Book Series:
“Studies in Critical Research on Religion”
Brill Academic Publishers (hardcover)
Haymarket Books (paperback)
http://www.brill.nl/scrr
Series Editor:
Warren S. Goldstein, Center for Critical Research on Religion (U.S.A.)
Editorial Review Board:
Roland Boer, University of Newcastle (Australia)
Christopher Craig Brittain, University of Aberdeen (U.K.)
Darlene Juschka, University of Regina (Canada)
Lauren Langman, Loyola University Chicago (U.S.A.)
George Lundskow, Grand Valley State University ( U.S.A.)
Kenneth G. MacKendrick, University of Manitoba (Canada)
Andrew M. McKinnon, University of Aberdeen (U.K.)
Robert A. Orsi, Northwestern University (U.S.A.)
Michael R. Ott, Grand Valley State University (U.S.A.)
Sara Pike, California State University, Chico (U.S.A)
Dana Sawchuk, Wilfrid Laurier University (Canada)
Advisory Board:
William Arnal, University of Regina (Canada)
Jonathan Boyarin, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (U.S.A.)
Jay Geller, Vanderbilt University (U.S.A.)
Marsha Hewitt, University of Toronto (Canada)
Michael Löwy, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France)
Otto Maduro, Drew University (U.S.A.)
Eduardo Mendieta, Stony Brook University (U.S.A.)
Rudolf J. Siebert, Western Michigan University (U.S.A.)
Rhys H. Williams, Loyola University Chicago (U.S.A.)
Statement of Purpose:
The academic study of religion occupies an ambiguous place within the humanities and social sciences. Characterized by a distinct interdisciplinary tenor, the study of religion initially emerged as a critique of the failures and limitations of the theological sciences to explain and understand human behavior. As this critique matured, the innovative scholars of the past turned to the established disciplines for insight and legitimacy: anthropology, history, philology, sociology, etc. Borrowing from these disciplines has contributed much to the success and the institutional viability of the study of religion. Yet, in spite of this success, we find that the methods and theories within these disciplines have often been developed and incorporated into the study of religion in an unreflective way, preserving ideological prejudices that hinder our understanding of human behavior and its potentials. As a response, our book series aims to develop a sustained interdisciplinary project with the express purpose of articulating a body of critical research on religion.
The purpose of this book series is to provide a venue for scholars engaged in critical research on religion. Our aims include studies contributing to our understanding of how religious institutions and religious thinking may simultaneously serve as a source of domination and progressive social change. We seek to analyze the historical and economic conditions giving rise to religious systems while recognizing that religious ideas can be motivational and therefore dialectically related to material conditions. We aim to understand more precisely the role of religion within social and political conflicts. These conflicts are often based on ethnic, racial and regional differences which have political and economic inequity as crucial factors. As with most disciplines, a critical perspective recognizes that its own historical continuities lie within the confluence of numerous religious, political, and philosophical traditions. Critical reflection does not reject this intellectual heritage but critically self-reflects on its relationship to it.
This book series invites proposals and submissions of monographs and edited volumes from scholars across all academic disciplines. These include but are not limited to theology, religious studies, sociology of religion, anthropology of religion, psychology of religion, history, political science, and philosophy. Works can use a wide range of methodologies, including quantitative, qualitative, and historical. While encouraging works to be theoretical driven by a critical perspective, it is particularly interested in empirical research which is theoretically guided by interdisciplinary concerns.
Proposal Guidelines
Submissions:
Send Electronic Proposals to:
Warren S. Goldstein
Center for Critical Research on Religion
17 Richfield Rd.
West Newton, MA 02465 USA
1(407) 782-8064
