Call for papers: Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Gender Equality in Turkey

Freedom of Belief Initiative is pleased to announce that the International Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Gender Equality in Turkey will be organized on May 23-24, 2022 as a virtual event. Researchers are cordially invited to submit abstracts for paper presentations by February 15, 2022. 

The theme of the Conference is Freedom of Religion or Belief and Gender Equality in Turkey. The aim is to explore and analyse the human rights issues at the intersection of the right to freedom of religion or belief and gender equality, both of which are protected in core international human rights treaties.

• Simultaneous translation between English and Turkish will be provided at the Conference.
• The Conference will be streamed live and recorded for publication purposes. 

We look forward to reading your submissions!

Norwegian Helsinki Committee’s Freedom of Belief Initiative (FoBI) is committed to promoting the right to freedom of thought, religion, or belief as protected under Article 18 of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Initiative’s activities, which are carried out to protect the right of freedom of religion or belief for everyone in Turkey, include monitoring, documentation, reporting, raising awareness and advocacy. Furthermore, FoBI strives to contribute to furthering the understanding about complex freedom of religion or belief issues within the human rights law framework. As such, contributing to the sharing of knowledge and insight about freedom of religion or belief and gender equality is one of the priorities of the project. The FoBI has been funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2013. 

Please find the Call for Papers information below:

The goal of the Conference is to discuss Turkey’s historical, institutional and structural problems at the intersection of freedom of religion or belief and gender equality, and to contribute to the visibility of the studies conducted in the academy on these topics. 

The organizing committee invites papers from the fields of sociology, law, women’s studies, history, political science, film and media studies, religious studies, and other relevant fields or disciplines that touch upon (or re-conceptualize) freedom of religion or belief and gender equality in Turkey.  

We invite contributions from a variety of theoretical perspectives and fields that explore a range of topics including but not limited to:

• Freedom of religion or belief and gender equality in the context of secularism debates 
• Freedom of religion or belief and gender equality in the context of human rights debates
• International human rights law obligations on freedom of religion or belief and gender equality
• The issue of freedom of religion or belief and gender equality in the Turkish legal system
• The issue of freedom of religion or belief and gender equality in the Turkish education system
• The inclusion of different religious or belief groups in public religious services (Presidency of Religious Affairs) and gender equality
• Gender equality in the processes of formulating religious doctrines or jurisprudence
• Religious leadership and gender equality
• Gender equality in accessing places of worship and the design of public religious spaces
• The use of religious symbols in the public sphere
• Good practices and challenges from Turkey on freedom of religion or belief and gender equality
• The impact of membership in a religious minority or majority on the exercise of fundamental rights
• The effect of the feminist movement on women’s right to freedom of religion or belief and debate on this issue
• Consideration of religious and gender differences in the decision-making mechanisms of religious or belief communities and institutions
• Freedom of religion or belief and gender equality in the context of citizenship discussions
• The impact of gender differences in the production of religious collective culture
• Mixed marriages and their social effects and/or legal solutions
• Representation of religion and gender in literature, movies, TV series, documentaries, (social) media…
• Sustainable development goals and the promotion of freedom of religion or belief and gender equality
• Gender based violence and religion, religious communities and the impact of religious dogma and teachings as a means of condoning such violence
• Religious women as agents of change challenging religious interpretations that impact both freedom of religion or belief and gender equality in a negative way

Submission Guidelines and Review:

Please submit a 250-words abstract that includes your name, institutional affiliation and 150-word bio via filling out the form below by February 15, 2022. 

The conference is open to papers both in English and Turkish. There will be simultaneous translation at the conference.

Each abstract will be reviewed for its merit and/or relevance to the Conference themes. All authors will be notified about the acceptance or rejection of the abstract no later than February 28, 2022. 

Publication

Selected texts from the conference will be considered for publication in the special issue of the international academic journal Religion and Human Rights. 

If you have any questions, please direct questions to Dr. Zehra Yılmaz at zehrayilmaz@yyu.edu.tr or Dr. Mine Yildirim my@nhc.no. 

Important Dates

Organizing Committee

• Anna Maria Beylunioğlu – Lecturer at MEF University
• Roja Fazaeli – Associate Professor of Islamic Civilizations, Near and Middle Eastern Studies, Trinity College, Dublin 
• Bertil Emrah Oder – Dean and Professor of Constitutional Law at Koç University Law School
• Dmytro Vovk – Director of the Center for the Rule of Law and Religion Studies, Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University  
• Mine Yıldırım – Head of the Freedom of Belief Initiative, Norwegian Helsinki Committee
• Zehra Yılmaz – Guest Researcher in the Van Vollenhoven Institute, Leiden University Law School and Associate Professor in the International Relations Department, Van Yuzuncu Yil University