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87th Annual Meeting of the
Association for the Sociology of Religion
August 8 – 10, 2026
The New Yorker Hotel
Beyond Binaries & Boundaries:
Religion Redefined in Unsettled Times
Location: New York City, NY, USA
Hotel: The New Yorker (481 8th Avenue, New York, NY, 10001)
Ph: 212-971-0101 www.newyorkerhotel.com
Dates: August 8-10
ASR President: Jerry Z. Park, PhD
Program Chair: Esther Chan, PhD
The Association for the Sociology of Religion is pleased to announce a call for papers for its upcoming annual conference, August 8-10, 2026, in New York, New York, USA, with a theme of “Beyond Binaries & Boundaries: Religion Redefined in Unsettled Times.”
Twenty-five years into the current century has shown religion’s continued relevance. But how has the meaning of “religion” changed? Binaries of sacred and profane, belief and belonging, religious and secular have long animated our theorizing on religion. Yet, scholars have shown that religion is complex.
Religion is intersectional, institutional, individual, interactional, interstitial. How is religion being redefined to create connections or cleavages in times of crisis? How do religious practitioners and religious ideas break down binaries and boundaries across social, political, and global lines? Where and how does religion create new binaries and boundaries and to what social ends and consequences?
The 2026 conference of the Association for the Sociology of Religion invites scholars to critically reexamine approaches to religion, to think beyond traditional binaries and boundaries within a full range of topics in the sociology of religion. We welcome theoretically, and methodologically rigorous sociological research at all stages of development. We invite proposals for individual papers and topical sessions as well as full-day symposiums oriented around specific areas in the sociology of religion. Book discussions, professional development panels, teaching colloquies, and other creative connections designed to support the social scientific study of religion around the globe are also welcome.
DEADLINES (revised January 16, 2026):
- Fichter Award (Research on women and religion): March 1, 2026
- Gallagher Travel Grant Applications: Due March 13, 2026
- Session Proposals: March 27, 2026
- Paper abstract submissions: April 24, 2026
- McNamara Student Paper Award: May 29, 2026
- Lifetime Achievement Award in the Sociology of Religion: May 29, 2026
We encourage members to review eligibility criteria and submit nominations by the stated deadlines.
All submissions should be made through the ASR website at www.sociologyofreligion.org beginning February 2026.
ASR membership is required to organize a session, present a paper, serve as a panelist, or hold another role in the program. Participants are expected to register for the meeting by July 1, 2026.
For questions please contact: Esther Chan (chane@uwm.edu), Jerry Park (jerry_park@baylor.edu), Chelsea Kindred (asreo@sociologyofreligion.org)
