March 20-21, 2020

Call For Papers

The sixth annual Duke Graduate Conference in Theology is pleased to invite proposals that engage the intersections of liberation, reconciliation, and Latin America. Proposals that engage these themes from a wide variety of disciplinary perspectives are welcomed including (but not limited to): systematic theology, liturgical studies, ethics, historical theology, world Christianity, political theology, and biblical studies.  Successful proposals will also show an appropriate level of engagement with experiences and voices from Latin American culture, people, and/or history. 

Submission Guidelines

Please submit paper proposals of no more than 300 words by December 20. Proposals should be emailed to dgct2020@gmail.com in the form of a Word document attachment. Please include your name, institution, and degree program in the e-mail. Proposals will be evaluated anonymously by peer review. Notifications of acceptance will be distributed by December 31, and final, full manuscripts will be due on 12pm, Monday, March 9. Presenters will have 15-20 minutes to present their papers in faculty-moderated panels. 

About the Conference Theme

March 24, 2020 marks the 40th anniversary of the martyrdom Saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero. During his time as Archbishop of San Salvador, Romero exhibited the rare and powerful combination of pastoral sensibility, theological attunement, and prophetic zeal, which he exercised on behalf of the poor and the oppressed people of El Salvador. The life of Romero is especially relevant today given current socio-political realities both in the U.S. and across the world, which make it seem almost impossible to pursue the work of liberation and reconciliation in tandem.The witness of Romero’s life and death continues to be a call for the church in Latin America and across the world to listen for the voice of Christ in the cries of the poor and the oppressed and to live in ways that bear witness to the liberating and reconciling work of Christ.

Paper Topics may include:

• How can churches as ecclesiastical communities speak truth to power in a volatile society?
• What role does violence play in our theologizing of history?
• How have the themes of liberation and reconciliation that originated in the Latin American context been received in other regions of the world, such as Africa, Asia and Europe?
• How have theological and ecclesial practice been shaped by anti-colonial thinking that originated in Latin America?
• How do/can Christian ecclesial practices (e.g. worship) respond to social and systemic violence?
• What forms of spirituality or religious practice have supported liberating and reconciling work?
• How do practices of biblical interpretation shape the work of liberation and reconciliation?
• Theology and advocacy for the poor and marginalized
• Latin American theologies and lo cotidiano
• Critical evaluation of the terms “liberation” and “reconciliation”

The Duke Graduate Conference in Theology provides an annual forum for graduate students from Duke and other institutions to promote and foster the exchange of ideas among those studying in various theological disciplines.