Conference: Revitalising peace theologies for today

Around one in four of the world’s population are affected by conflict. Interstate conflict is increasing. The threat of nuclear warfare has returned. Issues of war, peace and activism have moved out of the ethics classroom into the lived reality of many faiths around the world.

This June, the Revitalising Peace Theologies conference provides a chance to explore the notion and practices of peace from a range of religious perspectives and from the viewpoints of many different actors.

Organised by the Centre for Faith in Public Life (Wesley House), the conference will bring together religious practitioners, scholars, and theologians for an in-person multi-faith conference which aims to revitalise non-violent theologies of peace. The organisers welcome paper proposals from a range of faith traditions, global contexts, and disciplines that aim at understanding, promoting, and enacting peace within oneself, communities, and nations.

Call for papers

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Faith-inspired nonviolent resistance and direct action
• Pacifism in theory or practice
• Studies of nonviolent religious figures (eg Leo Tolstoy, Gandhi, Jane Addams, Thich Nhat Hanh, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Dorothy Day)
• Conscientious objection to military service
• Militarism, memory, and remembrance
• Faith-inspired disarmament and demilitarisation
• Peace in worship (eg liturgy, prayers, songs, rituals, sacraments)
• The relationship between peace and justice
• Peace in the Hebrew scriptures, Quran, or Christian Bible or other sacred texts
• Just war or just peace theory and its critics
• War, peace, and the environment
• Coexistence in religiously pluralistic societies
• Indigenous peace perspectives
• Religion, peace and intersectionality (eg race, gender, sexuality, class, age)
• Forgiveness, repentance, reconciliation
• Faith-inspired conflict resolution and mediation
• Catholic Social Teaching on peace
• Faiths in conflict and interfaith peace initiatives

Selection criteria for abstracts include the originality of the proposal, its relevance to the conference themes, and the potential for peer-reviewed publication. The organisers are looking for papers that will cohere together into a well-curated conference. The organisers reserve the right to decline any paper proposal.

Presentation time slots will be 30 minutes (20 minutes + 10 minutes discussion).

Presentations will be in person in Cambridge, England. There is no possibility to present online.

Proposals should be submitted via the designated web form. Visit the Centre for Faith in Public Life web pages (via wesley.cam.ac.uk) to learn more.

The call for papers will close on 31 January. Registration opens in February.

The Cambridge Interfaith Programme is pleased to support this event.