Change surrounds us. As the FORWARD Religions Conference gathers in the nation’s capital on the eve of one of America’s most crucial elections, the current moment is fraught with uncertainty. Signals of change also fill our religious institutions, houses of worship, and faith communities. Seminaries have witnessed an unprecedented decline in enrollment. Post-pandemic, many have not fully returned to religious houses of worship. Even as A.I. and other emerging technologies shift religious practices, many religious leaders are struggling to catch up with the last technological wave.
The conference theme “Religions Envisioning Change” provides a needful moment for both reflection and strategizing on several key shifts, issues, and questions. What will the future of Black religion(s) look like? How might we simultaneously address digital skills gaps and new methods in digital preservation at Black sacred sites? Historically, how have Black religions met the challenge of political, social, and cultural shifts in American society in the past? Where should faith leaders, museum curators, activists, and others focus their efforts in envisioning future change? What broad networks, collaborations, and actions are necessary to build sustainable forms of justice?
We welcome papers and sessions which explore these and other topics during the conference.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
• The Future of Black Religion
• Technology and Black Religion
• Guided By the Past: Religious Artifacts as Guides in Future Making
• Afrofuturism as Religious Praxis
• 2024 Elections and the Black Church
• Collections Stories: Building Religious Archives
• All That Is Sacred: New Methods in the Collection & Preservation of Religious Objects
• Particular Religious Traditions
• We Were Always Many: Toward a Multifaith History of Black Religions
• All They That Follow: The Future of Religious Leadership in the Public Sphere
• New Approaches to the Study of Hush Harbors
Please send your abstract (maximum 500 words) for paper or session proposals to Dr. Regina Langley at NMAAHC-CSAARL@si.edu by September 13, 2024. Session proposals may have a maximum of four participants. You may also submit your proposal by filling out the following form:
Upload Your Proposal
Participants will be notified of their acceptance by September 30.
