As always, the Law, Religion, and Culture Unit welcomes proposals for individual papers, papers sessions, and roundtable panel proposals, including author-meets-critics sessions, on any aspect of the cultural, historical, critical, and comparative study of the intersections of law and religion in globally. This year we are particularly interested in work that pursues translational framings of “religious freedom,” investigations into immigration law in a global context, and examinations of issues related to prisons, carceral studies, and prison abolition movements worldwide. We would also welcome studies of the state (and consequences of the potential end) of Indian secularism. As 2023 will mark the 200th anniversary of Johnson v M’Intoch, and the current US Supreme Court will rule in June on Brackeen v. Haaland, we’re particularly interested in panels on Indian law in the US, its history and future, as well as comparative approaches to global indigenous legal struggles.
For possible co-sponsorship with the Teaching Religion unit: on the consequences of recent laws regulating education (like the Stop Woke Act in Florida), with particular relation to the impact of such legislation on teaching religion and the role of religion in crafting such legislation.
For possible co-sponsorship with the Catholic Sex Abuse group: on religious sexual abuse more generally, with attention to legal issues (including courtroom performance of religious expertise, the role of expert witnesses in court, and media framings of the religious).
Statement of Purpose:
This Unit is interested in the cross-cultural, interdisciplinary, and comparative studies of the interrelationships of law and religion. The terms “law” and “religion” are broadly conceptualized and our interests have extended to include ancient and contemporary contexts and a wide variety of critical approaches. We hope to instigate consideration of religion and law issues at the AAR beyond issues concerning religious freedom and the United States Constitution.