Call for Papers
Family and Genealogy in the Study of Religion
An Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Conference
Hosted by the Department of Religious Studies at Brown University March 18th and 19th 2016
Keynote Address: Tomoko Masuzawa (University of Michigan)

This conference seeks to explore and bridge the surprising gap between "genealogy" and "family" in the study of religion. Developments in contemporary scholarship include elaborations and critiques of
genealogy, new approaches to the identification and mapping of known genealogies (including digital and graphic representations), and a growing interest in the ritual and narrative construction of lineages. Simultaneously, increased attention has been given to the materiality of religion practiced in the home and the role of the family as a locus for individual and communal formation. Conversations about genealogy and family often appear disengaged from one another and can become embedded in problematic dichotomies. Genealogy implies patrilineal descent, while "domestic religion" is often used synonymously with "women's religion." Similarly, genealogy is associated with science, history, and rationality; family with emotion, daily life, and nature. Why have "family" and "genealogy" been bifurcated in religious studies? What can we learn from bringing them back together?

By approaching these topics in tandem, we hope to engender critical reflection about the subtle relationships between "families" and "genealogies," and to interrogate the prevailing split that seems to separate the two. We welcome papers on the topics listed below, as well as contributions on related issues. Papers might approach these topics through a variety of theoretical lenses: affect theory, feminist and queer theory, spatial theory, materialist approaches, political theory, theology, critical race theory, ethics, etc.

Possible Topics May Include:
• Genealogy as method
• Genealogy and relationality
• Genealogy, family, and gender
• Family as religious/ritual 'unit'
• Familial religious practice
• Intimate others: association and proximity within the family unit • Formation and the family: the making of selves and societies
• Death and remembrance within (and beyond) the family • Family relationships as metaphors for other relationships • Local/societal relationships as familial or genealogical
• Families united and divided
• Rejection/subversion of the family or genealogy • Legitimation through genealogy
• Genealogy as practice

Abstracts for conference papers should be between 200 and 250 words and emailed to the conference committee at BrownRSConference@gmail.com by November 1, 2015. Proposals should include the title of the paper, the present- er's name, institutional and departmental affiliation, and any technology requests. We will notify applicants by December 1, 2015.

For more information on the conference, please visit
http://www.brown.edu/academics/religious-studies/node/215/graduate-stude...