Program Unit Online June Annual Meeting 2026

Religion and Cities Unit

Call for Proposals

The Religion and Cities Unit welcomes paper and panel proposals for the 2026 June Online Meeting. We welcome submissions that explore the practice of religion in the city, including papers that cover urban design, infrastructure, and architecture; religious approaches to issues of justice, interfaith encounters, and community collaborations; and the practice of religion in public space.

In response to the 2026 Presidential theme, we especially welcome proposals exploring cities as crucibles of religious encounter, innovation, and contestation, where communities forge visions of what is yet possible.

Statement of Purpose

This unit engages in critical analysis of ecological relationships between religion and cities. We are interested in exploring the cooperative and conflicting relationships between cities across the globe and their religious communities in the struggle for justice and peace. Our work is interdisciplinary and includes scholars from Religious Studies, History, Anthropology, Social Ethics & Urban Sociology, Architecture & Urban Planning, Theology, and Gender Studies.

Chair Mail Dates
Edward Dunar, Albertus Magnus College edunar@albertus.edu -
Fatimah Fanusie fanusie@icjs.org -
Steering Member Mail Dates
Christopher Cantwell, Loyola University,… ccantwell1@luc.edu -
Christopher Valencia valencia.chris440@gmail… -
Dawrell Rich info@dawrellrich.com -
Lisa Beyeler-Yvarra lisa.beyeler-yvarra@yale… -
Max Dugan max.j.dugan@gmail.com -
Review Process: Participant names are visible to chairs but anonymous to steering committee members until after final acceptance/rejection
Co-Chairs will continue to invite steering committee members to read and rate proposals ahead of our virtual meeting. A Google sheets document is shared ahead of the scheduled meeting that summarizes each proposal and the comments shared by steering committee members. We will continue to use this process as it has proven beneficial so far.