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Mary Philip, Martin Luther University College, Wilfrid Laurier
University, Presiding
A1-212 C Edward Watson, Yale University
Conceiving Nothingness: Calvin Warren, Karl Barth, and Total
Theology and Continental Philosophy Unit Depravity as Antiblackness
Theme: Works in Progress Caryn D. Riswold, Wartburg College
Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Luther/an(d) Theological Treatises Today
Beatrice Marovich, Hanover College, Presiding Risto Saarinen, University of Helsinki
Panelists: Masculinity and Transgender Language in Luther
An Yountae, California State University, Northridge
Brandy Daniels, University of Portland
Biko Gray, Syracuse University
P1-200 L
Business Meeting: Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced
Holocaust Studies
Adam Kotsko, North Central College, and Beatrice Marovich,
Hanover College, Presiding Theme: Reconsidering the Catholic Church: A Special Film
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1
Symbol Key:
110 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Devin Zuckerman, University of Virginia, and Adam Liddle,
University of Virginia
‘The Sound of Earth, Water, Fire and Wind:’ Elemental Theory and
Practice in 12th Century Great Perfection Literature
A1-300 KOY James Gentry, Stanford University
Student Lounge Roundtable Theorizing Buddhist Amulet Practice in Tibet: What does it Mean to
Theme: Religious Studies as Part of a General Education (GE) be Liberated Through Wearing?
Curriculum: Aligning Threshold Concepts in Information Catherine Hartmann, Harvard University
Literacy, Writing Studies, and Religious Studies Don’t Throw Away These Favorable Conditions for Nothing!: Place,
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Materiality, and Agency in Tibetan Pilgrimage
I have been thinking and writing for several years now about the Business Meeting:
challenge of integrating an information literacy program –along with Tao Jiang, Rutgers University, and Karin Meyers, Rangjung Yeshe
other general education (GE) goals—into specialized disciplines— Institute, Presiding
in this case, specifically religious studies and the newly developing
“worldview studies” discipline, which expands on the interdisciplinary
nature of religious studies to embrace a wider range of comparable
phenomena. My roundtable will explain how I have used tools like
A1-303 R
threshold concepts, backward course design, and the related decoding Chinese Christianities Unit
of disciplines(the first two being central to the ACRL Framework for
Information Literacy and its application in instruction and the third Theme: Negotiating Politics and Religion
being a kind of extension of the first two grounded in other evidence- Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
based pedagogical literature) to try to help the religious studies Alexander Chow, University of Edinburgh, Presiding
discipline be more successful as part of GE curricula by integrating Zhixi Wang, Shantou University
its subject matter with the information literacy goals of LIS and the A Jesus-Centered Public Theology: Scripturalization of Three Peoples’
rhetoric and composition skills cultivated in writing studies, thereby Principles and the Politics of Jesus in China, 1920s–30s
continuing the integration of information literacy skills beyond first-
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1
year writing and similar introductory classes. Jesse Sun, Duke University
Panelists: For God and a New China: Cai Yongchun’s Fateful Return in 1950
Nathan Fredrickson, University of California, Santa Barbara Justin Tse, Singapore Management University
“A lot of Lawsuits There”: Evangelical Recollections of Chong v. Lee
Among Vancouver’s Conservative Cantonese Protestants
A1-301 Responding:
Chloe Starr, Yale University
Anthropology of Religion Unit and Body and Religion Unit
Theme: Purification and its Discontents: On Contagions and
Practices of Containment A1-304
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Jon Bialecki, University of Edinburgh, Presiding
Comparative Religious Ethics Unit
Theme: Postcolonialism, Race, and Critical Theory in the Study of
Panelists:
CRE
Hanna H. Kim, Adelphi University Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Maria Turek, University of Toronto Shannon Dunn, Gonzaga University, Presiding
Gopal Sukhu, Queens College, City University of New York Devin O’Rourke, University of Chicago
Laurel Kendall, American Museum of Natural History Ideology and the Study of Religion: Revisiting a Troublesome Concept
Responding: Eun Hwang, University of Chicago
Brian A. Hatcher, Tufts University Methodological Implications of Post-Colonial Approaches for
Comparative Religious Ethics
Nicholas Andersen, Brown University
A1-302 C Race, Empire, and (Comparative) Religious Ethics
Buddhist Philosophy Unit and Tibetan and Himalayan
Religions Unit
Theme: Buddhist Philosophies of the Material / Tibetan Buddhist
Philosophies of Materiality
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Ana Cristina Lopes, Stanford University, Presiding
David Germano, University of Virginia
Tracing an Original Theology of Matter Underlying a Normative
Theology of Vision: The 11th Century Foundations of the Great
Perfection Seminal Heart
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 111
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1 A1-307 YC
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). History of Christianity Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: Teaching the One Term History of Christianity Course
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Trish Beckman, Saint Olaf College, Presiding
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Rabia Gregory, University of Missouri
Christianities at a Public University
Douglas Jacobsen, Messiah College
A1-305 AC Follow the Numbers: Globalizing the One-Semester History of
Christianity Class
Comparative Studies in Religion Unit
John McCormack, Aurora University
Theme: Darwinism in Asia: Panel Discussion of the Book, Asian
Un-Syllabus-ing Tradition: A Student-Centered, Reverse-Diachronic
Religious Responses to Darwinism (Springer, 2020)
Approach to the Survey Course
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–6:30 PM
Dan Wells, Florida State University
C. Mackenzie Brown, Trinity University, Presiding Reframing the Christian History Survey Course Through Religio-
Panelists: Racial Identity and the Digital Humanities
Justin R. Ritzinger, University of Miami Business Meeting:
Brianne Donaldson, Rice University Trish Beckman, Saint Olaf College, and Lloyd Barba, Amherst
Roger Jackson, Carleton College College, Presiding
Taner Edis, Truman State University
Kuan-yen Liu, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen A1-308 C
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1
Responding:
Hyung Park, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Moral Injury and Recovery in Religion, Society, and Culture
Unit and Religion and Disability Studies Unit
Business Meeting:
Theme: Broken Bodies, Sacred Rituals, and Public Theological
Oliver Freiberger, University of Texas, and Ivette Vargas-O’Bryan, Imagination
Austin College, Presiding
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM
Zachary Moon, Chicago Theological Seminary, Presiding
A1-306 Adam McDuffie, Emory University
This is the Body, Broken for You: The Warrior Image, Soldier Bodies,
Ecclesiological Investigations Unit and Wesleyan and and the Scars of WWI
Methodist Studies Unit
Ann Duncan, Goucher College
Theme: LGBTQ+ Experience as an Ecclesial Issue #VibrateHigher: Baltimore Ceasefire, Sacred Ritual, and
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Remembrance in the Midst of Baltimore’s Homicide Epidemic
Cindy K. Wesley, University of Northern Colorado, Presiding Hee-Kyu Heidi Park, Ewha Womans University
Lynne Gerber, San Francisco, CA Trauma-Ridden Body Lifted High: Forming Theological Imagination
Justice, Doctrine, or Participation?: Debating Ecclesiology and in the Public Square
Sexuality in the 1970s and 80s Business Meeting:
Victoria Slabinski, Yale University Heike Peckruhn, Daemen College, and David Scott, Iliff School
Justice and the United Methodist Church: A Queer Response to a of Theology, Presiding
Global Denomination’s Crisis
Ian B. Straker, Healing of the Nations Foundation
What If It’s Not Really About LGBTQ? The Long Simmering Crisis
in the United Methodist Church
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A1-309 A A1-311
Mysticism Unit and Platonism and Neoplatonism Unit Study of Islam Unit
and Pragmatism and Empiricism in American Religious Theme: “Physiology is Theology”: Gendered Bodies in Sufi and
Thought Unit Islamic Discourses of the Self
Theme: Mysticism and Ecology: On Willemien Otten’s Thinking Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Nature and the Nature of Thinking: From Eriugena to Emerson Laury Silvers, University of Toronto, Presiding
(Stanford University Press, 2020)
Rose Deighton, Emory University
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Reading the Self Through a Sufi Hermeneutic of Divine Immanence: A
Adrian Guiu, University of Chicago, Presiding Case Study of Shaykha Fariha al-Jerrahi
Panelists: Sara Abdel-Latif, University of Toronto
Catherine Keller, Drew University Emaciation and Menstruation in Sufi Hagiographies of Women: Men
Reading Female Piety and Self-Discipline in Corporeal Terms
Alexander J.B. Hampton, University of Toronto
Alda Balthrop-Lewis, Australian Catholic University Arpan Bhandari, University of North Carolina
A Space for the Truth: Mansur Hallaj, His Utterances, and His
Junius Johnson, Baylor University Attempts at Deconstructing and Redefining the Physical Body Through
Responding: Sound and Space
Willemien Otten, University of Chicago Garrett Kiriakos-Fugate, Boston University
Dermot Moran, Boston College “Be Content with the Decree of Allah”: The Cisheterosexual Nafs in
Shi’i and Sunni Fatwas on Transsexuality and Intersexuality
A1-310 C A1-312
Religion and Cities Unit
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1
Study of Judaism Unit
Theme: Emerging Scholarship in Religion and Cities
Theme: The “Negative” Emotions in Halakha: Despair, Grief, and
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Jealousy in Jewish Legal Thought
Elise Edwards, Baylor University, Presiding Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Fatimah Fanusie, Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Yonatan Brafman, Jewish Theological Seminary of America,
Studies Presiding
Mapping Islam and Justice onto the City of Boston: Mohammad’s
Sarah Zager, Yale University
Temple No. 11 and the Economic and Social Empowerment of 1948–
“There is No Sickness Greater than the Feeling of Despair”: Halakhah,
1998
Emotion, and Virtue in Musar Literature
Joe Pettit, Morgan State University
Shira Billet, Yale University
Blessing Oppression: The Support Given by Churches for Housing
Between Halakha, Jewish Philosophy, and Leidensgeschichte:
Apartheid and Racial Inequality
Mourning Children, and the Legal and Philosophical Containment of
Sher Afgan Tareen, Florida State University the Passions
Rhythmanalysis of Cities and American Islam
Sarah Wolf, Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Christy Randazzo, Haddonfield Friends Meeting The Language of Kinnui: The “Spirit of Jealousy” and Its Rabbinic
The Place of Reconciliation in Divided Cities: A Theological and Reception
Practical Framework for Reconciliation in Baltimore
Responding:
Abel Gomez, Syracuse University Martin Kavka, Florida State University
Defending Indigenous Sacred Places: Perspectives from Ohlone
Territory/San Francisco Bay Area
Katie Day, United Lutheran Seminary, Philadelphia
Emerging Themes and Methods in the Routledge Handbook of
Religion and Cities
Business Meeting:
Elise Edwards, Baylor University, Presiding
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 113
Dara Delgado, University of Dayton
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1 All in the Name: A Social-Historical Examination of the Civic
Engagement of Bishop Arthur M. Brazier, an Apostolic Pentecostal
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Bishop on Chicago’s Southside
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify John Maiden, Open University
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Charismatic Renewal, Communitarianism and Reconciliation, c.
1965–1980
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
P1-303
A1-313 K Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies
Women and Religion Unit Theme: Contemplative Practices and Religious Experiences:
Buddhist-Christian Perspectives
Theme: #MeToo and #ChurchToo
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–6:30 PM
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Ruben L. F. Habito, Southern Methodist University, Presiding
Stephanie May, First Parish in Wayland, Presiding
Contemplative practices and religious experiences are at the core of
Leah Thomas, Lancaster Theological Seminary much of religious life in both Buddhist and Christian religious life.
Restitutio Divina: An Embodied Approach to Gender-Based Violence Yet, they are often overlooked in the academic study of these religions
Hilary Scarsella, Memphis Theological Seminary and in religious studies generally. First, contemplative practices are
When Survivors Come Forward: Analyzing Patterns of Institutional often subsumed under the rubric of “ritual practices,” where the
Response and Proposing Transformative Interventions ritual forms are often emphasized at the expense of two facets of
contemplative practices: 1) the subjective dimensions including the
Seong Hyun Lee, Drew University
content of religious experiences, and 2) the spontaneity, dynamism,
When Empathy Meets Digital Activism: A Respons to Sexual Violence
and fluidity often associated with contemplative practices. Instead,
in Church Community
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1
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By examining the diverse patterns of religious life in terms of religious
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2 ideals, praxes, and social organization in Buddhist-Christian dialogical
context, one can gain new insights into the specific challenges faced
by, and the strengths and weakness of, natal versus convert religious
A2-100 belonging and the interaction between these demographics.
Business Meeting: 11:30 AM–12:00 PM
Indian and Chinese Religions Compared Unit and Yogācāra
Panelists:
Studies Unit
Carolyn Medine, University of Georgia
Theme: Debating Consciousness from Abhidharma to
Contemporary Philosophy Natalie Quli, Institute of Buddhist Studies
Wednesday, 9:00 AM–10:30 AM Mark Unno, University of Oregon
Jingjing Li, Leiden University, Presiding Andre Van Der Braak, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
Eyal Aviv, George Washington University
Cognitive Parallelism and Sequentialism in the Buddhist Scholastic
Tradition P2-103
Ching Keng, National Chengchi University Society for Hindu-Christian Studies
From “One Type of Consciousness at One Moment” to “Multiple Types Theme: Politics and Religions in India: Religious Freedom for all
of Consciousness at One Moment” Citizens of India
Ernest Brewster, Iona College Wednesday, 9:00 AM–11:30 AM
Reflections in the Mirror: Transformations in the Theories of Sensory
This panel will address the issue of religious freedom in a political
Perception and Cognition in Three Chinese Renderings of the
climate in which a version of Hinduism is being promoted which
Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra
seems to delegitimize other well-established religions and to increase
Jiyun Kim, Dongguk University social conflict. How should religion scholars understand and respond
Is the Source of Cognition the Eighth or the Ninth Consciousness?: An to this situation?
Interpretation on the Amala-vijñāna in East Asia Buddhism Ted Ulrich, University of St. Thomas, Minnesota
The Emergence of the Rhetoric of Hindu-Muslim Strife in India’s
Independence Movement
A2-101 Jose Abraham, Concordia University, Montreal
Religion in Europe Unit Victimisation and Ghettoisation: A Girardian Reading of Recent
Communal Violence in Delhi
Theme: Jewish Identity on the Margins in Modern Europe: Two
Cases Anant Rambachan, Saint Olaf College
Wednesday, 9:00 AM–10:30 AM The Legacy of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar Examined
John McCormack, Aurora University, Presiding Responding:
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2
Shannon Quigley, University of Haifa Michael T. McLaughlin, Old Dominion University
The Culmination of Christian Dejudaization Efforts in the Nazi Era
Tyson Herberger, Inland Norway University P2-104
Jewishness Negated: An Intersectional Look at Marginalized Jews in
Norway Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality Presidential
Address and Annual Meeting
Wednesday, 9:00 AM–12:00 PM
P2-102 C Barbara Quinn, University of San Diego, Presiding
Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies 9:00 AM–10:15 AM 2020 Presidential Address Timothy H.
Theme: Natal and Convert Christians and Buddhists Robinson, Brite Divinity School, President, “He Talks to Trees!
Wednesday, 9:00 AM–12:00 PM Interpreting Howard Thurman’s Nature Mysticism.”
Karen Enriquez, Loyola Marymount University, Presiding 10:30 AM–12:00 PM
In examining the membership of religious communities, a large Annual Meeting. All are welcome. For more information on the
percentage are natal in character, often belonging to the same Society and its events, please visit https://sscs.press.jhu.edu/; please send
institution for many decades, sometimes centuries. Yet, religious additional questions to Rachel Wheeler, Secretary, at wheelerr@up.edu.
institutions cannot be sustained without the influx of new converts. Timothy Robinson, Brite Divinity School
Some communities are predominantly natal in their demographics, He Talks to Trees! Interpreting Howard Thurman’s Nature Mysticism
others are predominantly convert. While studies of either natal or
convert populations are widespread, the similarities and differences
between natal and convert religious belonging have not received
sufficient attention. Furthermore, there are often different dynamics
among the natal and convert populations within the same church,
temple, or community.
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Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5).
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify
A2-102 KY
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Academic Relations Committee
Theme: Managing Crises on Campus
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
P2-105 Susan E. Hill, University of Northern Iowa, Presiding
Niebuhr Society As we have all learned in 2020, no campus is immune from crisis:
Theme: Reflections from the New Oxford Handbook of Reinhold natural disasters, campus shootings, campus unrest, and national
Niebuhr crises can all affect our lives and those of our students. Panelists will
Wednesday, 9:00 AM–11:30 AM speak briefly from their experience responding to situations that were
both genuinely unprecedented (9/11) and more predictable (natural
disasters and campus shootings). Panelists will facilitate a discussion
about preparation and response to managing campus crises.
P2-106 C Panelists:
Colloquium on Violence and Religion Joanne Maguire, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
Theme: Mimetic Theory and Christian Spirituality Brian M. Britt, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM University
Brian Robinette, Boston College, Presiding Kate McCarthy, California State University, Chico
The Colloquium on Violence & Religion will use this panel to Greg Cootsona, California State University, Chico
explore the connection between the mimetic theory of René Girard
and Christian Spirituality. With particular interest in how Girard’s
seminal insights may be integrated into Christian spiritual practice,
this panel will explore ways Christian spirituality can be illumined
A2-103 WY
or informed by Girard’s understanding of mimetic desire. It will also Public Understanding of Religion Committee
consider how mimetic theory itself might be enhanced or critically Theme: Religious Literacy and K-12 Education: Opportunities for
developed in light of Christian spiritual practices/traditions. Successful Partnerships
Jared Price, Multnomah Biblical Seminary Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
“All Shall Be Well”: Julian of Norwich, Rene Girard, Jacques Lacan,
Vincent Biondo, Humboldt State University, Presiding
and the “Other Side” of Christian Mysticism
Since the publication of the AAR’s 2010 “Guidelines for Teaching
Aline Lewis, Graduate Theological Union About Religion in K-12 Education in the United States,” there has
Mimetic Desire in Ignatius of Loyola’s Autobiography
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2
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A2-104 C A2-107 RKO
Baha’i Studies Unit Contemporary Islam Unit and Islam, Gender, Women Unit
Theme: Changing Identities in a Global Society and Islamic Mysticism Unit and Qur’an Unit and Study of
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Islam Unit and Constructive Muslim Thought and Engaged
Julia Berger, Baha’i International Community, Presiding Scholarship Seminar
Layli Maparyan, Wellesley College Theme: Mentoring and Networking Session
Planetary Identity and Spiritual Identity: Expanding Human Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Identity for Global Citizenship Ilyse Morgenstein Fuerst, University of Vermont, and Elliott
Loni Bramson, American Public University System Bazzano, Le Moyne College, Presiding
Contrasting Baha’i Paradigms of Womanhood
Mikhail Sergeev, Ph.D., University of the Arts
The Issue of Self-Identity in Transhumanism and the Bahá’í Writings
A2-108 WKC
Shahrzad Sabet, New York University Cultural History of the Study of Religion Unit and Religion,
Social Identity and the Oneness of Humankind: Reconciling the Affect, and Emotion Unit
Universal With the Particular Theme: I Know the Feeling: Affect in the Academic Guild
Business Meeting: Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Julia Berger, Baha’i International Community, and Robert H. Amy R Barbour, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary,
Stockman, Indiana University, South Bend, Presiding Presiding
Panelists:
A2-105 Natalie Avalos, University of Colorado
Donovan Schaefer, University of Pennsylvania
Bioethics and Religion Unit and Religion and the Social Samantha Kang, University of California, Santa Barbara
Sciences Unit and Womanist Approaches to Religion and
Marvin Wickware, Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago
Society Unit
Joseph Blankholm, University of California, Santa Barbara
Theme: Religion, Race, and the Embodied Health and Well-Being
of Black Women: Bioethics and Womanist Perspectives Business Meeting:
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM J. Barton Scott, University of Toronto, and Elizabeth Ann
Terri Laws, University of Michigan, Dearborn, Presiding Pritchard, Bowdoin College, Presiding
Shaunesse’ Jacobs, Boston University
Black Maternal Morality as a Health and Humans Rights Issue A2-109/S2-114 C
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2
Darcy Metcalfe, University of Iowa
The Rootedness of “White Normativity”: Heightened Dangers for Black Evangelical Studies Unit and SBL Bible and Practical
Women in a New Era of Genetic Technologies Theology Unit
Wylin Dassie Wilson, Harvard Medical School Theme: Evangelical, Biblical, and Political Views on the Election
A Conceptualization of Womanist Bioethics as a Theoretical and Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Practical Response to the Black Woman’s Health Crisis in the U.S. Johnny Ramirez-Johnson, Fuller Theological Seminary, Presiding
Leah Lomotey-Nakon, Vanderbilt University Marie Purcell, Southern Methodist University
Knowing Full Well: Ethics of Care, Womanist Ethics, and the A Battle Between Good and Evil: Ethnographic Reflections on the
Biomedical Gaze Election from First Baptist Dallas
Sammy Alfaro, Grand Canyon Theological Seminary
A2-106 YC Evangélicostal No More: Latinx Pentecostals within US
Evangelicalism
Confucian Traditions Unit Anna Hutchinson, University of Birmingham
Theme: Confucian Approaches to Education The Role of Theological Education in Evangelical Bible Reading and
Interpretation
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Pauline Lee, Saint Louis University, Presiding Joul Smith, University of Texas, Arlington
“Church Friends”: The Precarious Interpretations and Perceptions of
Naiyi Hsu, Indiana University, Bloomington Evangelical Christians Upon Trump Policy
Taciturn Exemplar: Silence, Speech, and Moral Cultivation in the
Lunyu Business Meeting:
Timothy Gutmann, University of Chicago Jason Sexton, University of California, Los Angeles, and Vincent
Exhortations: Mass Education and Confucian Traditions Bacote, Wheaton College, Illinois, Presiding
Business Meeting:
Aaron Stalnaker, Indiana University, and Pauline Lee, Saint Louis
University, Presiding
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Business Meeting:
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2 Asuka Sango, Carleton College, and Levi McLaughlin, North
Carolina State University, Presiding
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5).
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. A2-112
Law, Religion, and Culture Unit
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Theme: Women with 2020 Vision: Boston and the 100th
Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage
A2-110 R Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner, Southern Methodist University,
Hindu Philosophy Unit Presiding
Theme: Ways of Knowing (I): Debating Perception Panelists:
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Barbara McClure, Brite Divinity School
Nalini Bhushan, Smith College, Presiding Teresa Snorton, The CME Church
Alex Watson, Ashoka University Kimberly Detherage, St. Mark AME Church, Jackson Heights,
Do the Perceptions of Non-Enlightened People Weigh in Favor of, or NY
Against, Momentariness? Sophia S. Park, Neumann University
Jeffery D. Long, Elizabethtown College Insook Lee, New York Theological Seminary
Vijñāna as a Pramāṇa: The Experiential Foundation of Sri
Ramakrishna’s Religious Pluralism Francesca Nuzzolese, Eastern University
Beth Toler, Moravian Theological Seminary
Responding:
Michelle Oberwise Lacock, Advocate Aurora Health Care
Rosanna Picascia, Swarthmore College
Angelique Walker-Smith, Bread for the World
Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, Lancaster University
A2-113
A2-111 C
Japanese Religions Unit and Society for the Study of Religion and Politics Unit
Japanese Religions Theme: New Directions in the Religious Left and the Religious
Right
Theme: Shinto Epistemologies in Global Perspective: Rethinking
Gender, Nation, and Ritual Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Katharine Batlan, University of Alberta, Augustana, Presiding
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2
Symbol Key:
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A2-114 A2-117 KYC
Religion, Colonialism, and Postcolonialism Unit and Teaching Religion Unit
Theology and Religious Reflection Unit Theme: Intentional Tech: A Conversation about Teaching,
Theme: Hong Kong Protests and Political Theology Learning, and Technology
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Kwok Pui Lan, Emory University, Presiding Kathleen Fisher, Assumption College, Presiding
Panelists: Peter M. Romaskiewicz, University of California, Santa Barbara
Siu Pun Ho, The Chinese University of Hong Kong New School Tech in the Old School Religious Studies Classroom:
Thinking Through Derek Bruff ’s Intentional Tech
Shin-Fung Hung, Duke University
Kelsey Lambright, Princeton Theological Seminary
Albert Sui-Hung Lee, Evangel Seminary Keyboards and Culture Change: Implementing Digital Technology for
Francis Ching-Wah Yip, Chinese University of Hong Kong Enhanced Learning at a Residential Seminary
Nami Kim, Spelman College Beverley Foulks McGuire, University of North Carolina,
Sharon Welch, Meadville Lombard Theological School Wilmington
Creating Learning Communities and Addressing Authentic Audiences
Through ePortfolios
A2-115 C Erika Nelson, Vanderbilt University
Promoting Critical Historical Learning Through Online Annotation
Space, Place, and Religion Unit Technology
Theme: Methodology in the Study of Space, Place, and Religion Business Meeting:
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM David B. Howell, Ferrum College, and Molly Bassett, Georgia
Katie Oxx, Saint Joseph’s University, Presiding State University, Presiding
Kendall Marchman, University of Georgia
Using Online Travel Reviews to Understand Religious Places
Daniel Murray, McGill University
A2-118 YC
Big Spaces and Little Places: Integrating Mapping and Fieldwork in Buddhist Pedagogy Seminar
the Study of Religion in China
Theme: Innovative Techniques for Teaching Buddhism in Modern
Amidu Elabo, Princeton Theological Seminary Classrooms
Ancestral Land Rights, Indigeneity and the Concerns of De- Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
spatializing the Identity of Jos North
Todd T. Lewis, College of the Holy Cross, Presiding
Madeline Gambino, Princeton University
Nathan McGovern, University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2
“Ripping the Heart Out”: Methodological Approaches to Parish
Closures in Catholic Philadelphia Teaching Buddhism Alongside Islam in the Intro to Asian Religions
Class
Business Meeting:
Elizabeth Guthrie, University of Waterloo
Susan L. Graham, Saint Peter’s University, and Brooke North American Religious Studies and “Built Pedagogy”
Schedneck, Rhodes College, Presiding
Alyson Prude, Georgia Southern University
Engaging Buddhist Ethics to Engage Students
A2-116/S2-115 A Andrew Housiaux, Tang Institute at Andover
Mahāpajāpatī, Misconceptions, and Religious Literacy: Reflections on
Study of Judaism Unit and SBL Jewish Christianity/ an Early Buddhist Story
Christian Judaism Unit
Ivory L. Lyons, University of Mount Union
Theme: Loving Judaism Through Christianity? A Roundtable The Mandala Project: A Class Activity
Discussion of Shaul Magid’s R. Elijah Zvi Soloveitchik’s
Commentary on the Gospels (Yale University Press, 2019) Responding:
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Jonathan Young, California State University, Bakersfield
Panelists: Ben Van Overmeire, Duke Kunshan University
Randi Rashkover, George Mason University Business Meeting:
Eric Gregory, Princeton University Gloria I-Ling Chien, Gonzaga University, and Trung Huynh,
University of Houston, Presiding
Sarit Kattan Gribetz, Princeton University
Matt Jackson-McCabe, Cleveland State University
Eliyahu Stern, Yale University
Responding:
Shaul Magid, Dartmouth College
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 119
Jill Peterfeso, Guilford College
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2 It’s Not You; it’s Them: Escaping Bad Publishing Relationships and
Re-Respecting Your Project
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5).
