Fw: [ATHECast] CFP: "Has Theatre Ever Been Secular?" (10/17/14; ATHE, Montr=?ISO-8859-1?Q?=E9al=2C_Qu=E9bec=2C_?=30 July- 2 August 2015)

[Lionel Walsh]

Lionel Walsh, Associate Dean
Academic and Student Affairs
Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
University of Windsor
401 Sunset Avenue
Windsor, ON
N9B  3P4  Canada
www.uwindsor.ca/fahss
519/253-3000, ext. 2029

Associate Professor
School of Dramatic Art
519-253-3000, ext. 2820
Fax: 519-971-3629
www.uwindsor.ca/drama
----- Forwarded by Lionel Walsh/walsha/University of Windsor on 2014-10-05 
11:51 AM -----

From:   jill stevenson <jillstevenson at gmail.com>
To:     medren-nyu at lists.nyu.edu, astr-l at lists.illinois.edu, DTSA List 
<THEATRE-L at gc.listserv.cuny.edu>, PERFORM - Medieval Performing Arts 
<PERFORM at listserv.indiana.edu>, MEDFEM-L at asu.edu, athecast 
<ATHECast at athe.org>
Date:   2014-10-04 12:36 PM
Subject:        [ATHECast] CFP: "Has Theatre Ever Been Secular?" 
(10/17/14; ATHE, Montréal, Québec, 30 July- 2 August 2015)



“Has Theatre Ever Been Secular?”
Session for the Association for Theatre in Higher Education’s 2015 
Conference
30 July-2 August, 2015; Montréal, Québec, Canada
 
In We Have Never Been Modern, sociologist Bruno Latour has proposed that 
the Modern Constitution is erroneously founded upon “the absolute 
dichotomy between the order of Nature and that of Society,” with the 
result being that moderns must construct vast amounts of “hybrids” between 
the two. The falsity of this foundational distinction means that we have, 
in fact, never been modern. Inspired by Latour’s model of inquiry, this 
session asks related questions with respect to performance and religion: 
Has theatre as praxis and institution ever been secular? What exactly does 
secularism mean for the arts? Have we simply forgotten those sacred roots 
that shoot through contemporary modes of operation? Are those dogmatic 
principals or transcendent propositions to which we still subscribe truly 
“secular”?
 
Craig Calhoun has said of secularism that it, like religion, is never 
singular. Moreover, secularisms are never the mere “neutral” absence of 
religion, but each instance should instead be seen as “a presence. . . . 
something we need to think through.” Religiosity is not merely subtracted 
from the equation of “secular” societies, but is still present in boldly 
outlined and sublimated forms, and often finds its way into the heart of 
liberalist claims to such concepts as inalienable rights.
 
This session invites submissions that reflect upon our own assertions, 
assumptions, and ideologies about secularism in relation to theatre and 
performance. Possible topics of research might include, but are not 
limited to:
-        Religious resonances in “secular” theatre
-        The turn to identity and community in performance as a mode of 
religious communion
-        Ecology and performance as devotion to transcendent or universal 
aims
-        “Secularized” eschatology
-        Breakdowns between religion and secularity in performance
-        Historical ruptures or attempts to define a secular theatre 
against its religious origins
-        Performance that aims to invoke the secular or aid in secular 
politics
-        The use of performance to undergird or deconstruct divisions 
between Western secularism and Fundamentalism
 
The session organizers are open to traditional conference-length papers, 
as well as other forms of research presentation. Please send a one-page 
abstract and brief bio to both Scott Venters (scottv5 at uw.edu) and Jill 
Stevenson (jillstevenson at gmail.com) by October 17th. Feel free to email 
the organizers with questions. For information about ATHE and the 2015 
conference, please visit: http://www.athe.org/
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an 
email to athecast+unsubscribe at athe.org.
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