Submissions

In-house Standard Requirements before Peer Review

Length

Submissions should be between 5000 and 8000 words (including the abstract, footnotes and bibliography).

Abstract

Submissions should include an abstract of between 100 and 200 words.

Keywords

A list of 2 to 6 keywords should be included.

Author Details

Please include a short description including the author’s name, academic position and research interests.

Style

The AJGR follows the Chicago Manual Style of referencing with minor specifications as outlined in the AJGR Style Sheet. We require all citations to be in the form of numbered footnotes (not endnotes or in-text referencing). Please refer to the attached AJGR Style Sheet for more details.

Focus and Scope

The African Journal of Gender and Religion (AJGR) is an online, peer-reviewed, open-access journal for the transdisciplinary study of gender and religion in Africa.  AJGR is a bi-annual publication housed at the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice at the University of the Western Cape.  The journal seeks to explore the ways in which power operates in gendered relationships and the ways in which this power is determined and promoted by religious and cultural norms. We welcome submissions that draw on a variety of resources available within feminist, queer and masculinity studies as they intersect with religion and culture.

Authors are invited to submit manuscripts that fall within the focus of the journal. The content of the article can be situated within a range of academic disciplines such as biblical studies, philosophy, theology, anthropology, cultural, and religious studies. However, all articles need to have gender, religion and the African context centralized. This does not only refer to the content of the article but also to its theoretical, conceptual and methodological framing.

It is expected that submissions will contribute new and original knowledge to the subject/theme that is being addressed. Hence:

• In addition to the abstract provided, please ensure that in the introduction you present your argument in such a way that the unique contribution you seek to make to the debate in that particular field of scholarship is made clear.
• It is essential to foreground both a central question and a theoretical/conceptual approach and methodology for approaching that question.

It is only then that the Editors will consider your article for the process of double-blind peer review. As a journal accredited with the South African Department of Higher Education and Training, AJGR will only accept and publish articles, which have gone through a rigorous review process. The peer readers will then advise the editorial panel on the suitability of particular articles for AJGR publication. We routinely screen article submissions for plagiarism, so if possible we advise authors to submit their own Turnitin or iThenticate report. 

• See the UJ Press plagiarism policy for details: https://ujonlinepress.uj.ac.za/index.php/ujp/plagiarism

Information for Book Reviewers:

The AJGR invites its reviews of recently published books related to gender and religion. Book reviews should be +-1000 - 2000 words max in length and should abide by the journal style guide. If there is a book you would like to review please contact the editorial team. Publishers may send review copies however, we don’t guarantee that unsolicited copies will be reviewed.

Information for Praxis Articles:

The AJGR encourages articles to be submitted under a section of the journal called “praxis”. Praxis articles must show evidence of how sound theoretical reflections are brought to bear on practical action. Within this section on “praxis”, we will publish essays that are not considered “mainstream academic” but nonetheless point to theories of gender justice in action. Submissions are evaluated through an editorial committee screening process. Further, the articles are also sent to a minimum of two competent scholars working in a similar field of interest for peer review.

STYLE

Article Title

The article title is typed in a 12 point bold font with all words being capitalized except articles, conjunctions and prepositions.

Subheading

All subheadings are typed in 12 point bold font using upper and lower case.

Main Text: 

Manuscripts are to be typed single-spaced in a 12pt font, margins should be set at 2.5cm on all sides. In order to put emphasis, italics should be employed rather than underlining.

Short quotes should be enclosed in quotation marks (“  ” ); full stops and commas are to be placed inside quotations marks whereas question marks or exclamation points should be placed outside quotations, unless they form the part of the quotation itself. Very brief quotations should generally not be set off as block quotations, except for emphasis. Quotations longer than four or five lines should be set off from the text, indented 0.5cm either side of the page margins as a block quotation. Only a single space is required at the end of a sentence after the punctuation. Please do not double space between sentences.

English: 

Authors can follow either British or American spelling conventions, but should do so consistently throughout the paper.

