Comparative Theology Unit
The Comparative Theology Unit of the AAR seeks proposals on the following topics for its session at the 2025 Annual Meetings.
We encourage panel or paper proposals on the bulleted themes listed below. We suggest that interested scholars reach out to the contact person connected to each theme. They may be able to connect you with others who are interested or otherwise answer any questions. However, you need not feel compelled to reach out.
The CT Unit runs a listserv (Google Group) that may also be used to connect with others in constructing a panel. To be added to the group, please contact Axel Takacs (takacsax@shu.edu).
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Themes
- Comparative Eco-Theologies (Contact Katie Mahowski Mylroie, Mahowskm@bc.edu)
- Authority, Normativity, and Comparative Theology – Why do we believe what we believe?: Sources of Normativity/Authority across Traditions; seeking comparative theological exploration on how various traditions exercise authority regarding normative claims (Contact Thomas Cattoi, tcattoi@pust.it)
- New Frontiers in Comparative Theology – seeking proposals regarding art, aesthetics, ascetical practices, ritual, embodiment, or indigenous/land-based theologies/axiologies (Contact James Farwell, Jfarwell@vts.edu)
- Constructive Postcolonial/Decolonial Comparative Theology – the postcolonial critiques of comparative theology now demand a constructive response for how to do comparative theology with attention to postcolonial/decolonial theologies (Contact Catherine Cornille, cornille@bc.edu or Axel Takacs, takacsax@shu.edu)
- Comparative Disability Theologies – seeking proposals for disability theologies in comparison, relevant to the AAR theme of “Freedom”, though not necessarily (Contact Megan Hopkins, hopkinma@bc.edu or Axel Takacs, takacsax@shu.edu)
- Comparative theologies of liberation / liberation theologies (contact Jason Welle, wellej@bc.edu)
- Comparative theology and Protestant traditions – exploring hermeneutical, historical and theological questions. What are the Protestant approaches to Comparative theology? What are unique theological challenges to the method? (Contact Domenik Ackermann, domenik.ackermann@uni-paderborn.de)
- Human Agency, Divine Agency, and Free Will – given the conference theme of Freedom, exercises in comparative theology around questions of free will, human agency, divine agency, etc. (contact Kalpesh Bhatt, kbhatt@umw.edu)
- Comparative Theologies engaging marginalized religions (contact Shin Jae Lee, leeaqj@bc.edu)
These are proposed themes, but one need not feel restricted by them, so long as the proposal concerns comparative theology.
Proposal descriptions must be written in such a way as to allow for anonymity during the selection process. However, panel proposals must include a diversity statement wherein the conveyor explains in what ways the panel is diverse or the rationale for a lack of diversity. Diversity here may include, but is not limited to, religion, gender, race, disability, nationality, and/or academic status (graduate student, senior scholar, etc.).
The CT Unit seeks to provide opportunities for constructive/confessional or meta-confessional theological proposals from various traditions. If appropriate, proposals should be forthright about the author’s religious tradition, i.e., whether they are writing as a Buddhist, or as a Muslim, or as a Hindu, et cetera (or some other hybrid identity).
Comparative (interreligious) theology tries to be seriously theological, interreligious, and consciously comparative — all at the same time. It is, like other forms of theology as familiarly understood, primarily a matter of “faith seeking understanding” (or, more broadly, perhaps “the practice of reflective meditative perception” or “insight”) and reflection on this faith as it has been enacted in doctrine, argument, meditation, ritual, and ethical behavior. Like other forms of theology, it is an academic discipline, but may also be about and for the sake of knowledge of God or, more broadly, the ultimate mystery toward which life points. In comparative theology, faith and practice are explored and transformed by attention to parallel theological dimensions of one or more religious or theological traditions, examined historically or in the contemporary context. As a discipline within the academy, this communal and intercommunal faith and practice are open to the analyses, comments, and questions of insiders to the involved traditions, and to scholars not necessarily defined by any such commitments who are nonetheless able and willing to explore the full range of dynamics of faith seeking understanding in a comparative perspective. Please contact any Steering Committee Member for further information on the Unit, including the most recent self-study and statement of purpose, or to be added to the Unit.
The Comparative Theology Unit runs a listserv (Google Group) that may also be used to connect with others in constructing a panel. To be added to the group, please contact Axel Takacs (takacsax@shu.edu)