Call for papers: ANZATS 2017

2017 ANZATS Conference
9-12 July
Adelaide, South Australia

Kinship and Family
In contemporary Australia and New Zealand

The Conference Planning Committee is pleased to invite all members of ANZATS, and the theological and wider academic community to submit the title of their proposed presentation at this conference, together with an abstract of 250-300 words by February 17th, 2017.

Download the guidelines for papers proposals

Plenary Sessions
Kinship and family are fundamental and universal features of human existence. They shape and define who we are and what we become. In contemporary Australia and New Zealand, however, there is significant discussion about the nature, makeup and integrity of the latter, with long-held assumptions and perspectives being called into question both within and outside of the Church. Join us, as we seek to reflect on the resources that the biblical text, Christian tradition, and broader scholarship bring to these discussions. 

We are pleased to announce that the 2017 Conference will have two keynote speakers. Lynn Cohick is Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College. Her work focuses on the Apostle Paul and his epistles within their larger Jewish and Greco-Roman milieu. She is author of Women in the World of the Earliest Christians (Baker, 2009) and is completing a book on Christian women in the second through sixth centuries.

Dr Stephen Barton is Reader and Honorary Fellow in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University. His research interests include the theology of the family and he is the author of Life Together: Family, Sexuality and Community in the New Testament and Today (T&T Clark, 2001). Stephen was born in Sydney, and although he now lives permanently in England, he returns frequently to Australia. He is an ordained priest in the Church of England.

The Conference Theme
The Conference theme is “Kinship and Family in Contemporary Australia and New Zealand”. We are inviting papers from practitioners from all the theological disciplines which connect with one of the following thematic streams:

• Who do you think that you are? Community, Connectedness and Identity
• Personhood, Nurture and Care: The household as social environment
• Kinship and cross cultural issues of family
• Social realities of the contemporary family

Proposals should be accompanied by a cover page which includes the name of the stream it relates to and contact details: Name, institutional affiliation, postal address, phone number and email address. Please address submissions to Dr Liz Boase.

In addition to the four streams which connect with the main conference theme, the 2017 ANZATS Conference will also be hosting three concurrent forums. Papers which address one of these forums are also invited. These do not need to address the main theme for the conference.

• Lukan Scholarship. Please address submissions to the convenor of this forum, Dr Sarah Harris
• Learning and Teaching Theology. Please address submissions to the convenor of this forum, Dr John Capper 
• Barth Studies. The theme for this forum is “Reading Romans with Karl Barth.” Please address submissions to the convenor of this forum, Dr Michael O’Neil

It is expected that presentations will occupy 25 minutes plus 5 minutes for Q&A.

ANZATS Conferences: Guidelines for papers proposals

1. Proposals should be about 200–250 words long and must include your full name, title, institution (or location), email address, telephone number, mobile phone number, mailing address, and relevant stream / forum.
2. Give the proposed paper a title, state its aim, and indicate the line of argument it takes. It is important that you demonstrate how the paper fits within the relevant discussion, among scholars, within the church, and preferably both.
3. Let the steering committee know if you have an interest in creating a forum at the conference, for example to discuss a significant new book, to focus on a discrete area of specialisation, or to discuss recent trends in theological education.
4. If you plan to present your first paper at an ANZATS conference, you are asked to submit the entire paper by February 17. Attach your curriculum vitae or include in your cover letter any additional information that may help us weigh your submission.
5. The time allowed for each paper will be 25 minutes, with an additional 5 minutes for questions and discussion.
6. It is important that you indicate whether you wish to use audio-visual equipment for your presentation, so that the appropriate room can be allocated.
7. The steering committee will give due consideration to all papers, even if not immediately related to the Conference streams. However, should the committee be required to limit the number of papers which can be presented, preference will be given to those papers which are more related to the Conference streams.