CALL FOR PAPERS
ISA ANNUAL CONFERENCE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA, USA, MARCH 26-29, 2008

THE POLITICS OF SECULARISM, THE POLITICS OF RELIGION

Convenors: Luca Mavelli, PhD Candidate University of Wales,
Aberystwyth(lum03@aber.ac.uk); Ed Frettingham, PhD Candidate
University of Wales, Aberystwyth (ejf05@aber.ac.uk).

Much recent work on religion in IR has concentrated on investigating
the nature and implications of the 'global resurgence of religion',
the extent to which this resurgence challenges assumptions about the
secular character of international politics, and the role played by
religion in modern politics. What has received less attention,
however, is the political impact and role of secularism as a set of
doctrines and practices, and the possible connections between the
politics of secularism and the resurgence of religion. Discussion of
religion in IR would be arguably enriched through research into not
only the identity and politics of religion(s) and the behaviour of
religious actors, but also the nature of secularisms and their role in
political life.

This panel seeks to explore the assumptions implicit in different
conceptions of secularism (laïcité, common ground secularism, civic
religion etc), the political effects they produce, and their
relationship with religion(s).

Questions addressed might include:

- What is secularism, what forms does it take and what role does
secularism play in modern politics?

- Where, and on what basis, is the boundary between the secular and
the religious drawn?

- How do varieties of secularism influence the nature of political
interventions by religious actors? How do they define what constitutes
acceptable forms of religion?

- How do perceptions and interpretations of religion(s) affect the
politics of secularism?

- To what extent has secularism contributed to the resurgence of
religion, or vice versa?

This panel aims to contribute to the debate on religion in
international politics through exploring its relationship with
secularism. We welcome both theoretical and empirical explorations of
these issues.

Please contact us if you would like more information; if you would be
interested in presenting a paper please send an abstract by Friday
25th May. We also invite offers to contribute to the panel as chair or
discussant.

Many thanks,

Ed Frettingham
Luca Mavelli