Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR)
[From the society website] The Society for the Scientific Study of Religion stimulates, promotes, and communicates social scientific research about religious institutions and experiences. Founded in 1949, SSSR fosters interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration among scholars from sociology, religious studies, psychology, political science, economics, international studies, gender studies, and many other fields. Its flagship publication, the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, is the most cited resource in the field.
There has been an informal (unwritten) understanding between SSSR and NAASR that NAASR can include one or two panels on the SSSR program. In the past, Luther H. Martin and Robert N. McCauley have accepted the responsibility for organizing these panels and dealing with the SSSR, which were made up largely of CSR type sessions, but have “retired” from this due to other obligations and the proliferation of conferences sponsoring CSR panels (e.g., NAASR, SSSR, AAA, and now, of course, SBL and AAR)-not to mention the conferences in Europe. One of our reasons for founding the IACSR was an experiment to see if many of us might “consolidate” some of these programs. During the 2009 meeting, Armin W. Geertz and Ann Taves met with the SSSR Past-President Mark Chaves and the President Katherine Meyer as well as President-Elect James Beckford in order to ensure future cooperation between the SSSR and IACSR. An informal understanding similar to the NAASR one was achieved.
North American Association for the Study of Religion (NAASR)
NAASR is the North American affiliate of the International Association of the History of Religions. NAASR meets annually in conjunction with the AAR with most of its sessions on the Friday before the AAR meeting formally begins. NAASR has often included a CSR session in their program.
General inquiries should go to the Executive Secretary, Robert Yelle.
NAASR has a call for papers/panels for its annual meetings. CSR papers/panels can be submitted through the regular program approval process (on-line at the NAASR web site).
International Association for the History of Religion (IAHR)
IACSR’s affiliation with the IAHR is expected to be confirmed during the IAHR World Congress in Toronto.
General inquiries should go to the Executive Secretary, Tim Jensen.
The official IACSR event for 2015 will be within the context of the IAHR World Congress in Germany (August 2015).
American Academy of Religion (AAR), Cognitive Science of Religion (CSR) Consultation
Co-chairs, Ann Taves and Ted Slingerland.
The Cognitive Science Consultation is a subunit of the AAR, which meets annually in November. As a Consultation, they are authorized to plan one stand alone session and one session co-sponsored with another program unit. They are using the Additional Meeting slots to schedule one or two other sessions devoted to presenting research to a smaller more focused CSR audience.
They are particularly interested in showcasing work that illustrates the value of CSR research for scholars trained in historical and ethnographic methods.
Papers should be submitted following the normal AAR submission procedures. The Call for Papers normally comes out in January and submissions deadline is usually around March 1st.
You can add your name to the CSR-AAR mailing list by visiting the list-serv website.
American Psychological Association (APA), Division 36: Psychology of Religion
[From the society website] Division 36 – Psychology of Religion promotes the application of psychological research methods and interpretive frameworks to diverse forms of religion and spirituality; encourages the incorporation of the results of such work into clinical and other applied settings; and fosters constructive dialogue and interchange between psychological study and practice on the one hand and between religious perspectives and institutions on the other. The Division is strictly nonsectarian and welcomes the participation of all persons who view religion as a significant factor in human functioning. The Division’s quarterly Psychology of Religion newsletter contains original articles, book reviews, announcements, and news of interest to division members.
Cognitive Science Society (CSS)
Focus of the society/meeting: The Cognitive Science Society, Inc. is an international scholarly organization that brings together researchers from many fields who hold a common goal: understanding the nature of the human mind. The Society promotes scientific interchange among researchers in disciplines comprising the field of Cognitive Science, including Artificial Intelligence, Linguistics, Anthropology, Psychology, Neuroscience, Philosophy, and Education. The meetings of the CSS include scores of refereed papers in all areas of cognitive science as well as various invited speakers. The IACSR met on the first day of the 2009 meeting as one of ten officially supported workshops, however, there was also one independently organized session on the cognitive science of religion in the meeting’s regular program as well.
The kinds of papers that they are looking for: The annual meeting of the CSS is aimed at basic and applied cognitive science research. The conference hosts presentations and posters on the latest theories and data from the world’s best cognitive science researchers. Each year, in addition to submitted papers, researchers are invited to highlight some aspect of cognitive science.
Their usual meeting time and place: The CSS typically meets in mid-summer at hotels and campuses in major cities (primarily in North America and Europe).