Religion and Politics (Section 11)
The purpose of this section is to encourage the study of the interrelations between religion and politics, including the politics of religious pluralism; law, religion and governance; faith, practice and political behavior; and the politics of secularism, in the United States as well as in a comparative, historical, and global perspective.
Founded: 1986
Website: https://connect.apsanet.org/s11/
Social: @apsa_section11 (X) @apsareligion.bsky.social (Bluesky)
Section Membership Dues
| Student | Regular |
|---|---|
| $0 (Online Journal Only) | $14 (Online Journal Only) |
Section Officer
Section Officers
Section Awards
Section awards are presented during the APSA annual meeting awards ceremony. To learn more about any award listed, contact the award committee chair for the award.
All section 11. Religion and Politics awards to-date »
Kenneth D. Wald Best Graduate Student Paper Award
The Kenneth D. Wald Best Graduate Student Paper Award will be given annually to a conference paper studying any aspect of religion and politics presented by a Ph.D. student in political science. The conference can be affiliated with any of the US-based political science associations or a conference affiliated with another association, such as the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, the American Academy of Religion, the Middle East Studies Association, or the International Studies Association, as long as the paper was written by a student or students enrolled in a graduate program in political science and presented in 2024 or 2025 Papers written with faculty will not be considered. Papers presented at poster sessions are welcome.
Deadline for nominations: April 1, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Vineeta Yadav (Chair) | Penn State University | vyadav@psu.edu |
Ted Jelen Best Journal Article in Politics and Religion Award
This award is presented for the best article published in Politics and Religion in the preceding calendar year. Deadlines for Nomination: April 1, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Jacob Nieheisel (Chair) | University of Albany – SUNY | acobnei@buffalo.edu |
Susanne Hoeber Rudolph Outstanding Scholar in Religion and Politics Award
The Susanne Hoeber Rudolph Outstanding Scholar Award recognizes a scholar who has made outstanding contributions to the field of religion and politics. These contributions should be through a combination of excellent and widely influential scholarship, policy input/impact, public engagement, service, teaching, and mentorship.
Deadline for nominations: April 1, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Angelia Wilson (Chair) | University of Manchester | angelia.r.wilson@manchester.ac.uk |
Hubert Morken Best Book in Religion and Politics Award
The Hubert Morken Award is given for the best book dealing with religion and politics published within the previous year. The criteria for the award include the originality of the argument presented, quality of the research, innovative methods, readability of the text and the policy or practical implications of the scholarship. To be eligible for the award, books must have been published in the preceding year.
Deadline for nominations: April 1, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Nandini Deo (Chair) | Lehigh University | ndd208@lehigh.edu |
Aaron Wildavsky Best Dissertation in Religion and Politics Award
APSA Religion and Politics Section invites nominations for the Aaron Wildavsky Dissertation Award. The Aaron Wildavsky Award recognizes the best dissertation in the field of religion and politics. Eligible dissertations have been defended in the last two years, and should make a distinctive contribution to the study of religion and politics, broadly understood. Deadline for nominations: April 1, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Aala Abdelgadir (Chair) | University of Pittsburgh | aaa436@pitt.edu |
Weber Best Conference Paper in Religion and Politics Award
Weber Best Paper in Religion and Politics Award recognizes the best paper dealing with religion and politics presented at the previous year’s APSA Annual Meeting (2025). The paper should address a timely and relevant topic, within the discipline and beyond, in a theoretically innovative and methodologically thorough manner. All papers presented at the 2025 Annual Meeting are eligible, regardless of modality of presentation (i.e. in person, virtual/synchronous, and pre-recorded paper presentations are all eligible). Deadline for nominations: April 1, 2026
Award Committee
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Anirvan Chowdhury (Chair) | University of Louisville | anirvan.chowdhury@louisville.edu |
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award of the Religion & Politics Section of the American Political Science Association (APSA) recognizes outstanding scholars of religion and politics at the point of retirement (or shortly thereafter) who have made enduring contributions to the field through their scholarship, service, and mentorship. The award is intended to honor recipients who were regular and active Religion & Politics Section members during the periods of their primary contributions to the field. Anticipating that such scholars are exceptional, the call for nominations will remain open, the nominations will be confidential, and the award is not expected to be given every year.
The Award committee will be composed of the Executive Committee of the Religion & Politics Section, chaired by the section chair, to whom nominations shall be addressed. Nominations should be submitted to the section chair by e-mail (at apsa.religion.politics@gmail.com).
Deadline for nominations: April 1, 2026
Section Journal
Publishes 4 times per year.
Subscription included with regular membership.