Religion in Latin America, and among Latinos abroad.

Studies about religion in Latin America have been growing in recent years (Morello, Romero, Rabbia, De Costa 2017; De la Torre and Martin 2017). However, they tend to be either historical research or about theoretical issues. In other cases, even when the research is based on empirical current data, the articles are missing the connection with the broader Latin American religious situation. In this Special Issue, we are inviting colleagues to submit empirical based papers on current topics, that explicitly contribute to paint the broader picture of Latin Americans religiosity at home and abroad.

Dear Colleagues,

As you surely know for your work on the field of ‘religion and Latin America’, there is an ongoing debate about a theoretical model that permits understand the religious live of the continent. While some scholars will frame the discussion either with the Secularization theory or the Rational choice, others prefer ‘Popular Religiosity’ as a construct more suitable to name the particularities of the religious situation among Latinos in Latin America and abroad.

That discussions have placed the emphasis on religious institutions, assuming that people practice what the institutions requires. Other times, articles focused on a case study have had difficulties to apply the ‘sociological imagination’ (Mills), that is to explain why studying a particular situation (from any theoretical framework) is important to understand Latin American religiosity. Studies that deal with a ‘story’ have had some problems link it to Latin American religious ‘history’. Usually articles lack of references of any literature written in a language other than the one of the paper.

This is invitation is for you to consider writing a paper on Latin America of about Latin@s contemporary religious situation. To fulfill the aforementioned gaps, papers should focus on current issues, even when they might have a historical introduction of the case for a wider readership. (I expect that contextual element does not go beyond 1,000 words). The paper should be based on empirical research. I am not naïve about ‘empirical data’, I understand we built our data based on theoretical preferences. However, I do think we need more empirically based analysis to understand what is going on in the Latin American religious field. It can be about any religious traditions, employ any methodological approach (qualitative, quantitative, mix methods), any analytical level (individuals, communities, institutions) and about any intersection, like in ‘religion and…’ (gender, race, politics, mass media, work, education, et cetera). Finally, I hope you can explicitly make the case connecting your specific study with the broader picture: how is your research relevant to the knowledge of Latin Americans’ religiosity? What knowledge does it bring to the discussion?

If you agree to participate in this Special Issue, I ask you please to send us a tentative title by January 30, 2017 and an abstract by March 1, 2018. The article can be coauthored with your colleagues. When you send the abstract, please make explicit the questions that you will try to answer or the hypothesis you plan to explore. Also explain the methodologies you’re going to use to answer your questions/hypothesis. The deadline for the paper is December 1st 2019. However, if possible I’d like to have a draft version by July 1st, 2019 so I can work on an introduction that discusses the articles of the Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Gustavo Morello SJ
Guest Editor

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