Call for Papers: 2007 Duke HOPE Conference Keeping Faith: Religious Belief and Political Economy Although the early efforts of western social and political theorists were sometimes made in opposition to religious interpretations of the world, religious belief held sway throughout the early modern period as the dominant means to interpret human experience. Sometime in the 19th century, however, economics and the other social sciences began to develop analytical models that were completely severed from theology and religious belief. Thus, in the early 19th century Malthus's work was animated by his complex religious beliefs, but by the last quarter of that century Sidgwick and Marshall each were working to develop an analytical apparatus that, while still focused heavily on social ethics, was completely secular. Still, the period from the middle of the 19th to the middle of the 20th century clearly did not involve a sudden transition or even a steady progression to a secular economics. Throughout Western Europe and North America, the work of many economists in this period was animated by their religious beliefs. For example, on both continents, the "Labor Question" that arose in the last decades of the 19th century because of the second Industrial Revolution posed problems that forced many theorists back to their religious beliefs. Some of this work may have been in response to activism in the Church, exemplified by the papal encyclicals Rerum Novarum and Quadragesimo anno, for example, which attempted to humanize a seemingly increasingly inhuman capitalism. At the same time in the United States, the first generation of economists who returned from their German graduate studies included a core of people dedicated to Christian socialism and the Social Gospel. The purpose of this conference will be to focus on efforts by European and North American economists from roughly 1800-1950 to include their religious beliefs in their economic analysis. We are interested in describing, articulating, contextualizing, and interpreting the work of those economists whose work was animated by their religious faith. We are primarily interested in the work of those who could be considered professional economists, rather than the social writings of theologians and religious leaders, except insofar as these latter have a direct bearing on the former. We are interested in papers that address this phenomenon from many perspectives. Papers included in the conference might address some of the following questions: -Who were economists whose work was animated by a desire to keep religious perspectives in political economy? How did their work differ--in methodology, motivation, narrative, and area of inquiry--from the work of other contemporary economists and social theorists at this time? -What differences existed between these patterns in Europe and North America? -Were there significant differences in the efforts of people from different religious traditions to keep religious perspectives in political economy? -Did religious economists work together in formal or informal networks to integrate their faith and study, and if so what was their form and how did they shape the history of economics? -To what extent were the political economists who tried to keep religious perspectives in their work successful/ unsuccessful at influencing public policy? -How did the nature of the efforts to keep religious perspectives in political economy change through the period 1800-1950? Were these changes in response to clearly discernible events? -How did secularization finally overtake mainstream economic analysis? Did this take place differently in different contexts? Was European secularization significantly different than North American secularization? Conference Logistics The conference will take place in late April 2007, at Duke University in Durham, NC. It is tentatively scheduled for Thursday April 19th to Saturday April 21st. The conference will be part of Duke's History of Political Economy (HOPE) series, an annual workshop of approximately 15-20 participants. The conference is organized as a single plenary session and is designed to foster discussion and exchange among participants. Submitting a paper to the conference is considered offering a submission to the journal History of Political Economy; papers are refereed for inclusion in the annual supplemental issue, produced as a book. Duke University Press will pay for lodging and some meals. Additional funds may become available to defray other costs. Submissions Proposals for papers (not to exceed five hundred words) and complete contact information should be sent to both conference organizers, Brad Bateman and Spencer Banzhaf, by October 14, 2005 (see contact information below). Proposals will be selected and authors will be notified by Dec 1, 2005. The completed papers are due March 2, 2007. Contact Information To submit applications or for further information, please contact Bradley Bateman Dept. of Economics Grinnell College Grinnell, IA 50112-1690 Telephone: 641-269-3145 [log in to unmask] and/or Spencer Banzhaf Resources for the Future 1616 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 Telephone: 202-328-5033 [log in to unmask]