Draft programme ***Subject to change***
Date: Tuesday 28 May to Thursday 30 May 2019
Venue: Pontificia Universita Gregoriana Central Building
Address: Piazza della Pilotta, 4, 00187 Rome, Italy
TUESDAY 28 MAY
10:00 – 11:00 Registration
11:00 – 11:30 Welcome addresses (Aula Magna)
11:30 -13:30 Parallel Session 1: Understanding Unbelief
Room CO12
Chair: Miguel Farias
1. Josh Bullock & David Herbert, Kingston University London
Reaching for a new sense of connection? The sociality of nonreligion in Europe
2. Will Gervais, University of Kentucky
Indirectly measuring unbelief
3. Ann af Burén, Uppsala University, Södertörn University
Co-producing secularity in Sweden – The Muslim mainstream
4. Katie Aston, Independent researcher
After lives: What and who is left behind?
Chair: Miguel Farias
1. Josh Bullock & David Herbert, Kingston University London
Reaching for a new sense of connection? The sociality of nonreligion in Europe
2. Will Gervais, University of Kentucky
Indirectly measuring unbelief
3. Ann af Burén, Uppsala University, Södertörn University
Co-producing secularity in Sweden – The Muslim mainstream
4. Katie Aston, Independent researcher
After lives: What and who is left behind?
Room L210
Chair: Jonathan Lanman
1. Anna Strhan & Rachael Shillitoe, University of York
Nonreligious childhood: Growing up unbelieving in contemporary Britain
2. April Faye Manalang, Norfolk State University
Minority millennials and disaffiliation from religious communities: What unbelief means for millennials in the 21st century
3. Marjaana Lindeman, University of Helsinki, Uffe Schjoedt, Aarhus University, Michiel van Elk, University of Amsterdam & Pinja Marin, University of Helsinki
Uncovering the hidden nature of unbelief
4. JOINT SESSION: Public Engagement projects: Paul Merchant, National Life Stories, The British Library
Religious unbelief in oral history archives; &
Stephen Pett, RE Today Services
Exploring unbelief in the religious education classroom
Chair: Jonathan Lanman
1. Anna Strhan & Rachael Shillitoe, University of York
Nonreligious childhood: Growing up unbelieving in contemporary Britain
2. April Faye Manalang, Norfolk State University
Minority millennials and disaffiliation from religious communities: What unbelief means for millennials in the 21st century
3. Marjaana Lindeman, University of Helsinki, Uffe Schjoedt, Aarhus University, Michiel van Elk, University of Amsterdam & Pinja Marin, University of Helsinki
Uncovering the hidden nature of unbelief
4. JOINT SESSION: Public Engagement projects: Paul Merchant, National Life Stories, The British Library
Religious unbelief in oral history archives; &
Stephen Pett, RE Today Services
Exploring unbelief in the religious education classroom
13:30 – 15:00 Lunch
15:00 – 19:10 The Culture of Unbelief 50 Years On (Aula Magna) See separate programme
19:10 – 20:00 Drinks Reception
15:00 – 19:10 The Culture of Unbelief 50 Years On (Aula Magna) See separate programme
19:10 – 20:00 Drinks Reception
WEDNESDAY 29 MAY
9:00 – 9:15 Registration
9:15 – 10:30 Keynote: Lori Beaman, University of Ottawa (Aula Magna)
10:30 – 11:00 Morning tea
11:00 – 13:00 Parallel Session 2: Understanding Unbelief
Room CO12
Chair: Stephen Bullivant
1. Valerie van Mulukom, Coventry University
Global secular worldviews: What secular beliefs do non-believers have across the globe, and what psychological functions do they serve?
2. Atko Remmel, University of Tartu, Estonia
Mis)understanding unbelief in Estonia
3. Timothy Stacey, Leiden University
Understanding unbelief amongst community organisers in Vancouver, Canada.
4. Joanna Malone, University of Kent
The nature and experience of non-belief for older-adults
Chair: Stephen Bullivant
1. Valerie van Mulukom, Coventry University
Global secular worldviews: What secular beliefs do non-believers have across the globe, and what psychological functions do they serve?