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app.
Symbol Key:
120 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
A2-202 A2-205 A
African Religions Unit and Body and Religion Unit Critical Theory and Discourses on Religion Unit and
Theme: Embodiment of African Religions Religion, Colonialism, and Postcolonialism Unit
Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Theme: Author Meets Critics: J. Brent Crosson’s Experiments with
Wesley Barker, Mercer University, Presiding Power: Obeah and the Remaking of Religion (University of Chicago
Press, 2020)
Georgette Ledgister, Emory University
Wrestling the Spirits: ‘Catch Fétiche’ and Congolese Women’s Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Embodiment of Ritual Power Chad Seales, University of Texas, Presiding
Douglas Bafford, Brandeis University Panelists:
African Bodies Out of Place: Evangelical Discourses of Material Rachel Cantave, Swarthmore College
Religion in Contemporary South Africa N. Fadeke Castor, Northeastern University
Brendan Jamal Thornton, University of North Carolina
A2-203 Funlayo Easter Wood, African and Diasporic Religious Studies
Association
Christian Systematic Theology Unit Responding:
Theme: Metaphysical and Pragmatic Perspectives on Participation Alexander Rocklin, Otterbein University
and the Church
J. Crosson, University of Texas
Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Natalie Carnes, Baylor University, Presiding
Joanna Leidenhag, University of Saint Andrews A2-206
Participatory Metaphysics and the Corporate Body of Christ:
Participation in the Theology of Gottfried von Leibniz and Dietrich Evangelical Studies Unit
Bonhoeffer Theme: Evangelical Political Identities
Alex Fogleman, Baylor University Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Participation and the Church as Totus Christus: Nicene Responses to Jason Sexton, University of California, Los Angeles, Presiding
Contemporary Criticisms Emma Long, University of East Anglia
Rory Misiewicz, Eastern University Lobbying for the Lord: The National Association of Evangelicals and
Semiotic “Withing”: Recovering a Theory of Signs Through Post-war Evangelical Political Activism
Bonaventure, Aquinas, John of St. Thomas for a Concept of Thomas Seat, Princeton Theological Seminary
Participation Religious and Political: A Study of Evangelical Identities During the
Cold War
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2
A2-204 Caleb Brown, University of Oxford
Liberty University and the Ecological Import of “Fill the Earth, and
Comparative Theology Unit Subdue it”: A Dialogue Between Two Nexus of Evangelical Identities
Theme: The Whence, Whither, and Wherefore of Comparative Responding:
Theology: A Conversation Across Generations, Schools, Vincent Bacote, Wheaton College, Illinois
Traditions, and Continents
Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Catherine Cornille, Boston College, Presiding A2-207 C
Panelists: Indian and Chinese Religions Compared Unit
Katie Mahowski Mylroie, Boston College Theme: Narrative Crossing: From Literary to Visual Arts
Jerusha Rhodes, Union Theological Seminary Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Bin Song, Washington College Gudrun Buhnemann, University of Wisconsin, Presiding
Axel Marc Oaks Takacs, Seton Hall University Albert Welter, University of Arizona
Bethany Slater, Boston College An Indian Buddhist Imaginaire in Hangzhou China and the
Nougoutna Litoing, Harvard University Transformation of East Asian Buddhism
Daniel Soars, University of Cambridge Dessislava Vendova, Columbia University
David Maayan, Boston College Bodily Characteristics and Four Distinct Types of Identities in the
Buddha’s Last Life
Yongho Francis Lee, Pontifical University Antonianum, Rome
Yi Ding, Stanford University
Responding: From Blood Sacrifice to Bloodless Sacrifice: The Buddhist Rhetoric of
Francis X. Clooney, Harvard University Ritual Supersession and Its Reception in Medieval China
Business Meeting:
Dan Lusthaus, Harvard University, and Karen O’Brien-Kop,
University of Roehampton, Presiding
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2 A2-210
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Open and Relational Theologies Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: Moral Injury, Interdependence, and Nature: Open &
Relational Perspectives
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app.
Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Elaine Padilla, University of La Verne, Presiding
Rebecca Copeland, Boston University
The Goodness of Dependence: A Relational Corrective to Myths of
A2-208 A Nature
Allison Covey, Villanova University
Music and Religion Unit Relationality, Moral Injury, and Religious Community Among
Theme: Book Panel on Alisha Lola Jones’ Flaming?: The Peculiar Women in Animal Rights Activism
Theopolitics of Fire and Desire in Black Male Gospel Performance
Responding:
(Oxford University Press, 2020)
Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Sharon V. Betcher, Langley, WA
Alisha L. Jones, Indiana University, Presiding
Panelists: A2-211
Ahmad Greene-Hayes, Princeton University
Religion and Ecology Unit
Josef Sorett, Columbia University
Theme: Looking Back to Move Forward: The Legacies of
Quincy Rineheart, Chicago Theological Seminary McFague, Edwards, and Ruether
Braxton Shelley, Harvard University Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Kimberly Carfore, University of San Francisco, Presiding
A2-209 SC Jim Robinson, Fordham University
Spiraling into Wider Justice: The Life, Legacy, and Insights of
Nineteenth Century Theology Unit Rosemary Radford Ruether
Theme: Women Shaping Theology and Religion in the Nineteenth James Dechant, Fordham University
Century: II Two Savvy Australians: Denis Edwards and Anthony Kelly on the
Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Task of Human Knowing in an Ecological Age
Emily Dumler-Winckler, Saint Louis University, Presiding Tim Middleton, University of Oxford
The Wounded Body of God: A Theology of Ecological Trauma and the
Ashley Reed, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Legacy of Sallie McFague
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2
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A2-213 C A2-215
Religion and Sexuality Unit Women’s Caucus
Theme: Queer Cases of Transition Theme: Women’s Religious Biographies – A Call to Action:
Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Raising Up the Marginalized Voices and Contributions of Women
in the Academy
Bee Scherer, INCISE - Intersectional Centre for Inclusion and
Social Justice, Presiding Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Haley Petersen, University of North Carolina Mary Hamlen, Harvard University, Presiding
Trans Macabre: Reproduction and Wrath in Koji Suzuki’s “Ring” Jonathon Eder, Mary Baker Eddy Library
Series Florence Alden Gragg – Groundbreaking Translator of a Renaissance
Sarah Riccardi-Swartz, New York University Pope
The Queer Case of Father Seraphim Rose: Conversion, Homophobia, Julia Berger, Baha’i International Community
and Masculine Spirituality in the Russian Orthodox Church Biography of Dr. Azza Karam
Lynne Gerber, San Francisco, CA Kimberly Carter, California Institute of Integral Studies
Gay Refugees and the Gay Church: Homonationalism, the Biography of Dr. Chenequa Walker-Barnes
Metropolitan Community Church, and the Resettlement of Gay/ Carolyn Bratnober, Columbia University
Lesbian Marielitos Biography of the Rev. Dr. Traci West
Responding: Karma Lekshe Tsomo, University of San Diego
Claudia Schippert, University of Central Florida Biography of Buddhist Scholar Paula Robinson Kane Arai
Business Meeting: Deborah Fulthorp, Grand Canyon University
Nina Hoel, University of Oslo, and Jennifer S. Leath, Iliff School “Dr. Carolyn Tennant, Prophet and Mystic at the Helm of Pentecostal
of Theology, Presiding Education: A Ballast in the Current of Change”
Janice Poss, Claremont Graduate University
Marginalized Leader: Sr. Mary Milligan, R.S.H.M.
A2-214 Rosalind F. Hinton, LAOUTLOUD
Tibetan and Himalayan Religions Unit Stephanie Y. Mitchem: The R/evolutionary Brain in the Academy
Theme: Padmasambhava’s Traces Responding:
Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Colleen D. Hartung, 1000 Women in Religion Wikipedia Project
Dominique Townsend, Bard College, Presiding
Jacob Dalton, University of California, Berkeley Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Padmasambhava in the Tibetan Canon (Bstan ‘gyur)
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2
Benjamin Bogin, Skidmore College
Blazing Transformation: Dorjé Drolö’s Geographic Embodiment
A2-300 KO
Jue Liang, Denison University Student Lounge Roundtable
The Guru’s Beautiful Body: The (Ir)relevance of Attractiveness and Theme: Advocate for Yourself Instead of Fighting Yourself:
Masculinity in Tantric Consortship Succeeding in Graduate School with as a Neurodivergent Scholar
Kurtis Schaeffer, University of Virginia Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
The Eleven Acts of Padmasambhava Succeeding in graduate school with neurodivergence can feel like
a constant battle to force ourselves into the mold of (neuro)typical
scholars. Based upon my own experiences being diagnosed with
ADHD midway through my graduate school career as well as my
subsequent research into strategies and resources for neurodiverse
scholars, my workshop will discuss the difficulties and stigma
related to navigating graduate school with neurodivergence—
including, but not limited to, ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and other
neurodevelopmental disorders—as well as how we can carve out
the space we need to do our best work. Learn about advocating for
your needs with faculty and colleagues, how best to utilize student
disability services as well as other university-run student services,
understanding the Americans with Disabilities Act, and accessing a
wealth of resources online and in your community to support you in
your scholarship.
Panelists:
Andrea Scardina, University of Iowa
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2 A2-303
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Christian Spirituality Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: Apocalyptic Spirituality
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Leonard McMahon, Graduate Theological Union, Presiding
Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Aline Lewis, Graduate Theological Union
The Apocalyptic Spirituality of Anne Wentworth
Derek Taylor, Whitworth University
A2-301 C Bonhoeffer’s Spirituality in a World Come of Age: Practicing Christ’s
Apocalypse as the World Warms
Afro-American Religious History Unit
Theme: From Sun Ra to Grace Jones: A Roundtable on African-
American Performers and Religious Identity
Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
A2-304 C
Tobin Shearer, University of Montana, and Alexis S. Wells- Contemporary Pagan Studies Unit
Oghoghomeh, Vanderbilt University, Presiding Theme: Diverse Perspectives on Heathenry
Panelists: Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Vaughn Booker, Dartmouth College Damon Berry, Saint Lawrence University, Presiding
Judith Casselberry, Bowdoin College Barbara Jane Davy, University of Waterloo
Sacrifice and Feast in Heathen Blót and Húsel
Brett Grainger, Villanova University
Matthew Harris, University of California, Santa Barbara Fredrik Gregorius, Linkoping University
The Landscape of the Gods: Scandinavian Heathenism and the Role of
M. Cooper Harriss, Indiana University Cultural Memories
Business Meeting: Bran Stigile-Wright, Graduate Theological Union
Tobin Shearer, University of Montana, and Alexis S. Wells- Social Destruction, Social Purpose: Narratives of Trans Identity in
Oghoghomeh, Vanderbilt University, Presiding American Heathenry
Business Meeting:
A2-302 Amy Hale, Atlanta, GA, and Damon Berry, Saint Lawrence
University, Presiding
Religion and Politics Unit
Theme: Weaponizing Religious Authenticity: Religious Freedom
A2-305 C
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2
124 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Business Meeting:
A2-306 SC Kevin Corrigan, Emory University, Presiding
Moral Injury and Recovery in Religion, Society, and Culture
Unit
Theme: Moral Injury and Sexual/Gender Violence
A2-309 C
Wednesday, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM Practical Theology Unit
Gabriella Lettini, Starr King School for the Ministry, Presiding Theme: Decoloniality, Religious Practices, and Practical Theology
Kate Jackson-Meyer, Boston College Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Institutional Moral Injury: A Facet of Harm Caused by Sexual Abuse Courtney T. Goto, Boston University, Presiding
in the Roman Catholic Church Daniel Hauge, Boston University
Jeehyun Baek, Boston University Comfortable White Affect as Colonial Practice, and the Oppressive
Rethinking the Theological Task of Grieving and Resistance from Power of Norms
Korean Yanggongju’s Experience of Wartime Sexual Violence Linwood Blizzard, Virginia Union University
Timothy Jones, La Trobe University Expanding the Theological Voice of the Ancestors: The Body and
Spiritual Harm and Recovery from LGBT Conversion Practices Embodied Collective Memory as Epistemology for Pedagogies in
Introducing Post-Colonial Theological Inquiry
Business Meeting:
Katherine Kunz, University of Basel
Zachary Moon, Chicago Theological Seminary, Presiding
Offering “A Piece of Home” to Asylum-Seekers in Switzerland:
Possibilities for Decolonizing Church Outreach
A2-307 AC Britta Meiers Carlson, Boston University
Striving to Be Mainline: White Performativity as a Barrier to Equity
Philosophy of Religion Unit and Secularism and Secularity and Diversity in U.S. Progressive Christian Denominations
Unit Responding:
Theme: Hope in a Secular Age Book Panel (Cambridge University Christine Hong, Columbia Theological Seminary
Press, 2020)
Business Meeting:
Wednesday, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM
Christian Scharen, Auburn Theological Seminary, Presiding
Martin Kavka, Florida State University, Presiding
Panelists:
Sarah Coakley, University of Cambridge A2-310
Noreen Khawaja, Yale University Religion and Politics Unit and Space, Place, and Religion
Andrew Prevot, Boston College Unit
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2
Sarah Hammerschlag, University of Chicago Theme: The Space of the State
Responding: Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
David Newheiser, Australian Catholic University Susan L. Graham, Saint Peter’s University, Presiding
Business Meeting: Timothy Grieve-Carlson, Rice University
Lucia Hulsether, Skidmore College, and Bradley Onishi, Contact Zone: Supernature and the State in the Big Thicket
Skidmore College, Presiding Isaiah Ellis, University of North Carolina
The Path of Improvement: Religion, Politics, and Labor in Transit.
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2 A2-313 C
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Sikh Studies Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: Sikh Approaches to Gender, Embodiment, and Space
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Nikky Singh, Colby College, Presiding
Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Panelists:
Anneeth Kaur Hundle, University of California, Irvine
Francesca Cassio, Hofstra University
A2-311 C Robin Rinehart, Lafayette College
Religion in South Asia Unit Nirinjan Khalsa, Loyola Marymount University
Theme: The Implications of Being Earnest: Sincerity in South Business Meeting:
Asian Contexts
Michael Hawley, Mount Royal University, and Nirinjan Khalsa,
Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Loyola Marymount University, Presiding
Sophia Nasti, Harvard University, Presiding
Shiv Subramaniam, Columbia University
Learning to Read Earnestly A2-314 Y
Meghan Hartman, University of Virginia Teaching Religion Unit
Sincere Scholarship: Miraji’s Cultivation of Earnestness and Theory of
Theme: Teaching after Traumatic Events
Translation
Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Kenneth Valpey, Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies
Earnestness in Hearing and Reading the Bhāgavata Purāṇa Kate DeConinck, University of San Diego, Presiding
Seth Ligo, Duke University Katherine Janiec Jones, Wofford College
The Importance of Bhairava’s Earnestness Teaching After Traumatic Events: 9/11’s Indelible Landscape
Responding: Christopher Jones, Washburn University
“But Everybody Got Gede”: Studying Vodou in the Midst of Shared
James Reich, Pace University Trauma
Business Meeting: Michelle Wolff, Augustana College
Jennifer Ortegren, Middlebury College, and Sarah Pierce Taylor, Killjoys and Myth-Busters: Uses of Affect for Pedagogy
University of Chicago, Presiding
A2-315 A
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2
A2-312
Women and Religion Unit
Religion, Film, and Visual Culture Unit Theme: The Importance of Engaged Feminist Scholarship: A
Theme: Gaming the System: Death, Memory, and Community in Cross-Disciplinary Discussion of Juliane Hammer’s recent book,
Video Gaming Culture Peaceful Families: American Muslim Efforts Against Domestic
Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Violence (Princeton University Press, 2019)
Jennifer Caplan, Towson University, Presiding Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
John Borchert, Syracuse University Brittany Landorf, Emory University, Presiding
“Re-Presenting Death in Video Games: “That Dragon, Cancer” and Panelists:
Christian Images of Suffering and Grief ” Kayla Renée Wheeler, Xavier University
Daniel Wyche, University of Chicago Saadia Yacoob, Williams College
The Lonely Goddess: Religion, Memory, and History in The Legend of
Zelda: Breath of the Wild Traci C. West, Drew University
William Chavez, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Juliane Hammer, University of North Carolina
Jeremy Hanes, University of California, Santa Barbara
“Choose Your Destiny!”: Approaching the Mortal Kombat Gaming
Culture as Religion
Symbol Key:
126 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
A2-316 A
Yogācāra Studies Unit
Theme: Text Panel: Yogācāra in Dharmakīrti: Pramāṇavārttika
A3-101
3.194–224 Academic Labor and Contingent Faculty Committee
Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Theme: Reports from the Field: COVID and Contingency
John Dunne, University of Wisconsin, Presiding Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Panelists: Kerry Danner, Georgetown University, and Edwin David Aponte,
Nilanjan Das, University College London Louisville Institute, Presiding
Catherine Prueitt, University of British Columbia University This session will provide an update from the field on how COVID has
Davey Tomlinson, Villanova University been impacting contingent faculty and campuses across the country.
We will share data as it is available and brainstorm ways to address
Alexander Yiannopoulos, Emory University concerns.
Smriti Khanal, Harvard University
A3-102 P
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3 Applied Religious Studies Committee
Theme: Another Plan A: Religious Studies Education and Careers
Beyond the Academy
A3-100
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Daoist Studies Unit Cristine Hutchison-Jones, Harvard University, Presiding
Theme: Mountains, Cliffs, and Inscriptions: Explorations in Worried about the tenure-track job market? Thinking that a career
Daoist Epigraphy in higher ed no longer matches your interests and goals? Or just
Thursday, 9:00 AM–10:30 AM wondering about options? Join the Applied Religious Studies
Raz Gil, Dartmouth College, Presiding Committee for a discussion on career paths off the tenure track and/
or outside the academy. Panelists hold masters and doctoral degrees
Wen Lei, Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social in a variety of religious studies and theology specializations and will
Sciences discuss fields including: publishing and editing; freelance writing;
The Abbey Celebrating the Tang 慶唐觀: Representation and nonprofits and foundations; government; religious communities;
Evolution of a Sacred Site from the Tang Dynasty academic administration; and more. Panelists will discuss the ways
Jie Zhou, Alliance Theological Seminary faculty, departments, and the AAR might better support scholars as
Art, Religion and Heritage: Multiple Identities of Daoist Cliff Statues they consider diverse careers. Come hear more about what graduate
in Dazu Nanshan education in religious studies and theology already do to prepare us
for and enhance our practice of various careers, and help us think
Jonathan Pettit, University of Hawai’i about what more the academy can and should do to support scholars
Parallel Worlds: Hagiographic Juxtaposition in Early Daoist Stele in the pursuit of diverse professional opportunities.
Monuments
This panel will include substantial time for audience Q&A and
discussion. Please come and share your thoughts!
P3-100 Panelists:
Gina Cogan, Boston University
Colloquium on Violence and Religion
Walker Bristol, Tufts University
Theme: Beyond Scapegoats: Marginalized Voices in Conversation
with René Girard Casey Crosbie, Claremont School of Theology
Zahra Jamal, Rice University
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3
Thursday, 9:00 AM–11:00 AM
Grant Kaplan, Saint Louis University, Presiding Eric Lewis Williams, Smithsonian National Museum of African
American History & Culture
Julia Robinson Moore, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
Mimetic Theory through the Voices of the Little Rock Nine: Black
Scapegoats in the Desegregation of Central High School, 1957–1958
Martha Reineke, University of Northern Iowa
An Escalation to Extremes: Purity Spirals and Victimization
Chelsea King, University of Notre Dame
Girard, the Feminist? Bringing Mimetic Theory into Dialogue with
Feminist Critiques of Sacrifice
James Alison, Madrid, Spain
Title Forthcoming
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3 A3-104 MC
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Arts, Literature, and Religion Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: Cross-Disciplinary Approaches to Samuel Bak’s Paintings,
Holocaust Memory, and Icons of Loss
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app.
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Kate E. Temoney, Montclair State University, Presiding
Mark Celinscak, University of Nebraska
Religious Iconography in the Art of Samuel Bak
A3-103 Gary A. Phillips, Wabash College
Beauty, Barbarity, and Bak: Aesthetics of Loss and the Art of Tikkun
Program Committee and Regions Committee Olam
Theme: Regions Forum
Isabelle Mutton, University of Exeter
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Loss, Redemption and the Star of David: The Artwork of Samuel Bak
Katherine Downey, Dallas, TX, and Whitney Bauman, Florida and Daniel Libeskind’s Canadian National Holocaust Monument
International University, Presiding David Tollerton, University of Exeter
If you are interested in the AAR 365 mission, and specifically with Multidirectionalizing Memory: Samuel Bak, British Holocaust
how the AAR Annual Meeting program and the regions might work Education, and Jewish-Christian Relations
together to advance that, then please come to this forum. We will have Responding:
members of the AAR Program Committee, the Regions Committee,
Regional Officers, and Program Unit Chairs there to think together Samuel Bak, Pucker Gallery
about such opportunities. For instance: Business Meeting:
• Might Program Units Chairs send robust but not accepted paper/ Zhange Ni, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
panel proposals to the Regional Coordinator where the proposer and Pamela D. Winfield, Elon University, Presiding
resides? Where the proposed topic might fit with a region’s
emphasis?
• How might we see the Regions as both an extension of the work A3-105
done at the annual program and as a way of doing pre-work prior
to the annual program? Bioethics and Religion Unit and Ethics Unit
• How might Program Unit Chairs work with Regional Theme: The Plague of Darkness: Ethics, Justice, and Faith in the
Coordinators to connect regional scholars with local presses? COVID -19 Pandemic
• How might the Regions and the Program Units develop region- Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
specific public forums throughout the year? Laurie Zoloth, University of Chicago, Presiding
Please come help us think about these and other questions, and bring Panelists:
your own creative ideas to the table. Jeffrey P. Bishop, Saint Louis University
Panelists: Gaymon L. Bennett, Arizona State University
Elizabeth Coody, Morningside College Steven D. Kepnes, Colgate University
Matthew Vaughan, Columbia University Marc Lipsitc, Harvard University
Stephen Zoloth, Northeastern University
Laurie Garrett, Princeton Universty
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3
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A3-106 A3-108 C
Black Theology Unit Cognitive Science of Religion Unit
Theme: Undying Love: Black Theology and Anti-Colonial Theme: Current Theories and Applications of the Cognitive
Movements Science of Religion
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Michele Watkins, University of San Diego, Presiding Jed Forman, University of California, Santa Barbara, Presiding
Joshua Bartholomew, Harvard University Jason N. Blum, Davidson College
Black Theology and The Black Panthers: A Methodologically Womanist CSR, Theory, and the Truth of Religious Belief
Consideration of Praxis John Teehan, Hofstra University
Juan Floyd-Thomas, Vanderbilt University Enactive Cognition, Complex Systems, and Religion as Adaptation
Black Liberation Theology and the “Black Manifesto”: Reflections on Armin W. Geertz, Aarhus University
Race, Racial Injustice, and Religion a Half-Century Later Growth and Advances in the Cognitive Science of Religion
R. Nick Peterson, Emory University Alastair Lockhart, University of Cambridge
Towards a Theological Liberation of Care in Lena Waithe’s Film Uncovering Cognitive Pathways in the Study of New Religious
“Queen and Slim” Movements
Responding: Business Meeting:
Jawanza Eric Clark, Manhattan College Hillary Lenfesty, Arizona State University, and Claire White,
California State University, Northridge, Presiding
A3-107
Buddhism Unit A3-109 C
Theme: The Business of Asceticism during the Long First Ecclesial Practices Unit
Millennium CE Theme: Accountability at the Intersections of Theology and
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Ethnography
Oliver Freiberger, University of Texas, Presiding Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Matthew Milligan, Trinity University Natalie Wigg-Stevenson, University of Toronto, Presiding
Consuming the Robes: Buddhist Monasticism as Brand Helen Cameron, University of Oxford
Johan Elverskog, Southern Methodist University Dual Accountability in a Faith-Based Organization: Critical
No-Self, Money, and Status Reflections on Turning First-Person Action Research into a Text
Alice Collett, York St John University Paul Houston Blankenship, Graduate Theological Union
Are Women Bad for Business? The Advent of Gender Segregation in The Dark Night of Ethnographic Theology and What Lucifer Taught
Buddhist Monasticism Me About How to be a Christian
Nicholas Witkowski, Nanyang Technological University Marie Purcell, Southern Methodist University
Caste, Impurity, and Monastic Norms in the Business of Cemetery “But You Love Jesus, Right?”: Ethnographic Accountability Across
Asceticism: The Economics of the Impure Vocations Within the Buddhist Polarized Worldviews
Monastery Ken Chitwood, Freie Universitat Berlin
Julie Hanlon, University of Chicago “I’ve Seen You”: Reflections on Ethnographic Theology, Accountability,
Capitalizing on Donations: Economy of Practices at Early Jain & Christian-Muslim Relations
Monastic Sites in South India Business Meeting:
Justin Henry, Georgia College & State University Jonas Idestrom, Church of Sweden, Presiding
South Indian Diplomatic Buddhism at the Close of the Long First
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3
Millennium
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3 A3-112 C
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Music and Religion Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: Tonality, Time, and Text: Three Aspects of Apocalypticism
in Music
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app.
