The Society for the Study of Theology (SST)
Please see the enclosed call for papers from SST. The conference dates, theme and location are listed below. There’s bursary information below as well.
SST 2024 - Call for Papers: Prayer and Seminar Streams
UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK
08-11 APRIL 2024
#SST24
CALL FOR PAPERS AND BURSARIES
I am writing to announce the opening of paper proposals and bursary applications for the Society for the Study of Theology’s 2024 annual conference, to be held at the University of Warwick.
The theme of SST 2024 is ‘Prayer’. The conference will feature plenary papers from Alana Vincent, Carlton Turner, Lauren Winner, and Steven Holmes. There will also be a plenary panel discussion chaired and facilitated by Ash Cocksworth, on everyday practices around prayer.
Alongside these talks, we invite proposals for short papers that speak to the conference theme, as well as for short papers under the various seminar streams, both of which are detailed below. Multiple paper proposals are permitted, however please note that the selections committees will limit each presenter to giving a maximum of one paper at the conference overall, in order to ensure that opportunities to present can be given to more delegates.
Short Papers
For the 2024 conference the SST invites short paper proposals on the theme of ‘prayer’. Prayer is a spiritual practice which takes many forms and serves many purposes in the lives of those who partake. In many times, contexts and cultures, prayer enables people to experience connection to God and also to a wider community of faith. Yet it is also a point of frustration for many – in part because theologies of prayer can often struggle to articulate how it should be understood and practiced, and what its effects might be in the life of (the) believer(s) and/or in the wider world.
We actively welcome a wide range of disciplinary perspectives germane to this topic from theology and cognates such as sociology/ anthropology/ philosophy of religion. Accepted papers will be given a 20-minute slot for presentation, followed by 10 minutes for discussion/ Q&A.
To submit a short paper proposal of 150-300 words, and to view full details of the call for short papers, click here: Call for Papers on Prayer
Seminar Papers
We also invite proposals for seminar papers on a range of ongoing topics outside of the main conference theme. This year sees the introduction of a new seminar stream focusing on Ecotheology, which is detailed on our website along with the other. The full (alphabetised) list of seminar streams for 2024 is as follows:
Black Theology
Christology, Trinity, and the Doctrine of God
Church, Theology, and Ministry
Ecotheology
LGBTQIA+ Theology
Sacramentality, Liturgy, and Theology
Theological Anthropology
Theological Ethics
Theology and the Arts
Theology and Science
Each seminar stream issues a separate call for papers with its own scope and set of criteria for selection of papers to be presented. Accepted papers will be given a 20-minute slot for presentation, followed by 10 minutes for discussion/ Q&A.
To submit a seminar paper proposal of 150-300 words, and to view full details of the calls for seminar papers, click here: Call for Papers in Seminar Streams.
Access, Inclusivity, and Diversity
The Society is committed to increasing its own inclusivity and diversity and that of the theological academy. We welcome paper submissions which bring the conference theme and seminar topics into conversation with issues such as gender, sexuality, ability and disability, ethnicity and race. We also welcome submissions from postgraduate students, early career researchers, independent scholars, and those working outside the academy. For details of our mentoring scheme, click here.
SST also has a Professional Conduct Policy which outlines our expectations of professional conduct and affirms our commitment to a harassment and discrimination-free environment. For more information on this policy, click here.
For the first time in 2024, we are introducing an Access Pack that will be published shortly and will be accessible via the website. We endeavour to make the conference an accessible space for all delegates; to that end, we welcome conversations about any access adjustments related, for example, to disability or neurodivergence. These can be noted when booking for the conference, or by contacting a member of the SST Accessibility Subcommittee (Nina Kurlberg, nina.kurlberg@durham.ac.uk, or Rachel Noel, rachel@thepinkvicar.com).
Bursary Fund
Our Society operates a generous bursary fund in order to make the conference as accessible as possible. Recipients of bursaries receive a coupon which can be offset against the cost of the conference fee, accommodation, and meals, but please note that no bursaries are available to offset the cost of conference travel. Bursaries are awarded on the basis of financial need and access to institutional funding. More details can be found on the SST website.
To apply for a bursary, click here.
Donations to the fund are most welcome and we very much appreciate the generosity of our members. Donations may be made either when booking or by increasing your annual subscription.
Deadline
The deadline for the receipt of all paper proposals and bursary applications is 5pm, Wednesday 17th January. Please note that no applications can be considered after this time.
Bookings
Bookings for the conference will open in early January and I will write to you at that time to confirm this. Until then, options and prices may be viewed online. In case your decision to attend the conference depends on acceptance of your papers proposal and/or bursary application, you will be notified of the outcome of these by 16th February 2024 in order to be able to book online before the early booking rate closes on 5th March 2024.
Please forward this message to anyone who might like to submit a paper proposal, such as colleagues, postgraduate students or anybody else with a graduate-level interest in theology; and join in the conversation on social media using #SST24.
We look forward to receiving your proposal and welcoming you to our annual conference.