Women and Religion Unit
Future/s
The Women and Religion Unit invite proposals for a session at the June 2026 meeting organized around the theme Future/s.
The theme invites critical reflect on the contested idea of “the future” and its significance for religious scholarship, practice, and imagination. In a time of profound uncertainty—within the academy, across global communities, and for the well-being of the earth—scholars of religion are uniquely positioned to explore how narratives, traditions, and practices shape visions of what lies ahead.
We seek proposals that engage the intersections of women, gender, and religion with this theme, asking: What future/s are possible beyond despair or superficial hope? How might feminist, womanist, queer, and decolonial perspectives reimagine religious horizons? What resources—textual, ritual, material, and spiritual—might help us build futures marked by justice, care, and creativity?
Our unit values inclusivity, interdisciplinary approaches, and non-traditional formats. We encourage submissions that amplify marginalized voices and foster dialogue across fields and methodologies. We invite international and First Nations scholars to contribute.
Below are suggested areas of focus to inspire your proposals:
Spiritual harm remains an urgent concern across traditions and contexts. Yet the concept itself is under-defined and under-researched. How do we name and theorize spiritual harm in ways that honor lived experiences and open pathways toward accountability and healing? What methodologies center survivors’ voices and agency? How do we address the ethical and emotional toll on researchers who study harm? And what resources—ritual, theological, communal, or material—might enable reparative futures?
Indigenous and First Nation traditions offer profound resources for imagining future/s grounded in relationality, reciprocity, and resilience. These epistemologies challenge dominant Western paradigms and invite us to rethink what constitutes knowledge, community, and flourishing. How do storytelling, ritual, and land-based practices shape visions of ecological and spiritual futures? How do Indigenous and First Nation women’s voices and leadership reconfigure religious scholarship and activism?
The Women and Religion Unit seeks to promote inclusivity and excellence in scholarship. We have been intentional about including participants/presenters from interdisciplinary approaches and encouraging non-traditional ways of sharing scholarly work on the intersection of women’s and gender studies and religious and theological studies. In making selections for the annual sessions, we work collaboratively with other program units of AAR to promote scholarly conversations across fields and methodologies. We are committed to providing an inclusive scholarly environment where new voices can be heard, and critical analyses of women and religion can be advanced.