XI Latin American Congress on Religion and Ethnicity
Religious Worlds: Identities and Convergences

July 3-8, 2006

1. Introduction
The Latin American Association for the Study of Religion (ALER, in Spanish) was founded in Mexico City in 1990.  Its members are researchers, teachers, and academics from Latin America, Europe, and the United States who work on religion.  ALER organizes international congresses every two years.

2. ALER's XI Congress will take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil from July 3 to 8, 2006.

3. Theme of the Congress: The general theme of the congress is Religious Worlds: Identities and Convergences.  This topic will allow us to approach the dynamic of religious, symbolic, and identity systems from interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches in the human and social sciences.  Like in previous times, this congress will be structured according to different symposia that bring together presentations that focus on the same topic.  We invite the proposal of symposia with topics that fit in the larger scope of the following themes:

I. THEORY, APPROACHES AND METHODS IN THE STUDY OF RELIGION

II. DIMENSIONS OF RELIGION
Magic, science and religion; religion and myth; religion and churches; priests and shamans; the ethical experience and religion; religious ethics and secular ethics; the protestant ethic and new ethics, etc.

III.  SYMBOLIC DIMENSIONS OF RELIGIONS AND ETHNICITIES
Rites and rituals; myths; religion and ideology; national identities and religious proposals, etc.

IV. RELIGIOUS CHANGES
Religious pluralism; syncrestisms and postmodern ecclecticisms; religion and gender; religion and athesism; fundamentalisms; etc.

V. THE EVANGELIZATION OF LATIN AMERICA
Indigenous religions of high cultures and tribal societies; models of evangelization by colonial churches, the impact of independence and migration; pastoral renovation after the 1950's.

VI. THE LEGACY OF EVANGELIZATION: LATIN AMERICAN CATHOLICISM
Challenges to the definition of "popular" Catholicism; relevance of the Virgin and "saints", etc.

VII. CATHOLIC PLURALISM

VIII. THE COMPLEX EVANGELICAL WORLD

IX. OLD AND NEW AUTOCHTONOUS RELIGIONS

X. OLD AND NEW EASTERN RELIGIONS

XI. RELIGIONS THAT HAVE EMERGED IN THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTEXT
Jehova's Witness; Mormons, etc.

XII. NEW AGE, ESPIRITISMS, ESOTERICISMS, AND UTOPIAN TECHNOLOGIES

XIII. HISTORY OF RELIGIONS AND HISTORY OF LATIN AMERICAN CHURCHES

XIV. RELIGIONS, MYTHICAL SYSTEMS AND "LITERATURES"

XV. PUBLIC POLICY AND RELIGIOUS RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES

The deadline for proposals of symposia is August 31, 2005.  The deadline for presentations depends on the conditions established by the director of each symposia.  All others presentation proposals will be considered until April 15, 2006.  The approved presentations will be included in a CD if sent before May 15.

For more information contact:
Coordinación del Programa Académico:
Elizabeth Díaz Brenis  brenis68@avantel.net;
coordinacionacademica_aler@yahoo.com.mx