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Jeffrey Scholes, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Presiding
Panelists:
Carol Symes, University of Illinois
A3-110 C Colin McAllister, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Gay Men and Religion Unit Richard F. Thomas, Harvard University
Theme: Drag, Ballroom, Celibacy, and BDSM: LGBTQ Religious Lorenzo DiTommaso, Concordia University Montréal
Histories, Rituals, and Public Performances Business Meeting:
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Alisha L. Jones, Indiana University, and Jennifer Rycenga, San
Or Porath, University of California, Santa Barbara, Presiding Jose State University, Presiding
Drake Konow, University of Texas
Lip-Syncing Religion: Queer Theories of Religion in Drag
Performances of the “God Warrior” Monologue A3-113 C
Heather White, University of Puget Sound Philosophy of Religion Unit
On William Stringfellow’s Celibacy: The Protestant Left and the
Theme: Enrique Dussel and the Task of Decolonizing Philosophy
Epistemology of the Closet, 1950–1985
of Religion
Meghan Beddingfield, Southern Methodist University Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Ritualistic Rupture: Transgression, BDSM Piercing Practices, and a
Sense of Community Santiago H. Slabodsky, Hofstra University, Presiding
Michael Roberson, Center for Race, Religion, and Economic Thia Cooper, Gustavus Adolphus College
Democracy Dussel, Liberation, and Heterosexuality
The Trans Sounds of Black Freedom Rafael Vizcaino, Rutgers University
Business Meeting: Decolonizing the Anti-Fetishist Method
Richard McCarty, Mercyhurst University, Presiding Lucas Wright, University of California, Irvine
La epifanía del Otro y la analogía: Toward an Understanding of
Enrique Dussel’s Use of Theological Language and Concepts
A3-111 C Vincent Cervantes, University of Illinois
Reading Dussel Queerly
Latina/o Religion, Culture, and Society Unit and Religions
Responding:
in the Latina/o Americas Unit
Eleanor Craig, Harvard University
Theme: Decolonial Practices of Naming, Thinking, and Being
Business Meeting:
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Thomas A. Lewis, Brown University, and Lori K. Pearson,
Lauren Frances Guerra, Loyola Marymount University, Presiding Carleton College, Presiding
Natalie Solis, University of California, Los Angeles
Decolonial Aesthetics in Latin(x) America: Mapping Contemporary
Border-Crossings and Spiritual Activisms
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3
Symbol Key:
130 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
A3-114/S3-113 A3-119 D
Qur’an Unit and SBL Qur’an and Biblical Literature Unit Wildcard Session: (Dis)Armed: American Faiths and
Theme: Qur’an and Bible: Modern Reflections American Firearms
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Stephen Burge, Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, UK, Presiding Haley Iliff, Florida State University, Presiding
Halla Attallah, Georgetown University Panelists:
Gender Rhetoric in the Qur’an: A Feminist Literary Analysis of the Noah Schwartz, Carleton University
Qur’an’s Annunciation Scenes Jessica Dawson, United States Military Academy at West Point
Elisabeth Kennedy, American University in Cairo Michael McLaughlin, Florida State University
Interpreting Sodom in Cairo: Reading Genesis 18–19 and Its
Qur’anic Parallels Michael Grigoni, Duke University
Samuel Ross, Texas Christian University Katie Day, United Lutheran Seminary, Philadelphia
Can One Be an “Open-Minded Fundamentalist?” Salafi Discourse on
the Use of Jewish and Christian Scripture in Qur’an Commentary P3-101
Society for Comparative Research on Iconic and
A3-116 Performative Texts
Schleiermacher Unit Theme: Performing Iconic Texts
Theme: Love and Power Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Dorina Miller Parmenter, Spalding University, Presiding
Ed Waggoner, Brite Divinity School, Presiding Maria Turek, University of Toronto
Reenacting Ritual Contract: A Tibetan Text Between Buddhist
Calli Micale, Yale University Enlightenment and Local Cosmology
Dependence, Disability, and F.D.E. Schleiermacher
Bhakti Mamtora, College of Wooster
James Rogers, Claremont Graduate University Rethinking Engagement in Historical and Contemporary
Love and Power in Schleiermacher’s Philosophy of Language Swaminarayan Katha Performances
Thandeka Thandeka, Love Beyond Belief, Inc. David Dault, Sandburg Media LLC
Schleiermacher and American God-Politics A Magical Book That Nobody Reads: Expanding Discussions of Iconic
Responding: Scripture to Include the Dimension of ‘Charismatic Technology’
Jennifer A. Herdt, Yale University
A3-117 WC
Sociology of Religion Unit
Theme: Conceptualizing Religion and Rethinking Methods in the
Sociology of Religion
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Dusty Hoesly, University of Southern Mississippi, Presiding
Amidu Elabo, Princeton Theological Seminary
Faith and Topography: A Remote Sensing Analysis of Religious
Interaction in Jos North, Nigeria
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3
Gustavo Morello, Boston College
Modernity and Sacralization Practices: Photographs and the Sacred
Brenton Kalinowski, Rice University, Elaine Howard Ecklund,
Rice University, and Rachel Schneider, Rice University
Perceptions of Work as Calling
Wendy Cadge, Brandeis University
The Value Added of “Holding the Space:” A Case Study of Chaplains in
Boston and their Changing Roles over Time
Business Meeting:
Dusty Hoesly, University of Southern Mississippi, and Rebekka
King, Middle Tennessee State University, Presiding
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Panelists:
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3 Monica R. Miller, Lehigh University
Judith Weisenfeld, Princeton University
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5).
April D. DeConick, Rice University
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify
Sarah McFarland Taylor, Northwestern University
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app.
Presiding
Business Meeting:
This panel brings together women successful as editors and book
authors to discuss some of the unique challenges women face in the James Bielo, Miami University, and Jennifer A. Selby, Memorial
publishing process, issues ranging from gender bias in book reviews University of Newfoundland, Presiding
to juggling teaching, service, or child-rearing while writing books. In
addition to sharing about their experiences and how they felt gender
shaped or influenced them, panelists will offer advice and support to
women with regard to their publishing goals.
Symbol Key:
132 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
A3-204 A3-207
Black Theology Unit and Theology of Martin Luther King, Mormon Studies Unit and Pentecostal-Charismatic
Jr. Unit Movements Unit
Theme: The Prophetic Black Theology of Martin Luther King, Jr. Theme: Entangled in the Spirit: Mormonism and Charismatic
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Movements
Montague Williams, Point Loma Nazarene University, Presiding Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Shonda Nicole Gladden, Indiana University, Indianapolis Sammy Alfaro, Grand Canyon Theological Seminary, Presiding
Where Do We Go From Here: Trans-Versing the SOUL of Black Folx Jenny Webb, Woodinville, WA
Edgar “Trey” Clark, Fuller Theological Seminary Glossolalia: Charismatic Convergence and Divergence Within
Howard Thurman and the African American Contemplative Mormonism and Pentecostalism
Preaching Tradition Kathryn Davis, Claremont Graduate University
Yohance Whitaker, Virginia Union University Carving, Sculpting, Training: The Creation of Legible Bodies in
Social Salvation and Queerness Mormon and Pentecostal Communities in America
Responding: Responding:
Eboni Marshall Turman, Yale University Daniel Ramirez, Claremont Graduate University
A3-208
A3-205 AR
Buddhist Philosophy Unit and Hindu Philosophy Unit and Psychology, Culture, and Religion Unit
Indian and Chinese Religions Compared Unit and Yogācāra Theme: Religious and Political Systems of Dehumanization: Long-
Studies Unit term Psychological Consequences of Systemic Injustice
Theme: Roundtable on Roy Tzohar’s A Yogācāra Buddhist Theory of Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Metaphor (Oxford University Press, 2018) Stephanie M. Crumpton, McCormick Theological Seminary,
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Presiding
Tao Jiang, Rutgers University, Presiding Hee Jin Lee, Emory University
Unresolved Historical Trauma and Survival in the Korean Diaspora:
Panelists: Dehumanization of Self and Others
Jonathan Gold, Princeton University Reamogetje Ngoepe, Union Theological Seminary
Laurie Louise Patton, Middlebury College Black Pentecostal Women: Praying as Ritual for Healing from Inter-
Joy Brennan, Kenyon College sectional (Racial) Trauma
Richard Nance, Indiana University Jaeyeon Chung, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and
Catherine Prueitt, University of British Columbia Ilsup Ahn, North Park University
Systemic Terror, Silent Mourning, and Postcolonial Hope: The Case of
Parimal G. Patil, Harvard University Forcibly Separated Migrant Families
Responding:
Roy Tzohar, Tel-Aviv University
A3-209 C
Religion and Cities Unit and Transformative Scholarship
A3-206 and Pedagogies Unit
International Development and Religion Unit Theme: Cities as Sites for Transformative Teaching
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3
Theme: Religion, Development and the Secular: Considering Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Perspectives from Local Faith Actors Michael Fisher, San Jose State University, Presiding
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Christopher Cantwell, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Emma Tomalin, University of Leeds, Presiding Gathering Places: Religion, Community, and the Classroom in
Nicolette Manglos-Weber, Boston University Milwaukee
Promiscuous Practices: How Collective Caregiving Crosses Religious Kate DeConinck, University of San Diego
and Political Boundaries in Uganda Teaching Catholic Social Thought in the Context of San Diego’s
Olivia Wilkinson, Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Homelessness Crisis
Communities Business Meeting:
The Triple Nexus and Local Faith Actors in South Sudan
Laura Stivers, Dominican University of California, Presiding
David Tittensor, Deakin University
Becoming Secular, Yet Remaining Religious: The Gülen Movement
and the Golden Generation
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 133
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3 A3-212
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Religion and the Social Sciences Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: Religious Identity Construction and Interreligious Civic
Practices
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app.
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Jeffrey Guhin, University of California, Los Angeles, Presiding
Linda Bredvik, Heidelberg University
Discussing the Faith: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Interreligious
A3-210 AW Dialogues
Valentina Cantori, University of Southern California
Religion and Ecology Unit and Study of Islam Unit Civic Engagement as Religious Duty Among American Muslims
Theme: New Book Roundtable: Anna M. Gade’s Muslim
Environmentalisms: Religious and Social Foundations (Columbia
University Press, 2019)
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
A3-213 S
Jaclyn Michael, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, Presiding Ritual Studies Unit
Panelists: Theme: Ritual at Work: Ritual in Organizational Contexts
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Muhamad Ali, University of California, Riverside
Jone Salomonsen, University of Oslo, Presiding
Etin Anwar, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Dana Logan, University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Nur Amali Ibrahim, Indiana University, Bloomington
Evangelical Meetings and the Aesthetics of Boredom in Minute-
Lisa Sideris, Indiana University Taking
Sarra Tlili, University of Florida Emily Dubie, Duke University
Responding: Managing Tragedy Through Leaving-Work Rituals: Social Workers
Anna M. Gade, University of Wisconsin and Unmet Human Need
Joy Palacios, University of Calgary
Ritualization and Worker Autonomy in the Salesforce Ecosystem
A3-211 Nermeen Mouftah, Butler University
Religion and Politics Unit Sacrificial Skins: The Value of Pakistan’s Eid al-Azha Animal Hide
Collection
Theme: Thinking About Religious Violence
Responding:
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Clayton Ashton, University of British Columbia
Ann Duncan, Goucher College, Presiding
Dan-Erik Andersson, Lund University
The Public Debates on Violent Extremism in Sweden; New Concepts
and Meanings and Consequences for Religious Practice
A3-214 A
Dragos Stoica, Concordia University Space, Place, and Religion Unit
A Virtuous Ummah Under Siege: The Mythology of Universal Theme: Place-Making, Secularism, and Commodification:
Conspiracy in Sayyid Qutb’s Coranic Commentary Courtney Bruntz and Brooke Schedneck’s Buddhist Tourism in Asia
(University of Hawai’i Press, 2020)
David Kirkpatrick, James Madison University
The Latin American Bullring: Billy Graham, John F. Kennedy, and Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
the Origins of the “Global War on Christians” Matthew Mitchell, Allegheny College, Presiding
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3
Panelists:
Erik Braun, University of Virginia
Natasha Heller, University of Virginia
Angela Zito, New York University
Symbol Key:
134 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Responding: Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Courtney Bruntz, Doane University
Brooke Schedneck, Rhodes College
A3-300 KO
A3-215 Student Lounge Roundtable
Theme: A Foot in Two Worlds but No Real Home: Forging an
Theology and Religious Reflection Unit Interdisciplinary Path in Graduate School
Theme: The Religion of the Dance Floor? Queer Techno Beyond Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
the Religious/Secular Divide Interdisciplinary scholarship is ostensibly valued, increasing
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM opportunities for collaboration and including multiple perspectives,
Eva Pascal, Saint Michael’s College, Presiding but the reality of pursuing a truly interdisciplinary path in graduate
school can be discouraging and confusing. This can be especially
Panelists:
challenging if your graduate program is not explicitly designed
Kevin Minister, Shenandoah University as interdisciplinary or when the fields that you bridge frequently
Meredith Minister, Shenandoah University clash. Although this approach can sometimes be lonely and require
Abdul Rahman Mustafa, University of Paderborn additional work, creativity, and self-advocacy, forging your own path
is also exciting. How do you find, or create, an academic “home” when
Linn Tonstad, Yale University you don’t quite fit in either field and you are the only person in your
program/department/school on this path? This session will discuss
strategies for navigating graduate school and beyond while bridging
A3-216 WC multiple academic fields. These will include tips on developing
relationships and communities with colleagues across fields,
Women of Color Scholarship, Teaching, and Activism Unit “translating” between disciplines, choosing a committee, and other
Theme: Decolonizing our Fields: Women of Color Scholars on topics relevant to participants.
Transforming the Guild Panelists:
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Kate Soules, Boston College
Deborah Rogers, Lane College, Presiding
Panelists:
Sailaja Krishnamurti, Saint Mary’s University A3-301
Merin Shobhana Xavier, Queen’s University Afro-American Religious History Unit
Natalie Avalos, University of Colorado Theme: Mormon, Muslim, Coptic, Webb: Blackness and Identity
Oluwatomisin Oredein, Brite Divinity School in New Religious Movements
Shana Sippy, Centre College/Carleton College Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Business Meeting: Joseph Laycock, Texas State University, Presiding
Sailaja Krishnamurti, Saint Mary’s University, and Deborah Judith Huenneke, Mary Baker Eddy Library
Rogers, Lane College, Presiding Marietta Webb and the “Colored” Christian Science Churches of Los
Angeles
Leonard McKinnis, Saint Louis University
“I Told Jesus it Would be Alright if He Changed my Name”:
Performative Imagination and Identity Formation as Rituals of
Freedom in the Black Coptic Church
Megan Leverage, Central Michigan University
Black Mormon Tells Her Story: Religion, Race and Gender in the
Post-Civil Rights Era
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3
Patrick Bowen, Arvada, CO
Exploring Local Histories of African American Islam Through the
Black Press
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 135
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3 A3-304
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Childhood Studies and Religion Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: New Theories of Childhood Religiosity
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Sally Stamper, Capital University, Presiding
Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Kishundra King, Vanderbilt University
A Kaleidoscope Analysis: Toward a Womanish/st Theology
Jessica Pratezina, University of Victoria
A3-302 Disciples by Default: Social and State Interventions with Children in
Alternative Religious Movements
Arts, Literature, and Religion Unit and Cultural History of
the Study of Religion Unit
Theme: Global Formations of Religion and Literature A3-305
Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Comparative Religious Ethics Unit
Zhange Ni, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
Presiding Theme: Civil Disobedience and Duties to Resist in Comparative
Perspective
Craig Tichelkamp, Stonehill College
Mystifying the Letter: Religion and Literature in the Twelfth Century Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Micah Hughes, University of North Carolina Jonathan K. Crane, Emory University, Presiding
Reading Sufism at the University: The Literary Remaking of an David Gides, University of Providence
Islamic Tradition in Twentieth-Century Turkey Bonhoeffer, Antifa, and the Moral Defensibility of Uncivil
Disobedience
Yunus Dogan Telliel, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
The Untranslatable and its Opposite in Secular Modernity Alease Brown, University of the Western Cape
Violence: A Typology Fitting for the South African Context of
Christopher Douglas, University of Victoria Entrenched Inequality
“The Failure of the Postsecular”
Joshua Carpenter, Florida State University
Responding: Black Rights Matter: Adjudicating Uncivil Disobedience
Elizabeth Ann Pritchard, Bowdoin College
A3-303/S3-301 A A3-306 C
Critical Theory and Discourses on Religion Unit
Bonhoeffer: Theology and Social Analysis Unit and SBL
Theme: Field Notes: Making and Unmaking the Ethnography of
Book of Psalms Unit Religion
Theme: Bonhoeffer on the Psalms: New Perspectives on Prayerbook Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
of the Bible (Fortress Press, 1940)
Kijan Bloomfield, Rhodes College, Presiding
Thursday, 4:00PM –6:00 PM
Panelists:
Brad Pribbenow, Lutheran Brethren Seminary, Presiding
Cody Musselman, Yale University
Brent A. Strawn, Duke University
Bonhoeffer on Enemies and Imprecation: A Commentary George Gonzalez, City University of New York
Stephen B. Chapman, University of Tubingen Hillary Kaell, McGill University
Who Prays the Psalms? Bonhoeffer’s Christological Concentration and Saliha Chattoo, University of Toronto
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3
Symbol Key:
136 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Business Meeting:
A3-307 Andrea McComb Sanchez, University of Arizona, and Suzanne J.
Crawford O’Brien, Pacific Lutheran University, Presiding
Evangelical Studies Unit
Theme: Complexities of Evangelical Perspectives
Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM A3-310 C
Peter Choi, Newbigin House, and Gabriela Viesca, George Fox
University, Presiding
North American Religions Unit and Religion and Economy
Unit
Jennifer Riley, Durham University
Abortion and Evangelicalism in England: Capturing and Theme: Religious Liberty Incorporated
Communicating Complexity Thursday, 4:00PM –6:00 PM
Stephen Wolma, Lancaster Theological Seminary Catherine Brekus, Harvard University, Presiding
Analytical Tool or Secular Interloper?: The Challenge of Critical Race Lucia Hulsether, Skidmore College
Theory to the Contemporary White Evangelical Identity Family Corporation v. Blackface Feminism: Reproducing Religious
Ronald Potter, Hinds Community College Freedom from Hobby Lobby to Notorious R.B.G
Fifty Years of Revisioning American Evangelicalism: Reflections of an Erik Nordbye, Harvard Univerisity
Older “New Black Evangelical” Liberty of Conscience Becomes Liberty of Estate: Property, Dissent,
Jason Fallin, Fuller Theological Seminary and the Massachusetts Constitution
Do You See What I See?: Operation Christmas Child and Evangelical Dana Lloyd, Washington University, St. Louis
Aesthetic Formation From Corporate Personhood to Environmental Personhood
Responding:
A3-308 Amanda Porterfield, Florida State University
Business Meeting:
Mysticism Unit Isaac Weiner, Ohio State University, and Kathleen Holscher,
Theme: Mysticism in the Wild: Ecology and Nature in the Mystic University of New Mexico, Presiding
Frame
Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Margarita Simon Guillory, Boston University, Presiding A3-311
Timothy Grieve-Carlson, Rice University Queer Studies in Religion Unit and Religion in Premodern
The Presence of God(s): Mysticism and Ecology in the Big Thicket Europe and the Mediterranean Unit
Sam Mickey, University of San Francisco Theme: Queer Lives, Trans Tales, and Marvelous Morphologies in
Doing Nothing in a World of Wounds: The Place of Mysticism in Premodern Christianity
Ecological Emergency
Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Russell Powell, College of the Holy Cross Georgia Frank, Colgate University, Presiding
John Muir, Sacred Value, and Environmental Racism: Lessons from
Hegel for a Moral Mysticism Rebecca Wiegel, University of Notre Dame
Ascesis as Gender Transition: The Dialogue of Identity and Spirituality
in the Life of St Matrona of Perge
A3-309 C Martha Newman, University of Texas
Disguise and Discernment: Constructing the Story of a Transgender
Native Traditions in the Americas Unit Monk
Theme: Sacred Lands and Waters: Legal Challenges in Indigenous C. Libby, Pennsylvania State University
Efforts to Protect Sacred Spaces The Apophasis of (Trans)Gender
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3
Thursday, 4:00 PM–6:30 PM
Abel Gomez, Syracuse University, Presiding
Brennan Keegan, Randolph College
Shifting Legal Boundaries and Indigenous Ecologies at Bears Ears
National Monument
Khrystyne Wilson, University of Arizona
It’s Not Like Their Church: Problematizing the Practice of Equating
American Indian Sacred Land to Abrahamic Sites
Denise Marie Nadeau, Concordia University, Montreal
Decolonizing Water: Revitalizing Indigenous Water Laws
Responding:
Tiffany Hale, Barnard College of Columbia University
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 137
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3 A3-314 KY
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Transformative Scholarship and Pedagogy Unit and
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Religious Education Association
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Theme: Attending to Trauma: Innovative Pedagogies for Teaching
on Gender and Sexual Violence in Religious Studies Classrooms
Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Boyung Lee, Iliff School of Theology, Presiding
Jeremy Posadas, Austin College
A3-312 From Sympathy to “Sissification”: Pedagogical Approaches for
Dismantling Sexual Violence
Religion and Popular Culture Unit
Almeda Wright, Yale University
Theme: Global Fandoms and Religion: New Case Studies from Radical Ways of Knowing: Education at the Intersections of Race,
Scandinavia, Korea and Zimbabwe Gender, and Religion
Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Patrick Reyes, Forum for Theological Exploration
James Thrall, Knox College, Presiding The Purpose Gap: Bodies (That) Matter
Hyemin Na, Emory University
Testing the Limits of Implicit Religion as Research Frame: BTS
Fandom Case Study A3-315 RWC
Lisa Kienzl, University of Bremen Religious Reflections on Friendship Seminar
“Pagan Here, Loving It!” Negotiating Norse Mythology and Paganism
in Fan Culture Discussed on the Examples of the Television Series Theme: The Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion
“American Gods” and “Jordskott” as a Site of Interreligious Friendship
Thursday, 4:00 PM–6:30 PM
Eric Meyer, Carroll College, Presiding
A3-313 SC Panelists:
Religion, Affect, and Emotion Unit Margaret Gower, Saint Mary’s College
Theme: Revolution, Rebellion, and Critique: Dissident Affects in Nirinjan Khalsa, Loyola Marymount University
the 19th Century North Atlantic Mugdha Yeolekar, California State University, Fullerton
Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Business Meeting:
Zachary Smith, University of Tennessee, Presiding Hussam S. Timani, Christopher Newport University, and Anne-
Emily Dumler-Winckler, Saint Louis University Marie Ellithorpe, Vancouver School of Theology, Presiding
Affect and the Formation of Taste: Revolution Debates Then and Now
Jeffrey Wheatley, Iowa State University
Religio-Racial Affectability: Nat Turner and Nineteenth-Century A3-316 C
Theories of Fanaticism Women’s Caucus Business Meeting
Eric Chalfant, Queen’s University Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
The Sensual versus the Sensible in American Irreligion: How to
Illustrate Reason’s Affects Elizabeth Ursic, Mesa Community College, and Elaine Nogueira-
Godsey, Methodist Theological School in Ohio, Presiding
Business Meeting:
Come join in the Women’s Caucus Business Meeting. We will be
Maia Kotrosits, Denison University, and Tam K. Parker, reviewing feedback from this year’s panels, discussing our ongoing
University of the South, Presiding projects, establishing the Women’s Caucus leadership team for 2018,
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3
138 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Theresa A. Yugar, California State University, Los Angeles
Rosalind F. Hinton, LAOUTLOUD FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4
Kathryn Common, Boston University
Alicia Panganiban, Mayo Clinic Health System
A4-100
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6
Kimberly Carter, California Institute of Integral Studies
Tracy McEwan, University of Newcastle, Australia Publications Committee
Sheryl Johnson, Graduate Theological Union Theme: Journal Editors’ Breakfast
Mary Ellen Chown, Catholic Network for Women’s Equality Friday, 10:00 AM–11:30 AM
Saphira Rameshfar, Baha’i International Community, United Andrea Jain, Indiana University - Purdue University, Indianapolis,
Nations Office Presiding
Mary T. Kantor, Arlington, MA This session is open to all editors of journals in religious studies,
theology, biblical studies, and related fields. It is an opportunity for
attendees to discuss the different challenges they face, concerns they
P3-300 have, or successes they’ve achieved as journal editors. This session is
hosted as a breakfast each year during the in-person conference; this
Society for Hindu-Christian Studies year, attendees are welcome to virtually attend with their own mid-
Theme: The Significance of Sri Ramakrishna for Hindu-Christian morning refreshments.
Studies: New Perspectives
Thursday, 4:00PM –6:00 PM
Panelists: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6
Pravrajika Vrajaprana, Vedanta Society
Jeffery D. Long, Elizabethtown College Sunday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Rita Sherma, Graduate Theological Union
Christopher Conway, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s
University
A6-100 C
Responding: Ritual Studies Unit Business Meeting
Swami Medhananda, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Sunday, 12:00 PM–12:30 PM
University Business Meeting:
Sarah M. Pike, California State University, Chico, and Michael
Houseman, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Presiding
A3-400 EC
American Academy of Religion Annual Business P6-400
Meeting and Ray L. Hart Service Award Presentation
Thursday, 6:00 PM–7:00 PM Death, Dying, and Beyond Unit
José Cabezón, University of California, Santa Barbara, Presiding Theme: Death Over Dinner
Join the AAR Board of Directors for a brief business meeting and Sunday, 7:00 PM–8:30 PM
the presentation of the Ray L. Hart Service Award to Elias Kifon The Death, Dying, and Beyond Unit and Death Over Dinner
Bongmba. bring you a Virtual Death Over Dinner. How we want to die
Elias Bongmba is Harry and Hazel Chavanne represents the most important and costly conversation America
Professor of Christian Theology and Chair of the isn’t having. We have gathered dozens of medical and wellness
Department of Religion at Rice University. A scholar leaders to cast an unflinching eye at end of life, and we have created
of comparative philosophy, African religions, and an uplifting interactive adventure that transforms this seemingly
Christian theology, he has published influential difficult conversation into one of deep engagement, insight and
books and articles on African witchcraft, the African empowerment. We invite you to gather friends and family and fill a
Church’s response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, table, or simply bring along a drink and sit with other AAR members
Elias Bongmba
comparative hermeneutics, and African theology, as we eat together and talk about death.
ethics, and literature. In 2007 he was awarded the Frantz Fanon
Prize for Outstanding Work in Caribbean Thought.
Professor Bongmba has served on a variety of AAR steering
committees, committees of the board, and juries. His record of
service extends far beyond the walls of the academy. He has advised
governmental, educational, and church bodies both in his native
Cameroon and throughout Africa. Bongmba has also lectured
throughout Africa on social justice issues, including poverty, gender,
disability, and homosexuality. He has been editor-in-chief of the
Journal of Religions in Africa, and has served for the past ten years as
president of the African Association for the Study of Religion.
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 139
PLENARY SESSIONS
Sunday, December 6, 2020
Panelists:
A6-200 WK Amanullah De Sondy, University College Cork
Plenary Panel: Telling the Truth of Our Lives:
Devan Stahl, Baylor University
Intersectional Coalition Building as Scholars,
Educators, and Activists Angela Parker, Mercer University
Sunday, 12:30 PM–1:30 PM Cassie Trentaz, Warner Pacific University
José Cabezón, University of California, Santa
Barbara, and Swasti Bhattacharyya, Buena Vista
University, Presiding
A6-201 W
Plenary Panel: The AAR as a Crucible for New
Are we all telling the truth of our Fields
lives? What do we mean by the labels
‘scholar’ and ‘activist’? How have these Sunday, 2:00 PM–3:00 PM
terms been understood historically José Cabezón, University of California, Santa
and in the present? They often come Barbara, Presiding
with loaded meaning, so how do we A number of new areas of study have
Amanullah De Sondy understand the political power plays emerged in the academic study of
that intersect them and separates them? Scholars of religion over the past decades. In this
religion often find themselves threading panel two scholars who have been
together their work mixed between at the forefront of their respective
being scholars, educators, and activists. fields—Comparative Theology and
In this Presidential Plenary Workshop, Francis X. Clooney
Buddhist Philosophy—reflect on the
members of the four AAR Status challenges they have faced, the vision they have of
Committees provide an opportunity for their fields, and the role that the AAR has played in
all present to explore the complexities Devan Stahl creating new disciplines and recreating old ones. Frank
that emerge when we discuss what it means to Clooney, a scholar of classical Hinduism and the Jesuit
be scholars, educators, and activists, missionary tradition in India, is widely recognized as
specifically focusing on what becomes the world’s leading scholar of Comparative Theology.