2. Atko Remmel, University of Tartu, Estonia
Mis)understanding unbelief in Estonia
3. Timothy Stacey, Leiden University
Understanding unbelief amongst community organisers in Vancouver, Canada.
4. Joanna Malone, University of Kent
The nature and experience of non-belief for older-adults
Room L210
Chair: Joanna Malone
1. Yutaka Osakabe, Sophia University, Tokyo
Practicing without believing? Expressions of sacred in human relationships amongst Japanese unbelievers: its consistency and inconsistency
2. Benjamin Purzycki, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology & Adam Baimel, Oxford University
Material insecurity predicts greater commitment only to moralistic deities: Testing the existential security hypothesis of religious commitment in 14 societies
3. Masoumeh Sara Rahmani, Coventry University
Understanding unbelief in the mindfulness subculture
4. Robert Ross, Macquarie University
Investigating Supernatural Belief and Unbelief Implicitly Using the Affect Misattribution Procedure
Chair: Joanna Malone
1. Yutaka Osakabe, Sophia University, Tokyo
Practicing without believing? Expressions of sacred in human relationships amongst Japanese unbelievers: its consistency and inconsistency
2. Benjamin Purzycki, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology & Adam Baimel, Oxford University
Material insecurity predicts greater commitment only to moralistic deities: Testing the existential security hypothesis of religious commitment in 14 societies
3. Masoumeh Sara Rahmani, Coventry University
Understanding unbelief in the mindfulness subculture
4. Robert Ross, Macquarie University
Investigating Supernatural Belief and Unbelief Implicitly Using the Affect Misattribution Procedure
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 16:30 Parallel Session 3: NSRN
Room CO12
Chair: Evelina Lundmark
1. Ramón Soneira Martínez, University of Erfurt
Unbelief throughout history: Studying atheism in ancient Greece
2. Leo Igwe, University of Applied Sciences in Munich
Islam: Two publics and the culture of unbelief in Northern Nigeria
3. Chris Cotter, University of Edinburgh
‘Unbelief’ on the ‘Celtic fringe’: A comparative study beyond the city in Scotland and Northern Ireland
4. Erlend Hovdkinn From, University of Oslo
Cultures of unbelief in the case of Oslo
5. F. LeRon Shults, University of Agder
Modeling pathways of unbelief across cultural contexts
Chair: Evelina Lundmark
1. Ramón Soneira Martínez, University of Erfurt
Unbelief throughout history: Studying atheism in ancient Greece
2. Leo Igwe, University of Applied Sciences in Munich
Islam: Two publics and the culture of unbelief in Northern Nigeria
3. Chris Cotter, University of Edinburgh
‘Unbelief’ on the ‘Celtic fringe’: A comparative study beyond the city in Scotland and Northern Ireland
4. Erlend Hovdkinn From, University of Oslo
Cultures of unbelief in the case of Oslo
5. F. LeRon Shults, University of Agder
Modeling pathways of unbelief across cultural contexts
Room L210
Chair: Jacqui Frost
1. Donovan Shaefer, University of Pennsylvania
From secular bodies to secular affects: Understanding cultures of unbelief through affect theory
2. Jacqui Frost, University of Minnesota
States and traits: The meaning of uncertainty in nonreligious narratives
3. Sean Moore, University of Alberta
Examining the multidimensional nature of unbelief: A psychological approach
4. Thomas Coleman, Coventry University
What do unbelievers believe?: A psychological test of form and function
5. Conrad Hackett, Pew Research Center
If you don’t go to Church, does religion make a difference?
Chair: Jacqui Frost
1. Donovan Shaefer, University of Pennsylvania
From secular bodies to secular affects: Understanding cultures of unbelief through affect theory
2. Jacqui Frost, University of Minnesota
States and traits: The meaning of uncertainty in nonreligious narratives
3. Sean Moore, University of Alberta
Examining the multidimensional nature of unbelief: A psychological approach
4. Thomas Coleman, Coventry University
What do unbelievers believe?: A psychological test of form and function
5. Conrad Hackett, Pew Research Center
If you don’t go to Church, does religion make a difference?
