Conference on Religions and Freedom c. 1776

Call for Papers: Deadline December 30, 2025

On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the John Carter Brown Library and the John C. Danforth Center for Religion and Politics at Washington University invite proposals for participation in a major conference to be held in Providence, Rhode Island, June 4-6, 2026, on the broad topic of religions and freedom c. 1776.  

There are many productive ways to investigate the histories, historical relationship, and legacies of religions and freedom across the breadth of early America. And religious freedom in America has a deep and important history, in which the conference location of Rhode Island itself plays a significant part. The conference aims to engage fresh scholarship and public interests in critical issues of religious freedom. Focused sessions will highlight new perspectives on classic questions, innovative methods, and new sources. We will host public events, including two evening keynotes, sessions for k-12 teachers, and programs dedicated to teacher professional development, in addition to panels dedicated to historical scholarship. 

The program committee encourages proposals on historical topics that address religions and freedom in the Revolutionary era, as well as proposals for a more limited set of sessions to consider legacies and ramifications of the relationship of religions and freedom in contemporary life. Topics might include: teaching religions and freedom, k-16; Indigenous knowledge systems; Africana religious studies; the development of denominations and religious institutions; the interest of governments in marking boundaries of religious freedom; betrayal and conflict within and between religious communities; slavery and definitions of religious freedom and unfreedom; the First Amendment and its antecedents and legacies; churches and clergy; and sacralization and state-building in the early Republic. These are simply suggestive of the wide range of topics that might be fruitfully explored. Those submitting proposals are encouraged to be ambitious and creative as they consider the interplay of religions and freedom in the proximate period of the American Revolution.

The organizers invite proposals for individual papers or full panels (the committee reserves the right, given needs and coverage, to make adjustments to the latter). For full panel proposals, we encourage a diverse representation of career stages, institutions, and perspectives. For both individual paper and panel proposals, please type into the linked form: the panel title and all paper titles, abstract for the panel and each paper not to exceed 250 words, name, affiliation, email and phone contact information for each participant. Please also attach to the form a one page cv (as a PDF) for each participant. For panel proposals, please identify the organizer and suggest a panel moderator and chair.

The program committee will make decisions by mid-January so that the conference program can be settled and announced by early February. Questions may be directed to the conference organizers, Mark Valeri and Karin Wulf via jcb-director@brown.edu.