BDSM and Religion
or: the power of a well-timed CfP
For some projects, it seems like the stars align. Though I’ve always been interested in religious topics, I had never found a way to combine religion with my BDSM research in a productive way. I had read some interesting books on religion and sexuality. (If you are interested, check out Hidden Intercourse for the most wonderful collection on the erotic and the esoteric.) And I had thought about putting some serious thought into seeing if there’s a link between BDSM and alchemy. But the years passed, my focus shifted, and I never got around to it.
And remember what I said about those stars?
The beauty of a well-timed religion CfP
In one of my regular searches for BDSM research opportunities, I found a Call for Contributors for a new Bloomsbury Handbook on Religion, Gender and Sexuality. (If you regularly check out my Events and Deadlines section, you might have seen it.) So I got to thinking. And reading, researching (because that’s what I do)… Then I realized that even though I still didn’t have a nice angle to combine BDSM and alchemy, three of my favorite novels did play with the relationship between BDSM and Christianity!
And so, for this proposal, I got to combine some of my favorite novels (one of whom has been my absolute favorite since I was 15) with a research area I’ve been homesick for (religion) and my current research passion (BDSM). Now, of course there is a possibility that the editors of this collection “decide to go in a different direction.” There is absolutely no guarantee that I will get this published in the next year. But whatever happens, I am still grateful that this CfP inspired me to revisit some old literary friends, as well as one of my previous academic homes (religious studies).
So, this article/chapter will be written. And it’s going to be unique, exciting, stimulating and enlightening.
And all of that because of one well-timed CfP!