GRIT events

Semester Two 2012 Seminar Series - Religion in Political Life

Venue : Auchmuty Library Cultural Collections
Time: Wednesdays 3-4.30pm, All welcome for tea, coffee and nibbles
Contact: Linda.Hutchinson@newcastle.edu.au

Wednesday 22 August

Prof. Lu Shaochen, Fudan University, China - “Religion of Confucianism and Western Marxism on Authority”

Wednesday 19 September

Dr. Holly Randell-Moon, University of Macquarie - “The Secular Contract: The British Monarchy and White Diasporic Sovereignty”

Wednesday 24 October

Emer. Prof. Terry Lovat, University of Newcastle - “Islam and Islamism within Western Hegemonies”

Click here to download the Semester Two 2010 Seminar Series flier

Call for Papers - Bible and Critical Theory Seminar, Auckland, 2012

Date for seminar: 1-2 September 2012
Venue: Queen’s Ferry Hotel
Due date for paper proposals: 30 June 2012

Now in its fifteenth year, the Bible and Critical Theory Seminar once again steps over the ‘ditch’ to New Zealand, meeting this time in Auckland and under the watchful and sober guidance of Robert Myles and Caroline Blyth.

Papers for the seminar typically seek intersections between critical theory and the Bible, both interpreted broadly. We understand critical theory as deriving initially from the Frankfurt School (more fully, the Institute for Social Research at Frankfurt am Main) and the work of Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, but now enriched and broadened by a host of other methods. These approaches include but are not restricted to post-structuralism, feminism, psychoanalysis, ideological criticism, post-colonialism, Marxism, ecocriticism and queer studies. Some of these approaches are new, whereas others have been revitalized after the 1960s. All of them are characterized by the need to discern (kritikos) what is beneficial and what not, to negate the negative and draw out the positive in any given idea, position or tradition. Thus, critical theory incorporates the initial impetus of the Frankfurt School, while significantly broadening its mandate.

The international reach of the seminar has grown, spawning a ‘Bible, Critical Theory and Reception Seminar’ meeting in the UK under the auspices of W. John Lyons and James Crossley.

And of course, there is the Bible and Critical Theory Journal, which has entered its eighth year of publication, as well as our comrade, the journal Relegere.

Paper proposals should include a title and a 200-word abstract.

Please send to:

Religion in Political Life - Grant success!

The Faculty of Education and Arts Research Institutes’ third internal funding round for Research Programmes opened in November last year and closed on 20 February 2012. Six bids were received and subjected to a thorough review from a Selection Advisory Panel. The Panel was unanimous in selecting two bids for funding in 2012-2013, one of which was on Religion in Political Life (RiPL). The bid was fostered under the auspices of the Group for Religious and Intellectual Traditions and included a shared research interest of some of its key members. The following is a brief summary of the program from the Faculty of Education and Arts Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. John Germov:

Religion in Political Life (RiPL) led by Dr Tim Stanley and to be administered by the Humanities Research Institute. Religion in Political Life is a very focussed and well-honed programme, building on an acknowledged Faculty research strength that was rated a 4 in the first ERA assessment. The bid conveyed authentic intellectual reach having a sharp and sophisticated conceptual frame. The Panel noted that this bid was at the cutting-edge of contemporary European thinking and had the potential for international links. The interdisciplinary team—Dr Tim Stanley, Associate Professor Roland Boer, Professors Hilary Carey, Terry Lovat, and John McDowell, and Dr Kath McPhillips—has an impressive track record, with evidence of existing collaborations, and a demonstrated capacity to undertake the project and deliver high-quality outcomes.

Click here to visit the Religion in Political Life (RiPL) website

Semester One 2012 Seminar Series

All seminars are generously hosted in the Auchmuty LIbrary Cultural Collections at the University of Newcastle.Tea, coffee and nibbles provided from 3.30pm for a 3.45 start finishing by 5pm.

Tuesday 15 May 3.30-5pm

Dr. Craig Dalton “Gross National Happiness in Bhutan” - Piloting Contemplative Practice in Australian Public Health

Eastern contemplative practices have gained increasing popularity in North American universities since their introduction in the 1960’s and are now being reintroduced from North America back into Bhutan’s universities and public service settings. Contemplative practice is viewed as a core foundation of the Gross National Happiness development philosophy in Bhutan. An AusAid grant to teach public health surveillance in Bhutan with a contemplative practice component was the inspiration to conduct a pilot program within Hunter New England Population Health from August to October of 2011. This presentation discusses a theory of “how contemplation works,” recent neuroscience research on contemplation, and the evaluation of a pilot program of a weekly one hour contemplative program for public health practitioners in Newcastle.

Dr Craig Dalton is a Public Health Physician, Hunter New England Population Health, and Conjoint Senior Lecturer in the School of Medicine and Public Health at the UoN.

Tuesday 17 April 3.30-5pm

Prof. Paul Oslington “Religion and Economics: Adam Smith as Theologian”

Adam Smith is a crucial figure in any theological engagement with economics. Contemporary theologians struggle for an entry point into the discourse of economics, but this most famous figure in economics can be shown to be thoroughly soaked with theology. Like many of his 18th century Scottish Enlightenment friends, Smith was shaped by the Calvinism of the dominant Presbyterian Kirk. Newton and the British tradition of scientific natural theology provided the framework for his economic investigations. The Continental natural law ethics of Pufendorf and others influenced his moral philosophy, far more than utilitarianism. Aristotle was always in the background. In the following paper, I will test a theological reading of Smith’s works through the invisible hand passages.

Tuesday 13 March 3.30-5pm

Professor Marion Maddox “Religion and Politics: How Powerful Is the Christian Right?”

A number of recent articles have argued that the Australian Christian right's political influence has been overstated, pointing to the failure of signature reforms and lack of electoral pulling-power. I respond that such analyses misconstrue the kind of pressure group politics in which Australia's Christian right engages and the purpose for which it raises iconic issues. I then draw a comparison with the way in which similar arguments have been made about the US Christian right, usually when it appeared to have reached a low ebb and often predicting its imminent demise, only to herald a resurgence. Where Australia's Christian right is often treated as a recent phenomenon, it, like its US counterpart, rewards a long-view analysis.

Morpeth Lecture 2012

The Morpeth Lecture was established in 1967 to celebrate the great partnership between the University of Newcastle and the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle. The name of the Morpeth Lecture comes from the College of St John the Evangelist at Morpeth, the previous ministry training and education centre of the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle.

Speaker: Dr. Timothy Stanley will be speaking on the topic: "Theology between Religion and Politics"

Date: Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Venue: Christ Church Cathedral., 46 Newcomen St, Newcastle
Time: 5:45pm for 6pm START to finish by 7:30pm
Cost: FREE (RSVP essential as seats limited)
RSVP: partnerships@newcastle.edu.au, Ph: (02) 4921 7454

Click here to download Morpeth Lecture flier