Anthropology and Religion: Rethinking Identity in a Fragmented Cultural Landscape

Dear Colleagues,

In this Special Issue, we invite scholars to critically reconsider the human being through the lens of identity—arguably one of the most pressing concerns of our time. Contemporary thought, shaped by intersecting theoretical and cultural currents, increasingly questions the very possibility of self-identical entities. One significant factor in this transformation is the disappearance of God as the guarantor of foundational meaning.

The proclaimed closure of metaphysics by Derrida in the 1960s, and the ensuing operation of deconstruction, cleared the way for a biopolitics of horizontal power (Foucault) and the ascendancy of narrative over epistemic certainty. The subject and consciousness—once rooted in religious transcendence and the metaphysics of being—now fluctuate in a realm dominated by the fluidity and recurrence of signifiers.

This existential flux is further exacerbated by new technologies, including synthetic cloning, the metaverse, and digital replication, which introduce unprecedented means for dissolving personal identity. The resulting vision of reality is one of infinite malleability, permanent contestability, and deep vulnerability.

This Special Issue seeks contributions that engage critically with these phenomena and address such questions as follows:

• Is the notion of identity essential for understanding the human being, and what would be the implications of its disappearance or rejection?
• What does “identity” signify in today’s philosophical and technological landscape?
• To what extent is culture integral to the concept of identity?
• Should identity be redefined as a technological construct?
• What role does religious experience play in recovering a unified sense of identity?

We welcome interdisciplinary perspectives from fields such as philosophy, political theory, theology, law, cultural studies, and anthropology.

Introduction

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, which explores the shifting contours of human identity in contemporary contexts. This research area is crucial for understanding the implications of cultural fragmentation, technological development, and the reconfiguration of religious and philosophical thought in our time.

Aims and Scope

This Special Issue aims to examine the intersection of anthropology and religion in the construction—and deconstruction—of identity in the 21st century. Contributions should align with the Journal’s scope, which includes religious studies and interdisciplinary approaches to cultural and philosophical issues. The scope should remain focused, avoiding topics that are overly broad or narrowly defined.

Suggested Themes and Article Types

We welcome original research articles and reviews. Possible areas of focus include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. The relationship between anthropology and religion in shaping personal identity;
2. Intersections between personal and cultural identity;
3. Contemporary identity debates: multiculturalism, technology, and representation;
4. Philosophical and theological reflections on identity: creation or inheritance, fact or construct.

Authors are encouraged to submit a proposed title and a 200–300-word abstract prior to the full manuscript submission. Abstracts should be sent to the Guest Editor or the Assistant Editor of Religions to be reviewed for thematic fit. Full manuscripts will undergo a double-blind peer review.

Dr. Teresa Aizpun
Prof. Dr. Raúl Madrid
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.

• identity
• anthropology
• culture
• philosophy
• deconstruction
• posthumanism
• religion
• selfhood
• technology
• subjectivity