PTNCON23: Call for Seminar Streams

The Political Theology Network invites proposals for seminar streams to be featured at our fourth conference to be held in Philadelphia, PA on September 7-10, 2023.

As part of our ongoing effort to experiment with conference structure and format, we will accept proposals in two stages: proposals for seminar streams (deadline: March 1, 2023) and proposals for individual papers to be included within the selected streams (deadline: April 15, 2023).

A seminar stream is a thematic cluster area that structures discussion and engagement during the conference. The themes are broad enough to invite interdisciplinary engagement but specific enough to focus conversation among 10-20 participants. For example, the 2022 PTN conference included streams on “Indigeneity and (Im)migration: Dispossession, Borders, and the State,” “Climate Change and Apocalypticism,” and “Beyond Secularization.” Individual papers will be proposed to a specific stream and reviewed by its co-facilitators. Each stream should have at least two, and no more than three, facilitators. Free housing will be made available to all stream leaders.

We especially welcome proposals and papers that engage non-Christian and/or non-Western contexts as well those working with feminist theory, queer theory, decolonial theory, Latinx studies, indigenous studies, and/or Black studies. We anticipate this being a primarily in-person conference, with the possibility of remote options arranged with stream leaders on an as-needed basis.

To propose a stream, please email [email protected] with “2023 PTNCON Stream Proposal” in the subject line. Please include the following information:

• Title of seminar stream + names of facilitators
• 250-350 word proposal + rationale. This might include questions or problems your stream seeks to address, discussion of the stakes of this focus, or reflections on method. All proposals should spend some time addressing how the stream relates to broader themes in political theology (conceived very broadly as interdisciplinary conversation on the intersection between religious and political ideas and practices)
• 100-word draft abstract for a potential CFP for individual paper proposals 
• Short biographical statement for each co-facilitator

Once streams have been determined, we will release an open call for individual papers.  We anticipate that this call will be released around March 15, 2023 and that the deadline will be April 15, 2023.

More on the conference itself:

• Conference sessions will be held at Pendle Hill Retreat Center in Swarthmore, PA
• There will be a range of housing options, including subsidized retreat-style room + meals at Pendle Hill, as well as more traditional hotels nearby.
• The conference will include both stream-specific breakout sessions, bigger plenaries, opportunities to engage with the local Philadelphia context, and social events.
• Participants are required to be updated on all COVID-19 vaccinations and to test negative for the virus within 24 hours of arrival.

Questions? Ask the organizing committee: Lucia Hulsether (committee chair) ([email protected]), Brandy Daniels ([email protected]), Alex Dubilet ([email protected]), and Vincent Lloyd ([email protected]).