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Dear friends and colleagues,

Quiet August at the KFG continues and we hope that all of you are well – whether you are on holiday or involved in a current work project. Our next events are still a little while away, yet we have for you a Call for Papers for the Workshop on “Multiple Secularities in Africa and the Diaspora” in February as well as information about a new publication. As far as cultural life in Leipzig is concerned, we would like to recommend the Short Film Festival Kurzsüchtig starting today.

But first of all, we would like to ask for your attention to the dramatic situation in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over power recently. Aid organisations on-site, which have been working for human rights and a better living situation for Afghans for years, are at risk – and yet they are trying to continue their work. For this purpose, they are currently appealing for donations. There are many options to make a contribution to support them – here you find some of them:

•    Welthungerhilfe
•    Ärzte ohne Grenzen/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
•    Unicef Deutschland
•    Afghanischer Frauenverein

Thank you and have a good week!    

Anja

Call for Papers: Workshop on “Multiple Secularities in Africa and the Diaspora”, 2–4 February 2022

We would like to draw your attention to a Call for Papers for our workshop “Multiple Secularities in Africa and the Diaspora” from 2 to 4 February 2022. Convened by Marian Burchardt, Magnus Echtler and Katharina Wilkens, the three-day workshop will deal with Africa in the field of secularity studies. It seeks to tackle epistemological distortions and blind spots through empirical studies of African social realities. In particular, the convenors are interested in the heuristic values of divergent conceptualisations (religious/secular, spiritual/material, sacred/profane, transcendent/immanent, or singularly mundane). Regarding Africa and its diaspora, the power/knowledge topography of religion and secularity surely requires deeper investigation.

Presentations from sociology, anthropology, history, arts and literature, legal, political and religious studies and related fields are welcome. Please send your abstract of 200-300 words via e-mail. It is planned that the workshop will take place as a hybrid event, with the option of virtual and on-site participation. Depending on the current COVID situation, this may change at short notice. Costs for travel and accommodation may be covered.

Timeline:

Submission of abstract / short biography: 30 September
Notification of acceptance: 31 October
Submission of papers: 14 January 2022
Workshop: 2-4 February 2022

“Kurzsüchtig” – 18th Short Film Festival in Leipzig

From 18–22 August, the Central German Short Film Festival Kurzsüchtig will be showing the best short films from Central Germany in the categories animation, documentary, fiction, experimental and film music & sound design at Schaubühne Lindenfels and Luru-Sommerkino. A total of 29 films will be screened in competition from Wednesday to Saturday, each starting at 7.30 p.m. On Sunday evening, all the winning films will be shown again in a best-of open air. In addition, there will be an extended supporting programme with a short film programme only for children, a guest country special with short films from Poland as well as workshop discussions for filmmakers and interested parties.

By the way, the term Kurzsüchtig is a pun that roughly translates as “Addicted to short films” and at the same time reminds of the German word “kurzsichtig” which means “shortsighted”.

18–21 August | 7.30 p.m.
Schaubühne Lindenfels/Ballroom, Karl-Heine-Straße 50, 04229 Leipzig

22 August | 8.30 p.m.
Luru Sommerkino Spinnerei, Spinnereistraße 7, 04179 Leipzig

If you have any content that you think suits the purpose of the weekly, please feel free to send it to us at multiple-secularities@uni-leipzig.de.