Call for Papers: Interrogating Buddhism and Nationalism

The Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford, along with the Programme on Modern Burmese Studies at St Antony’s College, invites proposals for this 2018 workshop entitled “Interrogating Buddhism and Nationalism.”

This workshop invites scholarly papers that seek to explore, explain, complicate or challenge the perceived relationship between “Buddhism” and “nationalism,” not only in these contemporary movements, but in other times, in other locations and in other schools of Buddhism. Rather than simply assume a naturalized intertwining of these two elements, we aim to investigate the events, texts, movements, ideologies, practices, belief systems and historical processes that have led many people to posit a close connection between the two. We recognize that there are a host of different “Buddhisms” present in the world, expressed through belief, practice or identity. National identities are also regularly contested and interpreted in various ways by those inside or outside of different national or sub-national communities. We expect that participants will not simply take these categories or framings for granted, but will instead question and contextualize them through textual study, ethnography, archival research and other research methods.

Paper abstract (500 words max) and a brief bio should be sent to mbs@sant.ox.ac.uk no later than 15 September, 2017. Applicants will be informed by 22 September if their paper has been accepted.

For more details and information please click here.