Ecclesiological Investigations Unit
The Eastern Orthodox Studies Unit and the Ecclesiological Investigations Unit invite proposals for a session that considers the impact of ethnographic methods on the study of Orthodox ecclesiology. Anthropologists and other social scientists are now engaging with theological ideas, texts, and lived practices, fertilizing a shift in how they understand what constitutes the Orthodox Church. Theologians too are taking up social scientific methods in their work, in order to grasp the forms of theological understanding that actually animate particular communities’ lives. Together, these developments can lead to uncharted territory in Orthodox ecclesiology. What are the parameters of the conversation that is taking shape around empirical, descriptive, interpretive, or inductive approaches to ecclesiology? What are the benefits and risks of these developments? How might developments in ethnographic theology or the study of ecclesial practices outside Orthodox Christianity need to be adapted for Orthodox Christian contexts? We encourage submissions from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and geographical foci as we seek to cultivate a generative dialogue on this emerging conversation.
Ecclesiological Investigations Unit Mission Statement
The Ecclesiological Investigations Unit seeks to serve as a hub for national and international collaboration in ecclesiology, acting as a facilitator to support conversations, research, and education in this field. Our Unit strives to appeal to a wide range of AAR members through its inter-disciplinary nature and the way in which it crosses many academic boundaries in theology and religious studies. The Unit’s fundamental aims are as follows:
- Organizing and sharing in ecumenical, interreligious, and interdisciplinary research and discussion, bringing ecclesiology into dialogue with other sub-disciplines in theology and religious studies as well as the sciences, social sciences, and the humanities.
- Equally encouraging established professionals, doctoral students and early scholars to have a platform for their research and eventual publication.
- Providing a space and a platform for emerging and marginalized voices in our field.
- Fostering diversity and inclusion in all dimensions of our work.
- Publishing the best fruits of our collaborations in journals such as Ecclesiology (Brill), the Journal of World Christianity (Penn State), and Ecumenical Trends (Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute) or in edited volumes such the Pathways for Dialogue series (Springer/Palgrave Macmillan).