Journal for the Study of Religion : Announcements
The journal’s main area of interest is the phenomenological and comparative study of the diversity of religions, religious traditions, and the religious movements and formations of religions in Southern Africa. We are particularly interested in the lived realities of religion in Sub-Saharan Africa. Since we foster the equal recognition of all religions, research on the prevalence, relevance, and practicing of World Religions in both local and global contexts is also encouraged. Research contributions may focus on any of the dimensions of religion, religiously shared or specific values, and the historical and/or current problematization and contextualization of religions or religious discourse. Online ISSN 2413-3027 Print ISSN 1011-7601
Call for Reviewers: Journal for the Study of Religion
The Journal for the Study of Religion (JSR) invites suitably qualified scholars to strengthen its pool of peer reviewers. As a biannual, peer-reviewed, open access journal affiliated with the Association for the Study of Religion in Southern Africa (ASRSA), JSR is committed to advancing rigorous and accessible scholarship on religion, with a particular focus on the Global South and the lived realities of religion in Sub-Saharan Africa. We welcome expressions of interest from researchers across the field of Religious Studies and related disciplines, including (but not limited to): Phenomenology of religion Comparative religion African and Indigenous religions New religious movements Religion and politics, media, and society Theology, ethics, and philosophy of religion Reviewers play a vital role in maintaining the academic quality, integrity, and credibility of the journal. While this is an unpaid role, it offers the opportunity to contribute to the development of scholarship in the field, remain engaged with emerging research, and support a vibrant academic community. JSR adheres to best practice guidelines as outlined by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Requirements: A completed postgraduate qualification (preferably a PhD) in Religious Studies or a related field Demonstrated research expertise and/or publication record Commitment to providing timely, constructive, and ethical reviews How to apply: Interested scholars are invited to register as reviewers on the journal’s online platform and indicate their areas of expertise. Or feel free to reach out to the editors directly with your interest and topics you are interested in reviewing! Inquiries: Dr Tristán Kapp (tristan.kapp@up.ac.za) Join us in strengthening critical, inclusive, and globally relevant scholarship in the study of religion.
Call For Research Participants for a Master's Study: "Belonging Beyond the Institution"
Belonging without Membership? Spirituality Without Surveillance? Faith As Personal Reclamation? God Beyond Hetero Patriarchy? Bhasani Mlambo is seeking research participants for her Master's research study at the University of Cape Town in South Africa; exploring how Black queer individuals experience religious belonging beyond formal religious institutions! Eligibility requirements: Black LGBTQI+ individuals (18+). Identify as religious, spiritual, or engaged in sacred practice - no church membership required. About the Researcher: Bhasani Mlambo is a Master’s student in African Feminist Studies at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Her research explores the experiences of religious belonging among queer Black individuals, with a particular focus on how faith, identity, and community are negotiated within and beyond Christian contexts. Her work is grounded in queer African feminist and decolonial perspectives, centering lived experience, storytelling, and embodied ways of knowing. She is especially interested in how queer Black individuals create spaces of spiritual meaning, resistance, and belonging in contexts that have historically excluded them. Bhasani’s broader academic and creative interests include gender, sexuality, religion, and African feminist thought. Alongside her research, she has been involved in student leadership and advocacy work, including facilitating conversations and workshops on anti-oppression and social justice. She is also a writer and poet, and her creative practice informs her academic work by opening up alternative ways of understanding identity, faith, and community. Her short story, Hair Love and Other Rituals, was published in The Kalahari Review in 2025 and her other work can be found in other publications. Alongside her academic work, she is part of the Queer Community Health Advocates, a volunteer program supported by the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation’s LGBT+ Health Division. You can contact her at: mlmnts005@myuct.ac.za Official Poster Advert
Daily Maverick Opinion: Sanctified authoritarianism — apartheid nostalgia and the deepfake Jesus Trump
Social media erupted after Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ in April 2026. This follows his self-portrayal as the pope in late 2025, recurring attacks on Pope Leo XIV and his ongoing provocations toward Iran: some call Trump’s antics blasphemy, others, predictably, simply go along with it. For Trump ideologues, Deepfake Jesus Trump was not blasphemy, but prophecy. Immediately after, Monty Python’s famous quip popped into my head: “He’s not the messiah; he’s a very naughty boy!” Yet, to a growing segment of the Christian right, Trump has become nothing short of a messiah. This is not unique. The apotheosis of Trump is the culmination of a longer politically idolatrous history within Christianity, predating to antiquity. In America, historian Richard Hofstadter identified this in 1963 as evangelical anti-intellectualism in American life: one that privileges emotion and “common sense” over reason and facts. (Read further...)
New Book, Cambridge University Press: Courts, Constitutions and Karma: Buddhism, Law and the Practices of Legal Pluralism in Sri Lanka
Book description Although rarely acknowledged, Buddhist monastics are among the most active lawmakers and jurists in Asia, operating sophisticated networks of courts and constitutions while also navigating—and shaping—secular legal systems. This book provides the first in-depth study of Buddhist monastic law and its entanglements with state law in Sri Lanka from 1800 to the present. Rather than a top-down account of colliding legal orders, Schonthal draws on nearly a decade of archival, ethnographic and empirical research to document the ways that Buddhist monks, colonial officials and contemporary lawmakers reconcile the laws of the Buddha and the laws of the land using practices of legal pluralism. Comparative in outlook and accessible in style, this book not only offers a portrait of Buddhist monastic law in action, it also yields new insights into how societies manage multi-legality and why legal pluralism leads to conflict in some settings and to compromise in others. Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/courts-constitutions-and-karma/824D7693132BCF5BF828BF4FC6EABA26#fndtn-information Book Reviews ‘Benjamin Schonthal’s book is a fascinating exploration that reveals multiple layers of legal pluralism in connection with Buddhist monastic law in Sri Lanka. The range and the details of his analysis are extraordinary, combining historical accounts of colonial law with archival research and extensive interviews, informed by a sophisticated understanding of legal pluralism in general. Schonthal adeptly weaves together an overarching view with illustrative situations to produce a persuasive, nuanced account of how legal pluralism is practiced on the ground. This book will reward anyone interested in law in Sri Lanka, Buddhist law, legal anthropology, and legal pluralism.’ Brian Z. Tamanaha - John S. Lehmann University Professor, Washington University ‘In the presence of a number of works dealing with exposition of the Vinaya rules, Schonthal’s work stands out in two important respects: it brings Theravada Vinaya, one of the world’s most ancient ecclesiastical disciplinary systems, to bear on contemporary social and political issues, and it substantiates its findings using extensive field research, the ‘field’ itself being almost inaccessible to the uninitiated. His study is not on the Vinaya as found in sacred Pali texts, but on how it maintains its vibrance and relevance in the context of the modern state legal system. The implications of the work go well beyond its particular context of Sri Lanka, and South East Asia, to reach the larger field of religious law beyond boundaries.’ Asanga Tilakaratane - Professor Emeritus, Buddhist Studies, University of Colombo ‘This impressive book offers a convincing rejoinder to those who might consider Buddhism an otherworldly religion with a monastic code detached from the laws of civil society. Schonthal demonstrates that religion and state law in Sri Lanka are intricately interconnected and in constant interaction with one another. This is a model of interdisciplinary scholarship drawing on historical investigation, participant observation, ethnographic interviews, and survey research. Schonthal’s richly reported findings shed new light on religion and legal pluralism in the world today.’ David Engel - SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus, University of Buffalo Law School