Anthropology, Psychology and Religion

2027 Call for Papers

Wes Sutermeister – University of Findlay (OH) 

wesley.sutermeister@findlay.edu
Steve Calme – Carlow University (Pittsburgh, PA)

srcalme@carlow.edu

The Anthropology, Psychology and Religion section is pleased to receive all paper proposals for the 2027 College Theology Society annual meeting, with preference for those that address the conference theme: "Mary, Seat of Wisdom: Refuge and Rabble-Rouser."  We’re especially interested in proposals for panel discussions on a specific topic or event with a wide range of scholarly views represented or panel discussions on a recently published book that relates to our distinctive themes. The following questions include but do not exhaust the lines of investigation that this section is eager to explore:

• How have psychology, anthropology, or other social sciences understood Marian devotions in ways that have either helped or harmed theological understandings of those devotions?
• How can psychology, anthropology, or other social sciences help us to better theologically understand the relational dynamic between the believer, Mary, and God?  For instance, how can it explicate the spiritual path commonly described as “to Jesus through Mary”?
• To what extent do official Church pronouncements about Mary, such as Pope Leo’s Mater Populi Fidelis (2025), properly respect and promote respect for different cultural perspectives on Mary?   
• What paintings, poems, devotional objects, or other artistic representations of Mary effectively or ineffectively draw on cultural particularities in service to theology?
• What are some lesser-known Marian devotions that have arisen in particular cultures, and what insights or lessons can they offer?
• What can we know about how a first-century Judean woman would have understood motherhood, interacted with her child, and responded to the successes and traumas of her adult child?  How does this information impact our theological and spiritual approach to Mary?
• Much attention has been given to the state of young men recently: reported increases in young men returning to the Catholic Church, the rise of the manosphere, and contemporary society’s concern about the state of young men in general, What role does or could Mary play in healthy or unhealthy Christian masculinity, either today or historically?

Please submit proposals to all conveners by December 15, 2026. They should be no more than 500 words in length and include the presenter’s institutional affiliation, position, and contact information, as well as any requests for AV support. Ordinarily, presenters should be members of the CTS at the time of the meeting in the summer of 2027.