Program Unit
In-person November Annual Meeting 2026
Quaker Studies Unit
Call for Proposals
The Quaker Studies Unit always welcomes individual papers related to Quakerism, broadly conceived. Additionally, we also welcome contributions on the following subjects:
- Something with contemplative studies, maybe on affirmative mysticism or “contemplation and action” (contact Margaret Benefiel, mbenefiel@executivesoul.com);
- a panel on “Light” in different religious traditions cosponsored with the Comparative Studies Unit (contact Andrew Taylor, ataylor9@css.edu);
- One possibility for a future AAR meeting might be to have a panel discussion responding to Harold Weaver’s recent text published by Pendle Hill (Contact: Tracey Hucks, thucks@hds.harvard.edu);
- Quakers and Immigration (globally and in the U.S.), maybe partnering with another unit like Human Rights (contact Andrew Taylor, ataylor9@css.edu);
- I would be interested to hear about any research being done on Friends in the latter half of the 20th century, Quaker responses to the conflict in Israel/Palestine, and/or the evolution of Quaker identities as abolitionists in the 20th and 21st centuries (contact: Brian Blackmore, BBlackmore@afsc.org);
- A panel related to Creation Care and Climate Justice, possibly in relation to Howard Thurman or Quaker Faith and Practice. Possible cosponsorship with the ecology unit (contact: Felicity Kelcourse, fkelcourse@cts.edu).
Statement of Purpose
The Quaker Studies Unit seeks to advance critical scholarship on Quakerism and related cultural phenomena. The unit is particularly focused on interdisciplinary analyses of Quakerism in its global contexts and in the breadth of its theological diversity. As the unit understands it, Quaker Studies includes the variety of religious traditions that directly derive from the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), as well as the spiritual and social movements and practices that have influenced--or been influenced by--Quakerism.
| Chair | Dates | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Taylor | ataylor9@css.edu | - | View |
| Stephen Angell | angelst@earlham.edu | - | View |
Review Process: Participant names are anonymous to chairs and steering committee members until after final acceptance/rejection
This review process has served us well in the past, especially in cultivating a group of diverse presenters.