Religion and the Life Cycle, 1500-1800

Queen Mary University of London, Friday 6th July 2018

Keynotes:

Professor Elaine Hobby (Loughborough): ‘ “We have an example in Scripture” (Jane Sharp, The Midwives Book): Women, Religion, and the Early-Modern Life Cycle’

Dr Adam Sutcliffe (King’s College London): ‘The Children of Israel and the Passage to Adulthood in Early Modern Europe’

Call for Papers
The Queen Mary Centre for Religion and Literature in English (QMCRLE) welcomes proposals for twenty minute papers on the theme ‘Religion and the Life Cycle, 1500-1800’ for a one-day interdisciplinary conference. We interpret the term ‘Life Cycle’ broadly, to include biological transition points such as birth and death, social transition points such as coming of age ritual, marital and employment status, life-stages such as childhood or adolescence, and indeed the passage of time and the process of aging. This conference seeks to explore institutional religious ceremonies and prescriptions relating to the life cycle, as well as more personal and informal religious beliefs and responses.

Suggested topics for papers include, but are not limited to:

‘Rites of passage’ ceremonies such as baptism, circumcision, confirmation
Spiritual writing / personal writing / prayer which reflects upon Life-Cycle events
Religious prescriptive literature relating to Life-Cycle events
Representations of religious Life-Cycle processes within literature, art, or material culture

We welcome papers from all disciplines, and we especially welcome submissions from postgraduate students. Postgraduate bursaries are available. Please send abstracts of up to 300 words and a brief bio to Emily Vine e.m.vine@qmul.ac.uk by 26^th January 2018.