The Koinonia Forum - Princeton Theological Seminary

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The Koinonia Forum

What is Koinonia Forum?

The Koinonia Forum is an annual graduate conference, held each spring at Princeton Theological Seminary, dedicated to fostering rigorous academic exchange and interdisciplinary dialogue among graduate students from institutions across North America. Organized and coordinated by Ph.D. students from diverse academic disciplines, the forum provides a unique platform for participants to present their research, engage in critical discussions, and expand their academic and professional networks.

In addition to student presentations, the Koinonia Forum features keynote addresses by leading scholars in Christian and religious studies. Previous keynote speakers include Dr. Willie Jennings, Dr. Luke Bretherton, Dr. Vincent Lloyd, and Dr. Yii-Jan Lin.

Koinonia Forum 2025

Theme: Religion, Dystopia, and Reimagining Otherwise

Keynote speaker: Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian

Dates: February 28 – March 1, 2025

Coordinators: Marah Sarji (Theology), Wing Yin Li (Theology), Ken Miyagi (History and Ecumenics), Yudai Chiba (Biblical Studies)


Call for Papers

In what way does religion play a part in forming, sustaining, overturning, and disrupting the narratives of a utopian vision of the world? How do dystopian literature or apocalyptic discourse utilize religious symbols and motifs to unsettle societal structures and categories? What are the religious, theological, biblical, historical, and ethical foundations and praxis that could constructively inform one’s ideological and material resistance in the face of dystopian desolation contoured by imperialism, settler colonialism, capitalism, neoliberalism, and environmental destruction? How do the rise of artificial intelligence and emerging technology further shape our imagination of this dystopian landscape?

The Koinonia Forum is the annual Ph.D. and graduate student conference at Princeton Theological Seminary. We invite paper proposals from current students for this upcoming conference on the theme of “Religion, Dystopia, and Reimagining Otherwise”.

Topics from all disciplines are welcome, including but not limited to:

Decolonial/Postcolonial Studies, Philosophy, Politics, Ethics, Economics, History, Comparative Literature, Practical Theology, Theology, Biblical Studies, Religious Studies, Islamic Studies, Media Studies, Art History, Sociology, Anthropology, Geography, Palestinian Studies, Race and Ethnic Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and Ecology. The conference will begin with a Keynote speaker on the evening of February 28th, followed by a reception. Papers will be presented in thematic panels the following day, Saturday March 1st.

Deadline for proposals: December 15, 2024

Notification: January 12, 2025

Please submit a proposal of around 150-200 words to koinonia.forum@ptsem.edu

Download Call for Papers here.