‘foundational’ or ‘center points’ of our His writings have revived a field that was dormant for
fields. Is there a genealogy in how we decades. Jay Garfield, a scholar of Euro-
have constructed the AAR and those American and Buddhist philosophy is
who work within it and from it? Does at the forefront of advocating for the
Angela Parker the academy judge those who don’t first cultural diversification of philosophy
and foremost label themselves as ‘scholar’? To what and has worked to increase awareness of
extent are these labels (pre-tenure, precarious, tenured Buddhist philosophy in contemporary
etc.) solidified in the hierarchies of philosophical practice and education. Jay Garfield
our academy? Panelists will begin by
Panelists:
discussing how they understand their
work and the complexity of the term Francis X. Clooney, Harvard University
‘scholar activist’. A particular focus of this Jay Garfield, Smith College
panel is how they came to be involved in
their respective AAR status committees. Cassie Trentaz
140 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
A6-300 W A6-301 W
Plenary Panel: What Do We, as Scholars of Presidential Address: The Study of Buddhism in
Religion, Value? the AAR
Sunday, 3:30 PM–4:30 PM Sunday, 5:00 PM–6:00 PM
José Cabezón, University of California, Santa Marla Frederick, Emory University, Presiding
Barbara, Presiding
The scholarly study of Buddhism in
Scholars who study religion often disagree Europe dates to the early nineteenth
strongly over the values that ought to centur y, but it did not become
guide their academic work. Researchers institutionalized in North American
within and across disciplines debate higher education until the mid-twentieth
which methods to use, which audiences to century. The AAR has played (and
target, the extent to which an individual’s José Cabezón
continues to play) an important role in
F. LeRon Shults
religious faith should influence his or the academic study of Buddhism, becoming—just as it
her scholarship, and even how to define their object has for the study of other religious traditions—the de
of study. This panel will present selected findings from facto North American home of the discipline and one
the Values in Scholarship on Religion of the most important scholarly organizations for the
(VISOR) project, which gathered data study of Buddhism in the world. This year’s presidential
over three years from scholars of religion lecture traces the history of the study of Buddhism
associated with the AAR and many within the AAR, explores the role that the AAR has
other professional associations. Wesley played in the development of Buddhist Studies, and
Wildman will discuss the mission and examines the implications of this.
significance of VISOR, LeRon Shults Ann Taves
Panelists:
will describe the measures that were used to assess
scholarly values, and Ann Taves will José Cabezón, University of California, Santa
present in more detail some of the key Barbara
findings that reveal the distinctive values
of the AAR (in comparison with other
scholarly associations) and some of the
differences among various groups within
Wesley J. Wildman
the AAR.
Panelists:
F. LeRon Shults, University of Agder
Ann Taves, University of California, Santa
Barbara
Wesley J. Wildman, Boston University
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 141
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7 A7-102
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Animals and Religion Unit and Study of Judaism Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: Roundtable on Critical Animal Studies and Jewish Studies:
Intersections, Open Questions, New Directions
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app.
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Carol Adams, Richardson, TX, Presiding
A7-100 D Panelists:
Wildcard Session: Religious Responses to COVID-19 and Alex Weisberg, New York University
Ritual Innovations Beth Berkowitz, Barnard College
Monday, 9:00 AM–10:30 AM Mira Wasserman, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Kenneth Dean, National University of Singapore, Presiding Aaron Gross, University of San Diego
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7
A7-101 KP
A7-103 C
Asian North American Religion, Culture, and Society Unit
Academic Labor and Contingent Faculty Committee Theme: Diversity and Unity: Religious Institutions and Asian
Theme: Unpaid Labor in the Academy Pacific Islander American Life
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Elizabeth Lemons, Tufts University, Presiding SueJeanne Koh, University of California, Irvine, Presiding
Colleges and universities rely heavily upon the unpaid labor of faculty Htoi San Lu, Vanderbilt University
and graduate students, especially of those in contingent positions. Examining Gender and Division Among Kachin Baptist
This session is designed to start a conversation and to share practical Congregations in the U.S.
tips about unpaid labor within academic positions and the academy-
at-large. We will discuss why the boundary between required tasks Tom Park, Concordia University Irvine, CA
and “above and beyond” efforts are often blurred within academic The Rise of Hmongism
positions, clarifying what is unpaid labor and what is the paid work Albert Shannon G. Toribio, University of California, Santa
of research, teaching, service, and professional development. Studies Barbara
have also shown that women and faculty of color complete more than St. Columban’s Church of Los Angeles: The First Filipino National
their share of service loads and are more likely to be in contingent Church
positions. In addition to identifying where and why unpaid labor Tejpaul Bainiwal, University of California, Riverside
occurs, we will also explore strategies for making unpaid labor visible, Stockton Gurdwara: The Political Center of Sikhs in the United States
including drawing clearer boundaries between work requirements and
unpaid labor and advocating for groups most impacted. Emily Yen, Trinity College
The Moral Logics of Religious Advocacy for Chinese Student Refugees
Panelists:
Kristy Slominski, University of Arizona Business Meeting:
Christopher Duncanson-Hales, University of Sudbury SueJeanne Koh, University of California, Irvine, and Melissa
Borja, University of Michigan, Presiding
Melissa M. Wilcox, University of California, Riverside
Lauren Horn Griffin, University of Oklahoma
Symbol Key:
142 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Angela Puca, Leeds Trinity University
A7-104 The Philosophy of Magic. From the Fringe of Society to the Fringe of
“Reality”.
Comparative Theology Unit and Mysticism Unit
Marisa Franz, New York University
Theme: The Challenge of Spirituality in a Comparative Perspective Vital and Spectral Things: Ghosts, Magic, and Everyday Objects in
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Museums
Bede Bidlack, Saint Anselm College, Presiding
Won Jae Hur, Xavier University
Nonduality and the Body: Edith Stein’s Contribution to Recent A7-107
Comparative Theology Ethics Unit
Gloria Maita Hernandez, West Chester University Theme: New Directions in Religious Ethics
Proximity and Resemblance: Divine Presence in Christian and
Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Theology Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Christophe D. Ringer, Chicago Theological Seminary, Presiding
Jason Welle, Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7
“’Poverty is My Glory’: Comparative Medieval Approaches to Caleb Brown, University of Oxford
Spiritual Poverty” Acts of God and Humans: Addressing the Monotheistic Tension
Between Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility in Ecological
Veli-Matti Karkkainen, Fuller Theological Seminary Ethics
“’The Spirit (is) from the Amr of my Lord’: The (Holy) Spirit in a
Muslim-Christian Engagement: A Little Comparative Exercise” Sean Lau, Harvard University
Models of the Theology/Ethics Relationship in Modern Christian
Responding: Thought: A Typology
Jon Paul Sydnor, Emmanuel College, Boston Ross Moret, Florida State University
Religious Ethics and Empirical Ethics
A7-105 C Fred Simmons, Princeton Theological Seminary
Evolutionary Biology, Ecological Crisis, and the Character of
Contemplative Studies Unit Christian Salvation History
Theme: Contemplative Modes of Knowing and Transforming Graedon Zorzi, George Fox University
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Toleration and Insurrection: Locke, Winnifred Sullivan, and Global
Religious Freedom
Paula K. R. Arai, Louisiana State University, Presiding
Shodhin Geiman, Valparaiso University
Why Renunciation (Still) Matters: Lessons from the Buddhist and A7-108
Christian Desert Traditions
Andre Van Der Braak, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam Indian and Chinese Religions Compared Unit
Indigenous and Western Ayahuasca Contemplative Practices Theme: Why Humanities Should Go Global
Kythe Heller, Harvard University Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Sonic Possible Worlds: Listening and the Political Possibilities of Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, Lancaster University, Presiding
Sound in Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel
Nell Hawley, Harvard University
Responding: Crisis and the Call to Interpretation: The Sanskrit Mahābhārata in
Harold D. Roth, Brown University the First Millennium
Business Meeting: Jane Mikkelson, University of Virginia
Harold D. Roth, Brown University, and Judith Simmer-Brown, Crossings: Lyric Meditation and Comparative Religion Early Modern
Naropa University, Presiding India
Thomas Mazanec, University of California, Santa Barbara
The Practice of Religious Poetry: Buddhist Poet-Monks of Late Tang
A7-106 China
Rafal Stepien, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Contemporary Pagan Studies Unit ‘Why Are My Humanities So Black-and-White?’ Buddhist Lessons in
Theme: Exploring Modern Discourses of Magic Undisciplining Religion, Literature, and Philosophy
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Sabina Magliocco, University of British Columbia, Presiding
Diana Brown, Syracuse University
A Note on the Origins of “Tech” as Metaphor for Magic
Kendra Holt Moore, Boston University
Playing the Witch: The Work of Play in Mainstreaming Witchcraft
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 7 A7-111 C
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Religion and Ecology Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: Religion, Ecology, Coloniality and Settler Colonialism:
Life at the Intersection
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app.
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Christopher Carter, University of San Diego, Presiding
Andrew Ronnevik, Baylor University
Whipple’s Vision: The Theology of the Land in Nineteenth-Century
A7-109 Y Episcopal Missions to Minnesota Native Americans
Tyler Tully, Oxford University
Native Traditions in the Americas Unit Native Futurities in an Age of ‘Permanent Settler War’:
Theme: Teaching Native Religious Traditions with Dr. Inés Conceptualizing Settler Coloniality as an Ongoing Ecological
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7
Talamantez Structure
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Renan Dos Santos, University of São Paulo / Brazil
Andrea McComb Sanchez, University of Arizona, Presiding Formation and Development of the Official Catholic Ecotheology in
Delores Mondragon, University of California, Santa Barbara Brazil
Indigenous Decolonizing and Rematriating Ways of Knowing per Dr. Blair Wilner, University of Virginia
Inés Talamantez: Moving Forward with Ancestral Knowledges and “This Sad Little Island”: Colonialism as a Racial and Ecological
Responsibilities Theodicy
Gabriel Estrada, California State University, Long Beach Business Meeting:
Teaching Caxcan Gender, Language, and Place-Names Forrest Clingerman, Ohio Northern University, Presiding
Felicia Lopez, University of California, Los Angeles
Teaching Inés Talamantez’s Theory of Translation: Poetic Translations
of Native and Indigenous Texts A7-112 AC
Lawrence W. Gross, University of Redlands Religion and the Social Sciences Unit
The Pedagogy of Self-Directed Native Language Learning
Theme: Authors-Meets-Critics Book Panel: Gerardo Marti,
Responding: American Blindspot (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020); Kyle Lambelet,
Mary Churchill, Sonoma State University ¡Presente! Nonviolent Politics (Georgetown University Press, 2019);
Nichole R. Phillips, Patriotism Black and White (Baylor University
Press, 2018)
A7-110 A Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Philosophy of Religion Unit Sara Williams, Emory University, Presiding
Theme: Ethics, Subjectivity, and Ascetic Practice: A Discussion of Panelists:
Niki Kasumi Clements’s Sites of the Ascetic Self (University of Notre Nicolette Manglos-Weber, Boston University
Dame Press, 2020) Jeffrey Guhin, University of California, Los Angeles
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Ruben Rosario Rodriguez, Saint Louis University
Tamsin Jones, Trinity College, Hartford, Presiding Vincent Lloyd, Villanova University
Panelists: Cheryl Kirk-Duggan, Seminary of the Southwest
Biko Gray, Syracuse University Richard Pitt, Vanderbilt University
Kevin Schilbrack, Appalachian State University Responding:
Aaron Stalnaker, Indiana University Gerardo Marti, Davidson College
Responding: Kyle Lambelet, Emory University
Niki Clements, Rice University Nichole Phillips, Emory University
Business Meeting:
Nichole Phillips, Emory University, and Sara Williams, Emory
University, Presiding
Symbol Key:
144 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Pieter Coppens, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
A7-113 SC Reassessing the Rise of Salafism in Damascus: A Social Network
Analysis
Religions, Medicines, and Healing Unit
Ermin Sinanovic, Shenandoah University
Theme: Alternative Healing, Transnationalism, & Biomedicine Theological Innovation on the Edges of Islam: Evidence from the
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Balkans and Southeast Asia
Kyrah Malika Daniels, Boston College, Presiding
Leah Lomotey-Nakon, Vanderbilt University
(Il)Legitimate Suffering; Afrocentric Alternative Medicial Practices A7-116 C
Angela Xia, University of Pennsylvania Tibetan and Himalayan Religions Unit
Crystals Beyond the New Age: U.S. Mineral Healing and Novel Theme: New Research in Tibetan and Himalayan Religions
Formations of Science, Medicine, and Religion
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Leonard Lowe, College of Charleston Nicole Willock, Old Dominion University, Presiding
White Doctors Cannot See Everything: Transnationalism,
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7
Biomedicine, and Pentecostal Healing in Haiti Rae Dachille, University of Arizona
Counting the Way to Liberation: Distinguishing the Thirteenth Bhūmi
Business Meeting: in Fifteenth-Century Tibet
Linda L. Barnes, Boston University, and Emily Wu, Dominican Rachel Levy, Northwestern University
University of California, Presiding Sartorial Visions: Clothing and Visionary Experience in Seventeenth-
Century Tibetan Buddhist Biography
A7-114 A Gideon Elazar, Ariel University, Bar Ilan University
The Sacred Geography of Thangka Scrolls: Cultural Preservation,
Science, Technology, and Religion Unit Buddhist Expansion and Longing for Shangrila
Theme: Broadening the Vision of Theology and Science: A Maria Turek, University of Toronto
Roundtable Session with the Authors of T&T Clark Handbook for Realm of Meditators: Transnational Visions of Buddhist Belonging
Christian Theology and the Modern Sciences (Bloomsbury Academic, Business Meeting:
2020)
Benjamin Bogin, Skidmore College, Presiding
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
John Slattery, American Association for the Advancement of Science,
Presiding
Panelists:
A7-117 W
Jessica Coblentz, Saint Mary’s College, Indiana
Womanist Approaches to Religion and Society Unit
Theme: Futuring the Womanist Project: Creative, Liberating,
Rufus Burnett, Fordham University
Intersectional Visions of Womanist Theory and Praxis, the Next 30
Terrence Johnson, Georgetown University Years
J. Richard Middleton, Roberts Wesleyan College Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Sarah Lane Ritchie, University of Edinburgh Candace M. Laughinghouse, Chicago Theological Seminary,
Paul Schutz, Santa Clara University Presiding
Tim Snyder, Wartburg Theological Seminary Panelists:
Stoyan Tanev, Carleton University Sakena Young-Scaggs, Arizona State University
LaKeesha Walrond, First Corinthian Baptist Church
Nikia Robert, Claremont School of Theology
A7-115 Funlayo Easter Wood, African and Diasporic Religious Studies
Study of Islam Unit Association
Theme: Knowledge, Authority, and Power in Early-Modern and Responding:
Modern Islam Monique Moultrie, Georgia State University
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Yasmine Flodin-Ali, University of North Carolina, Presiding
Mary Elston, Harvard University
Debating Turāth: Religious Knowledge in Egypt’s al-Azhar
Naveen Ramamurthy, University of California, Los Angeles
The Canon and the Canonization of Law in Islamicate South Asia
(c. 1300s–1500s)
Samuel Kigar, University of Puget Sound
When Map is Territory: Morocco’s Claim for the Western Sahara
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Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5).
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify A7-200 WK
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Plenary Panel: The Changing Field of Religious Studies:
A Short History of the American Academy of Religion’s
Monday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Annual Meeting
Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
A7-118 C José Cabezón, University of California, Santa Barbara, Presiding
Drawing mainly from materials in the AAR archives
Religion, Film, and Visual Culture Unit and past presidential addresses, this plenary panel
Theme: Provocative Pictures and the Politics of Visual Culture suggests that there are at least two major transitions
prior the current one we are experiencing. The first
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7
Symbol Key:
146 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
A7-201 KC A7-203 KOY
Academic Labor and Contingent Faculty Committee and Student Lounge Roundtable
Class, Religion, and Theology Unit Theme: ‘A Very Present Help In Trouble’: The Care and Keeping
Theme: Contingent Labor Across Society and Academy of Self, Soul, Service, and Sanity alongside Pandemics and Other
Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Precarious Times
Joseph Strife, Fordham University, Presiding Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Throughout capitalist economies, more and more occupations are being The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our world irrevocably, and
re-structured into predominantly contingent, precarious, and/or gig will continue to do so in unpredictable ways that will require creative,
labor. The papers in this session allow us to more critically understand compassionate responses. Though our collective understandings of
this shift and see both the problems it is causing and the possibilities the long-term impacts of the virus are still developing and evolving,
for worker resistance it opens up. The first paper presents the overall what is both evident and demonstrable already is that the virus’ impact
trend within the US class structure, providing context for the remaining on mental health and wellbeing, directly (ill loved ones, recovery
statistics showing neurological impacts that precipitate mental health
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7
papers, which focus on contingency in the academy. The second paper
offers a case-study of an organizing drive among part-time faculty at a diagnoses, etc.) and circumstantially (through lockdowns, social
private research university. The third paper explicates ways of thinking distancing, virtual learning, working from home, etc.), is significant
about labor and solidarity that limit building effective worker power and and life-altering. Thus, as we grapple for a new foothold in the
considers alternatives that can expand them. Academy to continue our work as mentors, educators, scholars,
and colleagues, we are also faced with a sharp increase in both the
Kerry Danner, Georgetown University incidence and risk of exacerbation when it comes to the already
From Adjuncts to Uber Drivers and OnCall Cooks: The New Class deeply stigmatised issue of mental health. In this conversational
System and the Loss of Benefits and Belonging workshop, you are invited to join a collaborative discussion in which
Elizabeth Lemons, Tufts University we collectively decompress—emotionally and practically—in the
The Elephant in the Room: Organizing and Sustaining Our Part- context of personal and professional (and global) crisis. We will aim to
Time Faculty Union brainstorm how to proceed in terms of being mentors to students who
are experiencing the vast transformative shifts of higher education
Karen Bray, Wesleyan College in times of even greater uncertainty, whilst we as practitioners and
I’m Sticking with the Union Trouble: Territory, Solidarity, and scholars balance being resources of support and active change-
Contingent Academic Labor makers in and beyond classrooms and faith communities with
Business Meeting: maintaining our own wellbeing and self-care amidst a pandemic, as
Jeremy Posadas, Austin College, and Rosetta E. Ross, Spelman well as numerous other sources of stress and labour demanded in a
College, Presiding sometimes-overwhelmingly changing world. Please feel encouraged to
bring any elements of self-care to the workshop you feel inspired to:
from your knitting project, to a glass or mug of whatever-you-like, to
your best-loved oversized hoodie. The only ceremony this workshop
A7-202 E stands upon is sharing community in a candid, supportive exchange of
ideas to meet the challenges of the present moment.
Public Understanding of Religion Committee
Panelists:
Theme: 2020 Martin E. Marty Award for the Public
Understanding of Religion Forum: Khaled Abou El Fadl Katelynn E. Carver, University of Saint Andrews
Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Asma Afsaruddin, Indiana University, Bloomington, Presiding
This session celebrates this year’s recipient of the
Martin Marty Award for the Public Understanding
of Religion, Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl. Over the past
two decades, public scholarship on Islam has been a
critical component in conversations about social
inclusion, foreign policy, and interreligious dynamics.
Khaled Abou Abou El Fadl’s work engages these issues in ways
El Fadl that are accessible to both specialist and non-
specialist audiences. This group of distinguished panelists will
consider efforts to advance the public understanding at the
intersection between Islam and politics in the United States since
9/11, taking up key themes in Abou El Fadl’s scholarship
including Islamic ethical approaches to global challenges, religious
tolerance, and human rights.
Panelists:
Khaled Abou El Fadl, University of California, Los Angeles
Mohammad Khalil, Michigan State University
Nader Hashemi, University of Denver
Ziba Mir-Hosseini, University of London
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 7 A7-206 Y
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Death, Dying, and Beyond Unit and Teaching Religion Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: Teaching Death, Dying, and Beyond
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Beverley Foulks McGuire, University of North Carolina,
Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Wilmington, Presiding
Tanya Walker, Yale University
Framing and Re-Framing Death and Religion: The Discursive
A7-204 I Potential of Visual Artworks for Examining Threads of Continuity,
Change, and Complexity in Death Education
Afro-American Religious History Unit Laura Simpson, Villanova University, and Naomi Washington-
Theme: Sites, Sources, and the Historical Imagination: Leapheart, Villanova University
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7
Trajectories in Graduate Research of African-American Religion “Do Black Lives Matter to God?”: Teaching About Death in a Prison
Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Classroom
Tobin Shearer, University of Montana, Presiding Melinda McGarrah Sharp, Columbia Theological Seminary
Cori Tucker-Price, Dartmouth College Writing With Casket Stationary: A Narrative Pedagogy for Teaching
Beyond Azusa: Mapping Black Religion in Los Angeles and Learning the “Blessed Ambiguity of Dying”
Ahmad Greene-Hayes, Princeton University
New Orleans 300 Years Later: The Study of African American A7-207
Religions in a Southern City
Ambre Dromgoole, Yale University Interreligious and Interfaith Studies Unit
Into the Archive: Excavating the Influence of Twentieth Century Theme: Decolonizing and Resetting the Interfaith Table
Gospel Music Composer Roxie Ann Moore Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Krishni Metivier, Duke University Margarita M. W. Suarez, Meredith College, Presiding
Breaking My Master’s Chains: Advancing Intersectional Histories of
Black and Hindu Matthew Sayers, Lebanon Valley College
A Broader Table: Bringing Missing Voices to the Interfaith Table
Jacob Havel, University of Iowa
Religion or Culture?: Re-thinking Categories from the Bottom Up Jenny Small, Convergence, J.T. Snipes, Southern Illinois
with the Five Percenters University Edwardsville, Sachi Edwards, University of Tokyo,
and J. Cody Nielsen, Convergence
Yasmine Flodin-Ali, University of North Carolina Emerging Frameworks for Critical Analysis of Religion and Interfaith
Writing Resistance: The Archives’ Racialization of Omar ibn Said Studies: Reflections on Pluralism and Decolonization in Higher
Education
Feryal Salem, American Islamic College
A7-205 Decolonizing Christian-Muslim Relations: Historical Frameworks,
Buddhism Unit Premises, and Power Dynamics
Theme: An Open Conversation on Urban Religiosities in Chinese Rachel A. Heath, Vanderbilt University
Buddhism Today Decentered Inclusivity: The Limits and Possibilities of Hospitality
and Inclusion in Multifaith Models for College and University
Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Chaplaincies
Esther-Maria Guggenmos, IKGF, University of Erlangen-
Nuremberg, Presiding
Panelists: A7-208
Alison Denton Jones, Harvard University
Kierkegaard, Religion, and Culture Unit
Gareth Fisher, Syracuse University
Theme: Kierkegaard, the Problem of Patriarchy, and Related Social
Robert Weller, Boston University Ills, Part 1
Yang Shen, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Ethnic Diversity Iben Damgaard, University of Copenhagen, Presiding
Di Di, Santa Clara University
Symbol Key:
148 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Donnell Williamson, Brown University
Ironic Reversal: Kierkegaard and Douglass A7-212
Deidre Green, Brigham Young University Science, Technology, and Religion Unit
Kierkegaardian Christianity and Epistemic Privilege of the Oppressed
Theme: Is Divine Action ‘Natural’ in a Theology of Nature?
Natalia Marandiuc, Southern Methodist University
Can Queer Feminism Save Kierkegaard from Charges of Patriarchy? Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Mark Harris, University of Edinburgh, Presiding
Responding:
Panelists:
Marilyn Piety, Drexel University
Sarah Lane Ritchie, University of Edinburgh
Philip Clayton, Claremont School of Theology
A7-209 Wesley J. Wildman, Boston University
Pentecostal–Charismatic Movements Unit Fiona Ellis, University of Roehampton
Theme: Pentecostal Movements in the Latinx World
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7
Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Justin Doran, Middlebury College, Presiding
A7-213 AY
Paul J. Palma, Regent University Asian North American Religion, Culture, and Society Unit
Bottom-Up Christianity: Grassroots Pentecostalism and the Christian Theme: White Christian Privilege: The Illusion of Religious Equality
Congregation in Brazil and North America in America (New York University Press, 2020)
David Luckey, Richland College Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Pentecostal Politicality: Latinx Human Rights and Complicity with Jane Naomi Iwamura, University of the West, Presiding
Power Panelists:
Responding: Rudy V. Busto, University of California, Santa Barbara
Nstor Medina, University of Toronto Vineet Chander, Princeton University
Emily Clark, Gonzaga University
A7-210 Responding:
Khyati Joshi, Fairleigh Dickinson University
Psychology, Culture, and Religion Unit
Theme: Punishment or Treatment? How Substance Abuse,
Addiction and Treatment is Shaped by Religious, Political and
Racialized Narratives
A7-214 C
Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Yoga in Theory and Practice Unit
Sonia Waters, Princeton Theological Seminary Theme: Mapping the Cakras Across Tantra and Yoga
To Every Disorder a Social Order: Exploring the Theological Traces of Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
“Disorder” Language in the Punitive Treatment of Addiction Patton Burchett, College of William and Mary, Presiding
Rachelle Green, Fordham University Vesna Wallace, University of California, Santa Barbara
White Women’s Care, Black Women’s Crime: How Race and Sexism The Cakra Theory and Buddhist Tantric Epistemology of Perception in
Shaped the Legacy of Care Practice Toward Incarcerated Women of the Kālacakra Tantric Literature
Color
Loriliai Biernacki, University of Colorado
The Theology of the Body
A7-211 Ben Williams, Naropa University
Cakras in the Śaiva Age: Inner Centers and Deity Circuits
Religion, Holocaust, and Genocide Unit Naomi Worth, University of Virginia
Theme: The Ambivalent and Performative Work of Cakras in the Tibetan Yoga of Winds, Channels, and Inner Heat
Memorialization and Reconciliation Seth Powell, Harvard University
Monday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Between Vīraśaivas and Nāthas: Nine Cakras and Sixteen Ādhāras in
Sarah K. Pinnock, Trinity University, Presiding the “Post-Śaiva Age”
Isabelle Mutton, University of Exeter Responding:
Representing the Holocaust at National Memorials: An Ambivalence John Nemec, University of Virginia
Towards Jewish Tradition?
