Public Events and Activities
Given the public relevance of religion, the VDTR regularly organises events for audiences inside and outside the university, including science communication initiatives, book launches of our PhD candidates, and discussions with academics, civil society, and policymakers. Many of our events spotlight the work of our PhD candidates.
Call for Papers
Fall 2026: Conference "Experimenting Philosophy of Religion: Altering Politics, Ecology and Aesthetics in Transition"
What it is about
Actual problems and critical situations – such as ecological crisis and political disruption – have more and more shown the need for a thought that can be effective, but nonetheless not all-encompassing. This conference proposes "experimenting philosophy of religion" as field, method and a performative mode of exchange: a practice of inquiry that acknowledges precarity and embraces provisional possibilities of thinking. We treat "experiment" in its full sense: trial, risk, and iterative testing, where concepts are articulated, confronted, and, when necessary, allowed to fail. Experimentation is not external to philosophy of religion but constitutive of it, insofar as the field opens possibilities for creating what is other – new conceptual and practical configurations – while attending to how these emerge within existing disciplines. We convene multiperspective approaches to pressing questions in politics, ecology, and aesthetics: What perspectives does the philosophy of religion offer on the climate crisis? How can these insights inform political and social practice? How do aesthetic experiences and approaches reflect philosophical-religious research, and vice versa?
Why you should apply
We particularly invite early career researchers to submit their work. We welcome contributions that take unconventional and exploratory approaches to the themes in philosophy of religion, especially those engaging marginal questions, experimental methods, or formats that challenge established disciplinary boundaries.
How it works
The conference is structured in three parts:
A podium discussion with Vienna-based senior scholars on the field's trajectories and futures
Three thematic panels: Politics & Society; Ecology & Nature; Arts & Aesthetics
An active, non-conventional session beyond lecture/listen formats
Please indicate which of the three thematic panels your contribution is intended for. The presentations will be approximately 20 minutes long and are followed by a 5 minutes response feedback and 15 minutes Q&A. While the focus lies on philosophy of religion, contributions from related disciplines such as sociology, political science, and cultural studies, artistic and other related disciplines are very welcome. Accepted contributors will be asked to submit a short paper version of two pages (including theses, arguments, and literature) approximately one month prior to the conference in order to facilitate in-depth discussion and feedback during the panels.
Submission guidelines
Please send to xphilrel.2026(at)univie.ac.at:
An abstract of approx. 200 words
A short academic biography
Indication of the preferred panel (Politics & Society / Ecology & Nature / Arts & Aesthetics)
Deadline for submissions: 5 June 2026
Notification of acceptance: 30 June 2026
Upon presentation of invoices, we can pay a travel expense allowance of €200 for participants who are not based in Vienna.
The conference is organized by Christian Faber and Marco Fiorletta with the support of the Vienna Doctoral School of Theology and Research on Religion (VDTR), the Research Center “Religion and Transformation” (RaT) and the Austrian Research Association (ÖFG) and in cooperation with the “Deutsche Gesellschaft für Religionsphilosophie” (DGR).
Download the Call for Paper here.
