31 May - 2 June 2025
The bi-annual Makarios conference is a joint undertaking of the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry at Australian Catholic University (ACU), the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University, the Boston College Colloquy in Historical Theology (BCHT), the Boston College Lonergan Institute, and Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion. The conference promotes research and discussion of the relationship between Christianity and human flourishing in historical and contemporary perspective, and across the humanities and social sciences.
This second Makarios conference aims to convene scholars from theology, philosophy, history, and the social sciences to explore the past, present, and future of Christianity's complex engagement with the theme of neighbor-love and its implications for human flourishing today. This topic is not only of intrinsic interest to the intellectual traditions nourished by Christianity but is also arguably of central relevance to contemporary debates about the causes of and potential solutions for the developed world's epidemic of loneliness and isolation; the nature of civic belonging; the moral implications of climate change and environmental degradation; the obligations of the rich to the poor; and much else. The conference will take place over three days at ACU's campus in Rome, Italy, and will include plenary and concurrent sessions.
We welcome paper submissions from humanists and social scientists on the role of love for one's neighbor in the Christian tradition. Topics may include the development of theological and philosophical debates about the nature of neighbor-love from the New Testament down to the present; the relationship between love for neighbor and love for God; the interaction of Christian and non-Christian traditions on this theme; the role of constructs such as neighbor-love or civic friendship in the maintenance of a healthy social ecology; forgiveness and love of enemy; or the empirical study of neighbor-love or related constructs. We encourage contributions drawing on a variety of approaches from across the humanities and social sciences.
A conference website, including a registration portal, will be available beginning January 2025. The conference registration fee ($325) will cover three nights of accommodations at ACU's Rome Campus and breakfast and lunch on site.
Paper abstracts of up to 300 words and an up-to-date CV should uploaded to this form by December 1st, 2024.