The Place of Religion in Film

March 30 – April 1, 2017

with plenary speaker Joaquim Pinto
director of What Now? Remind Me (2013)

Hosted by Syracuse University, as part of the Ray Smith Symposium Series


Papers are encouraged on such questions as: How are viewer presumptions about “religion” placed in film to construct or suggest particular norms or values? How does film engage the architectural, domestic, or ritual places of various religions? How does film assume or explore the ways in which religions keep bodies (or institutions, or communities) in their expected places–or the ways in which dominant social and political laws and voices keep religions in their expected places? What are the ways in which film negotiates the place of indigenous or immigrant religions via-a-vis dominant assumptions about religion? How does film track the shifting places of religion in response to war, commodification, or social media.

Proposals should include a title and a 350-word description of the paper. Papers for inclusion in the program will be selected on the basis of this description. Proposals also should include on a separate page the name of the author, the author’s academic affiliation and e-mail address.

Proposals are due by January 5th, 2017 and should be sent by email to Deborah Pratt (dpratt@syr.edu) with the subject line, “Religion and Film Conference Submission.” Please direct questions about form or content to M. Gail Hamner (mghamner@syr.edu).

Sponsors include Syracuse University Humanities Council, Syracuse University College of Arts & Sciences, Syracuse University Religion Department, Syracuse University Jewish Studies Program.