Business Meeting:
Nindyo Sasongko, Fordham University Sravana Borkataky-Varma, University of North Carolina,
“The Nature of Our Resistance”—Intercultural or Performative?: Wilmington, and Anya Foxen, California Polytechnic State
Raimon Panikkar and Judith Butler on Nonviolence University, Presiding
Aaron Ellis, Florida State University
The Open Program’s Political and Theatrical Ritual: An Intervention
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Business Meeting:
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7 Seth Schermerhorn, Hamilton College, and Gabriel Estrada,
California State University, Long Beach, Presiding
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5).
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. A7-303 C
Bonhoeffer: Theology and Social Analysis Unit
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Theme: Bonhoeffer and Contemporary Theological Reflection
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
A7-300 KG Matthew Puffer, Valparaiso University, Presiding
Joseph McGarry, Saint John’s College
Academic Labor and Contingent Faculty Committee Christ After the Crown: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Post-Colonial
Theme: Academic Labor and Contingent Faculty Committee Indigenous Theological Reflection
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7
A7-301 A7-304 C
Applied Religious Studies Committee Meeting Childhood Studies and Religion Unit
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Theme: Childhood, Religion, and the History of Identity
Cristine Hutchison-Jones, Harvard University, Presiding Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Andrew Walker-Cornetta, Princeton University, Presiding
Elisabeth Yang, Rutgers University
A7-302 SYC Medical Advice for Moral Infancy: The Confluence of Science and
Religion in Victorian America
African Diaspora Religions Unit and Indigenous Religious
Traditions Unit and Native Traditions in the Americas Unit Laura Popa, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
and Teaching Religion Unit The Construction of (Religious) Childhood in the Italian Protestant
Women´s Teaching (1860-1915)
Theme: Indigenous Pedagogies in the Religious Studies Classroom
E. Sundari Johansen Hurwitt, California Institute of Integral
Monday, 4:00 PM–6:30 PM Studies
Molly Bassett, Georgia State University, Presiding Goddess or Pariah? Intersections of Economics, Caste, and Social Order
Michelle Ajisebo McElwaine Abimbola, Ifá Heritage Institute/ in Kumārī Worship in India
Boston College Business Meeting:
Ifá Heritage Institute: Teaching Texts from the Spirit World
Wendy Love Anderson, Washington University, St. Louis,
Ayodeji Ogunnaike, Bowdoin College Presiding
Teaching Through Traditional Yoruba Religion
Suzanne Owen, Leeds Trinity University
Making Indigenous Religions Relevant to Non-Indigenous Students
Responding:
Danoye Oguntola-Laguda, Lagos State University
Symbol Key:
150 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Andrew Ronnevik, Baylor University
A7-305 Lutheran Conceptions of Human Dignity in a Global Context: A
Conversation with Indian Dalits and European/Americans
Ethics Unit and Science, Technology, and Religion Unit
Mary J. Streufert, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Theme: Ethical Implications of Scientific Theories A Feminist Hermeneutic of Constructive Reframing
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Trygve Wyller, University of Oslo
Frederick Simmons, Princeton Theological Seminary, Presiding The Makeshift Curtain: A Touching Piece of Political Theology
Patrick Haley, Princeton Theological Seminary Business Meeting:
The Virtuous Animal: Adapting Religious Virtue Ethics to
Kristen E. Kvam, Saint Paul School of Theology, and Allen G.
Evolutionary Biology
Jorgenson, Wilfrid Laurier University, Presiding
Ryan Juskus, Duke University
The Sacred and the Stratified: Theorizing the Political and Religious
Dimensions of Geology’s Master Principle A7-308
Neil Arner, University of Notre Dame
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7
Interdisciplinary Challenges and Opportunities Amidst the Crisis of Middle Eastern Christianity Unit and Traditions of Eastern
Confidence in the Sciences Late Antiquity Unit
Theme: Middle Eastern Christianity and Others in the City of the
Late Antique East
A7-306 Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Gay Men and Religion Unit and Men, Masculinities, and Jason Mokhtarian, Indiana University, Bloomington, Presiding
Religion Unit Charles Rivera, Yale University
Hagar’s Bestial Daughters: Christian and Barbarian in Ephrem’s
Theme: Trans and Female Masculinities Nisibis
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Jason R. Zaborowski, Bradley University
Alyssa Maldonado-Estrada, Kalamazoo College, Presiding The World Has Lost Rome and the Monks Have Lost Scetis!” Monastic
Beck Henriksen, University of North Carolina Civic Visions in the Arabic Christian Versions of the Apophthegmata
Trans Fat: Disidentification, Evangelicalism, and Possibilities for Patrum
Trans Bodies Erik Estrada, Texas Christian University
Micah Cronin, Princeton Theological Seminary Reticent and Vocal About Judgement and Hell for Christians:
Really, Cis?: Transmasculinity, Sexual Violence, and the Absurdity of Contextualizing Jerome and Pelagius’ Conflict Over Soteriology and
Masculinity the Last Things in the Religious Context of the Divided Roman East
Elizabeth DiMiele, New Haven, CT
Restless Hearts, Weary Members: The Possibility of a Transgender
Ecclesiology A7-309
Max Thornton, Drew University Moral Injury and Recovery in Religion, Society, and Culture
Brides of Frankenstein: Transmasculinity, T-Theology, and the New Unit
TERFism
Theme: Moral Anguish and the Pandemic
Joshua Shelton, Northwestern University
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
“The Queen of Tibetan Exile”: An Ethnographic and Discursive
Analysis of Tibetan Trans Icon Tenzin Mariko Rita Brock, Volunteers of America, Presiding
Panelists:
Shelly Rambo, Boston University
A7-307 C Zachary Moon, Chicago Theological Seminary
Martin Luther and Global Lutheran Traditions Unit Stephanie M. Crumpton, McCormick Theological Seminary
Theme: The Global and Alternative Luther and His Relevance for Najeeba Syeed-Miller, Claremont School of Theology
Today
Monday, 4:00 PM–6:30 PM
Kristen E. Kvam, Saint Paul School of Theology, Presiding
Christopher Ocker, Australian Catholic University
The “Global-Historical” Luther
Jennifer Hockenbery, Mount Mary University
Christian Freedom, Academic Debate, and the Struggle for Mutual
Recognition
Daniel Lee, Fuller Theological Seminary
Theologia Crucis for Asian America: Contra Confucian Moralism and
Orientalism
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 7 A7-312
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Religion in South Asia Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: Religion and the Modern Islamicate: Cosmopolitans,
Composites, and Colonial Critique in South Asia
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app.
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Anna Bigelow, Stanford University, Presiding
Ilyse Morgenstein Fuerst, University of Vermont
Muslims, Modernity, and Memorializations of the 1857 Indian
A7-310 C Rebellion
Hayden Bellenoit, US Naval Academy
Pentecostal-Charismatic Movements Unit and Kayasthas and their Islamicate cultural associations in north India,
Schleiermacher Unit 1760-1930
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7
Theme: The Spirit as Framed by Schleiermacher and the Hayden Bellenoit, US Naval Academy
Pentecostals A Modern, ‘Eternal’ Religion: The Sanatana Dharma of Shraddha
Monday, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM Ram Phillauri
Cathie Kelsey, Iliff School of Theology, Presiding Timothy Dobe, Grinnell College
Emilio Alvarez, Institute for Paleo-Orthodox Christian Studies Khilafat’s Islamicate Solidarities: Gandhian Sufis, Delhi’s Badshah
“Sensing” the Spirit: Pentecostalism, Orthodoxy and the Affections Khan and Bio-Moral Beef
Shelli Poe, Iliff School of Theology Quinn Clark, Columbia University
Divine Indwelling and the Spirit of Love: Schleiermacher and Yong in Love and Money: Sufi Shrines, Politics, and Comparative Secularism
Ecumenical Conversation in North India
Responding:
Amos Yong, Fuller Theological Seminary
Business Meeting:
A7-313 C
Ed Waggoner, Brite Divinity School, and Cathie Kelsey, Iliff Study of Judaism Unit
School of Theology, Presiding Theme: Affecting Jewish Studies
Monday, 4:00 PM–6:30 PM
Steven Weitzman, University of Pennsylvania, Presiding
A7-311 C Sarah Wolf, Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Religion and Food Unit Doubting Feeling: Reading for Emotion in Premodern Sources
Theme: Religion and Food in Global Perspective Sarah Pessin, University of Denver
Monday, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM Ibn Gabirol’s Visceral Poetics of Material Desire: From Scholastic to
Affective Frames in the Study of Medieval Jewish Emanationism
Derek Hicks, Wake Forest University, Presiding
Dustin Atlas, University of Dayton
Scott Alves Barton, New York University Affect and Modern Jewish Thought: Relationships Without Language
Melegueta: To Be Pepperish in Eve Sedgwick and Martin Buber
Sasha Stern, Yiddish Book Center Responding:
The Essence of the Esn: Jewish Food, Yiddish Cookbooks, and Embodied
Memory Elias Sacks, University of Colorado
Hyaeweol Choi, University of Iowa Business Meeting:
Zen Buddhist Nuns Go Global Shari Rabin, Oberlin College, and Paul Nahme, Brown
Business Meeting: University, Presiding
Derek Hicks, Wake Forest University, and Benjamin Zeller, Lake
Forest College, Presiding
Symbol Key:
152 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
A7-314 W P7-300 Y
Women and Religion Unit and Women’s Caucus Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and
Theme: Emerging Scholars Re-Engaging Praxis Religion
Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Theme: Pedagogies of Justice and Care in Liminal Times
Elaine Nogueira-Godsey, Methodist Theological School in Ohio, Monday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Presiding Nancy Lynne Westfield, Drew University, Presiding
JuneHee Yoon, Drew University A 90-minute session for early career faculty teaching in a range of
Envisioning Home with Queer Holiness at the Core: A Case Study of higher educational contexts. Early career faculty courses are often
Korean American Christian Communities expected to adhere stringently to disciplinary canons and institutional
Grazina Bielousova, Duke University ethos norms regardless of world events, national happenings, or social
A Different Be(long)ing: Feminist Resistance in East-Central Europe movements.
as an Alternative Community At the same time, early career faculty are often expected to be the
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7
Tracy McEwan, University of Newcastle, Australia nimblest, most adept, most technologically savvy, and most able to
Identity Struggles: Re-imaging Catholic Women’s Praxis adjust to complicated teaching tasks, yet they rarely have more than a
little experience with teaching in higher education. In addition, they
Responding: often find an abundance of expectations related to peer responsibilities
Adriaan Van Klinken, University of Leeds like advising, mentoring, teaching, service to the institution through
committees, and scholarship. Teaching during uncertain times can
make teaching more difficult, even overwhelming. Justice and care
A7-315 C for students and faculty in liminal times is often in short supply and
finding practices and strategies of incorporating real time goings-
World Christianity Unit on can be daunting. This session will attend to a range of topics and
Theme: Decolonizing World Christianity questions related to pedagogies of justice and care for the early career
colleague.
Monday, 4:00 PM–6:30 PM
Panelists will respond to such questions and topics as:
Wanjiru Gitau, Saint Thomas University, Presiding
• What’s the alternative in social upheaval to pretending all is the
Janice McLean-Farrell, New Brunswick Theological Seminary same?
Decolonizing World Christianity: Interrogating its Roots, Pedagogy
and Research and Money. • What pedagogies of care might be employed in contested spaces
and liminal times?
Jesse Lee, Florida State University
“Power and Post-Colonial Realities”: Anglican Realignment and the • How does one attend to student resistance and fear when engaging
Rhetoric of Reverse Colonialism justice concerns and topics?
• What strategies of listening can support teaching during upheaval
Shin-Fung Hung, Duke University within or beyond the institutional context?
A Christianity of Hongkongers, by Hongkongers, for Hongkongers:
Resistance to China’s Re-colonization as Indigenization • How does one prepare one’s self to teach while the world is
shifting?
Byung Ho Choi, Princeton Theological Seminary
History of East Timor Revisited: Through the Lens of Interculturality • What does it mean for an early career scholar to read the
institutional politics when the institution is, itself, in crisis?
Business Meeting:
• What is the role of educational imagination and design when
Corey Williams, Leiden University, and Briana Wong, Wake creating syllabi in uncertain times?
Forest University, Presiding
Panelists:
Shehnaz Haqqani, Mercer University
Christine Hong, Columbia Theological Seminary
Sara Ronis, Saint Mary’s University, Texas
Ben Sanders, Eden Theological Seminary
Lisa Thompson, Vanderbilt University
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Panelists will discuss existing resources and where to find them,
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8 as well as ways that departments, universities, and professional
organizations like the AAR can better support scholars in diverse
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). non-tenure track and nonacademic careers.
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Panelists:
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Brian DeGrazia, Modern Language Association
A8-100 C A8-102 W
Yogācāra Studies Unit Graduate Student Committee
Theme: Yogācāra as Idealism? The State of the Debate and New Theme: Making our Home as Scholars: Creating Spaces of
Avenues of Inquiry Hospitality within the Academy
Tuesday, 9:00 AM–11:00 AM Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Daniel McNamara, Rangjung Yeshe Institute, Presiding Aarti Patel, Syracuse University, Presiding
Koichi Takahashi, University of Tokyo Inspired by this year’s Presidential theme, we are excited to host
The Inexpressibility of the Vastu in Early Yogācāra Philosophy a special panel that will explore the ways in which the academy
Karen O’Brien-Kop, University of Roehampton supports, or fails to support, graduate student’s scholarly, vocational,
Reality Processing in the ‘ Yogalehrbuch’: Vivid Visualisation or and spiritual formation. We will pay particular attention to the
Complex Hallucination? narratives, descriptions, and critical analysis and reflections on
hospitality, mentoring, and making-space. Here we look to examine
Joy Brennan, Kenyon College how and in what way(s) the academy makes space for and supports
Mind Only as Diagnosis new generations of scholars. We will explore questions like, “What is
Responding: the role of hospitality in the lives of scholars?”, “What does it mean
for the academy to be a hospitable place?”, and “What is our role in
Jonathan Gold, Princeton University
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
Symbol Key:
154 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
A8-103 A8-105
Public Understanding of Religion Committee and Religion Bonhoeffer: Theology and Social Analysis Unit
and Politics Unit Theme: Bonhoeffer, Truth-Telling and Obedience
Theme: Religion and Public Life in and after the COVID-19 Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Pandemic Karen V. Guth, College of the Holy Cross, Presiding
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Michael Laffin, University of Aberdeen
John D. Carlson, Arizona State University, Presiding Bonhoeffer and the Politics of Truth-Telling in an Age of Virtual
Panelists from several disciplines in the study of religion will host a Reality
conversation about the recent and future impact of the COVID-19 Barbara Meyer, Tel Aviv University
pandemic on different issues, themes, and vectors in religion and Command and Commandment in Times of Evil
public life. Specific themes for reflection include cultural fault lines,
women’s rights, race, public health, climate change, state power, civil Cole Jodon, Houston Graduate School of Theology
religion, the body politic, truth and post-truth, and public theology Truth-Telling and the Ecumenical Imperative to Proclaim the
among others. Specific questions the panelists will consider include Commands of Christ
the following: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted or
altered how we approach, think about, and understand these themes?
Does the resilience of these themes suggest whether things might
return to pre-COVID conditions? How are things likely to change
A8-106 C
going forward? What underlying challenges has this pandemic helped Chinese Religions Unit
to expose or exacerbate? What constructive insights has it helped Theme: Channeling Efficacy: Making, Using, and Understanding
to generate? What role can scholars of religion play to improve the Talismans in Pre-modern Chinese Religions
public’s understanding and conversations about this crisis? Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Panelists: Zhaohua Yang, Columbia University, Presiding
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
Robert P. Jones, Public Religion Research Institute Hsin Yi Lin, Fo Guang University
R. Marie Griffith, Washington University, St. Louis An Examination of Dunhuang Esoteric Talismans for Childbirth
Kristy Slominski, University of Arizona Protection: Taking Guanyin’s Cult as an Example
Nichole Phillips, Emory University Joshua Capitanio, Stanford University
Objective and Subjective Efficacy in the Use of Daoist Talismans
Evan Berry, Arizona State University
Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, Northwestern University Minhao Zhai, Princeton University
Engaging with the Body: Paradigms of Utilizing Talismanic Objects
Philip Gorski, Yale University in Medieval China
Tracy Fessenden, Arizona State University Zhaohua Yang, Columbia University
Charles Mathewes, University of Virginia Shifting Signs: Talismanic Innovations in the Ucchuṣma Cult of the
Pamela Klassen, University of Toronto Middle Period
Responding:
Shih-shan Huang, Rice University
A8-104 I Business Meeting:
Publications Committee Megan Bryson, University of Tennessee, and Anna Sun, Harvard
Theme: Publishing in Religious Studies Journals University, Presiding
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Andrea Jain, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis,
Presiding
This panel brings together editors of a wide range of religious studies
journals to discuss the nuts and bolts of journal editing, with the
aim of making editorial procedures more transparent and addressing
common questions about the journal publishing process. The panel
will be of particular interest to graduate students and junior faculty
who are new to the activities of scholarly publishing.
Panelists:
S. Brent Plate, Hamilton College
Sarah Imhoff, Indiana University
Warren S. Goldstein, Center for Critical Research on Religion
Elias Kifon Bongmba, Rice University
Afe Adogame, Princeton Theological Seminary
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 155
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8 A8-109
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Contemplative Studies Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: Creating Communities of Care Through Contemplative
Praxis
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app.
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Jacob Sherman, California Institute of Integral Studies, Presiding
Colin Simonds, Queen’s University at Kingston
Buddhist Moral Phenomenology, the Ecological Crisis, and the Ethical
A8-107 Implications of Contemplative Practice
Namdrol Miranda Adams, Maitripa College
Christian Systematic Theology Unit Education as Freedom, Love, and Praxis: Paulo Freire and
Theme: New Theological Perspectives on Participation Contemplative Studies in 21st Century American Higher Education
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Tiffany Lee, Boston College
Jennifer Martin, Alexandria, VA, Presiding Deep Learning, Addiction, and Contemplation: Constructing
Luke Zerra, Princeton Theological Seminary a Theological Response to Addiction in Conversation with
“A Kind of Transubstantiation in Us”: Participation and Moral Developmental Meuroscience and Sarah Coakley’s Contemplative
Formation in Richard Hooker’s Sacramentology Pedagogy of Desire
Thomas Breedlove, Baylor University Maggi Jones, Baylor University
Imaging the Invisible: Nature and Participation in Gregory of Nyssa Linking Mysticism and Ethics Through the Life and Thought of
Howard Thurman
Philippe Eberhard, Nassau Community College
Listening in the Voice or the Participative Process of Faith Responding:
Judith Simmer-Brown, Naropa University
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
Symbol Key:
156 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
A8-111 C A8-112 C
Interreligious and Interfaith Studies Unit Liberation Theologies Unit
Theme: Issues in Interreligious Studies - Interactive Workshop Theme: Subverting the Canons of Liberation Theology
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Anne Hege Grung, University of Oslo, Presiding An Yountae, California State University, Northridge, Presiding
Alternative Pedagogies Chasity Jones, Boston University
Kevin Minister, Shenandoah University A Womanist Liberation Theology of African Ancestral Traditions
Collaborative Story Telling Assignment Shadaab Rahemtulla, University of Edinburgh
Katie Givens Kime, Odyssey Impact Israelites, Canaanites, and Liberation Theologies: A Qur’anic
Stranger/Sister: Case Study of Pedagogical Use of Film Clips for Intervention in a De/Colonial Debate
Interfaith/Interreligious Learning Outcomes Gerald West, University of KwaZulu-Natal
New Publications in the Field The Canonical-Conceptual Contribution of South African Liberation
Theologies: From the Anti-Apartheid 1980s to the Post-Colonial
Najeeba Syeed-Miller, Chicago Theological Seminary Present
Critical Perspectives in Interreligious Education: Experiments in
Empathy Ana Maria Rodriguez Alfonso, Boston University
Theology of the Perpetrator
Younus Mirza, Shenandoah University, Patrice Brodeur,
University of Montreal, and Benjamin Sax, Institute for Islamic, Helen Boursier, College of Saint Scholastica
Christian, and Jewish Studies Art as Public Witness for Refugees Seeking Asylum
Interreligious Studies: Dispatches from an Emerging Field Business Meeting:
Online Teaching and Learning, Before and After the Pandemic Maria T. Davila, Merrimack College, Presiding
Discussion Facilitators:
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
Marianne Moyaert, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
Carolyn Roncolato, Interfaith Youth Core
A8-113 C
Community-based Learning and Activism Middle Eastern Christianity Unit
Gregory Han, Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston Theme: Education, Agency, and Subject Formation at Turning
Interfaith Prayer in Public and Private Spaces: Three Years of Points in Middle Eastern Christian History
Experiences Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Sana Syed, Inner-City Muslim Action Network Mourad Takawi, University of the Incarnate Word, Presiding
Community-based Learning and Activism Joshua Mugler, Saint John’s University
Between and Among Religions: Exploring the Goals of Religious The Translation Movement of Eighteenth-Century Aleppo and the
Education and the Meaning of Belonging Creation of the Middle Eastern Catholic Churches
Jon Levisohn, Brandeis University, Mona Abo-Zena, University Joshua Donovan, Columbia University
of Massachusetts, Boston, and Cynthia Cameron, Rivier “Education, Pedagogy, and Subject Formation in the Greek Orthodox
University Christian Community of Bilad al-Sham”
Learning from Particulars: What Happens When Scholars from Tala AlRaheb, Emory University
Different Traditions Pursue the Question of the Desired Outcomes of Uncovering Agency: Christian Women and Personal Status Laws in
Religious Education Within Their Particular Traditions? Palestine
Daan F. Oostveen, Utrecht University Business Meeting:
Rhizomatic Belonging: Rethinking Hybrid Religious Belongings and Deanna Womack, Emory University, Presiding
Multiple Religious Belonging
Discussion Facilitators:
Jennifer Howe Peace, Andover Newton Theological School A8-114 Y
Elinor Julia Pierce, Harvard University North American Religions Unit
John Sheveland, Gonzaga University Theme: Localizing American Religions Pedagogy in Institutional
Russell CD Arnold, Regis University Settings
Rachel Mikva, Chicago Theological Seminary Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Business Meeting: Judith Weisenfeld, Princeton University, Presiding
Rachel Mikva, Chicago Theological Seminary, and Feryal Salem, Panelists:
American Islamic College, Presiding Brandon Bayne, University of North Carolina
Kijan Bloomfield, Rhodes College
Emily Clark, Gonzaga University
Ryan Harper, Colby College
Elizabeth Jemison, Clemson University
Michael Pasquier, Louisiana State University
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8 A8-117 YC
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Wesleyan and Methodist Studies Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: Theological Education in the Wesleyan/Methodist
Traditions
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app.
