Call for Papers and Student Essay Contest

Call for Papers

Canadian Theological Society

2023 In Person Annual Meeting

Monday, May 29 – Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Note: The 2023 CTS conference will be part of the CFHSS Congress, hosted by York University (Toronto)

The theme of Congress 2023, “Reckonings and Re-Imaginings,” reflects the fact that the third decade of the twenty-first century confronts us to multiple protracted intersecting crises. An unrelenting global pandemic, protests for racial justice, and escalating climate disasters have heightened our awareness of the urgent need for collective action to help us create a more equitable and sustainable world. The lessons from Black Lives Matter, Idle No More, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, have been joined by new lessons, new reckonings about what is needed to live in non-hierarchical relationships that can truly honour our human differences, while protecting the land, water and air we all need to live together.

The Canadian Theological Society invites scholars, educators, students, ordained, religious and lay leaders, activists, artists, and the public at large to pause and reflect on the lessons learned, but also to begin the work of imagining and enacting the terms under which a radically different world can be created. What might it mean for us to commit to knowing and caring for each other across our ethnoracial and cultural differences, understanding that the world we want to live in tomorrow is dependent on the action we take together today? Can we re-imagine a new set of social relationships grounded in decoloniality, anti-racism, justice, economic redistribution, interculturality, and preservation of the earth? This invitation for both reflection and action requires a genuine investment in the project of learning and growing, a willingness to participate in active and meaningful co-engagement, and a commitment to exercising patience and care in doing the hard work of changing belief systems and the world.

In a deepened commitment to the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs), we understand the problems of food insecurity, gender disparities, racial inequities, forced migration and others as linked to an accelerating climate disaster, and Black and Indigenous futurities. We are seeking to create meaningful space for diverse viewpoints and a profound reckoning with white supremacist forms of knowledge production, social structures and ways of life, while making visible decolonial, anti-racism, queer, and critical disability perspectives. We welcome theological papers engaging a variety of religious, cultural and racialized perspectives, including especially Indigenous, Black, Latina/o/x, Womanist, 2SLGBTQIA, Marxist, and non-religious theologies/spiritualities. Given the theme of conversation, we also are particularly eager to explore theologies outside of mainstream Christianity, such as post-/decolonial, anti-racist, environmental, and animal studies.

We also welcome proposals on other topics in theology, and in all of the theological disciplines, including biblical, pastoral, systematic, philosophical and moral theology. The Canadian Theological Society is committed to providing fair representation of Canadian diversity within and beyond the theological community. Women, Indigenous, and Black scholars as well as members of other underrepresented groups are therefore especially enjoined to submit proposals.

The Canadian Theological Society invites proposals pertaining to these and related themes in two formats:

10-12 Minute Presentations

Though the conference will be taking place in person, this year we will not follow the traditional 20/20 format. We rather invite presentations of 10-12 minutes that will be part of roundtables involving 3 presentations and 20 minutes of discussion. Typically the presentation will be an account of a larger research project. Since members work in a variety of fields and specializations, attention should be given to presenting advanced work in an accessible way.

Submission

Submit a proposal that includes:

• Title of presentation;
• Proposal of a maximum 250 words (with word count), which includes an abstract, the problem your scholarship engages, and the contribution you plan to make;
• Indication of need to display slides, images, or videos during presentation (PowerPoint or other format);
• On a separate page, please include:
  • Presenter’s name, institutional or professional affiliation, and contact information.

N.B.: Conference sessions will not be recorded.

2. Panels

We invite panels on issues that are relevant to members, especially as related to the theme of the annual meeting. Panel proposals should be developed to include diverse voices and perspectives and foster dialogue among the panelists as well as with those attending in the audience. We discourage panels that consist only of reading several papers.

Submission

Submit a proposal that includes:

• Title of panel;
• Length of panel (total of 50 min, including 30 min for presentations and 20 min for discussion/conversation);
• Proposal of a maximum 250 words (with word count), which includes an abstract, the problem your scholarship engages, the contribution you plan to make, and how you plan to foster dialogue among panelists and audience;
• Indication of need to display slides during presentation (PowerPoint or other format);
• On a separate page, please include:
  • Convener’s name, institution, and contact information. The convener will be the link between the panel and the CTS;
  • Names, institutions and contact information of all members (max. of 4) of the panel;
  • Either the name and contact information of the moderator, or a request that CTS provide a moderator.

N.B.: Conference sessions will not be recorded.

All proposals should be submitted in a Word or PDF file by email attachment by January 31, 2023, 5 p.m. ET to: canadiantheologicalsociety@gmail.com

We will confirm receipt of all proposals submitted by email. If you do not receive such an email confirmation within three days of submitting your proposal, contact Jean-Pierre Fortin at jeanpierre.fortin@utoronto.ca.

Presenters will be allowed to give only one paper. Due to the limited number of sessions, the selection process will be more selective than in previous years.

Selection Criteria

In selecting proposals for 10-12 min presentations or for panels, the committee will consider:

• The clarity and significance of the proposal;
• The quality of the contribution to scholarship;
• The relationship of the presentation to the thematic focus of the annual meeting;
• The contribution of the presentation to a diversity of perspectives and approaches;
• The potential for inspiring discussion and engagement among the members.

Our goal as a Society is to foster collegial discussion of the work of CTS members and other Canadian theologians. All presenters and attendees are encouraged to participate in as much of the program as possible. All presenters must be members in good standing of the CTS prior to the Annual Meeting. Membership dues must be paid prior to registering for the conference. We welcome all members, students, and other interested persons to join us this year.