Innovative Approaches to Religious Pluralism: Integrating Law, Policies and Practice

Dear Colleagues,

Religious pluralism has become a foundational feature of contemporary societies, not merely as a demographic reality but as a political, legal and normative challenge for public institutions (Bader 2007; Mahmood 2016; Lindholm et al. 2004). Across Europe and worldwide, societies are negotiating the growing visibility and demands of religious minorities against the backdrop of historically embedded religious majorities and legal inequalities (Ventura 2021; Pérez-Madrid and Gas Aixendi 2013).

Governance models, whether based on strict secularism, cooperative neutrality or multicultural accommodation, are being tested by pluralization from below, the politicization of religious identity and the increasing contestation over public space. The governance of religious diversity is not merely a matter of law or administration; it is a discursive and political process through which institutions define, regulate and normalize religious difference. Governance, in this sense, is shaped by how states and societies recognize or exclude certain religious expressions, how religious actors negotiate visibility and rights and how institutional frameworks shape these encounters (Modood and Sealy 2022; Modood and Sealy 2024). Modood further argues that liberal secularism fails to guarantee real equality in deeply diverse societies. His model of “moderate secularism” challenges the rigid privatization of religion and calls for state engagement that enables, rather than restricts, the presence of religion in public life (Modood 2019). This entails not only legal equality but also institutional support, symbolic inclusion and mechanisms of dialogue and recognition. Yet, the application of such a model varies significantly depending on historical and political contexts. In response to these complexities, public commissions on cultural and religious diversity have emerged in several democracies as deliberative and policy-oriented mechanisms, serving as important intermediaries between civil society, expert knowledge and political authority; nevertheless, they often face challenges related to limited implementation and political resistance (Foblets and Alidadi 2018).

Considering the above context, we invite submissions for a Special Issue titled “Innovative Approaches to Religious Pluralism: Integrating Law, Policies and Practice”, which is aimed at rethinking the governance of religious diversity through interdisciplinary and comparative lenses. The aim is to identify innovative practices, question normative assumptions and develop inclusive theoretical frameworks that can be deployed to better respond to plural social realities. While the Special Issue encourages comparative and global perspectives, we especially welcome contributions focusing on the Mediterranean region as a critical space where diverse religious traditions, post-colonial legacies and secular legal orders intersect. In this context, for example, countries such as Italy, Portugal and Spain provide revealing contrasts: although all three recognize religious freedom, their governance frameworks are still deeply influenced by Catholic heritage and asymmetric cooperation regimes (Martínez-Torrón 2018; Morán 1994).

Submissions may explore both macro-level policies on governance of religious diversity and local or sectoral practices in areas such as education, places of worship, the display of religious symbols, religious festivities, urban planning, healthcare, etc. We encourage contributions that examine the evolving relationship between secularism, state neutrality and religious equality, as well as works that propose legal or policy reforms to ensure the effective protection of freedom of religion and belief.

Some suggested thematic axes (non-exhaustive)

1. Reassessing state–religion relations: A comparative analysis of secular and cooperative models; constitutional and legal ambiguities in state–religion relations; the tension between formal neutrality and structural privilege.
2. Governance of religious diversity through public commissions and advisory bodies: The role of institutional commissions in shaping national narratives and policy and the effectiveness and democratic legitimacy of public bodies; grassroots religious engagement.
3. Decentralization and territorial inequality: Case studies on how decentralization affects religious rights in education, urban planning, healthcare and public funding, as well as on intergovernmental coordination deficits and prospects for harmonization for an effective religious governance.
4. Urban governance and religious space: Zoning conflicts, construction of places of worship and legal controversies and conflicts over religious visibility and the symbolic use of public spaces.
5. Religious minorities in a religious diversity governance framework: State agreements and legal status, lack of access to public recognition and implications for religious equality.
6. Cultural autonomy and post-territorial governance: New forms of minority self-governance and their compatibility with national cohesion; networked governance involving state institutions, civil society, religious groups and transnational religious identities.
7. Sociopolitical dimensions of religious governance: Intersectionality and the marginalization of religious minorities through legal and policy lenses and the role of interfaith networks and civil society in countering exclusion.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Law and Religion Studies;
• Comparative Constitutional Law;
• Public Policy and Administration in religious studies;
• Sociology of Religion;
• Minority Studies;
• Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue Studies.

Expected Impact. We hope that this Special Issue will stimulate new research that challenges traditional paradigms and deepens our understanding of how religious pluralism is governed in diverse institutional and socio-political contexts. By bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives, we aim to foster a critical re-evaluation of legal, administrative and policy-based responses to religious diversity, moving beyond abstract normative claims toward concrete frameworks of inclusion, recognition and equity. In doing so, the issue aims to shape the research agenda in fields such as law and religion, political science, sociology of religion and public policy, and to inform institutional reform, policy design and inter-cultural dialogue in pluralist democracies. Ultimately, the Special Issue aims to establish a platform for scholarly exchange that can inspire future studies and interdisciplinary collaboration across geographic, cultural and academic boundaries.

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 (erelano@ucm.es; topidi@ecmi.de) or Assistant Editor of Religions (zena.zeng@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.

References:

Bader, V. Secularism or Democracy? Associational Governance of Religious Diversity; Amsterdam University Press: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2007.

Foblets, M.-C.; Alidadi, K. (Eds.). Public Commissions on Cultural and Religious Diversity; Routledge: London, UK, 2018.

Lindholm, T.; Durham, W. C.; Tahzib-Lie, B. (Eds.) Facilitating Freedom of Religion or Belief: A Deskbook; Martinus Nijhoff: Leiden, The Netherlands, 2004.

Mahmood, S. Religious Difference in a Secular Age: A Minority Report; Princeton University Press: Princeton, NJ, USA, 2016.

Martínez-Torrón, J. Religion and Law in Spain; Wolters Kluwer: Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands, 2018.

Modood, T. Essays on Secularism and Multiculturalism; ECPR Press/ Rowman & Littlefield International: London, UK, 2019.

Modood, T.; Sealy, T. Developing a framework for a global comparative analysis of the governance of religious diversity. Religion, State and Society 2022, 50, 362-377.

Modood, T.; Sealy, T. The New Governance of Religious Diversity; Polity Press: Cambridge, UK; Hoboken, NJ, USA, 2024.

Morán, G. The legal status of religious minorities in Spain. Journal of Church and State 1994, 36, 577-595.

Pérez-Madrid, F.; Gas-Aixendi, M. La Gobernanza de la Diversidad Religiosa. Personalidad y Territorial Idad en las Sociedades Multiculturales; Thomson Reuters Aranzadi: Navarra, Spain, 2013.

Ventura, V. (Ed.) The Legal Status of Old and New Religious Minorities in the European Union. Proceedings of the XXXth Annual Conference, Siena, 15-17 November 2018; Comares: Granada, Spain, 2021. 

Prof. Dr. Eugenia Relaño Pastor
Dr. Kyriaki Topidi
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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.

• religious pluralism
• governance of diversity
• secularism and state neutrality
• legal recognition of religious minorities
• equality
• freedom of religion or belief (FoRB)