About Jim Spickard

Jim Spickard retired in 2020 after 47 years of college and university teaching -- the last 31 at the University of Redlands, where he taught courses on the sociology of religion, social inequality, and social theory. He has written or edited eight books and authored over 80 journal articles and book chapters on such topics as theory in the sociology of religion, religious experience, religious social activism, human rights, and social science research methods. His most recent monograph, "Alternative Sociologies of Religion" (NYU 2017), reimagines what sociologists might notice about religion if they began from non-Western starting points rather than from Western Christian ones. His most recent edited book is ""Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization: Practical Tools for Improving Teaching, Research, and Scholarship", co-edited with Abby Day, Lois Lee, and Dave S.P. Thomas (Bristol 2022).
15 10, 2024

Job Opening: Asst. Professor of Sociology, University of South Florida

2024-10-15T08:17:07-04:00

The Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences at the University of South Florida seeks candidates who specialize in global and/or comparative sociology to fill a nine-month, full-time, tenure-earning position as Assistant Professor to begin August 7, 2025. This position aligns with our department’s strategic focus on global and transnational processes including citizenship, conflict, migration/immigration, place, politics, power, social movements, and human security. A variety of epistemological and methodological approaches will be considered.

Qualified individuals with diverse experience and backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Minimum Qualifications: Ph.D. in Sociology from an accredited institution is required. Applications from individuals who are ABD accepted, but the degree must be conferred by appointment start date. Must meet university criteria for the rank of Assistant Professor.

Preferred […]

Job Opening: Asst. Professor of Sociology, University of South Florida2024-10-15T08:17:07-04:00
11 09, 2024

Postdoctoral Scholarship Opportunity in Brazil

2024-09-11T11:52:04-04:00

The general objective of the project is to verify the applicability in Brazil of the concept of deep equality formulated by Lori Beaman. More specifically, we seek to assess two interrelated questions: 1. how racial, gender and religious conflicts are negotiated in the network of family ties and neighborhood relations; 2. whether these negotiations take place outside and independently of the official political model of pluralism transmitted by public educational institutions. To this end, in-depth interviews will be conducted with members of low-income families in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. These families will be chosen from among those with children who attend religious education classes in public schools.

It is desirable that the candidate has experience in international research collaboration […]

Postdoctoral Scholarship Opportunity in Brazil2024-09-11T11:52:04-04:00
28 08, 2024

Katz Center Fellowships for 2025-26

2024-08-28T09:51:16-04:00

The Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania is offering residential fellowships for their 2025–26 year, with the theme: New Frontiers in Contemporary Jewish Life: Cultural Expansions, Encounters, and Experiments. (Click this link for full information.)

The Center supports individual research projects while encouraging conversation and collaboration through seminars, conferences, and other forms of intellectual exchange. The fellowship is open to scholars from across the globe and at all career levels from newly minted Ph.D.s to senior scholars. The Katz Center welcomes proposals coming from any disciplinary perspective, including anthropologysociology, history, education studies, ethics, religious studies, political science, […]

Katz Center Fellowships for 2025-262024-08-28T09:51:16-04:00
30 07, 2024

Please join me in congratulating our ASR Award Winners:

2024-07-30T11:30:05-04:00

Lifetime Achievement Award: Robert Wuthnow

Best Sociology of Religion Journal Article Award: Mayrl, Damon. 2023. “The Funk of White Souls: Toward a Du Boisian Theory of the White Church.” Sociology of Religion 84(1):16–41.

Best Sociology of Religion Journal Article Award Honorable Mention: Rogińska, Maria. 2023. “The Religious Imaginary and the Repressive State.” Sociology of Religion 84(4):383–405.

McNamara Student Paper Award: Tessa Huttenlocher for the paper, “The Disaffiliation of American Religious Colleges and Universities, 1895-1923.”

