British Sociological Association Sociology of Religion Study Group

Thursday 31 January - Saturday 2nd February 2008

Burwalls Centre for Continuing Education

University of Bristol

Report

18 postgraduate students were in attendance at this year's postgraduate conference at Burwalls Conference Centre, University of Bristol, along with members of the Socrel team - Peter Gee (convenor), Sylvia Collins-Mayo (treasurer), Kieran Flanagan (conference organiser) and Sarah Page (postgraduate liaison officer). We were also pleased to welcome Pål Repstad and Grace Davie as plenary speakers, and their contribution to the discussions was very much appreciated.
	After a sherry reception and dinner on the Thursday night, Professor Pål Repstad, from Agder University College, Norway, gave an excellent presentation on 'Christmas Concerts: between Evangelical Christian Counter-culture and inclusive Nordic Folk Church'.This plenary considered why Christmas concerts were becoming increasingly popular in Norway, and a typology of such concerts was offered. Much discussion ensued regarding the place of such events in the British context.
The Friday programme included a number of workshops covering themes such as research in practice, postgraduate writing, and getting published run by Sylvia Collins-Mayo, Sarah Page and Grace Davie respectively. These sessions were a good opportunity for students to think more widely about the practicalities around research and problems that may be encountered and ways in which they can be overcome.
On Friday evening, Professor Grace Davie from the University of Exeter, UK, gave a thought-provoking plenary on 'Thinking Sociologically about Religion in Europe'. This encompassing talk covered a number of ways of thinking about religion in Europe, with consideration given to cultural heritage, vicarious religion and the impact of new arrivals on religious patterns. This provoked a lively discussion about the state of religion in contemporary society, but it was stressed that religion is becoming a crucial area in the social sciences, and much hangs on the next generation of researchers to investigate these timely issues.
Over the conference, many postgraduate students presented their own research to the group, with topics ranging from considering the impact of Radio Maryja in Poland to embodied ethics amongst the Pagan community. Presentations were also made on "fuzzy fidelity", Muslim women entering higher education, the religious commitment of second generation immigrant populations, and the case of religious education in Norway. The great range of research being undertaken by the postgraduate community indicates the vibrancy and health of the sociology of religion.
Students commented that they welcomed the intimate and supportive environment of the conference group, something which can be lost in large conference set-ups. It was also stressed that it was useful to connect up with other people in the field.
The postgraduate community would like to extend thanks to the Sociology of Religion Study Group for subsidising the conference, and especially for the hard work put in by conference organizer, Kieran Flanagan. The contributions made by Socrel committee members and the plenary speakers was also highly praised, especially the way in which both Grace and Pål took the time to get to know and interact with the students present, and to make very helpful comments and suggestions regarding individual research projects. We are all already looking forward to the 2009 postgraduate event. Sarah Page