Midwest American Academy of Religion
GREETINGS FROM THE REGIONAL PRESIDENT
Welcome to the Midwest Region of the American Academy of Religion!
I've been attending and presenting at the Midwest AAR, off and on, for the better part of two decades, first as an undergraduate at Missouri State University, later as a(n interloping) graduate student at Princeton University, and now as faculty at Saint Louis University. It is a joy and an honor to serve as president of the region for the next two meetings (2023 and 2024). This page orients you to the basic structure, mission, and scope of the Midwest AAR. Other pages on the website provide more information on the region, its activities, key documents, and the people who make all of this possible.
Mission
The national AAR is the premiere professional organization for the study of religion and is dedicated to fostering excellence in scholarship and teaching. Each year in November thousands gather for the AAR’s annual conference. At the regional level, the Midwest AAR seeks to help students and scholars across the Midwest with networking and mentorship, professional development, advancement of scholarship, and reflection on pedagogy.
A key mission of the Midwest AAR is to make participation and involvement accessible to all people in the region who teach and/or study religion and related fields. A big part of this includes eliminating conference costs for students, independent scholars, and contingent faculty. Please reach out if you, your institution, or your organization are able to contribute to these efforts.
Membership
Members of the AAR who reside within the Midwest Region are automatically members of the Midwest Region and will receive our email announcements sent to the membership. Residents of other regions who are AAR members are welcome to affiliate with the Midwest Region, as well. You do not need to reside within the region to attend or present a paper at the regional meeting, nor do you need to be a member of the national AAR. The MAAR is especially committed to supporting students—at both the undergraduate and graduate level—and to supporting the work of scholars and teachers be they tenure-track or contingent.
One of ten regional groups within the AAR, the Midwest Region typically holds its annual meeting in March or April each spring. Our meetings are designed to be more intimate and relaxed than the national AAR meeting in the hopes that participants will feel free to present and discuss works-in-progress and make connections with other students and scholars within the region. Our annual call for papers welcomes submissions to fifteen different sections (see Section Chairs).
Each year, the Midwest region issues special conference prizes to the best undergraduate paper, the best graduate paper, and the best paper attending to issues of religion and sustainability. Authors of accepted paper proposals will be informed of the guidelines along with notification of the acceptance of their proposals.
We encourage you to get involved in the leadership of the Midwest region by attending the business meeting (held each year at our annual meeting), and by sharing any ideas you may have with the officers or section chairs of the region.
I welcome any communications, questions, or suggestions and ideas regarding the business of the Midwest region and our annual conference.
All my best,
Rachel McBride Lindsey, PhD
Saint Louis University