CFP: 21st European Conference on Science and Theology

https://esssatconference.org/

Theme: Lost in Translation? Celebrating Language Diversity in Science and Religion

Many questions arise for the study of science and religion. For one, to what degree is our discipline a study of differing kinds of ‘language’ which might or might not be translatable backwards and forwards? More pointedly, the field of science and religion has long been dominated by English. In what ways does the use of English as the lingua franca of some areas of academic discourse pre-determine the kinds of questions and solutions that can be asked and offered? How does the science-religion discourse change when conducted in other languages? And how might we overcome these linguistic limitations in future conferences and publications, without isolating ourselves into linguistic silos? What are the benefits and limitations of linguistic metaphors for understanding interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration?

The topic of linguistic diversity is also timely for at least three further reasons. (1) The acceleration of artificial intelligence and the wide-spread use of Large Language Models promises to revolutionize how humans use language and experience linguistic diversity. (2) Ever increasing discoveries in animal communication and the increasing possibility of symbolic communication with other species offers a new frontier for linguistic diversity. (3) The rise of the ‘neurodiversity’ paradigm offers a new way to celebrate diversity within monolinguistic communities, as we discover the potential advantages of dyslexic, autistic, aphasic, and deaf communication. What can theological reflection offer to these societal changes and scientific discoveries? What can religious traditions learn?

To submit a short paper proposal please email the following information to the Scientific Programme Officer before 21st April 2026.

• Title of your paper
• 5–10 keywords (put this instead of “short answer”)
• An outline of 300–500 words, making clear the relevance of the paper to the theme of the conference or other aspects of the interaction between science and theology
• Your full name and academic post/institutional affiliation (if any)

This single-sided document must be sent in either doc- or pdf-file format. No other format will be accepted. In line with the theme of language diversity, and given the power of AI translation tools, ESSSAT will also accept papers in other languages besides English. However, the papers should be presented in English, unless agreed on beforehand with ESSSAT.

Information about the acceptance of a paper will be given as soon as possible together with guidelines for the paper and its presentation at the conference. Complete short papers (max. 2,500 words) must be received by 30 June 2026 to allow for pre-reading. At the conference, you are expected to summarize (not read) your short paper in order to give more time for Q&A/discussion. Papers and the short paper session schedule will be made available for pre-reading to registered participants and members of ESSSAT. If you want your paper to be presented in the same session as another paper, please indicate which paper in the email when sub-mitting your abstract.

Scientific Programme Officer: Dr Rope Kojonen. Email: [email protected]

https://esssatconference.org/