Buddhist Art Along the Silk Road and Its Cross-Cultural Interaction
A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 2888
Special Issue Editors
Interests: Buddhist art and archaeology; history of Buddhism; history of cultural exchange between China and the West
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The Silk Roads, as vital conduits of intercultural exchange, witnessed the transmission of Buddhist art from India through Gandhara to Central Asia, China, and beyond. During Buddhism’s transformation from a regional belief to a global religion, its artistic expressions not only visualized doctrinal concepts but also served as material testaments to cross-regional dialogues, reflecting the historical dynamics of Buddhist propagation. Current scholarship on Silk Road Buddhist art faces dual opportunities: the influx of new archaeological materials and a paradigm shift from single-civilization perspectives to cross-cultural interaction studies. This necessitates an integrated approach employing novel materials, methodologies, and perspectives to reconstruct the historical trajectories of Buddhist art’s transcultural dissemination.
This Special Issue focuses on the genealogical development and intercultural evolution of Buddhist art along the Silk Roads between the 1st and 13th centuries CE. We seek to investigate how visual languages—including sculptural styles, pictorial motifs, iconographic programs, and architectural layouts of cave temples—underwent translation and transformation across diverse regions and cultural contexts while transmitting associated belief systems and philosophical concepts. We advocate for interdisciplinary approaches that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries and geographical confines, integrating archaeology, iconography, art history, Buddhist studies, and cross-cultural comparative methodologies to achieve substantive progress in Silk Road Buddhist art research.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- New archaeological discoveries of Buddhism along the Silk Road;
- Cultural exchange and mutual influence between Chinese and Kushan Buddhist art;
- Transmission routes and cultural origins of Buddhist art in China;
- Studies on Buddhist cave temples;
- Studies on Sino-Tibetan Buddhist art;
- Artistic interactions of Buddhism in East Asia;
- Foreign civilizational elements in Chinese Buddhist art.
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. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purpose of ensuring their proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.
Deadline for abstract submission: 30 September 2025
Deadline for full manuscript submission: 31 January 2026
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Liming Zhang
Prof. Dr. Yinggang Sun
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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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
- Buddhist art
- Asian civilizations
- the Silk Road
- mutual learning through exchange
- Sinicization of Buddhism
- Gandhara
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