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Alma Tinoco Ruiz, Duke University, Presiding
Clive Marsh, University of Leicester
The Purpose of Theological Education in Wesleyan Perspective:
A8-115 C Facilitating Ordinary People to be Ordinary Christians
Charles Rivera, Yale University
Religion and Migration Unit Sanctification and the Experts: Patristic Models for Wesleyan
Theme: Faith, Immigration and Destinations Amongst North Theological Education
American Korean Communities
Mary Elizabeth Moore, Boston University
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM The Heart of Theological Education: Wisdom, Value, and
Nanette Spina, University of Georgia, Presiding Transformation
Heesung Hwang, Chicago Theological Seminary Andrew Stobart, Wesley House
Abundant Life Together: An Application of Sok Practice for Identity A World Parish of Higher Education: The Impact of Inter-Contextual
Formation of Second-Generation Korean American Children in the Learning on the Coloniality of Wesleyan Theological Knowledge
Globalizing Society Business Meeting:
Jeyoul Choi, University of Florida Edgardo Colon-Emeric, Duke University, Presiding
Religion and Migration: The Crisis of Korean Evangelicalism in the
Korean-American Church
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
158 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
A8-119 I A8-201
Women’s Caucus Anthropology of Religion Unit and Religion, Media, and
Theme: Feminist Theologies and Religious Studies – Publications Culture Unit
from Around the World Theme: Renew, Re-voice, Re-imagine: Ethnographies of Religion
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM and Technology
Julia Enxing, University of Dresden, Presiding Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Ulrike Auga, Humboldt University of Berlin James Bielo, Miami University, Presiding
An Epistemology of Religion and Gender. Biopolitics — Jeremy F. Cohen, McMaster University
Performativity — Agency Creating Future Bodies: The Biosocial Imaginaries of Cryonics and
Veena Howard, California State University, Fresno Medical Aid in Dying
The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Philosophy and Gender Nick Tackes, Columbia University
Hannah Bacon, University of Chester Om Shanti Emojis: Three Facets of Digital Hinduism
Feminist Theology and Contemporary Dieting Culture: Sin and Ian VanderMeulen, New York University
Salvation in Women’s Weight Loss Narratives Technologizing Tajwid: Sound Reproduction, Embodied Performance,
Responding: and the “Word of God” in Moroccan Qur’an Recitation
Julia Berger, Baha’i International Community Rachel Feldman, Franklin and Marshall College
“I call it Rabbi YouTube:” Noahidism, Philo-semitism, and Rabbinic
Authority in the Global South
P8-100 Responding:
Søren Kierkegaard Society Katherine Dugan, Springfield College
Theme: Kierkegaard and Phenomenology
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
Tuesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM A8-202
Jeffrey Hanson, Harvard University, Presiding
Arts, Literature, and Religion Unit and Music and Religion
Panelists:
Unit
Merold Westphal, Fordham University
Theme: The Heart is a Bloom: U2’s Theological Highways and
Eleanor Helms, California Polytechnic State University Byways
Amber Bowen, University of Aberdeen Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Responding: Christopher Patrick Parr, Webster University, Presiding
Claudia Welz, Goethe University, Frankfurt David Barbee, Winebrenner Theological Seminary
Antony Aumann, Northern Michigan University It’s A Beautiful Day, But I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking
Stephen Minister, Augustana University For: the Eschatological Spirituality of U2
Andrew Smith, Tennessee Technological University
Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM “America’s Making War on Itself ”: U2, Boston, and the Failure of
Unity
Steven R. Harmon, Gardner-Webb University
A8-200 “Souls on the Tree of Pain”: An Ellacuría Echo in “Bullet the Blue Sky”
and the Theological Framework of the “Two Americas” of U2’s The
African Diaspora Religions Unit Joshua Tree
Theme: Embodied Offerings, Digital Libations: Africana Diaspora
Experiential Engagements in the Time of COVID-19
Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM A8-203 A
Elana Jefferson-Tatum, Tufts University, Presiding Buddhism Unit and Japanese Religions Unit
Melva L. Sampson, Wake Forest University Theme: The South Asian Roots of Modern Japanese Buddhism: Seeking
Going Live!: Black Women’s Proclamation in the Digital Age Śākyamuni by Richard Jaffe (University of Chicago Press, 2019)
Melissa Alexis, Cultural Fabric Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Spiraling Black to Wholeness: Embodied Cognition as the Way Back to Hwansoo Kim, Yale University, Presiding
Embodying the Soul
Panelists:
Pamela D. Winfield, Elon University
Charles Hallisey, Harvard University
Anne R. Hansen, University of Wisconsin
Justin McDaniel, University of Pennsylvania
Alicia Turner, York University
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8 A8-206
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Hinduism Unit and North American Hinduism Unit and
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Religion and Economy Unit
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Theme: Hinduism, Neoliberalism, and Global ‘Spirituality’
Discourses in India and America
Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Amanda Lucia, University of California, Riverside, Presiding
Rumya Putcha, University of Georgia
A8-204 A New Age Music, Yoga, and the Somatics of 21st Century Orientalism
Cognitive Science of Religion Unit Patton Burchett, College of William and Mary
Tantra, Neoliberalism, and Global “Spirituality”: A Case Study of a
Theme: Book Panel Discussion with the Author: Joseph Mumbai-Based Modern-Day Tantrika
Henrich’s The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became
Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous (Farrar, Straus Claire Robison, Bowdoin College
and Giroux, 2020) The Gods Go Corporate: ‘Lifestyle Hinduism’ in Western India
Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Hillary Lenfesty, Arizona State University, Presiding
Panelists:
A8-207 C
Wesley J. Wildman, Boston University
Mysticism Unit
Theme: The Imagination of Mysticism
Ann Taves, University of California, Santa Barbara
Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Joseph Henrich, Harvard University
C. Libby, Pennsylvania State University, Presiding
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
Symbol Key:
160 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
A8-208 A8-211
Practical Theology Unit Indigenous Religious Traditions Unit
Theme: Pastors in a Changing Religious Context: A Christian Theme: Mounds, Burial Grounds, and Memory: The Ethics and
Practical Theological Response Politics of Claiming and Stewarding Land on Turtle Island
Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Sabrina Mueller, University of Zurich, Presiding Meaghan Weatherdon, University of Toronto, Presiding
Sheryl Johnson, Graduate Theological Union Panelists:
Pastor as Fundraiser?: Economic Justice and Ecclesial Practices Pamela Klassen, University of Toronto
Dustin Benac, Duke University Tiffany Hale, Barnard College of Columbia University
The Evolution of Pastoral and Ecclesial Imagination: Ecclesial Ecology
Lindsay Montgomery, University of Arizona
as Place and Prism for Adaptive Work
Michael Gueno, University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
Ciska Stark, Protestant Theological University Amsterdam
Transformative Theological Education for a New Guild of Pastors Spencer Dew, Ohio State University / Wittenberg University
Even Without a Solid Church Responding:
Philip Deloria, Harvard University
A8-209
Qur’ān Unit and Traditions of Eastern Late Antiquity Unit A8-212
Theme: Translation, Transmission and Intertextuality in Eastern Religions in the Latina/o Americas Unit and Roman
Late Antiquity Catholic Studies Unit
Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Theme: Healing and Transformation in Catholicisms across the
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
Jason Mokhtarian, Indiana University, Bloomington, Presiding Latina/o Americas
Louise Gallorini, American University of Beirut Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
A Mystical Function: Angels in the Sufi Commentaries on the Qur’ān Kristy Nabhan-Warren, University of Iowa, Presiding
Charles Haberl, Rutgers University Fabio Vieira de Souza, Archdiocese of Montes Claros, Brazil
Meryey, Standing at the Boundary Catholic Praxis and Political Praxis in Brazil After the Second
Responding: Vatican Council
Gordon D. Newby, Emory University Veronique Lecaros, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, and
Ana Lourdes Suarez, Universidad Católica Argentina
Sexual Abuses in the Latin American Catholic Church: Assessing the
A8-210 Problem and the Responses
Lynn Hillberg Jencks, Santa Clara University
Religion and Politics Unit Charismatic Catholicism and Healing Depression Among Latina
Theme: Religion, Protest, and Revolution Immigrants in the US
Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Responding:
Rachel M. Scott, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Matthew Peter Casey, Arizona State University
Presiding
Rachana Umashankar, Iona College
Religion and Revolution: The Poetry of Faiz Ahmad Faiz and Its
Many Publics
A8-213 S
Religions, Medicines, and Healing Unit
Joseph Flipper, Bellarmine University
Theme: Narratively Framing Therapy and Disease
Camp, Memorial, and Revolution: The Religious Art of the Chilean
Protests (2019–2020) Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
David Warren, Washington University, St. Louis Kristy Slominski, University of Arizona, Presiding
Why and How Does Consistency Matter? Creating and Preserving Emma Nolan-Thomas, University of Michigan
Yusuf al-Qaradawi’s Image During the Arab Spring and Its “A Cure for All Maladies”: Cupping Practices and the Contested
Aftermath Integration of Islamic and Chinese Medical Traditions in Indonesia
Mary Corley Dunn, Saint Louis University
The Profit and Price of Historiography as Encounter
Steven Quach, University of California, Riverside
Mindfulness as Healing and Resistance: Buddhist-Inspired
Communities Mediated by Meetup.com
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 161
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5).
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify
A8-300 O
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Applied Religious Studies Committee
Theme: Preparing Scholars of Religion for Non-Academic Careers:
Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM What’s a Faculty Member to Do?
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Mary Beth Yount, Neumann University, Presiding
A8-215 In recent years as the job market for tenure-track academic positions
has tightened and the use of contingent faculty has exploded,
World Christianity Unit increasing numbers of graduate degree seekers are intending to pursue
Theme: Round Table: Indigenous Christian Journals as a new careers off the tenure track and outside of the academy.
Category of Sources for History of World Christianity Studies
While some areas of study present obvious career options, for scholars
Tuesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM in the humanities, nonacademic career opportunities and the best
Jane Carol Redmont, Massachusetts Council of Churches, Presiding preparation for them may not be obvious and religious studies faculty
Panelists: are exploring how graduate programs can — and should — prepare all
alumni for diverse employment outcomes. This panel brings together
Klaus Koschorke, University of Munich faculty members from a variety of institutions to discuss some of
Adrian Hermann, University of Bonn the problems confronting their students and their programs as more
Deanna Womack, Emory University people turn — by necessity and by choice — to diverse career paths.
David Daniels, McCormick Theological Seminary Panelists:
Kecia Ali, Boston University
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
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A8-302 K A8-304
Status of Racial and Ethnic Minorities in the Profession Class, Religion, and Theology Unit and Religion and
Committee Disability Studies Unit and Religion and Ecology Unit and
Theme: COVID-19 and the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election: Religion and Migration Unit
Precariousness, Connectedness, Creative Expressions Theme: Survivance, Integrity, Divine Economies and Habitats: the
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Ecological Crisis and Vulnerable Peoples
Munir Jiwa, Graduate Theological Union, Presiding Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
In the context of COVID-19 and the U.S. presidential elections, how Heike Peckruhn, Daemen College, Presiding
are scholars and communities of color impacted and what are the Zaynab Shahar, Chicago Theological Seminary
particular issues and risks they face? How do we advance the work of The Shoreline at the End of the World: Towards a Queer Black
racial and ethnic minorities, attend to our intersectionality, and think Theology of Crip Survivance
about humanity and the environment? How is the increased sense of
our precariousness and fragility finding strength in our religious and Kristin Bloomer, Carleton College
cultural communities, traditions and practices? How is this leading The Gods Must Be Crazy: Climate Change and Family Gods in Tamil
to new forms of belonging, connectedness, solidarity and resilience, Nadu, South India
and how are these being creatively expressed? In this panel, members Christopher Dowdy, Paul Quinn College
of the AAR’s Status Committee on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Wrongs, Claims, and Plans: Lessons for Frontline Communities in the
in the Profession discuss some of the ways they are navigating these Failure of Sara Winnemucca’s School
tenuous times. Responding:
Panelists: Rosetta E. Ross, Spelman College
Swasti Bhattacharyya, Buena Vista University
Arun W. Jones, Emory University
Elias Ortega, Meadville Lombard Theological School A8-305 AC
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
Angela Parker, Mercer University Critical Approaches to Hip-Hop and Religion Unit
C. Vanessa White, Catholic Theological Union Theme: Author Meets Critics: Richard W. Newton, Jr., Identifying
Roots: Alex Haley and the Anthropology of Scriptures (Equinox, 2020)
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
A8-303 C Christopher Driscoll, Lehigh University, Presiding
Buddhism Unit Panelists:
Theme: Aesthetics and Ritual in Chinese Buddhist Religions Judith Weisenfeld, Princeton University
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM Kathryn Lofton, Yale University
Jason Protass, Brown University, Presiding Monica R. Miller, Lehigh University
Megan Bryson, University of Tennessee Responding:
Demonstrating Wrath: The Aesthetics of Horror in Middle-Period Richard Newton, University of Alabama
Buddhist Art and Ritual
Business Meeting:
Kwi Jeong Lee, Columbia University
The Allure of Form: Dedicating Buddha Images at Dunhuang Monica R. Miller, Lehigh University, and Daniel White Hodge,
North Park University, Presiding
Katherine Alexander, University of Colorado
Aesthetic Pleasures of Karmic Revenge and Religious Romance: The
Precious Scroll of Liu Xiang as Popular Narrative A8-306
Kevin Buckelew, Northwestern University
Picturing the Patriarchs: Aesthetic Cultures of Portraiture in Song- Hinduism Unit and Religion in South Asia Unit
Dynasty Chan Buddhism Theme: Modern Medias and Counter-Narratives of Devotion
Business Meeting: Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Bryan Lowe, Princeton University, and Reiko Ohnuma, Ankur Desai, Kansas City Art Institute, Presiding
Dartmouth College, Presiding Richard H. Davis, Bard College
Goddesses of Old Calcutta in Print
Amy-Ruth Holt, Westerville, OH
Hand vs. Machine: The Sacrality of Temple Building in the American
Tamil Diaspora
Karen Pechilis, Drew University
On Not Looking Away: Dance, Broadcast and Digital Circulations of
Devotion
Emilia Bachrach, Oberlin College and Conservatory
Hashtag Hinduism and Mobile Masculinities
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8 A8-309 C
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Men, Masculinities, and Religions Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: Toxic Masculinities and Religion
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Linda G. Jones, University of Pompeu Fabra, Presiding
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Kyle Byron, University of Toronto
Shock and Awe: American Street Preaching and the Embodiment of
War
A8-307 Allison Murray, Emmanuel College, University of Toronto
Toxic Complementarity: Parallels Between Violent Incels and
History of Christianity Unit and World Christianity Unit Respectable Evangelicals
Theme: Contesting Western Colonial Logics and Legacies in the
Jenny Wiley Legath, Princeton University
East
Sheepdog Masculinity: Carrying Concealed Handguns in Churches as
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM a Hegemonic Performance of Manhood
Roy Fisher, University of California, Berkeley, Presiding Sarah Riccardi-Swartz, New York University
Jennifer Welsh, Lindenwood University-Belleville Cultic Masculinity: American Male Converts to the Russian Orthodox
‘Chinchinning Joss’ and Throwing Pamphlets: Nineteenth-Century Church
Christian Missionaries and Western Views of Okinawa Charles Barber, Emory University, and Tyler Fuller, Boston
Jethro Calacday, Yale University University
Canon Law and Colonial Logic: Francisco Gaínza and the Creation The Panoptic Surveillance of Religion on Black Masculinity and the
of the Native Clergy in the Philippines, 1863–1879 HIV Epidemic Among Black Men Who have Sex with Men
Philip Hopkins, Gateway Seminary, Los Angeles Business Meeting:
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
Proselytization Efforts of American Protestant Missionaries in Iran Alyssa Maldonado-Estrada, Kalamazoo College, and Linda G.
during the Last Years of the Pahlavis Jones, University of Pompeu Fabra, Presiding
A8-308 C A8-310
International Development and Religion Unit Moral Injury and Recovery in Religion, Society, and Culture
Theme: Theologies and Ideologies of Faith-Based Unit
Humanitarianism and Development Theme: Noncombatants and Moral Injury: Responsibility for
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Moral Harm after Violence
John Rees, University of Notre Dame, Australia, Presiding Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Alexandra Salvatierra, Fuller Theological Seminary Laurel Cosgrove Blackthorne, Florida State University, Presiding
World Vision and Tearfund: Biblically-Based Public Policy Advocacy Rosemary Kellison, University of West Georgia
Jukka Kääriäinen, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland The Critical Power of an Expanded Concept of Moral Injury
The Missiological Challenge of the “Anonymous Missionary” in Faith- Shannon Dunn, Gonzaga University
Based Development Moral Injury and Refugees
Hannah Waits, Harvard University Kate E. Temoney, Montclair State University
Promoting Global AIDS Work: Evangelical Theological and The War Came Alive Inside of Them: Genocidal Rape, Moral Injury,
Secularized Discourses of Development and Religion
Business Meeting: Responding:
Emma Tomalin, University of Leeds, Presiding Atalia Omer, University of Notre Dame
Symbol Key:
164 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Responding:
A8-311 Rudy V. Busto, University of California, Santa Barbara
Qur’ān Unit Business Meeting:
Theme: Reading the Qur’ān Laura Ammon, Appalachian State University, and Emanuelle
Burton, University of Illinois, Chicago, Presiding
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Gordon D. Newby, Emory University, Presiding
Mian Ahmed Shaheer Afaqi, Indiana University - Purdue
University, Indianapolis
A8-314 C
Mechanisms for Producing Emotion: Al-Ghazālī on Experiencing the Religion and the Social Sciences Unit
Qur’ān Theme: Transnationalism, Migration, and the Church
Nadir Ansari, York University Tuesday, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM
Coherence, The Titles of Sūras, and Central Ideas: A Study of the Tafsīr Carlos Ruiz Martinez, University of Iowa, Presiding
of ‘Alā’uddīn al-Muhā’imī
Cari Myers, Pepperdine University
Sohaib Saeed, University of Freiburg “Same is Better:” A Qualitative Study of Latinx and White Young
Towards a “Canonical Translation” of the Qur’ān Adults in Churches of Christ Along the U.S./ Mexico Border
Jill Marsh, Northampton Methodist District, Methodist Church
in Britain
A8-312 R White Privilege and Cosmopolitanism in the British Methodist
Religion and Human Rights Unit Church: A Study
Theme: Activism, Sacred Space, and the Human Business Meeting:
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Nichole Phillips, Emory University, and Sara Williams, Emory
University, Presiding
Jenna Reinbold, Colgate University, Presiding
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
Greg Peterson, South Dakota State University, Michael Spezio,
Scripps College, and Gunes Sevinc, Massachusetts General
Hospital & Harvard Medical School
A8-315/S8-301 A
Dignifying Human Rights: Competing Conceptions of Autonomy and Sacred Texts, Theory, and Theological Construction Unit and
Their Explanatory Role in Turkish Activism SBL Reading, Theory and the Bible Unit
Adam Beyt, Fordham University Theme: A Thousand Readings: Theology and the Bible with
Norms and the Human: Judith Butler’s Philosophy of Nonviolence Deleuze and Guattari’s A Thousand Plateaus, Forty Years Later
James Waters, Florida State University Tuesday, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM
Kinship, Activism, & Sacred Space: How the Standing Rock Sioux Robert Seesengood, Albright College, Presiding
Expanded Human Rights to Their More-Than-Human Tribe
Sam Mickey, University of San Francisco
The 40-Year-Old Rhizome: A Limiting and Liberating Legacy
A8-313 SC Hannah Strommen, University of Chichester
Mapping Biblical Assemblages: A Thousand Plateaus as a Resource for
Religion and Science Fiction Unit Biblical Reception History
Theme: Alternative Ontologies and Queering Religion David Fuller, McMaster University
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM Coding and Speech, Writing and Desire: Reading 2 Enoch with
Deleuze and Guattari
Nathan Fredrickson, University of California, Santa Barbara,
Presiding D. Brendan Johnson, Duke University
Zhange Ni, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University De-/Reterritorialization in Ezekiel: Eschatology, Prophecy, and the
How the Hippies Reinvented Daoism: Rereading Philip K. Dick’s The ‘Schizophrenic Physician’
Man in the High Castle and Ursula Le Guin’s The Lathe of Heaven
Aaron Goldman, Harvard University
The Pantheological Apocalypse of Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach:
Ecological Catastrophe and the Shattering of Distinctions
Julia McClenon, University of California, Santa Barbara
Time for Aliens: A Cognitive Narratological Analysis of How Ted
Chiang Puts Us Inside Alien-Brain Time and Why Sci-Fi Should
Keep Doing So
Elliot Mason, Concordia University
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf-God?: Divinity and Monstrosity in
Indra Das’s The Devourers
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8 A8-400 C
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). African Religions Unit Business Meeting
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Tuesday, 5:30 PM–6:00 PM
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Business Meeting:
David Amponsah, University of Pennsylvania, and Adriaan Van
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Klinken, University of Leeds, Presiding
“Integrated Religious Multiplicity”: Challenge to Sociology of Religion Stephen Flanigan, University of Hawai’i
The Fire Jiao: A Paradigm-Challenging Rite of Late-Imperial
Drishadwati Bargi, University of Minnesota Exorcism
Social Revolution by other Means: The Writing of Conversion in Dalit
Autobiographies in Postcolonial India Kenneth Dean, National University of Singapore
Daoist Diasporas: Spirit Mediums, Daoist Masters and Ritual Events
in Singapore and Malaysia
A8-317 C Responding:
Vatican II Studies Unit Mayfair Yang, University of California, Santa Barbara
Theme: Rereading Vatican II in a World Church
Tuesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Ormond Rush, Australian Catholic University, Presiding
Judith Gruber, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Worlding the Church. A Postcolonial Commentary on the Project
“International Commentary of the Second Vatican Council”
Catherine E. Clifford, Saint Paul University
A New Intercontinental Commentary: The Differentiated Receptions
of Vatican II
Massimo Faggioli, Villanova University
Commenting Vatican II in a Largely Post-Institutional Theological
and Ecclesial Ecosystem
Business Meeting:
Kristin Colberg, College of Saint Benedict, Saint John’s
University, Presiding
Symbol Key:
166 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM From orientations to faculty mentoring to the advice of colleagues,
what works best? What kinds of career development opportunities are
the most helpful for new faculty? Join our panelist for a conversation
about what works, what doesn’t, and what institutions can do to make
A9-101 the transition for new faculty as painless as possible.
Making Sense of/from the 2020 US Election Panelists:
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Arthur Zárate, San Jose State University
Jeremy Posadas, Austin College, Presiding Kristy Slominski, University of Arizona
The 2020 US election will have profound consequences for the Ashley Coleman Taylor, University of Texas
nation and the world, regardless of who wins the presidency. This
session will be a facilitated conversation among scholars from a wide
range of AAR units with interests pertaining to the election. It will
be divided into segments involving different groups of panelists, to
A9-103 C
allow fuller engagement among them. Panelists will examine key Animals and Religion Unit
factors that drove the results of the election, its implications for Theme: Ritualizing and Remembering Animal Death
various communities, and potential directions for response.
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Sponsored by the Afro-American Religious History Unit; Asian
David Aftandilian, Texas Christian University, Presiding
North American Religion, Culture, and Society Unit; Class,
Religion, and Theology Unit; Evangelical Studies Unit; Feminist Barbara Ambros, University of North Carolina
Theory and Religious Reflection Unit; History of Christianity Celebrating Creation and Commemorating Life: Ritualizing Pet
Unit; Latina/o Religion, Culture, and Society Unit; Law, Religion, Death in Christian, Jewish, and Buddhist Communities in the U.S.
and Culture Unit; Liberation Theologies Unit; Political Theology Wendy Wiseman, University of California, Santa Barbara
Unit; Queer Studies in Religion Unit; Religion and Politics Unit; “Do You Believe in Ghosts?”: Genocide, Ecocide, and the Im/possibility
Religion, Media, and Culture Unit; Religions in the Latina/o of Redemption
Americas Unit; Womanist Approaches to Religion and Society
Unit; and Women and Religion Unit Business Meeting:
Panelists: Barbara Ambros, University of North Carolina, and Eric Meyer,
Carroll College, Presiding
Vincent Bacote, Wheaton College, Illinois
Eleanor Craig, Harvard University
Dorothy Dean, Berea College A9-104
Jamil Drake, Florida State University
Gastn Espinosa, Claremont McKenna College Buddhism Unit and Religions, Social Conflict, and Peace
Ángel Gallardo, Southern Methodist University
Unit
Zareena Grewal, Yale University Theme: New Perspectives on Socially Engaged Buddhism: From
Extinguishing Suffering to Collective Transformation of the
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9
Sylvester Johnson, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State World
University
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Robert P. Jones, Public Religion Research Institute
SueJeanne Koh, University of California, Irvine Rongdao Lai, McGill University, Presiding
Rita Brock, Volunteers of America Douglas Gildow, Chinese University Hong Kong
The Earliest Chinese Socially Engaged Buddhism
Nichole Phillips, Emory University
L. Benjamin Rolsky, Rutgers University Gitanjali Surendran, Jindal Global Law School
B. R. Ambedkar and the Indian Prehistory of Socially Engaged
Rosetta E. Ross, Spelman College Buddhism, c 1890–1970
Charlene Sinclair, Union Theological Seminary
Jessica Zu, Princeton University
Daisy Vargas, University of Arizona Buddhist Story-Telling as Social Commentary: Three Modern
Thelathia Young, Bucknell University Afterlives of the Outcaste Maiden
Jordan Baskerville, University of Wisconsin
Dhamma and Social Change: The Formation of Socially Engaged
Buddhist Networks in Thailand
A9-102 K Sara Swenson, Syracuse University
Academic Labor and Contingent Faculty Committee and Dirty Dāna: The Emotional Virtue of Generosity Among Buddhist
Charities in Vietnam
Academic Relations Committee
Theme: Developing Institutional Literacy: How Do New Faculty
Find Out What They Need to Know?
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Susan E. Hill, University of Northern Iowa, Presiding
The job of a faculty member is complex: whether one is a full-time or
part-time, it takes time and access to the right information to do our
jobs well. How do new faculty find out what they need to know?
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 167
Knut Axel Jacobsen, University of Bergen
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9 Hinduization of Space and the Case of Ayodhyā
Jeremy Saul, Mahidol University
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). The Ayodhya Decision and Marwari Merchants: Financing Ram
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Devotion Through Hanuman
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Responding:
Deepak Sarma, Case Western Reserve University
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
A9-105 C
A9-107 C
Mormon Studies Unit
Comparative Theology Unit Theme: Mormonism in the History of Sexuality
Theme: Sound as God-Talk: Approaches to Comparative Theology Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
of Music
Sara Patterson, Hanover College, Presiding
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Panelists:
Mark Edwards, Princeton Theological Seminary, Presiding
Colleen McDannell, University of Utah
Lucinda Mosher, Hartford Seminary
Is It “Praying Twice?” An Anglican Christian Comparative Anthony Petro, Boston University
Theological Consideration of Chanting and Hymn-Singing in Bhakti Heather White, University of Puget Sound
Hindu, Sikh, and Sufi Muslim Traditions Responding:
Thomas Cattoi, Graduate Theological Union Peter Coviello, University of Illinois, Chicago
Sounds of the End: Music and Eschatology in Messiaen’s Quartet for Taylor Petrey, Kalamazoo College
the End of Time and the Tibetan Practice of Chöd
Business Meeting:
Michael VanZandt Collins, Boston College
Beyond A Love Supreme? John Coltrane’s Classic, Muslim-Christian Sara Patterson, Hanover College, and Taylor Petrey, Kalamazoo
Comparative Theology, and an Ethic of Listening College, Presiding
Wilhelmus Valkenberg, Catholic University of America
“How Easily Things Get Broken”: Leonard Bernstein and Osvaldo
Golijov on the Body and Blood of Christ
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Loye Ashton, Aoyama Gakuin University New Religious Movements Unit
Rhythm and Reality: Constructing a Comparative Theology of Theme: Beliefs Beyond Borders - Asian New Religious Movements
Creativity and Dynamic Non-Duality Abstract in Transnational Contexts
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9
Kijin James Wu, Chang Jung Christian University School of Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Theology Yaakov Ariel, University of North Carolina, Presiding
Ritual and Music: A Comparative Study
Emily McKendry-Smith, University of West Georgia
Business Meeting: Polysemic Understandings of Tradition and Legitimacy Among the
Bede Bidlack, Saint Anselm College, Presiding Brahma Kumaris in Nepal
Timothy Smith, University of North Carolina
On the Outside Looking Further Out — Tenrikyō’s Transnational
A9-106 Interfaith Networking as Self Reflection and Self-Reinvention
Hinduism Unit Kyungsoo Lee, Rice University
Sex as the Origin of Sin in Early Christian Gnostics and Korean
Theme: The Ayodhya Verdict: The Jurisprudence and Geography of NRMs
Modern Hinduism
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Naohito Miura, Harvard University
Schisms in Transnational Japanese NRMs: The Case of Sekai
Diana Dimitrova, University of Montreal, Presiding Kyūseikyō
Christopher Fleming, University of Southern California Kirby Sokolow, University of Pennsylvania
In Breach of Trust with God? Fiduciary Principles and the Bar of Transforming the Incarcerated Self: Buddhist Modernism in American
Limitation in the Ayodhya Verdict Prisons
Symbol Key:
168 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Business Meeting: Elizabeth Agnew Cochran, Duquesne University
Joseph Laycock, Texas State University, and Lydia Willsky-Ciollo, Moral Formation and Autism: Challenges for an Inclusive Model of
Fairfield University, Presiding Moral Agency
Sarah Jean Barton, Western Theological Seminary
Re-Membering Methodology in Theologies of Disability
A9-109 C Responding:
Open and Relational Theologies Unit Brian Brock, University of Aberdeen
Theme: What Open & Relational Theologies Have Always Shared Grant Macaskill, University of Aberdeen
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Jon Paul Sydnor, Emmanuel College, Boston, Presiding
A9-112
John Sanders, Hendrix College
What Open and Relational Theologies Have Always Shared: Religion and the Social Sciences Unit
Nurturant Values Theme: What’s At Stake in the Everyday?: Positionality, Authority,
Responding: and Ordinary Ethics in the Study of Religion
Wm. Curtis Holtzen, Hope International University Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Michael Zbaraschuk, Pacific Lutheran University Michael Grigoni, Duke University, Presiding
Krista E. Hughes, Newberry College Emmy Corey, Emory University
“I Don’t Have a Survey. Can We Still Hang Out?”: Finding the
Business Meeting:
Everyday in a Nairobi Clinic
Wm. Andrew Schwartz, Claremont School of Theology, Presiding
Aalekhya Malladi, Emory University
“ You’re a Researcher, You Tell Me”: Positionality, Authority, and
Everyday Religion in South India
A9-110
Cara Curtis, Emory University
Quaker Studies Unit Listening In-Between: Multiplicity and Ethical Imagination in
Theme: Revolution and Dissent in Quaker Theology and Practice Multi-Sited Ethnographic Research
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Emily Dubie, Duke University
Jennifer Buck, Azusa Pacific University, Presiding Problematizing Divine Absence: God’s Command & the Moral Life
in Qualitative Research in Religion
Jennifer Rycenga, San Jose State University
The Percolation of Jonathan Dymond’s Thought Among New England Responding:
Abolitionists, 1829–1836 Todd D. Whitmore, University of Notre Dame
Isaac Barnes May, University of Virginia, and Mae Speight,
University of Virginia
C
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9
Quakers and the Women’s Ministry Revolution: Quaker Influences on A9-113
Women’s Ordination Among Mainline and Liberal Protestants in the
United States
Arts, Literature, and Religion Unit
Theme: Witnesses to Exile: Blackness and Jewishness Between
Rhiannon Grant, Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre, France and America
Birmingham, UK
Thou Shalt Decide For Yourself: The Continuity of Change in British Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Liberal Quaker Theology Mendel Kranz, University of Chicago, Presiding
Responding: Paul Cato, University of Chicago
James Krippner, Haverford College Talk of Love and Exile: The Religiosity of James Baldwin and
Emmanuel Levinas’s International Community of Discourse
Joel Swanson, University of Chicago
A9-111 A A Pathologically Abnormal Situation: Le Cercle Gaston Crémieux
and the [Im]possibility of an Anti-National Jewishness
Religion and Disability Studies Unit Kirsten Collins, University of Chicago
Theme: Disability, Community, and Theology: Panel on Brian Witnessing Whiteness: Re-Reading “The Jew” in Maurice Blanchot’s
Brock’s Wondrously Wounded (Baylor University Press, 2019) and Philosophy of Exile
Grant Macaskill’s Autism and the Church (Baylor University Press,
2019) Business Meeting:
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Elissa Cutter, Georgian Court University, and Carol Ferrara,
Boston University, Presiding
Devan Stahl, Baylor University, Presiding
Calli Micale, Yale University
Desiring Disability—Disability Theology Beyond Inclusion
Joanna Leidenhag, University of Saint Andrews
Autism, Liturgy and the Human Person Before God
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 169
Saliha Chattoo, University of Toronto
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9 The Power of Performance: Pentecostals in Texas and the Formation of
Sacred Space
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Aron Engberg, Lund University
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Christian Zionism as a Second Conversion
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app.
