Transformations in East Asia Religious Diversity: Technology, Hybridity, Equality

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue invites contributions that investigate contemporary transformations in religious diversity in East Asia in rapidly evolving technological, social, and cultural environments. East Asia has long been a site of dynamic religious interactions, where indigenous traditions such as Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto coexist and intersect with Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and new religious movements. While there is extensive research on individual traditions, fewer studies have examined their interactions, hybridity, and contemporary transformations. Additionally, there is an urgent need for new research to address the increasingly important role of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and digital media in shaping religious identities and interfaith relations in the region. Furthermore, while significant research has been conducted on religious institutions, state–religion relations, and economic disparities, there remain notable gaps in understanding how religion contributes to or mitigates social inequalities in East Asian societies.

This Special Issue seeks to bridge these gaps by inviting interdisciplinary, comparative, and empirically grounded contributions that shed new light on the complexities of religious diversity in contemporary East Asia.

Potential Topics and Issues

We invite scholars from diverse fields—including religious studies, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, and political science—to submit original research articles that engage with the following themes:

• Digital Technology and Artificial Intelligence: How are religious institutions and religious movements adapting to rapidly changing technologies? What role does digital media play in shaping religious beliefs and communities? How do the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital surveillance shape religious practices and governance?
• Interfaith Relations and Hybridity: How do multiple religious traditions interact in practice in multireligious and multicultural societies in East Asia? What new forms of syncretism or hybridity have emerged? How do transnational religious movements influence religious pluralism and mobility in the region?
• Religion and Inequalities: How do religious institutions and practices reinforce or mitigate class, gender, ethnic, or political inequalities in East Asia? For example, how do different religious traditions in East Asia engage with gender roles and LGBTQ+ identities? And in what ways do minority religious communities experience and respond to discrimination and exclusion?

Submission Guidelines

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested contributors should submit an abstract of no more than 300 words. Please send it to the Guest Editor <fkglim@ntu.edu.sg>, or to the Assistant Editor <bella.xu@mdpi.com> of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts (7000–8000 words) will be due by 30 November 2025. All submissions will undergo a double-blind peer-review process. Please follow the journal’s formatting and citation guidelines available at the Religions website.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Francis Khek Gee Lim
Guest Editor

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.

• pluralism
• social inequalities
• technology