FIRST SESSION: We invite papers on the topic of reproductive justice and its intersection with the Bible. Why now? 2023 is the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and the recent Dobbs v. Jackson case eliminated federal protection of abortion rights in the United States. Global conversations around reproductive justice are far from settled, and the time is urgent for relevant scholarship and activism on this topic.
We invite abstracts for panelists. Each panelist will present a 12-15 minute paper followed by a roundtable discussion. Papers should address an aspect of reproductive justice from perspectives such as critical race theory, activism, political rhetoric, legislation, reproductive access, popular culture, religious traditions, or history and its intersection with the Bible. Papers that discuss specific texts balanced with societal application are preferred – we want this discussion to count inside and outside of SBL. We envision a lively conversation from a variety of perspectives that engage the Bible in creative ways.
SECOND SESSION: We have a joint session with the Chronicles Ezra-Nehemiah program unit. The session invites proposals that relate gender / sexuality to Chronicles, Ezra, and/or Nehemiah. We are particularly interested in proposals that engage with the theme of genealogy (papers on mixed marriages will be given low priority). Please refer to the CFP and submit in Chronicles Ezra-Nehemiah section.
THIRD SESSION: We have a joint session with the Biblical Law program unit. We welcome papers that consider the role that gender plays in conferring specific legal rights, obligations, and social statuses in Near Eastern and biblical law (beyond the binary opposition between men and women). lease refer the CFP and submit in the Biblical Law section.