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Race, Religion, and Nationalism in the 21st Century
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Race, Religion, and Nationalism in the 21st Century

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 March 2024) | Viewed by 6783

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Danielle Boaz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Africana Studies, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
Interests: africana religions; religious racism; religious freedom
Dr. Gustavo Melo Cerqueira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Babalorixá, Ilê Axé Omi Ogun Siwajú, Sao Felix, Bahia, Brazil
Interests: religious racism; performance studies; africana philosophy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are inviting submissions for a Special Issue of Religions on Race, Religion, and Nationalism.

Four years ago, on March 15, 2019, a gunman stormed into Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing fifty-one people and seriously injuring forty others. The perpetrator was a “white European ethno-nationalist” who was motivated by far-right, radical perceptions of Muslims as “invaders” [1].  A report released by the International Commission to Combat Religious Racism earlier this year documented at least fifty-eight attacks on places of worship in North America in the last twenty years that were motivated by similar racist and/or nationalist sentiments [2]. These are just a few examples of the role of racism and nationalism in violence against religious communities in recent years.

This Special Issue invites submissions that interrogate the intersection between race, religion, and nationalism in the 21st century. Submissions might explore questions such as: What role does religion play in nationalist groups and movements? How do racism and racialization play a role in discrimination and violence against religious communities?

We welcome submissions on any geographic area and religious community; however, we are especially interested in work on white Christian nationalism and/or discrimination against Africana or indigenous religions. We also especially encourage submissions that utilize new digital resources on race, religion and/or Christian nationalism such as:

  • The International Commission to Combat Religious Racism’s reports on religious racism in Brazil (2022) and in North America (2023) [3]
  • The Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama and the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History’s “Uncivil Religion” project on the role of religion in the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol Attack [4]
  • The Public Religion Research Institute's survey on white Christian nationalism [5]

Articles in this Special Issue might build upon recent literature regarding the concept of “religious racism” and its manifestations in Brazil and elsewhere, the racialization of Muslims in the U.S. and Europe, and racial and religious biases in the conceptualization of “terrorism” and “extremism”, among others.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 400–600 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to Dr. Danielle Boaz at [email protected]. Abstracts will be reviewed by the guest editors to ensure proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

1 Sentencing Remarks of Mander J, The Queen v. Brenton Harrison Tarrant, CRI-2019-009-2468 [2020] NZHC 2192, https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases/R-v-Tarrant-sentencing-remarks-20200827.pdf

2 International Commission to Combat Religious Racism, “Religious Racism in North America,” March 15, 2023, www.religiousracism.org

3 www.religiousracism.org

4 http://uncivilreligion.org/home/uncivil-religion-january-6-2021?path=index

5 https://www.prri.org/research/a-christian-nation-understanding-the-threat-of-christian-nationalism-to-american-democracy-and-culture/

Dr. Danielle Boaz
Dr. Gustavo Melo Cerqueira
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.

Keywords

  • race
  • racism
  • religion
  • nationalism
  • religious racism
  • Christian nationalism