Use the adverbs “first” and “second” to introduce a series, not “firstly,” “secondly,” etc.

The names of centuries should be spelled out: e.g., the nineteenth century, not the 19th century.

CITATIONS

In general, we follow the Chicago Manual of Style following the “Notes and Bibliography” system with some minor specifications. All citations are to be in the form of numbered footnotes (not endnotes, not in-text references), with the full bibliographic reference in the first citation, followed by shortened citations for any further citation of the same source (not ibid. or op. cit.).This is not a comprehensive style guide; for that we refer authors to reference works on the Chicago Manual of Style. See: www.chicagomanualofstyle.org.

All footnote numbers appear in the text after punctuation. The first citation of a work should give complete information for the work, including the author’s first name or initial. Complete publication information should also be given. For books this includes the place of publication, name of publisher, and year of publication; for journal articles the volume number should be included as well as the date. Subsequent references to the work should give the author’s last name, a short version of the title, and the page number(s). Please do not use idem, ibid. or op. cit.

Book:

Footnotes

1. Rosemary Radford Ruether, Sexism and God-Talk: Toward a Feminist Theology (Boston: Beacon Press, 1993), 94-110.
2. Rebecca Chopp, Saving Work: Feminist Practices of Theological Education. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1995). 

Shortened Footnotes

1. Radford Ruether, Sexism and God-Talk, 99.
2. Chopp, Saving Work, 15.

Bibliography Entry (in alphabetical order)

1. Radford Ruether, Rosemary. Sexism and God-Talk: Toward a Feminist Theology. Boston: Beacon Press, 1993.
2. Chopp, Rebecca. Saving Work: Feminist Practices of Theological Education. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1995.

Chapter or other part of an edited book:

In a footnote, cite specific pages. In the bibliography, include the page range for the chapter or part.

Footnotes

1. Deborah Gaitskell, “Devout Domesticity? A Century of African Women’s Christianity in South Africa,” in Women and Gender in Southern Africa to 1945, ed. Cheryll Walker (Cape Town: David Philip, 1990), 251-260.
2. Nyambura Njoroge, “Daughters and Sons of Africa: Seeking Life-giving and Empowering Leadership in the Age of HIV/AIDS Pandemic,” in Women, Religion and HIV/AIDS in Africa, eds. Therese Hinga, Anne Kubai, Philomena Mwaura, and Hazel Ayanga (Pietermaritzburg: Cluster Publications, 2008), 179-185.

 

Shortened Footnotes

1. Gaitskell, “Devout Domesticity?” 160.
2. Njoroge, “Daughters and Sons.” 180.

Bibliography Entry (in alphabetical order)

1. Deborah Gaitskell. “Devout Domesticity? A Century of African Women’s Christianity in South Africa.” In Women and Gender in Southern Africa to 1945, edited by Cheryll Walker, 251-272. Cape Town: David Philip, 1990.
2. Nyambura Njoroge. “Daughters and Sons of Africa: Seeking Life-giving and Empowering Leadership in the Age of HIV/AIDS Pandemic.” In Women, Religion and HIV/AIDS in Africa, edited by Therese Hinga, Anne Kubai, Philomena Mwaura, and Hazel Ayanga, 179-203.Pietermaritzburg: Cluster Publications, 2008.

Journal:

In a note, cite specific page numbers. In the bibliography, include the page range for the whole article. For articles consulted online, include a URL or the name of the database. Many journal articles list a DOI (Digital Object Identifier). A DOI forms a permanent URL that begins https://doi.org/. This URL is preferable to the URL that appears in your browser’s address bar.

Footnotes

1. Mark  Hunter,  “Cultural  Politics  and  Masculinities:  Multiple-Partners  in  Historical  Perspective  in  KwaZulu-Natal,” Culture, Health and Sexuality 7, no.4 (2005): 396.
2. Orit Avishai, Afshan Jafar, and Rachel Rinaldo, “A Gender Lens on Religion,” Gender and Society 29, no.1 (2015): 5-25, https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243214548920.

