Call for papers
It’s the Economy, Unbeliever! Alternative Spiritualities and Economic Practices – International Conference
University of Turin, Luigi Einaudi Campus, 5-6 December 2017
In recent decades, the relationship between religion and economy has been a topic of interest for economics, on the one hand, and social sciences, on the other; but interdisciplinary approaches has been openly promoted only rarely. The relevance of the relationship between these two spheres lies in the plurality of economic and business models developed by religious organizations which belong to different cultural traditions. According to the body of literature about this topic, religious organizations often develop economic systems based on practices aimed at supporting altruistic, inclusive economies, which aim at being alternative or complementary to mainstream capitalistic rationales. The target of this conference is to understand to what extent the organizations being examined are really ‘diverse’ (implying economic and business models which are alternative to the economic practices established in contemporary society) in relation to both mainstream capitalism and to ‘secular’ social enterprises, both in terms of values, and in terms of practices. We also aim at understanding how much the economic views and practices of religious groups have changed over time in order to adapt to evolutions in the groups’ religious doctrines.
This conference aims at grasping the peculiarities, connections and conflicts characterizing these economic and business models, and their impact on broader social contexts. Specifically, the conference fosters an interdisciplinary approach, mainly by mobilizing contributions from sociology, political science, anthropology, geography and economics.
To submit a paper, please send an abstract of up to 200 words – along with your paper title, name, contact info, and organizational affiliation – to the address sisprelpol@gmail.com by 10 October 2017.
There is no conference fee to pay for paper givers.
Keynote speaker. Xabier Itcaina (University of Bordeaux)
The Conference will be held at the “Luigi Einaudi” Campus of the University of Torino. This new Campus, inaugurated in 2013, has been described as one the world’s “10 most spectacular university buildings” (source: www.empooris.com).
The conference, which follows the previous meeting on “Transnational Religious Movements, Religion and Economic Development”, will be the final act of the research project “Searching Alternative Communitarianism, Religion and Economic Development”, funded by the Compagnia di Sanpaolo Foundation at the University of Turin between 2015 and 2017. The interdisciplinary research team, coordinated by Dr. Luca Ozzano, includes Prof. Stefania Palmisano, Prof. Roberto Burlando, Dr. Anna Lo Presti, Dr. Alberto Vanolo, Dr. Nicola Pannofino, Dr. Monica Gilli and Dr. Chiara Maritato.