Symbol Key:
170 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Responding:
A9-118 S Joseph Ho, Albion College
Exploratory Session: Jewish Theology Today Business Meeting:
Wednesday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Alexander Chow, University of Edinburgh, Presiding
Cass Fisher, University of South Florida, Presiding
Jerome Gellman, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev A9-203
Janus and The God of Modern-Orthodox Jewish Theology
Steven Kepnes, Colgate University Christian Systematic Theology Unit
From Practical Metaphysics to Hermeneutical Theologies Theme: Creation, Mysticism, and Theosis: Perspectives on a
Nathaniel Berman, Brown University Theology of Participation
The Kelipotic Verses: Resisting the Torah’s “Other Side” Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Hava Tirosh-Samuelson, Arizona State University Jim Fodor, Saint Bonaventure University, Presiding
Jewish Theology for the Anthropocene: Ethics of Care and Responsibility Patrick Haley, Princeton Theological Seminary
Responding: Diversity or Disorder: Between Athanasius and Origen on
Differentiation in Creation
Devorah Schoenfeld, Loyola University, Chicago
Eugene Schlesinger, Santa Clara University
Alan Brill, Seton Hall University The Tie that Binds: Mysticism and Sacrifice in Henri de Lubac
Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Aaron Davis, Union Presbyterian Seminary
“Draw Me After You:” Toward an Erotic Theosis
Erik Estrada, Texas Christian University
A9-200 Universalism or Fire and Brimstone?: Rufinus of Aquileia’s Attempt to
Reclaim Origen’s Eschatology for Catholic Christianity
Program Committee Meeting
Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Whitney Bauman, Florida International University, Presiding A9-204
Contemporary Pagan Studies Unit
A9-201 Theme: Narrating Change in Paganism
Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Arts, Literature, and Religion Unit Vivianne Crowley, Nottingham Trent University, Presiding
Theme: A Step Closer to Heaven: Nineteenth-Century American Deoin Cleveland, Cherry Hill Seminary
Women Writers and Theologies of the Afterlife Missing Millennials: Investigation of Millennial Pagan Identities,
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9
Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Rejection of Community, and Inter-Generational Conflict
Emily Hamilton-Honey, State University of New York, Canton, Julia Phillips, University of Bristol
Presiding Pagan Witchcraft and Cunning Folk
Panelists: Sabina Magliocco, University of British Columbia
LuElla D’Amico, University of the Incarnate Word The Time of the Tower: Apocalyptic Narratives in Modern Paganisms
Margaret Lowe, Bridgewater State University
Amy Easton-Flake, Brigham Young University
Jennifer McFarlane-Harris, Xavier University
A9-205 A
History of Christianity Unit
Theme: Roundtable on Disability in Medieval Christian Philosophy
A9-202 RC and Theology, ed. Scott M. Williams (Routledge, 2020)
Chinese Christianities Unit Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Theme: Negotiating Space and Place Meghan Henning, University of Dayton, Presiding
Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Panelists:
Christie Chui-Shan Chow, City Seminary of New York, Presiding Lauren F. Winner, Duke University
Heidi Campbell, Baylor University Brian Brock, University of Aberdeen
The Cut Lotus Can Still Bloom: Seventh-Day Adventist Women’s Amber Griffioen, University of Konstanz
Discovery of Agency, Purpose, and Resilience as Missionaries in China
Martin Pickave, University of Toronto
from 1902–1949
Responding:
Michel Chambon, Hanover College
Spring Couplets and the Materialization of Chinese Christianity Scott Williams, University of North Carolina, Asheville
Easten Law, Georgetown University Richard Cross, University of Notre Dame
Negotiating a Lived Chinese Theology Across Boundaries - the Miguel J. Romero, University of Notre Dame
Mainland Chinese Christian Experience in Hong Kong John Slotemaker, Boston College
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 171
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9 A9-208
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Religion and Popular Culture Unit and Yoga in Theory and
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Practice Unit
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Theme: The Power of Context, Identity, and Capital: Three 2020
Books Interrogating Spirituality and Yoga
Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Paul Bramadat, University of Victoria, Presiding
Panelists:
A9-206 C Amanda Lucia, University of California, Riverside
Lesbian-Feminisms and Religion Unit Andrea Jain, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis
Theme: Lesbian-Feminist Methodologies Anya Foxen, California Polytechnic State University
Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Hugh B. Urban, Ohio State University
Michelle Wolff, Augustana College, Presiding Kathryn Lofton, Yale University
Wendy Mallette, Yale University Dheepa Sundaram, University of Denver
Desiring the Lesbian Feminist Killjoy: Affective Negativity in Sara Neil Dalal, University of Alberta
Ahmed and Beverly Smith
Shatavia Wynn, Vanderbilt University
Expanding Experience and Categories A9-209
Laulie Eckeberger, University of Wales Trinity Saint David Ricoeur Unit
Lesbian-Feminism as a Methodology: How to Avoid Erasure
Theme: Feminist Hermeneutics After Pamela Sue Anderson
Business Meeting: Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Sarah Bloesch, University of North Carolina, Presiding Stephanie N. Arel, Fordham University, Presiding
Kerilyn Harkaway-Krieger, Gordon College
A9-207 C How We Talk When We Talk About God: Metaphor, Embodiment, and
the Work of Theology
Queer Studies in Religion Unit Patrick McCauley, Chestnut Hill College
Theme: Myths, Histories, Hauntings Suspicion and Faith in Ricoeur, Anderson and Kant
Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
William Boyce, University of Virginia, Presiding
A9-210
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9
Symbol Key:
172 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
A9-211 C A9-214 C
Sacred Texts, Theory, and Theological Construction Unit Theology of Martin Luther King Jr. Unit
Theme: Manifold Interventions: Political, Queer, and Decolonial Theme: Black Hope and Social Imagination in the Thought of
Openings in Constructive Theology Martin Luther King, Jr.
Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Filipe Maia, Boston University, Presiding Valerie Miles-Tribble, American Baptist Seminary of the West,
Robert Overy-Brown, Claremont Graduate University Presiding
The Entrapment of Political Theology by its Texts: Toward a Pluralistic Phillip Allen, Fuller Theological Seminary
Intervention The Prophetic Lens: Film as a Tool for Public Theology for Martin
Timothy Couper, Drew University Luther King, Jr. and Contemporary Black Filmmakers
Three Queer Constructions of God: Theorizing the Trinity as the David Justice, Saint Louis University
Embodiment of Triadic Temporalities Negating Capitalism: The Beloved Community as Negative Political
Henry Kuo, Greensboro College Theology and Positive Social Imaginary
Salvation as Method: Deimperializing National Soteriologies Andre E. Johnson, University of Memphis
Business Meeting: From Riverside to the River City: The Prophetic Pessimism and Hope
of Martin Luther King
Jacob Erickson, Trinity College, Dublin, and Filipe Maia, Boston
University, Presiding Darrius Hills, Morgan State University
The True Measure of American Greatness: Relationality, Power, and
Community in the Thinking of Bernard Loomer, Howard Thurman,
A9-212 and Martin Luther King
Responding:
Study of Islam Unit Vincent Lloyd, Villanova University
Theme: The Politics of Everyday Islam: Space, Place, and Devotion
Business Meeting:
Wednesday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Leonard McKinnis, Saint Louis University, Presiding
Marcia Hermansen, Loyola University, Chicago, Presiding
Parnia Vafaeikia, University of Toronto Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
The Poetics and Politics of Walking: An Ethnography of The Arbaeen
Pilgrimage
Timothy Gutmann, University of Chicago A9-300 G
Constant Bonds: Wang Daiyu’s 王岱輿 Islamic Humanism
Department Chairs and Program Coordinators’ Meeting
Aun Hasan Ali, University of Colorado Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9
The Sanctuary of The Twelfth Imam in Hillah
Susan E. Hill, University of Northern Iowa, Presiding
Department Chairs and Program Coordinators are invited to this
A9-213 gathering to discuss shared concerns.
Symbol Key:
174 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
A9-306 A9-309
Platonism and Neoplatonism Unit Religion, Affect, and Emotion Unit
Theme: Nature Theme: The Aesthetics and Emotions of Religious Belonging: Case
Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Studies from Buddhist Communities
Alexander J.B. Hampton, University of Toronto, Presiding Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Travis Proctor, Wittenberg University Erica Baffelli, University of Manchester, Presiding
Porphyry of Tyre and the “Posthuman” Environments of the Ancient Frederik Schröer, Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Mediterranean Double Absence: Time and Emotions in the Formation of Buddhist
Nathan Tilley, Duke University Feeling Communities
Inhabiting a Different World: Neoplatonic Asceticism and Ecological Levi McLaughlin, North Carolina State University
Thought in a World of Change Practicing Beethoven as Buddhist Practice: The Role of Classical Music
James Smoker, University of Saint Andrews in Soka Gakkai’s Past and Future
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s (1772–1834) Platonism, Relational Dominique Townsend, Bard College
Nature, and the Unsettled Mind Feeling The Way to Revelation: The Work of Aesthetics and Emotions
Willemien Otten, University of Chicago in Belonging to a Tibetan Treasure (gter ma) tradition
Nature and Gender in medieval Christian Platonism Responding:
Sarah Jacoby, Northwestern University
A9-307 C
Religion and Politics Unit
A9-310 C
Theme: Religion in Politics and Politics in Religion Sacred Texts and Ethics Unit
Wednesday, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM Theme: Textual Healing: Cosmological Creation, Divine
Nicholas Adams, University of Birmingham, Presiding Participation, and Hopeful Political Action
Panelists: Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, Northwestern University Raissa Von Doetinchem De Rande, Princeton University, Presiding
Erin Wilson, University of Groningen Evan LeBarre, University of Texas
Ethical Formation at the Intersection of Authorship and Cosmology
Jocelyne Cesari, University of Birmingham in an Ancient South Asian Text: The Mānavadharmaśāstra’s
Vincent Lloyd, Villanova University Construction of the Ideal Ethical Subject
William T. Cavanaugh, DePaul University Eun Hwang, University of Chicago
The Therapeutic Effect of Scriptural Interpretations on Lived
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9
Business Meeting:
Experience in Augustine and Tiantai Zhi Yi
John D. Carlson, Arizona State University, and Rachel M. Scott,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Presiding Nathan Hershberger, Duke University
Healing Memory: Münster and the Hermeneutics of Wounded Hope
Business Meeting:
A9-308 Tyler Atkinson, Bethany College, and Elizabeth Goldstein,
Religion in Southeast Asia Unit and Study of Islam Unit Gonzaga University, Presiding
Theme: Islam in Southeast Asia: Formation, Indigenization,
Modernization
Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
A9-311 C
James Hoesterey, Emory University, Presiding Queer Studies in Religion Unit
Andi Herawati, Indiana University Bloomington Theme: Postsecular Queer Theory
Traditional Islam and Modernity in Indonesia: The Activism of the Wednesday, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM
Nahdatul Ulama and Its Leaders Melissa E. Sanchez, University of Pennsylvania, Presiding
Muhamad Ali, University of California, Riverside Panelists:
Judging Religious Others: Islam and Religious Pluralism in Abdulhamit Arvas, University of California, Santa Barbara
Contemporary Indonesia
Michael Cobb, University of Toronto
Torsten Tschacher, Freie Universität Berlin
The Idea of Religion and the Criminalization of Moharram in the Peter Coviello, University of Illinois, Chicago
Straits Settlements, 1830-1870 Janet R. Jakobsen, Barnard College
Siti Sarah Muwahidah, Emory University Linn Tonstad, Yale University
The ‘Alids Came to Nusantara: Shiʿi Imams and the Creation of Indo- Business Meeting:
Malay Sacred Geography
Rakesh Peter-Dass, Hope College, and Linn Tonstad, Yale
University, Presiding
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 175
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9 A9-313 L
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Film: death. everything. nothing.
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Separated by distance, time, and a pandemic, a daughter wrestles with
her mother’s impending death.
Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM In this powerful documentary short, director LeRhonda Manigault-
Bryant turns the camera toward herself as she confronts the
COVID-19 pandemic and an unexpected loss. Based on an op-ed
A9-312 C published in the New York Times, Manigault-Bryant tells a profound
story about race, love, death and loss—a story that has everything and
Women and Religion Unit nothing to do with COVID-19.
Theme: Women Making Religion: Identity, and Transnational The 6 minute film is available to view at youtube.com/watch?v=
Activism fIltrbZeJ-M&list=PLvoBJn06oEghdQPsCVo3ixZtnsIVwQZn6.
Wednesday, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM Elana Jefferson-Tatum, Tufts University, Presiding
Tamara Lewis, Southern Methodist University, Presiding Panelist:
Tracy McEwan, University of Newcastle, Australia LeRhonda Manigault-Bryant, Williams College
Gen X Catholic Women: Subverting Gendered Norms in the Responding
Formation of Catholic Identities Rachel E. Harding, University of Colorado, Denver
Alejandro Escalante, University of North Carolina
Madness: Blackness, Women, and Religion
Jiangxue Han, Beijing, China P9-300 C
Under the Shamanistic-Organizational Core: Women Activities and Karl Barth Society of North America
Social Change in China, from the Southern Song to the Qing
Theme: Barth and Nationalism
Nechama Juni, Brown University
The Multiply-Gendered Forms of Orthodox Jewish Women’s Ritual Wednesday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Practices Paul Dafydd Jones, University of Virginia, Presiding
Paola Cavaliere, Osaka University, School of Human Sciences Angela Hancock, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Women and Local Faith Communities in Building Disaster Resilience Preaching to Citizens?: Karl Barth’s Critique of Nationalism and the
in Japan: The Cases of Sōka Gakkai and GLA Politics of Proclamation
Business Meeting: Matt Jantzen, Hope College
Karl Barth and the Cold War: The Doctrine of Providence Between
K. Christine Pae, Denison University, and Stephanie May, First
East and West
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9
A9-400 C
Quaker Studies Unit Business Meeting
Wednesday, 5:30 PM–6:00 PM
Business Meeting:
Jennifer Buck, Azusa Pacific University, and Jon Kershner, Pacific
Lutheran University, Presiding
Symbol Key:
176 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10 A10-103
Confucian Traditions Unit
A10-100 Theme: God and Confucianism
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Status of LGBTIQ Persons in the Profession Committee
Catherine Hudak Klancer, Boston University, Presiding
Theme: Creative Actions in Crises by Experienced Communities
Shumo Wang, Harvard University
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Seeking God in Confucianism: Luo Rufang’s Thought on Shangdi
S.J. Crasnow, Rockhurst University, Presiding
Li Quan, University of Edinburgh
This forum considers how marginalized individuals from diverse Self-Cultivation and Vocation: Mou Zongsan and Karl Barth on the
religious traditions and identity backgrounds respond to crises. What Action of Responsibility
skills do they use to combat a given crisis and its effects? What
utopian imaginings, or imaginings of an “otherwise,” do they offer? Responding:
What innovations do they create that become part of the new normal? Michael Ing, Indiana University
Panelists:
Rebecca Alpert, Temple University
Robyn Henderson-Espinoza, Activist Theology Project
A10-104 C
Roger A. Sneed, Furman University Death, Dying, and Beyond Unit
Adriaan Van Klinken, University of Leeds Theme: Going Beyond Death in Practice and Storytelling
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Jamie Brummitt, University of North Carolina, Wilmington,
A10-101 A Presiding
Christian Spirituality Unit Zachariah Buck, University of Oxford
Reading Facebook Memorial Pages as Charnel Grounds: Digital
Theme: Mystical Theology: Emerging Perspectives Shrines and Vedic Tradition
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Rachael Ward, Columbia Theological Seminary
Douglas Christie, Loyola Marymount University, Presiding Living-Death Doula: Midwifing Rebirth from the Ashes of Living-
Panelists: Death as Queer Grief Care
John Arblaster, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Genevieve Nrenzah, University of Ghana
Charlotte Radler, Loyola Marymount University Dying, Death and Burial Rituals in Crisis: A Contemporary Analysis
of Funerals in Ghana
Rachel Smith, Villanova University
Lucy Bregman, Temple University
Joanne Maguire, University of North Carolina, Charlotte Is Death the Enemy of God? Cullmann’s Challenge and Its Influence
Responding:
Business Meeting:
Louise Nelstrop, Oxford University
Amy Defibaugh, Temple University, Presiding
A10-102 A10-105
Comparative Approaches to Religion and Violence Unit and Indigenous Religious Traditions Unit and Religion and
Comparative Studies in Religion Unit Ecology Unit
Theme: Saints in Divided Societies
Theme: Indigenous Ecologies: Trees, Temples, Texts, and Sacred
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10
Territory in an Era of Climate Change
Aaron Hollander, Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute, Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Presiding
Kimberley Patton, Harvard University, Presiding
Connie Gagliardi, University of Toronto
Panelists:
The Icon of “Our Lady Who Brings Down Walls”: Sacralizing the
Israeli Separation Wall with Divine Presence Ayodeji Ogunnaike, Bowdoin College
Dean Accardi, Connecticut College Michelle Bentsman, Harvard University
Saints of Kashmiri Resistance and Repression Christina Désert, Emory University
Edith Szanto, University of Alabama Kythe Heller, Harvard University
Sayyida Zaynab: From Dolorosa to Rebel and Back Munjed Murad, Harvard University
Elizabeth Harris, Liverpool Hope University Kyrah Malika Daniels, Boston College
Prophet of Peace, Priest, and Marginalized Visionary: Yohan Oludamini Ogunnaike, University of Virginia
Devananda of Sri Lanka
Responding:
Robert A. Orsi, Northwestern University
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 177
Responding:
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10 Atalia Omer, University of Notre Dame
Business Meeting:
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5).
Ellen Ott Marshall, Emory University, Presiding
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app.
A10-108
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Middle Eastern Christianity Unit
Theme: Middle Eastern Christianity and Gender
A10-106 C Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Law, Religion, and Culture Unit Deanna Womack, Emory University, Presiding
Theme: Illiberal Religion and the Question of Community Tracy Russell, Saint Louis University
The Bridal Chamber of the Heavenly Bridegroom: Gender and the
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Metaphor of Betrothal in Syriac Virgin Martyr Texts
Nadia Marzouki, Paris Institute of Political Studies, Presiding
Monica Mitri, Claremont School of Theology
Panelists: The Female as Anthropological Role Model in Jacob of Serugh
Spencer Dew, Ohio State University / Wittenberg University Ramy Marcos, Hartford Seminary
Hillel Gray, Miami University Women’s Conversion and Religious Toleration in Ottoman Islamic
Jason C. Bivins, North Carolina State University Egypt: The Case Study of Fāṭimah of Asyūt
Massimo Faggioli, Villanova University Mitri Raheb, Dar al-Kalima University
Karimeh Abboud: A Female Arab Christian entrepreneur in British
Magali Della Sudda, University of Lille / University of Rome Mandate Palestine
Heather Miller Rubens, Institute for Islamic, Christian, and
Jewish Studies
Responding:
Winnifred Sullivan, Indiana University
A10-109 W
Cultural History of the Study of Religion Unit
Business Meeting:
Theme: Thinking American Religious Futures in Landscapes of
Jenna Gray-Hildenbrand, Middle Tennessee State University, Production
Presiding
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Judith Ellen Brunton, University of Toronto, Presiding
A10-107 C Matthew Smith, Northwestern University
The Story of Bakelite: Modern Magicians, Polymer Capitalism and the
Liberation Theologies Unit and Religions, Social Conflict, Origin Myths of the Anthropocene
and Peace Unit Joanna Smith, University of North Carolina
Theme: Religion & Cultural Activism: Disrupting Peace and Negative Sacred Slaughter: Prohibition, Transgression and Gendered
Pursuing Justice in Palestine/ Israel Limits on the Kill Floor
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Richard Callahan, Gonzaga University
Santiago H. Slabodsky, Hofstra University, Presiding The Civilizing Whale
Panelists: Isaiah Ellis, University of North Carolina
Diane L. Moore, Harvard University Surfacing American Religion: Industrial Expertise and the Religious
Erotics of Smooth Surfaces
Hilary Rantisi, Harvard University
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10
Symbol Key:
178 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Dugan McGinley, Rutgers University
A10-110 C Catholicism in Objects: Dignity’s Book of Intentions
Reformed Theology and History Unit Monica Mercado, Colgate University
My Graduation: Girlhood in the Collections of Loretto Academy
Theme: The Doctrine of Total Depravity [Catholicism in 10 Objects]
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Robert Alvis, Saint Meinrad School of Theology
Joshua Ralston, University of Edinburgh, Presiding The Divine Mercy Image
Gregory Lee, Wheaton College, Illinois Leonard Norman Primiano, Cabrini University
Total Depravity and Systemic Evil Votives: The Visualized Art of Supernatural Narratives
Taido Chino, Augustana College Alexander Darius Ornella, University of Hull
Neither Essential Nor Accidental: Sin in a Relational and Apocalyptic The Easter Food Basket as the Eight Sacrament: A Visual Journey
Key
Mary Corley Dunn, Saint Louis University
Mary Nickel, Princeton University The Actes du Très Dévot Frère Didace Pelletier as Medium of Real
Blessed Assurance: A Theology of Collective Action Problems Presence
Wendy Mallette, Yale University Jeannine Hill Fletcher, Fordham University
Total Depravity, Original Sin, and Pessimism: Revisiting Lesbian Rice, Relics and the Blood of Suffering: Material Catholicism in a
Feminist Theorizations of Sex and Sociality 19th Century Letter
Business Meeting: Responding:
Paul T. Nimmo, University of Aberdeen, and Joshua Ralston, Hillary Kaell, McGill University
University of Edinburgh, Presiding
Business Meeting:
John Seitz, Fordham University, and Michael Pasquier, Louisiana
A10-111 C State University, Presiding
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 179
Courtney Rabada, Northwestern University
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10 Audre Lorde and the Erotic Power of Female Friendships
Olivia Bustion, University of Chicago
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Participation as Plural Agency: An Augustinian Proposal
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Laura Duhan-Kaplan, Vancouver School of Theology
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Isaiah’s Vision of the Lion and the Lamb: A Paradigm for Civic
Friendship
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
A10-115 C
A10-114 SR Exploratory Session: Decolonizing Anglican Studies
Religious Reflections on Friendship Seminar Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Theme: Round-Table Paper Discussions Jennifer Snow, Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Presiding
Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Sathianathan Clarke, Wesley Theological Seminary
Anne-Marie Ellithorpe, Vancouver School of Theology, Presiding Decolonizing Identity Politics in the Anglican Communion: Balancing
Multiple Belonging with Resistant Unbelonging
Hussam S. Timani, Christopher Newport University
The Shahada: Act of Faith, Act of Friendship Jenny Te Paa Daniel, Ohaki Consultancy
Decolonising Anglican Studies: An Indigenous Prescription . . .!
John M. Thompson, Christopher Newport University
Becoming a Friend to the World: Śāntideva on “Bodhisattva Carla Roland, General Theological Seminary
Friendship” Anglicanism Beyond Empire: Expanding Anglican Epistemology to a
Multi-Centered/Polycentric Economy of Knowledge that Includes US-
Hans Harmakaputra, Boston College Latinx and Latin American Perspectives
Friends of God, Friends of Humans: A Muslim-Christian
Comparative Theology Reflection on Sainthood and Friendship Responding:
Jennifer Fields, University of Cambridge Esther Mombo, Saint Paul’s University
Questioning the Promotion of Friendship in Interfaith Dialogue Business Meeting:
Joas Adiprasetya, Jakarta Theological Seminary Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski, Seminary of the Southwest, Presiding
Let the Stranger Stay in the Table of Friends
Jeffery D. Long, Elizabethtown College
Because You Are My Friend: Inter-Religious Friendship and Religious A10-116
Pluralism
Exploratory Session: Religion and Drugs Roundtable: Why?
