The Political Theology Network invites applications from early-career scholars for its 2020-2021 Emerging Scholars in Political Theology program. Vincent Lloyd and Winnifred Sullivan will serve as mentors for the 2020-2021 cohort. Participants will meet in person three times: at Villanova University July 19-24, 2020, in Chicago in January of 2021, and again at Villanova in the Summer of 2021—in addition to online video conference meetings. All expenses will be paid, and Emerging Scholars will receive a $2,000 stipend for their participation. The deadline to apply is January 15, 2020. (Lloyd and Sarah Hammerschlag will serve as mentors for the 2021-2022 cohort, with an application deadline in January 2021.)

The Emerging Scholars in Political Theology program is looking for the next generation of creative and thoughtful political theology scholars. Political theology, as we understand it, is an emerging field that uses the methods of humanistic inquiry to study the intersections of religion and politics in public life. Scholars in political theology come from a variety of disciplines including religious studies, theology, law, political theory, anthropology, history, literature, and sociology. We share a commitment to building an academic field that is diverse along multiple axes (gender, race, geographical focus, religion, citizenship, and institution), to producing scholarship that is both rigorous and publicly-engaged, to incorporating voices traditionally excluded from the academy, and to the practical work of pursuing social justice. Scholars of traditions other than Christianity and of geographic areas outside of the United States are particularly encouraged to apply.

The Emerging Scholars in Political Theology program will involve facilitated discussions of shared readings, teaching and syllabus workshops, and training in public scholarship. Participants will share and discuss works-in-progress and will meet with academic and non-academic experts as we reflect on the state of the field.

Applicants should have the PhD in hand, but must have received their PhD after December 31, 2015. To apply, please send a CV and a brief (1 or 2 page) letter of interest to Richard Kent Evans at rkevans@haverford.edu by January 15, 2020. In your letter of interest, please consider addressing the following questions: 

1) How do you see the past, present, and future of the field of political theology, and how does your own research contribute to the field? 

2) Which key texts do you see as forming the “canon” of political theology and why? 

3) What role does political theology play in your teaching?

For more information on the program and the application, visit the Political Theology Network website.