The accurate and respectful representation of belief systems, including religions and minority cultures, has been a persistent problem in the humanities and social sciences for many decades. In our increasingly global, multicultural and “postsecular” society, in which contradictory belief systems come into constant contact, and within which contestations over identity and representation are increasingly fraught, emerging scholars in the social sciences and humanities must negotiate disciplinary traditions and contemporary concerns.

 

This 3-day workshop will introduce students to key debates around the representation of belief, including ethical practices and scholarly reflexivity, with a focus on research on religion, spirituality and minority cultures and ethnicities. Combining seminars, discussions and short written exercises, the workshop will encourage participants to apply the knowledge gained in the workshop to their own research projects and engage in a collaborative manner with other workshop participants.

 

Aimed at equipping students with a sophisticated understanding of the complexities of representing belief, this workshop is open to all Honours, Masters and PhD students from all disciplines at all Australian universities. The workshop will be particularly valuable for students scheduled to begin research projects in the social sciences and humanities in 2020, but it is not limited to these students.

 

Applicants must discuss their participation in the workshop with their research supervisor, who must endorse their application.

 

The HRC will offer a bursary to all successful applicants living outside the ACT (and its immediate bordering region) to subsidize the cost of travel and accommodation: $300 for candidates based in NSW and $500 for candidates based elsewhere in Australia.

 

The workshop will be held in the ANU’s Sir Roland Wilson building, 120 McCoy Circuit, Acton, ACT, 2601 a 10-15 minute walk from the centre of Canberra. Workshop sessions will be held from 09:00 through to lunchtime across the three days, with activities assigned for the afternoons. Morning tea and lunch will be provided.

 

Ibrahim Abraham is the Hans Mol Research Fellow in Religion and the Social Sciences and Convenor of the Freilich Project for the Study of Bigotry, based at the ANU in the HRC. He is the author of Evangelical Youth Culture: Alternative Music and Extreme Sports Subcultures (Bloomsbury, 2017) and editor of Christian Punk: Identity and Performance (Bloomsbury, 2020).

 

Please email completed applications forms to ibrahim.abraham@anu.edu.au no later than Friday 13 Dec 2019. Applicants will be informed of the outcome by Friday 20 Dec 2019.

 

Please address all inquiries to ibrahim.abraham@anu.edu.au.