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Here’s a couple of reminders regarding our conference in Montreal next month:

  • If you haven’t already done so, please register for the conference ASAP. You can do so by logging into your ASR account and clicking the register for a conference button. If you aren’t able to log into your […]
Please join me in congratulating our ASR Award Winners:2024-07-30T11:30:05-04:00
9 06, 2024

Call for proposals:  ASR book series “Religion and the Social Order”

2024-06-09T16:22:17-04:00

General Editor: Abby Day, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK

Editorial Committee: Lori Beaman, University of Ottawa, Canada, Michele Dillon, University of New Hampshire, USA, David Herbert, University of Bergen, Norway, Roberta Ricucci, University of Turin, Italy, Federico Settler, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Rhys Williams, Loyola University, Chicago, USA, and Melissa M. Wilcox, University of California at Riverside, USA.

The series welcomes manuscripts – monographs or edited volumes – addressing a particular set of current interests within the sociology of religion. It specifically aims to advance theory and research within this field of study. Contributors to the series will be or are expected to become Association for the Sociology of Religion (ASR) members. The series seeks to publish at least one volume […]

Call for proposals:  ASR book series “Religion and the Social Order”2024-06-09T16:22:17-04:00
9 06, 2024

Institute for Religion, Culture and Societal Futures (IRCSF)

2024-06-09T16:18:48-04:00

We have some good news for the social scientific and empirical study of religion! Carol Ann MacGregor, Galen Watts and myself (Sarah Wilkins-LaFlamme) are very pleased to announce the launch of a new Canadian initiative, in partnership with St-Jerome’s University and the University of Waterloo: the Institute for Religion, Culture and Societal Futures (IRCSF).

The Institute for Religion, Culture and Societal Futures (IRCSF) aims to be a new hub for social scientific and empirical research related to religion, spirituality, and emerging forms of communities of belief and practice. The IRCSF is non-partisan, and brings together both resident and visiting scholars working in the fields of sociology of religion and the social scientific study of religion to support undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, community […]

Institute for Religion, Culture and Societal Futures (IRCSF)2024-06-09T16:18:48-04:00
23 05, 2024

Conference acceptance decisions will be made by May 31st

2024-05-23T17:17:30-04:00

This is a general email to all ASR constituents. If you are not participating in the 2024 conference in Montreal, you can disregard this email. If you submitted a session or paper abstract for consideration for the 2024 conference, please know those decisions will be made by May 31. For any questions, contact Co-Program Chair, Andrea Henderson, at AKHENDER@mailbox.sc.edu. You can learn more about the conference by visiting the annual meeting page on the ASR website.

Registration for our 2024 annual meeting in Montreal is now open. Log into your ASR account on the ASR website and click the Register for a Conference button. You can make your room reservations here. Be sure to use group code: ASR0822 to get the conference […]

Conference acceptance decisions will be made by May 31st2024-05-23T17:17:30-04:00
10 05, 2024

ASR Updates from the Executive Officer

2024-05-10T07:44:20-04:00

1) The deadline for submitting paper abstracts for our 2024 conference has been extended to May 15. Remember that you need to be a current ASR member to submit a paper abstract. Log into your ASR account on the ASR website and click the Submit Abstract button. For any questions, contact Co-Program Chair, Andrea Henderson, at AKHENDER@mailbox.sc.edu or me at rmkraus@bsu.edu. You can learn more about the conference by visiting the annual meeting page on the ASR website. If you need to (re)join the ASR, please click on the Become a Member Join ASR Today button on the ASR homepage.

2) Registration for our 2024 annual meeting in Montreal is now open. Log into your ASR account on the ASR website and click the Register […]

ASR Updates from the Executive Officer2024-05-10T07:44:20-04:00
2 05, 2024

Four Reminders and an announcement from the ASR Executive Officer

2024-05-02T15:27:00-04:00

1) NEW: The deadline for submitting paper abstracts for our 2024 conference has been extended to May 15. Remember that you need to be a current ASR member to submit a paper abstract. Log into your ASR account on the ASR website and click the Submit Abstract button. For any questions, contact Co-Program Chair, Andrea Henderson, at AKHENDER@mailbox.sc.edu or me at rmkraus@bsu.edu. You can learn more about the conference by visiting the annual meeting page on the ASR website. If you need to (re)join the ASR, please click on the Become a Member Join ASR Today button on the ASR homepage.

2) Registration for our 2024 annual meeting in Montreal is now open. Log into your […]

Four Reminders and an announcement from the ASR Executive Officer2024-05-02T15:27:00-04:00
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