Race, Religion, and Nationalism in the 21st Century

Dear Colleagues,

We are inviting submissions for a Special Issue of Religions on Race, Religion, and Nationalism.

Four years ago, on March 15, 2019, a gunman stormed into Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing fifty-one people and seriously injuring forty others. The perpetrator was a “white European ethno-nationalist” who was motivated by far-right, radical perceptions of Muslims as “invaders” [1].  A report released by the International Commission to Combat Religious Racism earlier this year documented at least fifty-eight attacks on places of worship in North America in the last twenty years that were motivated by similar racist and/or nationalist sentiments [2]. These are just a few examples of the role of racism and nationalism in violence against religious communities in recent years.

This Special Issue invites submissions that interrogate the intersection between race, religion, and nationalism in the 21st century. Submissions might explore questions such as: What role does religion play in nationalist groups and movements? How do racism and racialization play a role in discrimination and violence against religious communities?

We welcome submissions on any geographic area and religious community; however, we are especially interested in work on white Christian nationalism and/or discrimination against Africana or indigenous religions. We also especially encourage submissions that utilize new digital resources on race, religion and/or Christian nationalism such as:

• The International Commission to Combat Religious Racism’s reports on religious racism in Brazil (2022) and in North America (2023) [3]
• The Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama and the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History’s “Uncivil Religion” project on the role of religion in the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol Attack [4]
• The Public Religion Research Institute's survey on white Christian nationalism [5]

Articles in this Special Issue might build upon recent literature regarding the concept of “religious racism” and its manifestations in Brazil and elsewhere, the racialization of Muslims in the U.S. and Europe, and racial and religious biases in the conceptualization of “terrorism” and “extremism”, among others.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 400–600 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to Dr. Danielle Boaz at [email protected]. Abstracts will be reviewed by the guest editors to ensure proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

1 Sentencing Remarks of Mander J, The Queen v. Brenton Harrison Tarrant, CRI-2019-009-2468 [2020] NZHC 2192, https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases/R-v-Tarrant-sentencing-remarks-20200827.pdf

2 International Commission to Combat Religious Racism, “Religious Racism in North America,” March 15, 2023, www.religiousracism.org

3 www.religiousracism.org

4 http://uncivilreligion.org/home/uncivil-religion-january-6-2021?path=index

5 https://www.prri.org/research/a-christian-nation-understanding-the-threat-of-christian-nationalism-to-american-democracy-and-culture/

Dr. Danielle Boaz
Dr. Gustavo Melo Cerqueira
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• race
• racism
• religion
• nationalism
• religious racism
• Christian nationalism