Religion in Europe Unit

This Unit analyzes religion in both Eastern and Western Europe or related to Europe (broadly defined) in any historical period. We encourage interdisciplinary, interreligious, and comparative approaches, and we particularly welcome submissions from members of underrepresented groups in the Academy. 

Religious nationalism has developed into one of the central topics of religious and political debate in the United States and across Europe. For the 2023 meeting, we seek proposals related to the overarching theme of "Religion and Nation - European Perspectives", especially related to the following specific calls:

• For a co-sponsored session with the Religion and Politics Unit:

The rise of right-wing political groups across Europe - as seen for example in the October 2022 election of Giorgia Meloni in Italy, or the December 2022 attempted coup in Germany - has served as a reminder of the importance of understanding how religion informs the goals and grievances of the European right. We seek papers that explore the various ways that religion and/or religious narratives inform and intersect with these political movements, whether in the form of religious nationalism, narratives against particular religious traditions (i.e. Islam, Judaism), or alternatively, within responses to the European right. In particular, we invite papers that form the basis for comparisons across Europe and/or in conversation with perspectives from the United States context.

• For a co-sponsored session with the Contemporary Pagan Studies Unit:

We invite papers that examine varieties of religious nationalism in the contemporary world which are inspired by historical or imagined links to European histories of Christianity or to pre-Christian Paganisms. We welcome studies of diverse geographical contexts in order to spark a conversation about the intersections of race, religious identity, political ideology, and collective memory.

• For a co-sponsored session with the Schleiermacher Unit and the Political Theology Unit:

Modern Jewish and modern Christian thought have developed in close interaction, mutually influencing one another's understandings not only of ethics, revelation, and religious community, but also emerging conceptions of national identity. With an eye toward the AAR's 2023 theme of La Labor de Nuestras Manos and the need for revisiting public understandings of religion, this session invites paper or panel proposals reflecting on points of ongoing dialogue, divergence, and debate regarding the Jewish and Protestant Enlightenments and emerging notions of nationalism in modern Jewish and Christian thought, pertaining not only to the US but also to European contexts. Such proposals might consider: 

• Jewish and Christian conceptions of national identity and the modern state, especially within or in comparison to European contexts
• The Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment) and national identity
• The mutual influence between the Haskalah and modern Christian thought (e.g. Friedrich Schleiermacher)
• The persistence of antisemitism in contemporary politics, in overt and implicit forms
• The relevance of modern Jewish and Christian thought for understanding white nationalism today

• Author-meets-critics panel on Coping with Defeat:
• Jonathan Laurence's 2021 book, Coping with Defeat: Sunni Islam, Roman Catholicism, and the Modern State, traces the surprising similarities in the rise and fall of the Sunni Islamic and Roman Catholic empires in the face of the modern state and considers how centralized religions make peace with the loss of prestige. In reflecting on this rich and multi-dimensional book, we welcome scholarly responses to, critiques of, or engagements with Coping with Defeat. Proposals should indicate a desire to participate on this specific panel and need only briefly outline the disciplinary, methodological, and/or scholarly perspective of the proposed response, critique, and/or engagement with the book.

• For a co-sponsored session with Religion and Politics

Religion and the European Right: The rise of right-wing political groups across Europe-as seen for example in the October 2022 election of Giorgia Meloni in Italy, or the December 2022 attempted coup in Germany—has  served as a reminder of the importance of understanding how religion informs the goals and grievances of the European right. We seek papers that explore the various ways that religion and/or religious narratives inform and intersect with these political movements, whether in the form of religious nationalism, narratives against particular religious traditions (i.e., Islam, Judaism), or alternatively, in responses to the European right. In particular, we invite papers that form the basis for comparisons across Europe and/or in conversation with perspectives from the United States context.

We also welcome proposals beyond these themes, especially proposals for complete pre-arranged sessions related to Europe, broadly interpreted. Successful sessions will reflect gender and racial/ethnic diversity, as well as diversity of field, method, and scholarly rank as appropriate.