The Conference on the Study of Religions of India (CSRI) invites proposals for its upcoming Annual Meeting to be held in person at Elon University in Elon, NC, June 19-22, 2025. The conference theme is "Sacred Journeys and Sacred Stories.” We invite proposals representing a range of disciplinary and methodological approaches that engage the storytelling, pilgrimage, and performance traditions of diverse religious traditions and communities of India.
Possible topics include epic tales; mythic narratives; founding myths; temple legends; folklore and folktales; stories that establish authority; the ritual commemoration of stories; the social function of narratives; the reenactment of stories and stories of reenactment; place-based or festival recitation traditions; the revision or reformulation of stories; pilgrimage practices; hagiography; storytelling in dance and music; travel narratives; or explorations of how stories travel. Comparative analysis of narrative, pilgrimage, and performance practices as well as robust theorizing of these categories, are also invited. We also welcome proposals for pre-formed panels of 3-4 presenters.
Conference organizers (Amy Allocco, Archana Venkatesan, Sufia Uddin, Reid Locklin, Chad Bauman, and Brian Pennington) invite individual paper proposals not longer than 250 words, due no later than March 1, 2024. Please send all questions to CSRI Executive Committee Chair Brian Pennington at bpennington4@elon.edu.
To submit a paper proposal, please click on the "Submit Paper Proposal" tab of the sidebar.
The Conference on the Study of Religions of India (CSRI) is a forum of exchange for scholars engaged in the academic study of the religious traditions of India in both native and diasporic contexts. It provides scholars a leisurely, collegial environment in which to present their work in person. Emphasis will be placed on informality among peers. Committed to critical and creative inquiry, the conference is not an advocacy forum for the religions of India and does not endorse or proscribe a particular point of view. Scholars with terminal degrees in Religious Studies or related academic disciplines (like Anthropology, Art, Ethnomusicology, History, Philosophy, Theology, and Gender/Women’s Studies) researching and/or teaching in the area of religions of India are eligible to present, attend, and participate in the conference. Graduate students in any of these disciplines are also warmly welcomed to present and participate in the conference.
