EXTENDED CfP: Theology and Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid’s Tale and Other Worlds (edited volume under contract)

June-Ann Greeley PhD (she/her) Announcement
Location
Connecticut, United States
Subject Fields
Women's & Gender History / Studies, Religious Studies and Theology, Literature, Canadian History / Studies, Humanities

Abstracts are still being accepted for an edited volume (under contract) on theology/ spirituality/religious studies and the works of Margaret Atwood.

The new due date for submission of abstracts is November 1, 2021.

Since the recent success of the TV series The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood—who has always enjoyed an enthusiastic “fan base” and coterie of admiring readers—has gained a renewed prominence and her work has entered into a kind of renaissance as readers (re)discover her extensive catalogue of writings, including novels, essays, short stories, poetry, and other edited pieces.  

This call is for abstracts of proposed chapters for an edited volume that will be dedicated broadly to analyses of Atwood's writings through a theological/ religious/ spiritual lens. The edited collection will be a volume in a "popular culture and theology" series and is now under contract.

Whether the author claims (or not) any religious affiliation, Atwood's works are replete with explorations of theological topics, including:

~~ meaning and order in the universe

~~ what does it mean to be human and what characterizes human nature

~~ the matter of evil (dystopian theodicy)

~~ free will/ fate/ destiny

~~ anthropocentricism and the animal kingdom

~~ eco-spirituality/ eco-feminist theology

~~ death and rebirth

~~ the mortal and the divine

~~ theologies of time, space/place, prophecy

Abstracts that approach Atwood’s works with theological perspectives other than Christianity are especially welcome as are abstracts drawing from a range of traditional but also contemporary theologies, including: feminist theology; ethics and especially the ethics of care; constructive theology; political theology; ‘death-of-God’ theology; theo-poetics; theologies of race; LGBTQ+ theology, and other approaches of radical theology.

Please send an abstract of no less than 250 words in a Word doc format and a current academic cv by November 1, 2021 to greeleyj@sacredheart.edu   All inquiries about the CfP should be emailed to the same address.

Contact Information

June-Ann Greeley, PhD

Dept. of Languages and Literature

Sacred heart University

Fairfield CT 06825

Contact Email
greeleyj@sacredheart.edu