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Daoist Studies Unit

Call for Proposals

The Daoist Studies Unit of the AAR invites proposals for individual papers and paper sessions concerning any aspects of Daoism regardless of time period, geographical area, or methodological and theoretical approach. For the 2021 AAR Annual Meeting in San Antonio, we welcome proposals for 90-minute paper sessions (3-4 papers, a presider, and a respondent), roundtable, as well as individual papers.

We encourage themes that are multi-disciplinary and border-crossing. Please consider submitting your proposal to more than one program unit. We have been co-sponsoring sessions with many other program units in the past, including:

Arts, Literature, and Religion Unit
Buddhist Studies Unit
Confucian Traditions Unit
Chinese Religions Unit
Indian and Chinese Religions Compared Unit
Ritual Studies Unit
Tantric Studies Unit
Yoga in Theory and Practice Unit
Yogācāra Studies Unit

We hope to continue reaching out to more program units and promoting dialogue between different fields. Additionally, submitting the proposal to more than one program unit will significantly improve your odds of being accepted. Co-sponsored paper sessions also introduce your work to a larger and more diverse audience. A complete list of AAR program Unit can be found at https://papers.aarweb.org/program-units

The DSU strongly supports diversity and inclusivity. We require all pre-arranged sessions to incorporate a diversity of gender, race/ethnicity, seniority, sub-field, and/or methodology. We hope that you can reach out to others by utilizing resources, such as The Women in the Study of Asian Religions database (http://libblogs.luc.edu/wisar/).

All questions, including help with assembling paper sessions, may be directed to the co-chairs.

Statement of Purpose

The Daoist Studies Unit organizes the most consistent venue in North America for sharing research on the Daoist religion. The DSU is guided by a vision with three main goals: to reach into the vast recesses of the largely unstudied Daoist tradition; to reach out in conversation with the wider American Academy of Religion, and to promote the Annual Meeting of the AAR as an international venue for sharing and vetting research by all levels of Daoism scholars. Beginning in early 2021, the Daoist Studies Unit will also be hosting regular online forums throughout the year in preparation for the AAR conference.

Co-Sponsoring

Chairs

  • Jessey Choo, Rutgers University, New Brunswick
    j.choo@rutgers.edu
    1/1/2018 - 12/31/2023
  • Jonathan Pettit, University of Hawai'i
    jeep@hawaii.edu
    1/1/2020 - 12/31/2025

Steering Committee Members

Method

PAPERS
Other

Other

The Daoist Studies Unit conducts a double-blind review. Except for the co-chairs, the members of the steering committee evaluate proposals with no knowledge of the identity of the applicants or the comment and score given to each proposal by their colleagues. It must be noted that it is the practice of the DSU for the leadership to help the applicants with session organization and proposal writing. This practice ensures a steady flow of high-quality proposals and ultimately phenomenal paper sessions.

Review Process

Proposer names are visible to chairs but anonymous to steering committee members

Review Process Comments

The Daoist Studies Unit conducts a double-blind review. Except for the co-chairs, the members of the steering committee evaluate proposals with no knowledge of the identity of the applicants or the comment and score given to each proposal by their colleagues. It must be noted that it is the practice of the DSU for the leadership to help the applicants with session organization and proposal writing. This practice ensures a steady flow of high-quality proposals and ultimately phenomenal paper sessions.