cfp.english.upenn.edu

Proposals are invited for an edited collection of scholarly essays and autobiographical essays on African Traditional Religions/African Diasporic Religious belief systems. The editors of this collection seek to explore the following questions: Who are ATR practitioners? How do they function in African Diasporic communities where Christianity and/or Islam religious practices are expected? Who is out of the “broom closet”? Should they be out of the “broom closet”? How do they define relationships, associations, and/or boundaries with other religious/cultural traditions—and where do boundaries become less certain? What are their intersections with other communities of faith or identity? How are ATR practitioners transforming discourses on communal and/or national ethics and morality, as well as complicating or challenging notions of cultural unity? How do literary genres such as speculative fiction, science fiction, and/or Afro-futurism create or expand discursive practices, as well as explore cultural performances of identities, transgressions and/or subversions of boundaries,borders, and traditions with regard to ATR? Submitted proposals may explore but are not limited to the following areas of focus in their essays:

GLBT involvement in ATR
Youth and ATR
Identity Politics and ATR
Multiracial/Multicultural participation in ATR practices
Orthodox/Non-Orthodox notions of ATR praxis/ritual, exclusionary politics
Paganisms and ATR
ATR and corporate workspaces
Legal issues and ATR
Sexism and ATR
Gender and ATR
ATR and Scientific/Medical discourse
ATR and Science Fiction/Afrofuturism/Speculative Fiction

We seek autobiographical, creative, and academic submissions that tackle the complex ways in which African Traditional Religions frame these and other discussions. Abstracts are welcome from a variety of academic disciplines and perspectives.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Abstracts: 250 words in length.
Deadline for Abstracts: September 1, 2010
Deadline for Complete Papers: November 30, 2010
Please submit proposals to Cherie Ann Turpin (cturpin@udc.edu or cherieanntupin@mac.com) or Anika T. Cazenave (anikacazenave@yahoo.com)