Call for Papers: International interdisciplinary scientific conference Religious Experience and Tradition, Kaunas, Lithuania, May 11-12, 2012.

During the last century, religious experience has been studied extensively from different points of view, such as: the revitalization of religion; New Age movements; new social roles of religion; the place of different religions in society; neurosciences; ecumenism; (re)secularization as a part of modernization; religions and values, etc. Globalization offers a wide assortment of exotic religious practices sometimes covered under the diversity of physical or intellectual activities. Traditional faiths are confronted with new religious movements. Families uniting people from different countries face cultural and  religious inadequacies in daily life. Consequently, scholars in the field of religion are facing new challenges, namely to rethink the importance of religious experience and its place in contemporary society with relation to its interconnection with the religious tradition.

This conference is the 3rd one dedicated to the research of religious experience and the religious consciousness. After discussing the phenomenon of mystical experience and relationship between East and West we direct our attention towards religious experience in relation to religious traditions. Some fundamental questions are: How do religious experiences correlate with religious traditions? Are religious experiences expressions of religious tradition or of human religiousness in general? How is the experience of Transcendence understood by the religious and nonreligious people? Is it possible that the expression of such experience stays beyond the concrete religious tradition? How is it possible (if at all) to express one’s personal experience of Transcendence?

The Conference organizers invite you to address such questions and welcome papers in line with the Conference theme, particularly in relation to the following subthemes:

• The consequence of religious experience on tradition
• The influence of religious tradition on religious experience
• Religious experience in diverse religious environments
• Religious experience as an ecumenical phenomenon
• Effects of daily and extraordinary religious experiences on tradition
• Social aspects of religious experience and tradition
• Psychological, psychoanalytical and anthropological aspects of religious experience and tradition
• Literary and other artistic expression of religious experience
• Interconnection of religious practices and religious experiences and tradition

Please submit an abstract of your paper of 250-300 words (500 words if your paper will be presented not in English), together with your name, position, and institutional affiliation to religio@ktf.vdu.lt by December 15, 2011. The abstract should be sent as an email attachment in Microsoft Word format. Each proposal will undergo a double-blind peer review process.

Registration fee is 30 € (EUR). Unfortunately, there are no funds available at the time to cover the accommodation- or travel-expenses.

All papers accepted for and presented at the conference will be eligible for publication in the scientific journal ‘SOTER’ published by the Faculty of Catholic Theology at Vytautas Magnus University. The Journal
is reviewed in: CEEOL, The Philosopher’s Index, eLABa, DOAJ.

Organizing institute: Vytautas Magnus University (Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Catholic Theology)

Scientific commitee:

prof. dr. Algis Mickūnas (chair, Ohio university, USA),
prof. dr. Romualdas Dulskis (VMU, Faculty of Catholic Theology, Lithuania),
prof. dr. Merab Ghaghanidze (Free University, Tbilisi, Georgia),
prof. dr. Peter Jonkers (Tilburg university, Netherlands),
prof. dr. Rekha Menon (Berkeley College, Boston, USA),
prof. dr. Tomas Sodeika (KUT, Dep. of Philosophy and Cultural Science, Lithuania),
prof. dr. Anita Stašulane (Daugavpils University, Latvia),
assoc prof. dr. Olga Breskaya (University of Brest, Belarus),
assoc. prof. dr. Janis Priede (University of Latvia, Latvia),
dr. István Povedák (Bálint Sándor Institute for the Study of Religion, Hungary)

Organizing committee:

assoc. prof. dr. Agnė Budriūnaitė (chair, VMU, Dep. of Philosophy, Lithuania),
assoc. prof. dr. Živilė Advilonienė (VMU, Faculty of Catholic Theology, Lithuania),
assoc. prof. dr. Povilas Aleksandravičius (MRU, Dep. of Philosophy, Lithuania),
assoc. prof. dr. Rūta Brūzgienė, (MRU, Dep. of Lithuanian Language, Lithuania),
assoc. prof. dr. Vida Daugirdienė (VMU, Faculty of Catholic Theology, Lithuania),
assoc. prof. dr. Lora Tamošiūnienė, (MRU, Dep. of Foreign Languages, Lithuania),
assoc. prof. dr. Benas Ulevičius (VMU, Faculty of Catholic Theology, Lithuania),
assist. prof. theol. lic. Valdas Mackela (VMU, Faculty of Catholic Theology, Lithuania),
assist. prof. Rimantas Viedrynaitis (VMU, Dep. of Philosophy, Lithuania),
Vitalij Milkov (VMU, Dep. of Philosophy, Lithuania).

Venue: Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania.
Conference languages: English, Lithuanian, French, German.

Important dates:
Submission of proposals – December 15, 2011
Notification of acceptance – January 15, 2012
Registration fee payment – March 15, 2012
Publication of the program – April 15, 2012