Now Published – Bulletin for the Study of Religion 42.1 (February 2013)

The February issue of the Bulletin has been published and is available in both print and electronic versions. Below is the table of contents of this issue, which includes a set of papers emerging from the 2011 Society of Biblical Literature session on Gnosticism and religious experience organized by the Nag Hammadi and Gnosticism group (and spearheaded by Michael Kaler). These papers debate, among other things, the (neo-)perennialist and (neo-)constructivists approaches to religious experience, as well the applicability of cognitive theory and social psychology to the study of experiential moments – all with a focus on the Nag Hammadi Codices.

In addition, the February issue includes a fascinating analysis of a relevant political and social issue by Julianne Hammer. As Hammer puts it, “this essay has argued that one aspect of the gendered nature of Islamophobia can be uncovered (unveiled) by focusing on the ways in which Islamophobic agendas are mapped onto Muslim women’s bodies” (p. 34). This issue also includes an interview (conducted by Matt Sheedy) with Darlene Juschka (University of Regina), the author of Political Bodies/Body Politics: The Semiotics of Gender (Equinox, 2009). And Craig Martin, as outgoing editor, offers a brief farewell in his final editorial introduction to the issue.

This is also the first issue where we have the new NAASR logo on the cover side bar, proudly marking our new affiliation with the North American Association for the Study of Religion.

As always, we welcome submissions for future issues – including responses to published articles – from established scholars and graduate students engaged in the study of religion (regardless of discipline). Our guidelines are available online.

Table of Contents

Bulletin for the Study of Religion Volume 41, Issue 4 (November 2012)

“Parting Words” (p. 1) – Craig Martin, St. Thomas Aquinas College

“Talking about Religious Experience at Nag Hammadi” (pp. 2-7) – Michael Kaler, York University, Toronto

“Theoretical Challenges in Studying Religious Experience in Gnosticism: A Prolegomena for Social Analysis” (pp. 8-18) – Philip L. Tite, University of Washington

“The Philosophy of Religious Experience and the Nag Hammadi Texts: A Response to Kaler and Tite” (pp. 18-22) – Stephen Bush, Brown University

“Insights from Cognitive and Ritual Studies: Response to Kaler’s and Tite’s Papers on Religious Experience in Nag Hammadi and Gnosticism” (pp. 22-28) – Risto Uro, University of Helsinki

“(Muslim) Women’s Bodies, Islamophobia, and American Politics” (pp. 29-36) – Juliane Hammer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

“Political Bodies and a Touch of Pain: An Interview with Darlene Juschka” (pp. 37-40) – Matt Sheedy, University of Manitoba

“Field Notes: News and Announcements in the Discipline” (pp. 40-42)