The deadline for submitting proposals is 31 August 2020
The deadline for final manuscript submissions is 31 March 2021
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions/special_issues/pandemic_religions
This Issue on cultural and religious diversity is intended to mobilize knowledge and experiences in relation to the coronavirus pandemic on a global level, from an interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary perspective. It will reflect on the way individuals, groups, and nations are addressing the crisis from non-religious or religious perspectives. Articles could offer empirical data (history, interviews, media analysis, contextual analysis) or theoretical analysis. We hope to receive proposals from many countries and in multiple disciplines. Historical as well as contemporary perspectives are welcome. Potential themes are as follows:
1) Creating meaning
How are nones, religious individuals and groups, and science making sense of the pandemic? What kind of rituals are being created to get through these difficult times? How is death ritualized and understood? How are employees who are risking their lives to save others reflecting about their involvement? What about fear, sickness, suffering, arts, and faith in the future?
2) Innovations, imagination, and conflicts
How are religions celebrating or communicating virtually? What are the contributions of religions during the crisis? How are nones and religions uniting around the same fight? How are some fundamentalists resisting the recommendations of authorities? What kind of intergenerational relations and critical discourses are emerging from the crisis?
3) Apocalyptic and conspiracy theory viewpoints
What kind of apocalyptic and conspiracy theorist views are circulating? How are relationships between science, health, and religions/nonreligion being developed?
4) Changes in perception of religious institutions
How are religious people and nones perceiving religious institutions during this time? How are their decisions and involvement in helping people being evaluated? To what extent is new media being used successfully by religious leaders, and what lessons can be learned from this for the future?
5) Other major themes
What does the crisis say about globalization, economy, the environment, animals, and humans?
Prof. Dr. Solange Lefebvre
Prof. Dr. Roberta Ricucci
Guest Editors