Revolutionary Mothering and Sacred Rage: Black Feminist Theologies in Action
A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Theologies".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 220
Special Issue Editors
Interests: sociology; religious studies; Africana studies; American studies; gender, sexuality & women’s studies; law and humanities
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This issue centers Black feminist and womanist theologies as lived, practiced, and organized traditions, where mothering is not only a family role but also a political, spiritual, and ethical methodology. We welcome submissions that examine how Black women and gender-expansive people transform anger into sacred rage, how care becomes a collective strategy, and how faith traditions are mobilized for survival, freedom-making, and social repair. Across classrooms, congregations, streets, kitchens, courtrooms, and migration routes, “revolutionary mothering” names a praxis that refuses disposability and insists on the holy worth of Black life.
Potential topics include (but are not limited to) the following:
- “Fictive Kin as Theology”: how chosen kin networks operate as sacred infrastructures of survival and belonging.
- “Environmental Stewardship”: mothering as motivation for environmental justice work.
- “Foster Mothering and the Afterlives of Removal”: child welfare as a site of racial governance and abolitionist motherwork.
- “Mothering in the Academy as Sacred Labor”: mentoring, advising, and “care curricula” as Black feminist theological practice.
- “Borderlands Mothering”: immigration regimes, detention, and transnational faith practices that hold families together.
- “Sacred Rage in Public”: testimony, protest, preaching, and the transformation of anger into collective ethics.
Submission Guidelines
- Proposal abstract: 300–500 words, plus 5 keywords and a short bio (2–3 sentences).
- Full manuscripts: 6,000–9,000 words; Chicago formatting accepted.
- Optional genres: Fieldnotes/ethnography, visual-archival essays, interviews, praxis reflections, and community co-authorship.
- Accessibility: If using images/media, include captions and alt-text.
We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit your proposal abstract. Please send it to the Guest Editors, Dr. Deidre Hill Butler (butlerd@union.edu) and Dr. Gabrie’l Janine Atchison (atchison71@gmail.com) and cc the Assistant Editor of Religions, Ms. Joyce Xi (joyce.xi@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the special issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Prof. Dr. Deidre Hill Butler
Dr. Gabrie’l Janine Atchison
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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.
Keywords
- Black feminist theology
- womanist theology
- revolutionary mothering
- sacred rage
- care ethics
- lived religion
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