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 298 KiB  
Article
Documenting Domination: From the Doctrine of Christian Discovery to Dominion Theology
by Adam DJ Brett and Betty Hill (Lyons)
Religions 2024, 15(12), 1493; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121493 - 7 Dec 2024
Viewed by 686
Abstract
The Doctrine of Christian Discovery is a series of fifteenth-century papal bulls that served as the theological and legal justification for the colonization of the world and the enslavement of the Original Free Nations, starting first on the African continent before spreading across [...] Read more.
The Doctrine of Christian Discovery is a series of fifteenth-century papal bulls that served as the theological and legal justification for the colonization of the world and the enslavement of the Original Free Nations, starting first on the African continent before spreading across the globe. In the 1800s, these bulls and other documents like The Requerimiento and colonial charters would be codified and enshrined together in U.S. law as the Doctrine of Christian Discovery, becoming the foundation of property law and international law. Also, considering what Peter d’Errico calls Federal Anti-Indian Law, we will trace and document how this framework of domination began with the Catholic crowns of Europe and transformed into the dominion theology found within Christian nationalist theologies today. Our research highlights how the Doctrine became enshrined and encoded within Protestantism and the imagined “secular” of the U.S. and Canada, countries who rhetorically espouse separation of church and state while justifying land theft, treaty violations, and the abuse of Indigenous nations and peoples through the Doctrine. We craft a genealogy of Christian domination by carefully analyzing primary sources, especially the colonial charters. We will conclude by juxtaposing the domination framework and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy’s principles of the Gayanashagowa (Great Law of Peace). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Race, Religion, and Nationalism in the 21st Century)
19 pages, 309 KiB  
Article
Religious Racism and the Spiritual Battle in the Name of Faith: The Implications of Demonization for Afro-Brazilian Religions
by Lucas Obalerá
Religions 2024, 15(12), 1469; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121469 - 2 Dec 2024
Viewed by 556
Abstract
Growth in forms of violence germinates from the abject soil of racism and colonialism. This article investigates religious racism in Brazil in the State of Rio de Janeiro through in-depth case studies and published data. First, I analyze how religious racism is utilized [...] Read more.
Growth in forms of violence germinates from the abject soil of racism and colonialism. This article investigates religious racism in Brazil in the State of Rio de Janeiro through in-depth case studies and published data. First, I analyze how religious racism is utilized as a means to legitimize the demonization and consequent violence directed at Afro-Brazilian religions. Through an analysis of terreiro leaders’ discourses, I present a conception in which demonization and deliberate attacks imply the persecution of ways of being, existing, doing, and living of Black African origin. I use this lens to highlight the role that neo-Pentecostal churches and the theology of spiritual battle play in the resurgence of violence against Afro-religious people. Then, I problematize the harmful relationships between the demonization of terreiros and the extremely warlike conception of Christian faith. Ultimately, I argue that racist theological discourse of demonization manifests itself through verbal, physical, psychological, moral, and patrimonial aggression, putting the existence of terreiro peoples and communities at risk. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Race, Religion, and Nationalism in the 21st Century)
14 pages, 279 KiB  
Article
Race, Religion and the Medieval Norse Discovery of America
by Zachary J. Melton
Religions 2024, 15(9), 1084; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091084 - 6 Sep 2024
Viewed by 770
Abstract
In 1837, Danish philologist Carl Christian Rafn published Antiquitates Americanæ, which introduced Americans to the Vinland sagas—medieval texts that suggest that Norse explorers “discovered” North America around the turn of the first millennium. Rafn, who saw it as his mission to promote [...] Read more.
In 1837, Danish philologist Carl Christian Rafn published Antiquitates Americanæ, which introduced Americans to the Vinland sagas—medieval texts that suggest that Norse explorers “discovered” North America around the turn of the first millennium. Rafn, who saw it as his mission to promote Old Norse literature around the globe, presented some of his research in a way that would appeal to Anglo-American prejudices, particularly through the obsession with American Antiquities and the question of a pre-Columbian civilization. His conclusions and the Vinland sagas consequently entered the American racial and religious discourses. Like other discovery myths, the Vinland sagas were used by intellectuals to argue for an early white presence on the continent. Later that century, the Norse discovery was framed in religious terms as some white Americans attempted to replace the figure of Christopher Columbus with that of Leifur Eiriksson as the true discoverer of America. The ramifications of Rafn’s work and its reception can be seen in twentieth- and twenty-first-century representations of Vikings in American popular culture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Race, Religion, and Nationalism in the 21st Century)
22 pages, 346 KiB  
Article
Jewish Nationalism in Israel: A Measurement
by Hannah M. Ridge
Religions 2024, 15(7), 864; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15070864 - 17 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1164
Abstract
Since Israel’s founding, being a “Jewish state” has been central to its self-representation. However, Israel has struggled to identify what that means. This article examines the strength of Jewish nationalism in Jewish Israeli public opinion. It draws on a recent survey of 200 [...] Read more.
Since Israel’s founding, being a “Jewish state” has been central to its self-representation. However, Israel has struggled to identify what that means. This article examines the strength of Jewish nationalism in Jewish Israeli public opinion. It draws on a recent survey of 200 Jewish Israelis for a qualitative and quantitative investigation of public responses to religious nationalist statements. These findings offer a utilizable survey short scale for measuring Jewish nationalism and to understand how Jewish Israelis are interpreting these statements. This study is a necessary step to empirically evaluating religious nationalism in the “Jewish state”. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Race, Religion, and Nationalism in the 21st Century)
20 pages, 369 KiB  
Article
The Brazilian Hymnological Melting Pot: Investigating Ethnoracial Discourses in the Compilation of the Lutheran Hymnal Livro de Canto (2017)
by Fernando Berwig Silva
Religions 2024, 15(5), 620; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15050620 - 17 May 2024
Viewed by 1167
Abstract
In 1926, a New York Times article described the cultural and ethnic flows in south Brazil as a “Melting Pot”. The report predicted that German Brazilians, tied to their ethnoracial origin, would soon be Brazilianized. The study of congregational song practices offers [...] Read more.
In 1926, a New York Times article described the cultural and ethnic flows in south Brazil as a “Melting Pot”. The report predicted that German Brazilians, tied to their ethnoracial origin, would soon be Brazilianized. The study of congregational song practices offers insight into the relationship between migration, race, culture, and ethnicity. Moreover, investigating Brazilian Lutheran singing practices helps us understand how the New York Times’ prediction unfolded on the ground. This paper examines the Brazilian Lutheran hymnal Livro de Canto, published in 2017, and displays how Brazil’s ethnoracial diversity is manifested and negotiated in the Lutheran context, both musically and theologically. By interviewing members of the hymnal committee and investigating how they dealt with Brazil’s ethnoraciality in the context of the hymnal compilation, this paper demonstrates ways denominations and churchgoers negotiate theological, cultural, musical, and ethnoracial identities through congregational singing. More importantly, it showcases how Brazilian Lutheran church music practices inform broader social conversations around racism, nationalism, Blackness, and Brazilianness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Race, Religion, and Nationalism in the 21st Century)
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