The Legality of “Religiousity”: On Divergence and Reconciliation Between Religious Freedom Laws and the Religious Communities to Which They Apply
The TUTP Research Conference for Theology and Religion on “Religion and Freedom: Challenges and Prospects” will take place on May 18th-20th, 2022 in Helsinki.
We warmly invite proposals for paper presentations in the session:
The Legality of “Religiousity”: On Divergence and Reconciliation Between Religious Freedom Laws and the Religious Communities to Which They Apply
Description
In many States, religious freedom laws express implicit conceptualisations of religiousity: which norms and behaviours are ‘religious’ and who are considered religious, both as subjects to those norms and as authoritative for defining them. How laws regard religiousity both reflects common perceptions in society and moulds this perception, including within religious communities themselves.
Yet, laws often articulate these rights in liberal terminology of freedom, equality, representation, autonomy, etc.. These are not necessarily compatible with the internal perspectives of the religious communities in question. A further discrepancy between the legal-liberal and the communal concepts of religiousity is uncovered through intersectional oppression of women. In response, States frequently aspire to conciliate between freedom of religion and gender equality. Such legislature frames the problem and the solution in terms of legal-liberal tools. These may be etic to religious women’s norms of religiousity stemming from their communities, thus missing the essence of their oppression – and of their religiousity to which the State seeks to grant freedom.
This session invites discussions from diverse disciplines and locations regarding the normative and descriptive conceptions, efforts, obstacles, and possibilities of reconciliation between the subject of the law – religious freedom – and the subjects of the law – religious persons and their communities.
Call for Papers
Proposals should be submitted in English by January 14th, 2022 through this form. If you have any problems with the form, please contact the conference secretary: katri.malmi@helsinki.fi.
For more information and the full list of sessions, please see the conference website: https://blogs.helsinki.fi/teologian-ja-uskonnontutkimuksen-paivat/sessions/.
Session Chair
Sagy Watemberg Izraeli
Study of Religions, Åbo Akademi University (Finland)
Law, Bar-Ilan University (Israel)
sagywi@gmail.com | +358-46-9043853