Religion in Europe Unit

This Unit analyzes religion in both Eastern and Western Europe or related to Europe (broadly defined) in any historical or contemporary period. We encourage interdisciplinary, interreligious, and comparative approaches, and we particularly welcome submissions from members of underrepresented groups in the Academy.

For a possible cosponsored session with the Science, Technology & Religion Unit:

AI Development in Europe - implications for religion

Religious representation in AI models is critical to ensuring that these systems fairly and accurately reflect the plurality of beliefs, practices, and worldviews present in global societies. Addressing this gap is especially urgent as LLMs and other AI systems increasingly mediate sensitive cultural, ethical, and social interactions. This panel invites proposals that explore related topics, such as:

• The role of religious scholars, communities, and organizations in shaping AI design and governance;
• Historical examples of how religious scholars, communities, and organizations have intervened in technology developments (for good or ill);
• The ethical and technical challenges of including religious diversity in AI training datasets.

For a possible cosponsored session with the Interreligious and Interfaith Studies Unit and the Vatican II Unit:

60th Anniversary of Nostra Aetate 

2025 marks the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the groundbreaking Vatican II declaration on the Church’s relationship with non-Christian religions. To commemorate this milestone, the Interreligious and Interfaith Studies, Religion in Europe, and Vatican II units invite proposals for a co-sponsored panel that explores the enduring significance, challenges, and future implications of Nostra Aetate in European, North American, and other contexts.

We welcome papers that critically engage with the following themes:

• The historical and political context of Nostra Aetate and its development.
• The impact of Nostra Aetate on Christian-Jewish, Christian-Muslim, or other interfaith relations.
• The role of Nostra Aetate in shaping Catholic and interreligious dialogue today.
• The reception of Nostra Aetate by non-Christian religious communities and secular actors.
• The relevance of Nostra Aetate in contemporary Europe amidst rising secularization, religious pluralism, and global challenges such as Islamophobia and antisemitism.
• Critical perspectives on the limitations of Nostra Aetate, including voices marginalized by its framework.

This panel aims to foster a rich, interdisciplinary dialogue that examines how Nostra Aetate has shaped and continues to shape interreligious dynamics and religious identities in an increasingly pluralistic world.

Proposals from diverse disciplinary and methodological perspectives are encouraged. 

For a possible cosponsored session with the Martin Luther and Global Lutheran Traditions Unit:

The German Peasants War at 500

2025 marks the 500th anniversary of the suppression of the German Peasants War (1524-1525), the largest popular uprising in Europe before the French Revolution. This panel seeks to reconsider intersections of church reform, early Lutheran theology, economic grievance, and political thought in this movement and its aftermath. We particularly invite papers that consider the shifting rhetorics of violence and nonviolence in Protestant theology and biblical criticism in the years following the Peasants War. 

New work on contemporary France: Islam, Pluralism, and Religious Difference

In this proposed panel session, Carol Ferrara, author of Muslim and Catholic experiences of national belonging in France (2024), and Kirsten Wesselhoeft, author of Fraternal Critique: The politics of Muslim community in France (2025), will briefly discuss their books, especially in relation to one another, before welcoming responses from discussants representing a range of perspectives on religion. We invite brief statements of interest from potential discussants, who would receive copies of the books and focus on several chapters from each.

We also welcome proposals beyond these themes, especially proposals for complete pre-arranged sessions related to religion and Europe, broadly interpreted. Successful sessions will reflect gender and racial/ethnic diversity, as well as diversity of field, method, and scholarly rank as appropriate.