Call for Papers: Religion and Medicine
Paper proposals are invited for a conference on ‘Religion and medicine: healing
the body and soul from the Middle Ages to the modern day’ that
will take place at Birkbeck,
University of London, 15–16 July 2016. The conference is
convened by Katherine Harvey, John Henderson and Carmen Mangion.
In the contemporary Western world, religion and medicine are
increasingly separated, but through much of history they have been closely
interrelated. This relationship has been characterised by some conflict, but
also by a great deal of cooperation. Religious perspectives have informed
both the understanding of and approaches to health and sickness, whilst
religious personnel have frequently been at the forefront of medical provision.
Religious organisations were, moreover, often at the heart of the response to
medical emergencies, and provided key healing environments, such as hospitals
and pilgrimage sites.
This conference will explore the relationship between religion
and medicine in the historic past, ranging over a long chronological framework
and a wide geographical span. The conference’s focus will be primarily
historical, and we welcome contributions which take an interdisciplinary
approach to this topic.
Four main themes will provide the focus of the conference. The
sub-themes are not prescriptive, but are suggested as potential subjects for
consideration:
1. Healing the body and healing the soul
• Medical traditions: the non-natural environment and the ‘passions of the soul’.
• Religious traditions (for example, the Church Fathers, sermons and devotional literature).
• Medical traditions: the non-natural environment and the ‘passions of the soul’.
• Religious traditions (for example, the Church Fathers, sermons and devotional literature).
2. The religious and medicine
• Medical knowledge and practice of religious personnel, including secular and regular clergy.
• Nurses and nursing.
• Medical practitioners, religious authorities and the regulation of medical activity and practice.
• Medical knowledge and practice of religious personnel, including secular and regular clergy.
• Nurses and nursing.
• Medical practitioners, religious authorities and the regulation of medical activity and practice.
3. Religious responses
• Religious responses to epidemics, from leprosy to plague to pox and cholera.
• Medical missions in Europe and the wider world.
• Religion, humanitarianism and medical care.
• Religious responses to epidemics, from leprosy to plague to pox and cholera.
• Medical missions in Europe and the wider world.
• Religion, humanitarianism and medical care.
4. Healing environments and religion
• Religious healing, miracles, pilgrimage.
• Institutional medical care (including hospitals, dispensaries and convalescent homes).
• Religious healing, miracles, pilgrimage.
• Institutional medical care (including hospitals, dispensaries and convalescent homes).
Proposals, consisting of a paper abstract (no more than 300
words) and a short biography (no more than 400 words), should be submitted to religionandmedicineconference@gmail.com
by 30 October 2015.
Proposals will be responded to by early December. For more information
please visit the website,
and follow on Twitter: @RelMedConf2016.