31st Annual Conference of the Association for Bahá'í Studies-North America
Mississauga, Ontario - August 16-19, 2007 Scholarship and Community-Building Theme Statement Community is the organic entity in which human spiritual and material potential can emerge. It is where people interact and where they try to enact the knowledge received from both spiritual insight and from the pursuit of sciences, arts, and humanities. The process of building a new kind of community, at once world-embracing and locally rooted, must acknowledge the community as a "comprehensive unit of civilisation"1 and its capacity to set a "new course in social evolution."2 Within the community, those pursuing scholarship, through whatever diverse paths, can play specific roles. They not only contribute to the community's evolution through their expertise3, but also are an integral part of the dynamic of all community life. This dynamic changes and grows with new understandings of human realities, which in turn stimulate new knowledge and new ways of sharing that knowledge. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, defining the characteristics of the spiritually learned, advised that they should acquire both spiritual and material perfections in order to serve society, should be knowledgeable in diverse religious, cultural, political, historical and scientific knowledge, and should "arise with complete sincerity and purity of purpose" to educate people.4 The Bahá'í efforts in community building require a profound understanding and exploration of the Guardian's statement that, "The principle of the Oneness of mankind -- the pivot round which all the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh revolve . . . implies an organic change in the structure of present day society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced."5 The Association for Bahá'í Studies executive committee invites both new and more experienced presenters to explore the theme of scholarship and community building at its annual conference in Toronto. Possible sub-topics might include: scholarship and social responsibility, the Five Year Plan, religious scholarship without priesthood, creating new paradigms of scholarship and education, and new ideas of community and relationship within the physical and life sciences, amongst others. Notes: 1. Universal House of Justice, Ridván 1996 to the Bahá'ís of the World. 2. Universal House of Justice, Ridván 1984 to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States. 3. Universal House of Justice, 21 August 1977 to an individual, Scholarship compilation, selection #39. 4. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Secret of Divine Civilization, 35-36. 5. Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 43. To read the complete quotes, please click here: Theme Statement Call for Presentations Proposals are invited for presentations and workshops on (but not limited to) the above themes, as well as performing arts presentations. Proposals must be submitted on-line (submission form). Potential presenters unable to submit on-line may contact the address below for further information on alternate means of submission. Presentation content should go beyond the overview and summary approach typical of a summer school course or talk to explore an original question or proposition through a clearly described method or theoretical approach. While many presentations are in the style of academic talks or workshop-discussions, the use of the arts and other diverse approaches is also encouraged. All presentations should engage the participants in review and in contributing to the development of the ideas raised. Presentations must be substantially original work, unpublished and not previously presented. Papers will be considered for publication in The Journal of Bahá'í Studies. Proposals are especially welcome from youth and first-time ABS presenters. Guidelines for submissions are available on the ABS website, a nd you can also contact ABS if you would like assistance with preparing a proposal. The deadline for submitting proposals is 15 April 2007. Association for Bahá'í Studies 34 Copernicus St., Ottawa, ON Canada K1N 7K4 Tel.: (613) 233-1903; fax: (613) 233-3644 or email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Registration and Hotel Information Hotel reservations must be made directly with the conference hotel, the Delta Meadowvale Resort and Conference Centre, 6750 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, Ontario, L5N 2L3; Tel.: 905-542-4003; toll-free reservation number: 800-422-8238 (Between the hours of 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday to Friday). Mention the Association for Bahá'í Studies conference to receive the special conference rate. Room rates (in CDN dollars): $109 single/double; $129 triple/quad. 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