REA Annual Meeting: “Let Freedom Ring”
Religious Education at the Intersection of Social Justice, Liberation, and Civil/Human Rights (download flier)
REA:APPRRE is proud of its long history of diversity as well as its strong commitment to social justice. Our 2012 Annual Meeting will engage these issues directly in a wide range of sessions and events. The meeting will be held November 2-4, 2012, at the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel. The theme is “Let Freedom Ring! Religious Education at the Intersection of Social Justice, Liberation, and Civil/Human Rights.” We will celebrate and commemorate the fact that religious education in its various forms has often been a key but unacknowledged component of diverse freedom and protest movements, such as the Indian Independence struggle against British rule (Mahatma Gandhi); the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ‘60s (Martin Luther King, Jr.); the National Farm Workers Movement (Cesar Chavez); and most recently, the struggle against apartheid and the quest for democracy in the Middle East. During the meeting, we will delve into a number of questions, including
(1) How has religious education functioned amid these and related movements to empower countless people in their quest for basic human rights?
(2) How has spirituality/religion fueled and sustained such movements?
(3) What insights can we as religious educators glean from freedom/protest movements, particularly those that have applied spirituality to social action for shaping prophetic and transformative educational ministries?
The 2012 theme therefore seeks to explore not only the historic role played by religious education in empowering oppressed communities for social activism and personal/communal transformation, but also its role in the creation of innovative contemporary pedagogical strategies that can equip individuals and communities for transformative social engagement.
This year, the annual meeting will bring together religious educators, scholars, practitioners, clergy, graduate students, community leaders, and others who are deeply concerned about issues of justice and social change to engage in an in-depth scholarly and practical exploration of these and other critical questions. In addition, we are keenly aware of the fact that our annual meeting will be held one week before theUnited States elections. Hence, we are excited about the deep reflection and dialogue this event might generate.
We hope you will begin making plans to attend the 2012 annual meeting early, as we anticipate a rich and dynamic gathering.
November 2-4, 2012 See you in Atlanta!
Are You a Member?
The Religious Education Association: an Association of Professors, Practitioners, and Researchers in Religious Education is an incorporation of the venerable 100 year old Religious Education Association (REA), who have gathered semi-annually, published and taught religious education during this past century, and the Association of Professors and Researchers in Religious Education (APRRE), a group of professors, scholars and researchers who for the past 30 years have gathered annually as a guild of scholars building and sharing a body of theory and research.
REA dues are determined with a sliding scale based on income. As a benefit of membership, you will receive up to five issues of Religious Education, the official journal of REA. Your 2012 membership is valid from January 1, through December 31, Regardless of when you renew your membership, all memberships expire on December 31, each year. Join REA Online and enjoy the full benefits of the REA.