Shortened Footnotes

1. Hunter, “Cultural Politics,” 389-390.
2. Avishai, Jafar, and Rinaldo, “Gender Lens,” 13.

Bibliography Entry (in alphabetical order)

1. Hunter, Mark. “Cultural  Politics  and  Masculinities:  Multiple-Partners  in  Historical  Perspective  in  KwaZulu-Natal.” Culture, Health and Sexuality 7, no.4 (2005): 389-403.
2. Avishai, Orit, Jaafar, Afshan, and Rachel Rinaldo. “A Gender Lens on Religion.” Gender and Society 29, no.1 (2015): 5-25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243214548920.

Internet Articles:

Footnotes

1. “Sugar Daddies Find Plenty of Sweet Teeth”, AEGiS, last modified June 17, 2008, www.aegis.com/news/IRIN/2007/IR071021.html.
2. Tanya Jacobs, “The Consortium of Violence Against Women: Domestic Violence and HIV/AIDS: An Area for Urgent Intervention,” accessed November 9, 2009, http://www.preventgbvafrica.org/content/domestic-violence-and-hivaiareaurgent-intervention.

Shortened Footnotes

1. AEGiS. “Sugar Daddies.” 
2. Jacobs, “The Consortium.” 

Bibliography Entry (in alphabetical order)

1. AEGiS. “Sugar Daddies Find Plenty of Sweet Teeth.” Accessed June 17, 2008. www.aegis.com/news/IRIN/2007/IR071021.html.
2. Jacobs, Tanya. “The Consortium of Violence Against Women: Domestic Violence and HIV/AIDS: An Area for Urgent Intervention.” Accessed November 9, 2009. http://www.preventgbvafrica.org/content/domestic-violence-and-hivaiareaurgent-intervention.

Dissertations:

Footnotes

1. Lilly Phiri, “Construction Sites”: Exploring Queer Identity and Sexuality at the Intersections of Religion and Culture in Zambia” (PhD diss., University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2016), 48-50.

• Adriaan van Klinken, “Theologising Life in the Face of Death: A Study on the Reflections of Three African Women Theologians, Namely Beverley Haddad, Isabel Apawo Phiri, and Fulata Moyo” (MA diss., University of Utrecht, 2006), 99-100.

Shortened Footnotes

1. Phiri, “Construction sites,” 51.
2. Van Klinken, “Theologising Life,” 74.

Bibliography Entry (in alphabetical order)

1. Phiri, Lilly. “Construction Sites”: Exploring Queer Identity and Sexuality at the Intersections of Religion and Culture in Zambia.” PhD diss., University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2016.
2. van Klinken, Adriaan. “Theologising Life in the Face of Death: A Study on the Reflections of Three African Women Theologians, Namely Beverley Haddad, Isabel Apawo Phiri, and Fulata Moyo.” MA diss., University of Utrecht, 2006.

For further citation examples please refer to the Chicago Manual of Style Online

www.chicagomanualofstyle.org

OTHER SPECIFICATIONS

• In order to avoid an excessive number of footnotes, please cite Scripture references parenthetically in the text rather than in footnotes.
• The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is the preferred version for all Biblical quotations.
• The source should be noted for every quotation. Except in epigraphs, the source information should include full publication information.
• In general, please lowercase such words as biblical, scriptural, gospel (except when the reference is to one of the four Gospels), pronouns for God and for Jesus, creation, fall, revelation, resurrection, etc.
• Inclusive numbers should follow these patterns: 45-48; 125-35; 101-8; 100-102; 1285-90. (Note that we use hyphens, not em-dashes)
• “F.” and “ff.” should be avoided; use actual page numbers wherever possible.
• The use of sexually inclusive language is obligatory. Masculine-oriented language as well as the third-person masculine pronoun (he) in reference to God should be avoided.