In-person November Annual Meeting 2025 Program Book

All time are listed in Eastern Time Zone.

Please note that this schedule is subject to change and is currently being updated. Please excuse our appearance as we finalize the schedule. If you have any questions, please contact annualmeeting@aarweb.org.
Friday, 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM | Sheraton, Gardner (Third Floor) Session ID: M21-108
Papers Session

Theme: Individuals and Institutions: Intersections of Gender, Culture and Historiography

Presiding: Geordan Hammond, Candler School of Theology, Emory University

 

  1. Emily Nelms Chastain, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University

“Institutional Gatekeeping and Gendered Agency: How American Methodist Women Navigated Ecclesial Patriarchy, 1880–1980.”

 

  1. David Bundy, Manchester Wesley Research Centre.

“Gender and Institutional Development in a Holiness Church: The Case of Helen Isabel Root (1873-1945), Free Methodist.”

 

  1. Michèle Sigg, Boston University.

“The Individual in the New Historiography of World Christianity: Methodological Reflections on the Use of Biography in African Christian History”

 

  1. Stephen Wright, Manchester Wesley Research Centre, Nazarene Theological College

"Sometimes the Heart is Dry": Petitionary Prayer in Julian of Norwich and Origen of Alexandria”

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Friday, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Hynes Convention Center, 313 (Third… Session ID: P21-200
Roundtable Session

Plenary Session II
Presiding: Katrina Blue, Pacific Union College
Plenary Presentation #1: The Trauma of Public Shaming in Early Adventism
Denis Fortin, Andrews University
Plenary Presentation #2: Trauma and Testimony: A Case Study
Gilbert Valentine, La Sierra University and Avondale University
Discussion (15 min)

Friday, 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Hynes Convention Center, 206 (Second… Session ID: A21-200
Roundtable Session

This workshop brings together contingent faculty, administrators, and department leaders to explore ethical and equitable practices in hiring, evaluating, and supporting non-tenure-track faculty in the study of religion. As academic institutions increasingly rely on contingent labor, this session addresses urgent questions around fair treatment, transparency, and inclusion — especially for minoritized scholars and marginalized scholarship.

Participants will examine existing guidelines, share experiences, and collaboratively draft recommendations on topics such as equitable hiring, minimum standards of support, transparent communication, and inclusive peer review. Outcomes from the workshop will help inform a set of guidelines for consideration by the AAR Board, with the goal of promoting more just and sustainable academic structures.

Friday, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM | Sheraton, Independence East (Second… Session ID: M21-210
Other Event

This event highlights biographies to be included in a volume about women who (1) figure prominently as founders, leaders, activists, participants and supporters in the AAR/SBL Women’s Caucus; (2) reflect the diverse nature of such participants and the traditions they represent; (3) do not have a biographical entry on Wikipedia.