Call for Papers: SOULS: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture and Society

Critical Insights into Black Religion: Christianity, Islam and Spirituality (Working Title)

Guest Editors:
Joy Bostic, Case Western Reserve University and Tamelyn Tucker-Worgs, Hood College

Spirituality, religion and religious institutions are central to the lives of black people in Africa and the African Diaspora. Religious Studies scholar Anthony Pinn suggests that while “the religious landscape” of the African Diaspora is “complex and diverse” a core theme running throughout this terrain is the determination of black people to create complex subjectivity and meaning as the basis for individual and collective identity. Black people do and have done this in the face of a multitude of crises and challenges as a result of a Western hegemony that continues to shape and influence their lives. This religion and spirituality are of course not confined to Christian church and instead entail a variety of spiritual practices, beliefs and faith systems that range from traditional African religions, to Islam, to Christianity, and non-theism.


Within the contemporary context, people of African descent experience ongoing challenges throughout the Diaspora. Across the globe black people are navigating economic crisis, political instability, cultural shifts, political instability, neoliberal public policies, the globalization of capital and the vestiges of colonialism and slavery. Of interest is how religious movements, emerging spiritual practices, and religious institutions traverse local and global political, social, and economic terrains. How are religion and spirituality impacting black lives?


In light of these interests and concerns we invite papers that explore how these social, political, economic and cultural developments intersect with the shifting landscapes of black religion and spirituality. Topics may include issues related to race, gender, human rights, sexuality, poverty, political rights, nationalism, incarceration and other contemporary captivities. Papers should address these topics in relationship to any aspect of the diverse expressions that represent black religion and spirituality.


Final Submission Deadline is Midnight January 31st, 2014

For general questions please contact souls@uic.edu

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
SOULS only accepts unsolicited manuscripts by electronic submission. Manuscripts are peer-reviewed by members of our Editorial Working Group (EWG) and our Editorial Advisory Board (EAB), as well as other affiliated scholars.


All submissions must include a cover letter that includes the author’s full mailing address, email address, telephone and fax numbers, and professional, organizational or academic affiliation. The cover letter should indicate that the manuscript contains original content, has not previously been published, and is not under review by another publication. Authors are responsible for securing permission to use copyrighted tables or materials from a copyrighted work in excess of 500 words. Authors must contact original authors or copyright holders to request the use of such material in their articles. Authors must also submit a three to five sentence bio, an abstract of their article of not more than 100 words, and a brief list of key words or significant concepts in the article.


Submissions should be addressed to:

Professor Barbara Ransby, Editor
bransby@uic.edu and Prudence Browne, Managing Editor
souls@uic.edu

CONTENT
DCP: In the pattern of the critical black intellectual tradition of W.E.B. DuBois, Souls articles should include the elements of “description,” “correction,” and/or “prescription”: thickly, richly detailed descriptions of contemporary black life and culture; corrective and analytical engagements with theories and concepts that reproduce racial inequality in all of its forms; and/or an analysis that presents clear alternatives or possibilities for social change.
Originality: Articles should make an original contribution to the literature. We do not consider manuscripts that are under review elsewhere.


FORM OF ARTICLES:
Length: Articles published in Souls generally are a minimum of 2,500 words in length, but not longer than 8,500 words, excluding endnotes and scholarly references.


CMS and Clarity: All articles should conform to the Chicago Manual of Style. Scholarly references and citations usually should not be embedded in the text of the article, but arranged as endnotes in CMS form. Souls favors clearly written articles free of excessive academic jargon and readily accessible to a broad audience.
Critical: Souls aspires to produce scholarship representing a critical black studies – analytical and theoretical works in the living tradition of scholar/activist W.E.B. Du Bois. Souls is an intellectual intervention that seeks to inform and transform black life and history.