Christian Leadership conference 2018 in Germany

The Christian Leadership conference surely is of interest for all theologians. This is OR Tambo International airport -our point of departure to international conferences.

The call for abstracts is open for the fourth Christian Leadership conference to be held in Burbach-Holzhausen, Germany on 26 and 27 April 2018. The due date for proposals is 30 November 2017.  The hosts are the Gesellschaft fur Bildung und Forschung in Europa (GBFE) in Wycliff and the UMCA University of Applied Science in Kassel.

The interesting theme of this conference is focused on the use of metaphors in speaking and writing  and the importance of using metaphors to bring about learning. Metaphors can be used fruitfully in in leadership theory and leadership development.  But there are also question that must be answered in this regard: What about cultural differences when speaking about metaphors? What are the practical implications of working with metaphors?  How do 'hidden' metaphors influence  thoughts on leadership? Also, what are the ethical implications of doing this? Can we still use old (Biblical) metaphor effectively in leadership development and leadership theory?  How do we link metaphors with the global world? Remember that the proposals should combine the theoretical reflections with the practical implications. Also keep in mind that we need effective Christian leadership in all spheres of life and not only within the church and Theological training institutions. There is also space for reflections on African contextualization of metaphors of leadership and lived experiences. The call for papers is also open for other topics or themes linked to the use of metaphors in the development of leadership.

Please be advised that the conference venue a about 100 kilometers from the nearest international airport so when you do your planning, take this into account. As always, do try to combine work and holiday and include some awesome  activities that Europe provides in spring. Schengen visas are normally valid for a number of European countries, so why not use this as the euro is quite expensive for South Africans.

Do some homework before choosing a conference

On our way to the IJAS conference in Canada we stopped for some fun in Dubai.

Recently I was shocked to hear from colleagues that what they thought would be a huge conference of scholars who are all interested in the disciplines linked to the themes and sub-themes of a conference, turned out to be a huge conference of scholars delivering papers on every topic under the sun, grouped together into the same strands and sessions. This is OK if you choose a multi-disciplinary conference  and are willing and eager to expand your inter-disciplinary network, but for those who actually wanted a focused and specialized conference, such an experience could  be painful (as conferences cost lost of money to attend and often scholars are only allowed to attend one conference per year) and disappointing.  Examples of multiple-discipline conferences are  International Journal of Arts and Sciences (IJAS) and the World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology (WASET). Both organize conferences in a number of cities throughout the year, have huge numbers of topics and usually combines the different strands of presenters.

I attended several IJAS conferences and is currently planning for the next one in 2018. I really enjoy the multi-disciplinary networking opportunities as well as the awesome two day bus tours that are included in the conference program. To me, conferencing is not only about the academic challenge but also about seeing places, meeting people and doing awesome things.

And this is why it is so important to do thorough research before deciding on a specific conference to avoid being bitterly disappointing or even feeling 'robbed' of an opportunity to present groundbreaking research results.

And for those of you who never seem to be able to finish your paper in time for the conference; at the conference of the International Society for Teacher Education; the ISfTE conference, you will have the opportunity to work on your paper and get feedback before finishing it after the conference. At this conference, you will get time off to study other presenters' papers and up to date, this is the only conference where I experienced this type of conference; and enjoyed it quite a lot. In 2018 the ISfTE conference will be in Japan and in 2019 the conference will be held in Canada.

Theology conferences late 2017 and early 2018

The University of South Africa will host the 2018 annual Southern African Missiological Society Conference 

My colleagues in Theology and Religious Studies will be pleased to know that the call for papers is open for both the 2017 Oxford Symposium on Religious Studies and the 2018 Southern African Missiological Society (SAMS) Conference. Both these conferences are interdisciplinary and has broad-based themes, thus opening UP also for academics in other disciplines and fields of study that want to address the themes from their unique subject fields or point of view.

The Oxford Symposium on Religious Studies will take place from 4 to 6 December 2017 at the Old Library in the Oxford University church. The due date for abstracts is 10 November and early registration ends on 16 October. Interesting topics include but are not limited to: Religion, Politics and Public discourse, Religion and gender, Religion and race, Religion and conflict, Religion and sustainability, State funding of schools, and African religious traditions.

The annual SAMS conference will be hosted at the University of South Africa from 17 to 19 January 2018 and the conference theme is: Mission and gender based violence (GBV) in Southern Africa. Possible subthemes include, but are not limited to:

·      Socioeconomic and political policies, church and mission

·         Gender inequalities and biases and the church

·         Gender emancipation and equality, church and ecumenical mission

·         Gender based case studies and missiological reflections for transformation

This theme is relevant in our current context. It provides an opportunity to wrestle with how the Christian mission is proclaimed in a context marred with GBV and other socioeconomic, political and religious injustices that perpetuate the marginalisation of women and female children. Scholarly Missiological contributions on this theme could thematically add to the transformation, africanisation and decolonilaity agendas in missiology and higher education circles.

This year, the program will also include the biennial David Bosch Memorial Lecture. Abstracts are due by 30 October. 

Cruise conference January 2018

Cruise conferences are the best and balcony cabins are great

The academic forum announced recently that their next cruise conference will take place in the Western Caribbean, on board the Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the seas from 11 to 15 January 2018. The ship will leave from Tampa in Florida (USA) and visit Key West and Mexico with two sea days during which the conference will take place. 

The peer review process is designed to assist academics: Authors receive feedback on their abstracts and proposals within two weeks. Presenters are also allocated a 30 minute time slot to present their research and an opportunity to publish their papers in The Exchange journal. The Forum focuses on the following streams: business, public administration and pedagogy among university educators and practitioners while promoting cross-disciplinary collaboration and networking opportunities. 

Personally I would like to see many more cruise conferences. The medical profession has this well-established way of conferencing and I am sure that this concept can also be used to a much greater extend for conferences in other subject fields. It provides a wonderful all-in-one package (accommodation, all meals, excursions and transport) and also unique networking opportunities.  By scheduling the conference for the sea days, also ensures good participation in the conference sessions, even from guests on the ship. 

A word of caution: Do your homework and do thorough research, not only on the itinerary and excursions, but also on the ship and what is included and excluded in the package. Also, make sure that you know what type of cabin you pay for, and what the cabin look like. There are cruise ships with cupboards for cabins and this will most definitely have a negative influence on your experience. Normally, as part of the group booking, you will be able to upgrade to a better cabin paying a reduced price as the conference organizers will be able to negotiate group discounts for the delegates. If you can afford it, go for cabin with a balcony, as this is the way you want to experience the sea.