Interfaith Dialogue and Transformation

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue of Religions titled “Interfaith Dialogue and Transformation”. Interfaith dialogue has served as a catalyst, sign, and witness for both intra- and inter-theological transformation and growth. Such transformations—spanning all world views and religious traditions—have engaged theist, nontheist, and atheist perspectives, touching upon all aspects of lived faith, praxis, and doctrine.

Conversely, the absence or censorship of interfaith dialogue has curtailed post-conflict peace prospects, hindered deep reckoning with the failures and blind spots of our traditions, and diminished the spiritual and moral potential embedded in virtues such as humility and compassion, which all recognised world views and faiths profess to uphold.

This Special Issue aims to explore the transformative potential of interfaith dialogue across different contexts, traditions, and disciplines. It seeks to highlight how interfaith encounters can reframe theological perspectives, reshape community relationships, and foster social justice initiatives, thus aligning closely with the journal’s commitment to the scholarly study of religions in dialogue with one another.

For this Special Issue, we welcome original research articles and reviews. Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• How interfaith dialogue can transform faiths, individuals, and/or communities.
• Case studies and historical examples of spiritual, religious, political, intellectual, and/or social justice transformations through encounters with religious others.
• Failures of transformation amidst interfaith encounters.
• Pioneers of interfaith dialogue and transformation.
• Key or overlooked texts advocating transformation through interfaith dialogue.
• Strategies for nurturing transformation in interfaith dialogue initiatives in schools, places of worship, rituals, praxis, and pilgrimages.
• Obstacles that inhibit transformation, and virtues that can promote robust interfaith transformation.

We hope that this Special Issue will stimulate new research and practical engagement in the field of interfaith studies, fostering deeper theological, social, and political understanding across traditions. By bringing together diverse perspectives, this issue aims to serve as a significant scholarly resource for advancing both theory and practice in interfaith engagement.

While the genesis of this project is based on a successful all-day panel at the 2025 European Academy of Religion conference in Vienna—organised by the Centre for Interreligious Dialogue at Dublin City University—the call is open to all colleagues in theology, interfaith studies, comparative theology, peace studies, and related cross-disciplinary fields.

Submission Details:

• Proposal length: 500–750 words, with a short academic bio.
• Proposal deadline: 15 January 2026.
• Article length: 4,000–7,000 words (longer articles will be considered on a case-by-case basis).
• Full-paper submission deadline: 15 June 2026 (following initial review by the editor, papers will be submitted to Religions for double-blind peer review).

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Peter Admirand
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 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.

• interfaith dialogue
• transformation
• comparative theology
• peacebuilding
• interreligious engagement
• atheist–theist dialogue