Religion and Violence in South Asia

Dear Colleagues,

Religions would like to introduce a special issue on Religion and Violence in South Asia, a region that has been of great historical impact and that continues to grow in global importance today. The topic is of grave concern as the world is now being pushed to the brink of an existential crisis by the ravages of violence on our own and other species that is a direct result of exploitation, irrationalism, authoritarianism, and intolerance. Ideas and goals that were once considered universal goods, such as globalism, environmentalism, care for the disadvantaged and oppressed, and tolerance are now seen as threats to anthropocentric, nationalistic, ethnic, racial, and social hierarchies and dominance. Walls have been raised, human rights trampled, and the ghoulish grasp of genocide has emerged from the depths of anger and revenge. The post-Holocaust motto of “Never Again,” has been changed to “Never Again is Now.” Religion, a source of meaning and comfort to billions of the planet’s people, has in many cases been used a justification, a banner under which its adherents are compelled to engage in various forms of violence, from the withering of human rights and environmental protections, to outright murder. Religious myths that celebrate the defeat of good over evil, light over darkness, have been appropriated to demonize and dehumanize people of other faiths, political parties, and lifestyles. All is not lost, though.

There are still many antidotes to the ills of our planet. Among these, academic research, analysis, interpretation, theory, and debate can and do contribute to mutual understanding. It is vital for people of different cultures and perceptions of religion to come together to engage scholarship of the highest standards to continue the task of explaining the role of religion in violence, as well as the role of violence in religion. Often it is easier to gain insights into one’s own culture by studying others.  To this end, Religions will zoom into South Asia, an area of the world that has both been challenged by religious violence, but that has also brought forth solutions to violence with Mahatma Gandhi’s redeeming concept of non-violent action for political and social change.

This special edition of Religions encourages paper submissions from variety of disciplines and perspectives relating to the topic of Religion and Violence in South Asia. Suggested themes include religious nationalism, majoritarian politics, politicalization of religious identity, rape myths and gender violence, impact of religious tensions on regional stability and geopolitics, caste hierarchies, the role of social media and disinformation, impacts of colonialism, environmental degradation, as well as religious solutions and other interventions against violence.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor, Dr. Leah M. Renold, at lr22@txstate.edu or leahrenold@txstate.edu, and cc the Assistant Editor of Religions, Clare Chai, at clare.chai@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.

Dr. Leah M. Renold
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.

• religion
• violence
• communalism
• myth
• nationalism
• Hindutva
• dehumanization