As those of us who have been in “the game” for a while know, each year there is a field in the AAR job listings that has an inexplicable number of listings. In addition, there are often mysterious “also desired” fields that tend to pop up frequently. Last year, for instance, it seems clear that Catholic moral theology was the winner, while “global Christianity” was the miscellaneous desideratum. (I leave non-Christian fields out of consideration here, as they all seem to be pretty robust every year.)
What do you think will capture the imagination of search committees this year? I’ve detected some momentum in “practical theology” for the past few years, so maybe it’s time for it to break through to the big time. In addition, I’d be surprised if we didn’t start seeing references to “digital humanities” in the miscellaneous desiderata, though I’m expecting global Christianity to make another strong showing — so I’m not sure what to predict there.
Digital Christianity?
Even better: digital spirituality!
Somehow I’d be surprised if that had to do with fingers. Catholics have been practicing digital spirituality over the rosary for centuries.
I encountered a book during my Melville research days entitled Melville’s Protest Theism. I didn’t actually read the book, as it didn’t much to do with what I was doing. But that phrase “Protest theism” sounded interesting, & given the protest zeitgeist, so I’m going to cast my vote for it.
I remember reading an article last year about a school that had a major (or something) in secularism — maybe that will suddenly be all the rage?
(I’m officially labelling this my “hail Mary” prediction.)
It (is there more than one?) was Pitzer College in California. And it’s not just a major, but a full department. I wonder if they’ll post openings with the AAR.
Digital Christianity = Evangelism.
I was thinking more, like, “Does Christianity have a role to play in the spreading of the Google Books project?” “Can Christianity cope with the changes wrought by transition to Web 2.0 and the social web?” “What does it mean to be Christian in the context of our ever-increasing identity-based online life-world?” etc. Pressing questions for a post-individual PC epoch.
Or maybe it would be possible to “gamify” Christianity, who knows. These are questions for scholars, not light-hearted blog banter.
My early bet is Eastern Christianity.
There’s a posting for “comparative monotheisms” up, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that phrase before.