International Society for the Sociology of Religion (ISSR)

In July 2019, Dr Scharnick-Udemans and Dr Robertson attended the 35th Biennial ISSR conference in Barcelona, Spain which gathered under the theme “The Politics of Religion and Spirituality”. Both representatives from the Centre presented papers. Dr Scharnick-Udemans presented a paper titled “Politics, Privilege and Pluralism: Exploring the Contestation of Religious Diversity in Contemporary South Africa”. Dr Robertson presented a paper titled “Performance and Production in the Field: Examining Queer Approaches to Queer Research through the Case of Queer Clergy in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa”. The opening panel provided an exciting start to the conference and engaged the overall theme of the conference while situating the discussion firmly within the context in which it was held namely the Catalan region of Spain. Conference sessions provided a wide array of themes and allowed opportunities for emerging and established scholars to engage their research.