Call For Papers: The 2nd Ramabai Research Scholars Workshop (25-26 January, 2025)
Organized by
Theological Research and Communication Institute, New Delhi.
25-26 January 2025
The Research Scholars Workshop is a platform for research scholars both young and old to give voice to the questions, concerns, and perspectives produced by the encounters between their faith and their own fields/disciplines/subjects. The Workshop is designed to be a space for nuanced discussion and detailed feedback from fellow participants and seniors associated with TRACI, essentially enabling us to further shape our academic vocation by talking about and thinking through our work. The workshop is being planned and organized by the Pandita Ramabai Study Group, a university research scholars initiative within TRACI, which comprises of young scholars who meet regularly to discuss their work, their faith, and the interactions between the two.
Theme: Engaging with Worlds in Crisis
The word ‘crisis’ has become ubiquitous in recent times as we face a diversity of challenges two decades into the 21st century. From the urgency of the climate crisis or the skyrocketing levels of global economic inequalities to the extremities of the refugee crises or ongoing destruction by war, we are surrounded by reminders of a world reeling under multiple conflicts. On the heels of a global pandemic, the past few years have witnessed state-sanctioned violence on minorities, rising religious nationalism, and crackdowns on academic and media freedoms. Alongside the age-old struggles brought about by natural disasters or bodily disabilities are more modern concerns regarding the pervasiveness of artificial intelligence or digital surveillance. As Christian scholars engaged in various personal and public pursuits, we are continuously called upon to engage with experiential, material, and spiritual worlds that are constantly in flux. This engagement comes with many struggles; sometimes it asks us to re-examine perspectives we hold dear and other times it demands us to speak out publicly against injustice. The journey can be hopeful and exciting, but also overwhelming and confusing for many of us.
This workshop aims to bring together christian scholars from all disciplinary backgrounds to discuss the theme ‘Engaging with Worlds in Crisis’ as it pertains to their fields of study and interest through critical conversations. It hopes to generate reflection on various contemporary issues in all arenas of life through empirical or theoretical work. It asks what are the ways in which we can meaningfully think through, conceptualize, and respond to pressing concerns around us? What do they demand of us as concerned citizens and followers of Jesus? What insights can rigorous scholarship and attention to the nuances of a topic combined with a commitment to truth and justice bring to the table? How might they form our imagination and inform our understanding of being a christian in times such as these?
The Ramabai Research Scholars Workshop is a platform for young Indian christian researchers to raise questions, perspectives, and challenges produced by the encounters between their faith, their scholarly pursuits, and their worlds. After a successful inaugural conference in 2023, the second edition of the workshop hopes to continue being a space of critical insights and detailed feedback from fellow participants and invited experts. The workshop is being organized by the Pandita Ramabai Study Group, a research scholars initiative within TRACI, which comprises young scholars who meet regularly to discuss their work, their faith, and the interactions between the two.
The workshop invites abstracts of around 250 words by September 1, 2024 from all disciplines including the humanities, social sciences, theology, sciences, law, medicine, or other pursuits. Scholars may present on any topic, be it theoretical or ethical issues within disciplines, textual analysis, historiographical approaches, empirical studies, or quantitative work, provided it links with the broader given theme.
Papers may engage with topics including (but not limited to):
- War, conflict and global politics
- Academic and artistic freedoms
- Caste discrimination, tribal concerns, and minority issues
- Research ethics and academic practice
- Law, police, and military action
- Current literary, cinematic, and cultural productions
- Challenges in journalism and media
- Religious violence, ethno-nationalism, communalism
- Policy, privatization and the public sphere
- Changing childhoods, challenges in education
- Gendered violence and discrimination
- Environmental crisis and global warming
- Colonialism, imperialism and neoliberalism
- Social media, AI, and digital concerns
- Debates on gender and sexuality
- Refugee-migrant crisis, internally-displaced populations
- Mental health, emotional well-being, addictions
- Disability, embodiment, and corporeality
- Processes and politics of language and translation
- Economic divides and increasing inequalities
- Theological responses to social issues
- Fake news, conspiracies, and dissemination of information
Please send abstracts (250 words) and a bio-note (including name, current degree/occupation, and institutional affiliation) in a doc format to traciptramabai@gmail.com
Last date for submission of abstracts: 1 September, 2024
Last date for full paper submission for selected candidates: 15 December, 2024
Workshop dates: 25-26 January, 2025 (Saturday and Sunday)
Workshop venue: E-537, TRACI (Theological Research and Communication Institute), Greater Kailash, New Delhi.
Selected candidates will be intimated by September 15, 2024 and further guidelines for the paper will be provided. The selected papers will be published as an edited volume with ISBN and hence must be original and unpublished work. Full-length papers must be submitted by December 15, 2024 so that discussants can prepare their responses. Accommodation and food for the workshop days and minimum travel expenses (third-AC fare) will be provided for those traveling from outside Delhi. Participants are expected to attend both days of the workshop and actively engage in the discussions that follow. Candidates who cannot travel for unavoidable reasons but want to participate in the workshop may submit their abstract and specify this limitation in the email so that the organizers can take it into consideration. There are no presentation or registration fees. Click here to see the publication from the last workshop.
Please do not hesitate to write to us at traciptramabai@gmail.com or text on whatsapp at +91 9899265939 for any queries or clarifications.
Here’s the published work of the Workshop 2023-24. It’s available on Amazon.
In this eclectic collection of essays, as the title of the book – Convictions and Challenges: Essays on Faith and Social Realities in India – suggests, the authors embark on a multi-dimensional exploration of religious belief, identity and society, navigating through the intricate interplay of Christianity and various aspects of life. From the challenges of unemployment, to the search for objective truth amid multiple historical narratives, and the role of Christianity in shaping identity – as an individual and as a community – these essays collectively engage with human lives. We delve into the concept of childhood, examine indigenous worldviews, analyse the impact of religion on environmental policy, challenge gender dynamic within the Christian community, and scrutinise the controversial relationship between religious conviction and lawmaking. We also journey into Christianity’s role in the ever-evolving realm of mass media. As we go through these essays, we invite readers to consider the influence our belief system has – or rather, it ought not to – in this part of the world we inhabit, at least for now, even as we give ourselves “fully to the work of the Lord” (1 Cor 15:58).