16:30 – 17:00 Afternoon tea
17:00 – 18:30 Keynote: Understanding Unbelief Across Disciplines, Across Cultures (Aula Magna) Lois Lee, Jonathan Lanman,
Stephen Bullivant & Miguel Farias
19:30-21:30 Conference Dinner
THURSDAY 30 MAY
9:00 – 9:15 Registration
9:15 – 10:45 Parallel Session 4: NSRN
Room CO12
Chair: Evelina Lundmark
1. Evelina Lundmark, Uppsala University
‘Preach sistah!!!’ – Co-effecting third spaces of emotive resonance
2. Justine Ellis, University of Oxford
Is unbelief the new frontier of interreligious dialogue? Religious literacy in comparative context
3. Victoria Smolkin, Wesleyan University
Atheism as a vocation: What can socialists teach us about modern belief and unbelief?
Chair: Evelina Lundmark
1. Evelina Lundmark, Uppsala University
‘Preach sistah!!!’ – Co-effecting third spaces of emotive resonance
2. Justine Ellis, University of Oxford
Is unbelief the new frontier of interreligious dialogue? Religious literacy in comparative context
3. Victoria Smolkin, Wesleyan University
Atheism as a vocation: What can socialists teach us about modern belief and unbelief?
Room L210
Chair: Jacqui Frost
1. Sofia Nikitaki, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Studying nonreligion academically: An overview of the current methodological challenges for the study of nonbelieving individuals
2. Penny Edgell, University of Minnesota
Cultural repertoires of nonreligion
3. Mari Ovsepyan, University of Oxford
Reimagining the imaginaries: Towards a biocultural theory of nonreligion
Chair: Jacqui Frost
1. Sofia Nikitaki, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Studying nonreligion academically: An overview of the current methodological challenges for the study of nonbelieving individuals
2. Penny Edgell, University of Minnesota
Cultural repertoires of nonreligion
3. Mari Ovsepyan, University of Oxford
Reimagining the imaginaries: Towards a biocultural theory of nonreligion
10:45 – 11:00 Morning tea
11:00 – 12:30 Parallel Session 5: Understanding Unbelief
Room CO12
Chair: Miguel Farias
1. Tomas Ståhl, University of Illinois at Chicago
A cross-national exploration of the roots of unbelievers’ views on morality
2. Hugh Turpin, Coventry University
Irish Ex-Catholicism and the Morality of Unbelief
3. Karin van Nieuwkerk, Radboud University Nijmegen
Cultures and politics of nonbelieving in Egypt
Chair: Miguel Farias
1. Tomas Ståhl, University of Illinois at Chicago
A cross-national exploration of the roots of unbelievers’ views on morality
2. Hugh Turpin, Coventry University
Irish Ex-Catholicism and the Morality of Unbelief
3. Karin van Nieuwkerk, Radboud University Nijmegen
Cultures and politics of nonbelieving in Egypt
Room L210
Chair: Stephen Bullivant
1. Christel Manning, Sacred Heart University
Facing death without religion: the changing nature of unbelief over the life course
2. Theodoros Kyriakides, The Open University/University of Cyprus) & Richard Irvine The Open University/St Andrews University
Magical thinking in contexts and situations of unbelief
3. Jamin Halberstadt & Jesse Bering, University of Otago, New Zealand
What “implicit belief” can tell us about the nature and ubiquity of not believing
Chair: Stephen Bullivant
1. Christel Manning, Sacred Heart University
Facing death without religion: the changing nature of unbelief over the life course
2. Theodoros Kyriakides, The Open University/University of Cyprus) & Richard Irvine The Open University/St Andrews University
Magical thinking in contexts and situations of unbelief
3. Jamin Halberstadt & Jesse Bering, University of Otago, New Zealand
What “implicit belief” can tell us about the nature and ubiquity of not believing
12:30 – 13:00 Closing Session