Deadline to submit proposals: May 1

The International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture<
http://www.religionandnature.com/society/> (ISSRNC) is pleased to announce
its next conference in Malibu, California at Pepperdine University in
August 2012.  The conference theme will be *”Nature and the Popular
Imagination.”  *

For generations, the interconnections between religion and nature have been
expressed, promoted, and contested through the incubator of popular
culture, including films produced in nearby Hollywood. As a global and
symbolic center that reflects and invents nature/religion representations,
Malibu and its environs provide a fantastic venue for critical reflection
on the religion/nature nexus in the popular imagination. Along with keynote
addresses and other scholarly sessions, a number of special events and
excursions are in the works, including a scholar-led tour of The Getty
Villa in Malibu and opportunities to enjoy the beautiful and famous Malibu
coast.  Some of these may be offered before or after the official
conference period.  Affordable on-campus housing will be available to
conference participants.

We invite proposals about nature and religion in diverse expressions of
popular culture, including films, television, comics, fiction, music,
sports, graffiti, clothing, and festivals. As always, while we encourage
proposals focused on the conference’s theme, we welcome proposals from all
areas (regional and historical) and from all disciplinary perspectives that
explore the complex relationships between religious beliefs and practices
(however defined and understood), cultural traditions and productions, and
the earth’s diverse ecological systems.  We encourage proposals that
include theoretical frameworks and analyses, emphasize dialogue and
discussion, promote collaborative research, and are unusual in terms of
format and structure.

Proposals for individual paper presentations, sessions, panels, and posters
should be submitted directly to Sarah Pike at
spike@csuchico.edu<file:///C:/Users/jake/Downloads/spike@csuchico.edu>.
It is not necessary to be an ISSRNC member to submit a proposal. *Individual
paper proposals* should include, in a single, attached word or rich text
document, the name and email of the presenter(s), title, a 250-300 word
abstract, and a brief, 150 word biography (including highest degree earned
and current institutional affiliation, if any).  *Proposals for entire
sessions* must include a title and abstract for the session as a whole as
well as for each individual paper. Proposers should also provide
information about ideal and acceptable lengths for proposed sessions, and
whether any technology, such as data projectors, are desired. Most paper
presentations will be scheduled at 15-20 minutes and a premium will be
placed on discussion in all sessions. Proposals will be evaluated
anonymously by the Scientific Committee, but conference directors will be
aware of proposers’ identities in order to select for diversity in terms of
geographical area and career stage. Student proposals are particularly
welcome.

*The deadline for proposals is 1 May 2012.*

For more information and updates, please go to:
http://www.religionandnature.com/society/conferences.htm#malibu