Attached to Paper Session
Meeting Preference
Interreligious studies has not been passed over in the spatial turn. While ‘third spaces’, ‘sacred space’, or and other cognitive uses of the phrase space often turn up in the literature, there is surprisingly less ink dedicated to the physical meeting spaces.
It is not uncommon for houses of worship, seminaries, or other religiously affiliated institutions to host interreligious meetings. Others actively seek out neutral space, which often results in meetings in a majoritarian secular space of one form or another. Are these physical spaces safe spaces? Are they neutral? Does it matter?
This paper through the lens of covereage of physical spaces in the main books on interrreligious dialogue from the last 5 years. How are these questions theorized or described in recent literature?
Through an examination of these recent scholarly works, the paper will examine religious taboos and conflicts in regards to the religious spaces of other religions, as well as potential issues that can arise from so-called secular spaces. Beyond theological or religio-cultural considerations, the paper will also address questions stemming from the perspectives of gender, class, race, and sexuality. It will ask how are issues of translation, majoritarianism, and neocolonialism brought into play, in particular with a look at power dynamics. As the discussion of secular spaces indicates, this paper will challenge the neutrality of neutral spaces. Finally, the paper will explore who might be excluded or left discomforted in engaging in various spaces.
This paper will first offer a brief 2 minute overview what is happening in the field from major international events such at the Parliament of the World’s Religions and international meeting of the International Council of Christians and Jews, to national meetings of the ICCJ and other interreligious bodies in North America and Europe, to interreligious academic programs, and as well as a local meetings in a single European city.
The paper will offer brief 4-6 minute review of recent literature (2019-2024 books, see works listed below) on the topic of physical meeting spaces in interrreligious dialogue. How is the issue covered, problematized, resolved, ignored on the various planes mentioned above, what trends or schools are emerging on questions of physical meeting space?
Finally, the paper will conclude with 4-7 minutes on the gaps between what appears to be being done, and what is recommended, with special focus on exploring the spaces between the various theoretical perspectives (or schools) identified in the literature.
Practical details:
This paper fits into the call under the section “Recent Publications in the Field: Discuss your own work or review significant new contributions” - as it seeks to review a selected topic (physical spaces) in light of recent major books on interreligious dialogue.
While abnormal for AAR proposals, the time markers are included in the proposal to indicate that the author is aware of the scope of the proposal, and believes that an informative overview can be provided within either a traditional 15 minute paper framework (the upper bounds), or in the 10 minute framework of the interactive workshop (the lower bounds).
Works to be included in the study:
Cornille, C. (Ed.). (2020). The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Inter-Religious Dialogue. John Wiley & Sons.
Moyaert, M. (Ed.), Interreligious Relations and the Negotiation of Ritual Boundaries. Springer International Publishing. (Especially, but not only, the chapters by Feldman and Godin.)
Körs, A., Weisse, W., & Willaime, J.-P. (Eds.). (2020). Religious Diversity and Interreligious Dialogue. Springer Nature.
Mikva, R. (2023). Interreligious Studies: An Introduction. Cambridge University Press.
Gustafson (Ed.), Interreligious Studies: Dispatches from an Emerging Field (pp119.126). Baylor University Press. (Especially, but not only, the chapter by Parker.).
* I am open to hearing from the steering committee of any forthcoming books or other works that should potentially be included.
Abstract for Online Program Book (maximum 150 words)
This paper explores the impact of physical spaces on interreligious dialogue by analyzing key works in interreligious studies from the last five years. While cognitive concepts like 'third spaces' and 'sacred space' have garnered significant attention, the actual physical venues of interreligious meetings has received less attention. The paper will investigate how issues of neutrality, inclusivity, and exclusivity manifest in recent literature on meeting spaces. This entails examining each work from an array of perspectives on the topic, including religious perspectives on spaces of other faiths and secular venues, as well as considering intersecting factors such as gender, class, race, and sexuality. Additionally, it explores emerging thoughts on the nature of supposedly neutral spaces. The paper aims to uncover emerging trends and theoretical frameworks while identifying unresolved issues. A brief comparison between theoretical discourse and practical examples will be included to assess the alignment between academic literature and current practices.