Comparative Theology
2025 Call for Papers
Bennett Comerford, Harvard University (MA)
bec500@mail.harvard.edu
Alaina Keller, Georgetown University (DC)
ak1978@georgetown.edu
The Comparative Theology Section invites papers that explore
the 2025 College Theology Society conference theme of “The Locus of the
Theological Vocation.” This section is particularly interested in proposals on
the following questions and topics:
- Address
the context of comparative theology. How does the location of comparative
theology affect its process, its methods, and its conclusions? How does
the context of comparative theology, as the meeting point of other
religions, cultures, and languages, affect the theologian’s understanding
of comparative theology?
- Where
is comparative theology being done in non-academic settings? What
changes to comparative theology emerge in these spaces, and what are the
merits or drawbacks of such changes? Do these changes affect the
interreligious dialogue that develops from comparative theology?
What can theologians in academic settings and in the Church learn from the
theology being done in these spaces?
- In
what ways might new theological loci enable new participants or elevate
obscure voices in the practice of comparative theology? What aspects
of these new contexts enable these voices to be heard, and how can those
voices be integrated into comparative theology done in academic settings
and the Church?
- How
has the practice of comparative theology adjusted to increasingly
precarious contexts, including not only the academic setting but locations
of political, religious, or ecological instability?
- How
might comparative theology guide considerations of theological vocations
beyond Christianity?
- Although
the increased movement of peoples worldwide yields more interreligious
encounters, what does a diminished presence of comparative theology in
higher education mean for the future of these encounters? What is
the Church’s role in that future? What theological responses, grounded in
comparative theology, would help to facilitate these encounters?
We are excited to invite modes of conference presentations besides the typical
20-minute paper-reading, such as one or a combination of the following:
- Sending
out articles, texts, or other sources ahead of time for discussion in the
session
- Recording
a video presentation to be viewed by participants ahead of time (connected
to other source texts, discussion, etc.)
- Connecting
with local artists, activists, interreligious or interfaith groups,
parishes, churches, non-Christian places of worship and their communities,
colleges, schools, etc., for a collaborative proposal.
- Engaging
and collaborating with Native American activists, scholars, communities
and more
- Or any
other alternative mode of conference presentations you may suggest
Proposals outside of the conference theme but still related
to comparative or interreligious theology, theology of religions, or
interreligious dialogue are welcome.
Proposals should be 250-500 words in length and include
one’s current institutional affiliation and position. Proposals should be
emailed to both conveners by December 15, 2024. Scholars will be notified of
the status of their proposals by mid-January.