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VERSION:2.0
PRODID:https://github.com/derhansen/sf_event_mgt
METHOD:PUBLISH
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:5047-2850@www.sgr-sssr.ch
CLASS: PUBLIC
SUMMARY:Workshop: “Fun with Religion: Investigating Playfulness, Play, and Games in the Study of Religion”
DESCRIPTION:On 16 and 17 January 2025, the Study of Religion in Bern will h
 ost the international workshop entitled “Fun with Religion: Investigating P
 layfulness, Play, and Games in the Study of Religion,” supported by the SGR
 -SSSR.\n\n For all the deconstructive efforts that the study of religion ha
 s engaged with over the last few decades, ‘religion’ often still carries wi
 th it the association of seriousness and solemnity. While this is no doubt 
 true in many cases, it is a disservice to the multifaceted nature of the ph
 enomenon to overlook the many playful, creative, and mundane elements that 
 are present in religion as well. Pen-and-paper roleplaying games are develo
 ped with the specific aim to teach audiences about the disappearing indigen
 ous religions of their areas; Pentecostal Christians see bird droppings on 
 their clothes or slipping on ice as humorous signs from God to stay humble;
  entire movements are built to satirize organized religion as phenomenon, b
 ut end up as full-fledged religions; and astral travellers try to prove the
 ir practice is true through organized potlucks in the astral realm. These a
 re just some of the various ways in which creativity and playfulness are wo
 und up with religion and spirituality. \n\nThe goal of this international w
 orkshop is to celebrate the ‘fun’ aspect of religion, to find it in various
  unexpected places, and to discuss the importance of the concepts of playfu
 lness and play in our discipline. The empirical focus will be on the contem
 porary West, to limit problems of comparison across time or cultures. Parti
 cipants are encouraged to bring in their expertise from other disciplines s
 uch as folkloristics, cognitive science, occupational studies, and game stu
 dies. Interdisciplinary conversations will specifically be given room in th
 e program—aside from the individual presentations—in order to discuss what 
 research questions surrounding playfulness, play, and games are of interest
  to the study of religion in particular.\n\nThe following questions will be
  of central importance to the workshop, the papers given, and the wider dis
 cussions held:\n\n1. What role is there for playful attitudes in religious 
 or spiritual movements?\n\n2. How can we constructively conceptualize ‘play
 fulness’ and ‘play’ in the study of religion, and how do they differ in the
 ir use from established terms such as creativity?\n\n3. What theoretical in
 sights do we gain from taking ‘fun’ seriously in the study of religion?\n\n
 4. How should interdisciplinary cooperation look like, in order to fruitful
 ly explore the above questions?\n\nProgram\n\nFlyer
DTSTAMP:20250107T104705Z
DTSTART:20250116T070000Z
DTEND:20250117T170000Z
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