Workshop „Narratives Between Worlds: Interdisciplinary Approaches“ 17. – 19. Juni 2026 in Erfurt
Call for Papers | Narratives Between Worlds: Interdisciplinary Approaches |
Throughout times, religions and cultures, narratives play a crucial role in establishing shared understandings, convictions and systems. It is a fundamental premise of the humanities that there are no religions and no cultures without narration. Beyond mere storytelling, narratives exert an immense performative power: they do not simply describe the world, they actively bring religious beliefs, social realities, moral boundaries, and societal identities into being. They provide the frameworks through which knowledge and facts are transmitted and interpreted, enabling societies to make sense of crises, legitimise transitions, and sustain a sense of continuity.
This workshop brings together participants and experts from different disciplines to explore and develop new approaches to the conceptualisation of narratives. It invites PhD candidates and early-career postdoctoral researchers to examine the role of narratives and narratology across fields such as Religious Studies, Theology, and Cultural Studies. By bridging different “worlds” — disciplinary, temporal, and conceptual — the workshop seeks to illuminate how communities construct meaning, negotiate identity, and articulate belief.
Possible contributions could be:
Ritualised & Remembered: How narratives are preserved in religions and collective memories
Embodied: How stories move from text to physical practice and habitus
Mediated: The role of digital platforms in reshaping traditional or religious ‘grand narratives’
Transformative: The power of storytelling in periods of crisis and transition
Participant presentations may take the form of an overview of your research topic or a relevant aspect of it. Alternatively, you may wish to present a particularly challenging methodological issue you are grappling with. We expect 15–20 minute presentations, followed by a discussion.
Abstract Submission: Please send a 300-word abstract and a short bio to glocal.religiosities@uni-erfurt.de by 6 March 2026. Accommodation costs for all accepted presenters will be fully covered by the organisers.
We are looking forward to the workshop, which we hope will provide an opportunity for fruitful discussion and the exchange of ideas and perspectives on narrative studies.
Claudia Gialousis, Jasmin Eder and Maryam Rahmani
Members of the graduate centre Glocal Religiosities (GlocRel)