Hans Gustafson, University of Saint Thomas Thursday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Interreligious Friendship for Changemaking and Leadership
Gary M. Laderman, Emory University, Presiding
Adam Tietje, Duke University
A Path Through the Hell of War Trauma: Pavel Florensky’s Theology of Panelists:
Friendship Hollis Phelps, Mercer University
Sarah Bixler, Princeton Theological Seminary Joseph Christian Greer, Harvard University
“Musing on Cicero’s Thoughts”: Methodology in Aelred of Rievaulx’s Kathryn M. Kueny, Fordham University
Practical Theology of Spiritual Friendship Deepak Sarma, Case Western Reserve University
Karen Bray, Wesleyan College, and Christy Cobb, Wingate Isaac Horwedel, Emory University
University
Neither Single nor Coupled, But Friended: Biblical and Theological
Sources for Friendship as Our Central Relationship
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10
Symbol Key:
180 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
A10-203
Comparative Studies in Religion Unit
A10-200 Theme: Implicit and Explicit Comparison in Religious Studies
Journal of the American Academy of Religion ( JAAR) Editorial Scholarship: A Collaborative Experiment in the Use of Buddhist
Board Meeting Categories
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Andrea Jain, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, Christopher Handy, McMaster University, Presiding
Presiding Panelists:
Andrew Taylor, University of Virginia
Andrew Wilson, Mount Allison University
A10-201
Shawna Dolansky, Carleton University
Chinese Religions Unit Shankar Nair, University of Virginia
Theme: Religion in Chinese Spaces of Political Conflict and Responding:
Contestation
Christopher Jensen, Carleton University
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Kelly Hammond, University of Arkansas, Presiding
Benno Weiner, Carnegie Mellon University A10-204
From Patriotic Religious Representatives to Wolves in Monks’ Robes:
Tibetan Buddhism, Islam and the Party on an Ethnocultural Frontier History of Christianity Unit and Religion in Premodern
of Early Maoist China Europe and the Mediterranean Unit
Sandrine Catris, Augusta University Theme: Race in the Middle Ages
From Mao to Xi: Religion and Repression in the Uyghur Region Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
H.S. Sum Cheuk Shing, University of Chicago Minji Lee, Reunion Institute, Presiding
Religion as Resistance: Chinese Religions in the Hong Kong Anti- Kathleen M. Self, Saint Lawrence University
Extradition Bill Movement Race and Old Norse Mythology
Responding: Lora Walsh, University of Arkansas
Shawn Arthur, Wake Forest University White Nun as Black Woman and Other Twelfth-Century Opinions on
Nigra Sum (Song of Songs 1:4)
Hartley Lachter, Lehigh University
A10-202 K Kabbalah and the Question of Race in the Middle Ages
Student Lounge Roundtable
Theme: Mellon, Fulbright, NSF, Oh My! Preparing Successful A10-205
Proposals in the Intimidating World of Multi-Disciplinary
Research Grants Law, Religion, and Culture Unit
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Theme: Territorial Peace Beyond the Law: Spiritual Politics and
Graduate-level scholars of religion are remarkably versatile in Indigenous Political Theologies in Post-Accord Colombia
our academic skills sets. We are often ill-equipped, however, to Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
demonstrate these skills in marketable ways to broader audiences. An Heather M. DuBois, Stonehill College, Presiding
immediate ramification: struggling to obtain the funding required to
carry out our research. Effectively showcasing ourselves and our work Janna Hunter-Bowman, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary
to a variety of discipline-specific and multi-disciplinary scholars is all Peace Through Participation in Struggle: Enhancing Post-Accord
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10
the more important when common understandings of what it means Peacebuilding Through Linking Stakeholders to Peace Accord
to be based in a “religious studies” or “religion” program are often Stipulations
nebulous in the first place. Focusing upon the grant-writing genre, Diego Caguenas Rozo, Universidad Icesi
this workshop introduces participants to strategies for preparing Forgiveness, Justice and the Damage Done: On the Metaphysics of the
effectively-communicated, compelling project proposals with review Face
committees potentially unfamiliar with the academic study of religion.
Carlos Manrique, Universidad de los Andes
This session is primarily designed for graduate students in the early
Peace-Building in the Midst of Horror and the Practices of “Theocratic
or middle-years of their graduate programs, but warmly welcomes
Pluralism”
anyone interested.
Panelists: Responding:
Emily Stratton, Indiana University Rebecca Bartel, San Diego State University
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 181
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10 A10-208
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Religion, Colonialism, and Postcolonialism Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: Postcolonial Perspectives on Religion in China, South
Asia, and the Americas
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app.
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Syed Adnan Hussain, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Presiding
Kathy Chow, Yale University
The Invention of Religion in China
A10-206 C Rebecca Faulkner, Princeton University
Colonialism and Caliphate
Pragmatism and Empiricism in American Religious
Thought Unit Heather Burrow, Claremont Graduate University
Conquistadors, Colonialism, and Christianity: From Church and
Theme: Martin Luther King, Pragmatism, and Transcendentalism Empire to States
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Karen Rucks, Quinsigamond Community College, Presiding
Andrew Stone Porter, Vanderbilt University A10-209
Experiments with Non/Violence: King’s Stride Toward Pragmatism
Religions in the Latina/o Americas Unit
Jeremy Sorgen, University of Virginia Theme: Religious Change and Persistence: Contested Narratives of
The Pragmatic King: The Anatomy of Nonviolent Transformation Spiritual Identity
Russell Johnson, University of Chicago Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Transcendental Empiricism: Martin Luther King and the World
Behind the World Jessica Delgado, Ohio State University, Presiding
Lynn Hillberg Jencks, Santa Clara University
Joe Pettit, Morgan State University From Machismo to Moderation: The Transforming Effects of Latinx
Transcendental Pragmatism: The Case for Necessary and Pragmatic Immigrant Male Conversion to Charismatic Catholicism
Truth
Josefrayn Sanchez-Perry, University of Texas
Business Meeting: Incense and Performance: Teaching Ritual Labor in the Nahua World
Karen Rucks, Quinsigamond Community College, Presiding
Michael Rogers, University of Toronto
The Sun, The Moon, and the Other Stars: Polycentrism as Ecumenical
Mission on the Altiplano.
A10-207
Daniel Nourry, University of Texas
Religion and Cities Unit The Three Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala: Tracing the Ways in Which the
Theme: Contagion, Religion, and Cities Indigenous Escapes the Logic of Catholic Martyrdom and the Cult of
the Saints
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM
Harold Morales, Morgan State University, Presiding Yanitsa I Buendia De Llaca, University of California, Santa
Barbara
Panelists: The Women of the Mexicayotl. Retelling a History Through Gendered
Jennifer Scheper Hughes, University of California, Riverside Disruptions
Wende Marshall, Temple University
Amanda Furiasse, Hamline University
A10-210
Katherine Marshall, Georgetown University
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10
Symbol Key:
182 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Justin Jaron Lewis, University of Manitoba Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Inevitable, Vulnerable Fatherhood in a Patriarchal Myth
Avishalom Westreich, College of Law and Business, Ramat Gan
Jewish Religious Identity, Gender, and Politics: The Challenge of
Surrogacy and Egg Donation
A10-301 C
Steven Kaplin, Indiana University Comparative Religious Ethics Unit
Judaism is Dead, Long Live Judaism: A Jewish Feminist Logic of Theme: The Ethical Implications of Artificial Intelligence
Infinite Judaism Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Jung Lee, Northeastern University, Presiding
A10-211 C Irene Ludji, Claremont Graduate University
The Acting Person and Artificial Intelligence Technology: Reviewing
Traditions of Eastern Late Antiquity Unit the Ethical Implications of AI on Humanity
Theme: Intercultural Exchanges and the Religions of the Late Frank Bosman, Tilburg University
Antique East Disobedience as an Ethical-Anthropological Criterium
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:15 PM Justin Hawkins, Yale University
Sigrid Kjaer, University of Texas, Presiding What Was Not Assumed Was Not Healed: A Christological and
Soteriological Warning About Transhumanism
Joseph Wilson, Sacred Heart University
A Mirror on the Threshold of East and West: Buddhist and Christian Business Meeting:
Sculpture in Hellenistic Late Antiquity Jonathan K. Crane, Emory University, Presiding
Nicolo Sassi, Indiana University, Bloomington
The Forgotten History of Origenism in Medieval Syria
Mourad Takawi, University of the Incarnate Word
A10-302
The Many Lives of Hind bint al-Nu’mān al-Kindīyah: ‘Abbāsid Contemporary Islam Unit
Narrations of Late Antique Muslim-Christian Encounters
Theme: Representing and Surveilling Modern Muslims
John Zaleski, New York University, Abu Dhabi Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
“My Mercy Encompasses Every Thing”: Christian and Islamic Views
on the Universal Scope of Salvation in Tenth-Century Iraq Zareena Grewal, Yale University, Presiding
Responding: Kathleen Foody, College of Charleston
The World of Islam
Shulamit Shinnar, Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Ehsan Sheikholharam, University of North Carolina
Business Meeting: Making Space for Muslims: Aesthetics in the Age of Forced
Jason Mokhtarian, Indiana University, Bloomington, and Sara Assimilation
Ronis, Saint Mary’s University, Texas, Presiding Mohamad Jarada, University of California, Berkeley
Securing the Mosque: On the Logic of Fortification and Risk after
Hate Violence
A10-212 C Johnathan Norris, Boston University
Psychology, Culture, and Religion Unit Fear, Politics, and the Holy Spirit: Islamophobic Discourses in
Theme: Two Decades in the Spotlight: Psychological, Cultural, Charismatic News Media
and Religious Impact of Public Awareness of Clergy Sexual Abuse Sam Houston, Stetson University
Thursday, 1:45 PM–3:00 PM “It Is Because of Our Islam That We Are Here”: Community
Organizing, Civic Virtue, and the South African Muslim Struggle
Lisa M. Cataldo, Fordham University, Presiding Against Apartheid
Ahyun Lee, Indiana Wesleyan University
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10
Psychological, Cultural, and Religious Impact of Public Awareness of
Clergy Sexual Abuse: Navigating Cultural Differences that Make a
Difference
Kathleen McPhillips, University of Newcastle, Australia
Unbearable Knowledge: Cultural Trauma and Institutional Child
Sexual Abuse
Responding:
Walter Robinson, Boston Globe
Mary Gail Frawley-O’Dea, Presbyterian Psychological Services
Business Meeting:
Eileen Campbell-Reed, Union Theological Seminary, and Lisa M.
Cataldo, Fordham University, Presiding
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 183
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10 A10-305
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). History of Christianity Unit
Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify Theme: The 1619 Project
session listings on the AAR website or the mobile app. Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Alisha L. Jones, Indiana University, Presiding
Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Panelists:
Amy Burris, Durham, NC
Constance Furey, Indiana University Bloomington
A10-303
Terrence Johnson, Georgetown University
Evangelical Studies Unit Dana Logan, University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Theme: Critical Engagement with Robert Chao-Romero’s “Brown
Church”
Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM A10-306
Kristen Deede Johnson, Western Theological Seminary, Presiding Japanese Religions Unit
Panelists: Theme: Examining the Scholarly Guilds of Shingon Buddhism in
Russell Jeung, San Francisco State University Medieval Japan
Jonathan Calvillo, Boston University Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Jennifer Scheper Hughes, University of California, Riverside Takashi Miura, University of Arizona, Presiding
Peter Heltzel, New York Theological Seminary Aaron Proffitt, State University of New York, Albany
Ruth Padilla DeBorst, Fraternidad Teológica Latinoamericana Death on the Mantra Path
Responding: Elizabeth Noelle Tinsley, University of California, Irvine
Henmyō’in’s Lost Altar: Shingon Debate Culture and Scholar Monks
Robert Chao Romero, Matthew 25 Movement of Kōyasan
Eric Swanson, Loyola Marymount University
A10-304 RC The Construction of Esoteric Buddhist Identities Through
Commentaries on Mahāyāna Faith
Hindu Philosophy Unit Takahiko Kameyama, Ryukoku University
Theme: Ways of Knowing (II): New Approaches The Secret Views on Cosmos in Medieval Shingon Buddhism: The
Thursday, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM Significance of the Shingon Doctrinal Debate “Is Our Dharma Realm
Completely Unified or Multiple?”
Loriliai Biernacki, University of Colorado, Presiding
Responding:
Aleksandar Uskokov, Yale University
Making Sense of Religious Experience: Jīva Gosvāmin and “Learned Asuka Sango, Carleton College
Perception”
James Reich, Pace University
The Gem and the Jeweler: The History of a Stock Example A10-307 A
Aalekhya Malladi, Emory University Open and Relational Theologies Unit
The Trouble with Māya: Philosophical Considerations in a Telugu Theme: Book Panel: The Future of Open Theism (IVP Academic,
Poetess’ Folk Drama 2020)
Business Meeting: Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10
Michael Allen, University of Virginia, and Parimal G. Patil, Wm. Andrew Schwartz, Claremont School of Theology, Presiding
Harvard University, Presiding Panelists:
Thomas Oord, Center for Open and Relational Theology
Bethany Sollereder, University of Oxford
David Basinger, Roberts Wesleyan College
Anna Case-Winters, McCormick Theological Seminary
Symbol Key:
184 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Responding:
Richard Rice, Loma Linda University A10-311 C
Science, Technology, and Religion Unit
A10-308 Theme: Science and Secularism
Thursday, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM
Political Theology Unit Heather Mellquist Lehto, University of Toronto, Presiding
Theme: Political Theology and the Pandemic
Emma Rifai, University of Iowa
Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM DNA Dieting: Genetic Testing, Nutrigenetics, and American
David Newheiser, Australian Catholic University, Presiding Secularism
Panelists: Joseph Fisher, 1991
Stephanie Mota Thurston, Princeton Theological Seminary Moral Bioenhancement and/as Secularization
Karen Bray, Wesleyan College Ryan Juskus, Duke University
Science for Secularism or Secularity?: Examining the Relations
Kyle Lambelet, Emory University
Between Science, Politics, and Religion in a Citizen Science Project in
Olaoluwatoni Alimi, Princeton University the Appalachian Coalfields
Nomaan Hasan, Brown University Business Meeting:
Greg Cootsona, California State University, Chico, and Josh
A10-309 R Reeves, Samford University, Presiding
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10
Theme: Beyond “Judaism Week”: Jewish Sources for the Religious
Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM Studies Classroom
Jenny Berglund, Stockholm University, Presiding Thursday, 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Panelists: Shari Rabin, Oberlin College, Presiding
Greg Soden, Mizzou Academy Panelists:
Audun Toft, University of South-Eastern Norway Naftali Cohn, Concordia University, Montreal
Samuel Brody, University of Kansas
Krista Dalton, Kenyon College
Jennifer Caplan, Towson University
Elias Sacks, University of Colorado
S.J. Crasnow, Rockhurst University
Andre Key, Claflin University
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 185
OTHER EVENTS
Other Events conveniently allow members to gather voluntarily and to host receptions, networking events, and private meetings
during the Annual Meetings. Their inclusion in the Program Book does not constitute an endorsement by the American Academy of
Religion or the Society of Biblical Literature. While SBL and AAR provide space for activities listed as “Other Events,” the content and
purpose of these gatherings are not reviewed by either the SBL or AAR’s Program Units or their Program Committees. However, any
organization or group of members that reserves space for an Other Event is expected to adhere to SBL and AAR policies and core
values in holding events.
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST UTC-5). Session times and details are subject to change. Please verify session listings
on the SBL website, AAR website, or the mobile app.
M30-201 M30-301
Society of Christian Philosophers Society for the Study of Native American Sacred Traditions
Theme: A Surpassable World? Value Theory and Creation Annual Meeting
1:00 PM–3:00 PM 4:00 PM–6:00 PM
This meeting is open to anyone interested in teaching courses on Native
American Sacred Traditions. The meeting format is informal discussions
on ideas, materials, and strategies.
186 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
This new data brings nuance to the categories that researchers use to
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1 sort people based on self-identified spirituality and religion. Although
some people truly are “spiritual but not religious” this research shows that
some deeply religious people identify as deeply spiritual, too. The survey
M1-100 was conducted by NORC, based on insights from the qualitative stage
conducted by Hattaway Communications. It was funded by the Fetzer
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Virtual Gathering Institute.
7:00 AM–8:15 AM Panelists:
Nancy Ammerman, Boston University
Omar McRoberts, University of Chicago
M1-101 Ruth Braunstein, University of Connecticut
Lutheran Women in Theological and Religious Studies Bob Boisture, The Fetzer Institute
(LWTRS)
Theme: Intersectionality and Community in a Time of Pandemic M1-300
8:00 AM–5:30 PM Evangelical Philosophical Society
Theme: Modernizing The Beatific Vision: Philosophical and
M1-102 Scientific
4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Evangelical Philosophical Society
Ryan Brandt, Grand Canyon University, and Joshua Farris,
Theme: Author Meets Critics: Science and Religion in The
Mundelein Seminary, Presiding
Genealogical Adam and Eve, by S. Joshua Swamidass
Panelists:
11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Gavin Ortlund, First Baptist Church of Nordhoff
Panelists: Paul Gavrilyuk, University of St. Thomas
Michael Heiser, Awakening School of Theology Paul Allen, Corpus Christi College,Vancouver
Kenneth R. Miller, Brown University Tyler McNabb, University of Macau
Paul Louis Metzger, Multnomah University and Biblical
Seminary Responding:
Greg Cootsona, California State University, Chico Josh Reeves, Samford University
Responding:
S. Joshua Swamidass, Washington University M1-301
Unitarian Universalist Scholars and Friends
M1-103 Theme: What Is Democracy Now?
University of Saint Andrews 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
Theme: Teaching Science-Engaged Theology (New Visions in Amid the political corruption, white supremacist violence, and widespread
Theological Anthropology) suffering of 2019, the Unitarian Universalist Association launched “UU
the Vote.” This election-year campaign called on Unitarian Universalists
11:00 AM–1:00 PM to “act locally to build thriving communities,” go “all in” by challenging
the carceral and police systems, and “share spiritual resilience” with one
another. In the aftermath of a tumultuous election, our panel will ask what
M1-201 is next for democracy in the United States and for a religious movement
that claims “the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process”
The Fetzer Institute as one of its defining principles. Cosponsored by the UUA Panel on
Theme: Beyond Stereotypes: Understanding What it Means to Be Theological Education, Harvard Divinity School, Meadville Lombard
Spiritual in the United States Theological School, and Starr King School for the Ministry. The panel
will be followed by a virtual social hour beginning at 5:30 PM ET.
12:00 PM–1:30 PM
A newly published survey on spirituality helps bring nuance to our Panelists:
understanding of what it means to be spiritual, while also providing a new Susan Leslie, Unitarian Universalist Association
data set for researchers to pursue. This session will discuss the data, which Carey McDonald, Unitarian Universalist Association
includes online and telephone surveys of more than 3,000 people, 16 focus Stephanie Mitchem, University of South Carolina
groups, 25 in-depth interviews, and dozens of visual data (drawings)—all Elias Ortega-Aponte, Meadville Lombard Theological School
available for additional analysis. The survey points to the importance of Sharon Welch, Meadville Lombard Theological School
spirituality, in addition to religion, as motivating civic engagement. It also
shows that most people view spirituality as a positive attribute.
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 187
OTHER EVENTS
M2-100 M3-100
Theology Without Walls Group
Theology Without Walls Group
Theme: SBNRs: Doing Theology Beyond the Walls
Theme: Rising Scholars Discussion: Avenues of TWW Inquiry
11:00 AM–1:30 PM
9:00 AM–10:30 AM
Jeanine Diller, University of Toledo, Presiding
John Thatamanil, Union Theological Seminary, Presiding
The Spiritual But Not Religious, and even more the Nones, have already
stepped outside confessional boundaries. This could be seen as a spiritual As TWW moves beyond the familiar parallel studies of most
and cultural crisis insofar as it is religious traditions that have preserved Comparative Theology, what directions and forms — what dissertation
and transmitted some of the profoundest ideas and practices with regard topics, for example — might begin to emerge?
to ultimate reality and how we should live in light of it. On the other Panelists:
hand, the premise of Theology Without Walls is that there are truths to be Rory McEntee, Drew University
found outside one’s confession and perhaps outside any confession. In this Bin Song, Washington College
session, the SBNR and TWW perspectives will meet for he first time in Wm. Andrew Schwartz, Claremont School of Theology
a conference setting. In particular, experts who either are or can speak for
SBNRs will speak to the relevance to their concerns of the TWW project,
as set out in its flagship volume, Theology Without Walls: The Transreligious
Imperative. Scholars active in the TWW project will respond.
Panelists:
Paul Bramadat, University of Victoria
Todd Green, Luther College
188 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
The purpose of the lecture series is to explore the role of Christianity in
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3 the ongoing “dialogue of civilizations” between China and the West.
The lecture is open to all AAR/SBL participants. It will be a time of
Q&A and displays of the three organizations’ resources about China.
M3-101 Diane Obenchain, Fuller Theological Seminary
The Role of Confucian-Christian Dialogue in the China Puzzle
Theology Without Walls Group Planning Meeting
10:30 AM–11:30 AM
Panelists:
Jerry L. Martin, University of Colorado, Boulder
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7
Christopher Denny, St. John’s University
Jeanine Diller, University of Toledo M7-300
Kurt Anders Richardson, University of Toledo
Religious Studies Review (RSR) Annual Editorial Meeting
4:00 PM–7:00 PM
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3
M7-301
M3-200 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Department of
Evangelical Philosophical Society Religious Studies Reception
Theme: Christian Philosophical Theology and the Church 4:30 PM–5:30 PM
1:45 PM–3:15 PM
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
M3-201
Theology Without Walls Group M8-101
Theme: The Transreligious Imperative Meets its Readers
Council on Graduate Studies in Religion Annual Meeting
2:30 PM–5:00 PM
11:00 AM–1:00 PM
The Transreligious Imperative (Routledge 2019) brings to fruition several
years of work by scholars involved in the Theology Without Walls project.
It presents twenty-one essays offering diverse but mutually reinforcing M8-100
arguments for a mode of theologizing that is not bound by confessional
commitments. The essays address a range of issues raised by the project, University of Saint Andrews
such as its implications for religious participation and identity, and
exemplify methods for conducting theology beyond the walls. Scholars Theme: Puzzles in Science-Engaged Theology (New Visions in
who are not contributors are asked to present a critical appreciation of Theological Anthropology)
the theological project represented in the volume. Two key questions 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
are: Is the argument for TWW persuasive? Are the methods promising?
Contributors will be available to respond to comments.
Panelists:
Perry Schmidt-Leukel, University of Muenster WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9
Hugh Nicholson, Loyola University, Chicago
Jeannine Hill Fletcher, Fordham University M9-100
Hans Gustafson, University of St. Thomas
Jerusha Rhodes, Union Theological Seminary Lutheran Scholars of Religion
Jeanine Diller, University of Toledo Theme: New Directions in Luther Scholarship
John Thatamanil, Union Theological Seminary 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Jerry L. Martin, University of Colorado Christine Helmer, Northwestern University, Presiding
Wilhelmus Valkenberg, Catholic University of America
This panel explores Martin Luther as generative conversation partner for
constructive theology, ecumenical theology, and global Christianity.
M3-400 Panelists:
Simeon Zahl, University of Cambridge
China Academic Consortium Peter Folan, Georgetown University
Theme: The Role of Confucian-Christian Dialogue in the China Man Hei Yip, Wartburg Seminary
Puzzle
7:30 PM–9:30 PM
The event is a collaborative effort and hosted by China Academic
Consortium, US-China Catholic Association and China Source.
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 189
SPOTLIGHT ON PUBLISHERS SESSIONS
190 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Harvard University Press Princeton University Press
Open House with Harvard University Press: Meet an Q&A with Tanya Luhrmann
Acquisitions Editor Tuesday, December 1, 4:00 PM–4:30 PM
Tuesday, December 1, 1:00 PM–2:00 PM Join anthropologist and author Tanya Luhrmann (Stanford) for a Q&A
All are welcome to attend a virtual open house with Harvard University about her new book How God Becomes Real: Kindling the Presence of
Press acquisitions editor Emily Silk. This Zoom event will be run as an Invisible.
informal Q&A session, geared towards answering your questions about
the acquisitions process. Whether you are a prospective author or simply
curious to learn more about publishing at HUP, please feel free to drop in
anytime across the hour and join the conversation. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 191
SPOTLIGHT ON PUBLISHERS SESSIONS
192 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
Gorgias Press Fortress Press
Discover Gorgias Press — Books, Sales, Q&A A Conversation with Katherine Sonderegger on Systematic
Friday, December 4, 11:00 AM–12:30 PM Theology, Volume 2: The Doctrine of the Holy Trinity
Meet our sales and editorial staff, learn about our titles, special conference Saturday, December 5, 2:00 PM–3:00 PM
savings, and how to publish with Gorgias Press! The highly anticipated second volume of Katherine Sonderegger’s
Systematic Theology is finally here. In this ambitious new work,
Sonderegger explores the doctrine of the Trinity and retrieves the
Langham Publishing systematic starting point of the trinitarian theology: the divine
processions. Join Fortress Press for a conversation with Dr. Sonderegger
Langham Publishing - Meet an Author about her new book.
Friday, December 4, 12:00 PM–1:00 PM
Join us to hear from one of our authors from the Majority World speak
about their book, the context in which they live and work, and the unique SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6
insights that context provides to theology, biblical studies and teaching.
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 193
SPOTLIGHT ON PUBLISHERS SESSIONS
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9
Fortress Press
A conversation with Regnum Books Sheffield Phoenix Press
Tuesday, December 8, 10:00 AM–11:00 AM
300+ Titles in Biblical Studies: never out-of-print
Fortress Press is pleased to be the new North American distributor for
Regnum Books, an imprint of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies. Wednesday, December 9, 9:30 AM–10:00 AM
Regnum Books is committed to publishing on issues of great importance Drop by our virtual stall to ask any questions of the
to the global church. Join Will Bergkamp, Publisher for Fortress Press, Sheffield Phoenix Press team. Ask about new titles for 2020/21, find out
and Dr. Paul Bendor-Samuel, Executive Director for Regnum Books in how to get the best discounts, set up a subscription, or chat about a book
a conversation and Q&A about the list, and the issues facing the global idea with one of our directors.
church today.
194 See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book
T&T Clark T&T Clark
Meet the editor! Meet the editor!
Wednesday, December 9, 10:00 AM–11:00 AM Thursday, December 10, 10:00 AM–11:00 AM
This hour-long drop-in is scheduled in order to provide an opportunity to This hour-long drop-in is scheduled in order to provide an opportunity
connect with Dominic Mattos, the Editorial Director for Biblical Studies to connect with Lucy Carroll, the Commissioning Editor for The Library
at T&T Clark. There will be an overview of key areas of publishing and of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies series and Ancient Religion at
an introduction to T&T Clark’s wide range of publishing options in print, T&T Clark. There will be an overview of key areas of publishing and an
digital and open access. There will be an opportunity to ask questions introduction to T&T Clark’s wide range of publishing options in print,
and make contact with editor. If you have a project to propose and wish digital and open access. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and
to schedule a separate video meeting please email: Dominic.mattos@ make contact with editor. If you have a project to propose and wish to
bloomsbury.com. schedule a separate video meeting please email: lucy.carroll@bloomsbury.
com.
Gorgias Press
Gorgias Press
Discover Gorgias Press — Books, Sales, Q&A
Wednesday, December 9, 11:00 AM–12:30 PM Discover Gorgias Press - Books, Sales, Q&A
Meet our sales and editorial staff, learn about our titles, special conference Thursday, December 10, 11:00 AM–12:30 PM
savings, and how to publish with Gorgias Press! Meet our sales and editorial staff, learn about our titles, special conference
savings, and how to publish with Gorgias Press!
See the full Annual Meetings program online at www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=37 and papers.aarweb.org/online-program-book 195