Religion, State & Society

For scholars of Eastern Orthodoxy, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has brought into relief questions that began to materialise in the years leading up to 24 February 2022. These relate to the conceptual, methodological, ethical, and practical aspects of scholarship, as well as to new areas of research that require focused study. As such, the invasion has marked a turning point in the study of Orthodox Christianity, in Russia, Ukraine, and in the global context, prompting scholars to reflect on their individual and shared approaches, models, and methods.

Religion, State & Society is inviting scholars working on Eastern Orthodoxy in any discipline to submit short pieces that will be published in a special section in 2024. These pieces should respond to one of the following questions, taking the war in Ukraine as a turning point:

• what new methodological and theoretical approaches might be developed?
• what areas of research and underexplored subjects should now be prioritised?
• how do we continue to contribute constructively to scholarship, given the difficulties of working on Eastern Orthodoxy in some parts of the world, in particular Belarus, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine?
• what and how might broader discussions on decolonising scholarship contribute to or inform our reflections on research into Eastern Orthodoxy?

By publishing selected papers, we hope a useful resource will be created for other academics to draw upon. We also hope scholarly collaboration will emerge to further discuss these sensitive issues.

Submissions for the special section

• should be between 800 and 1,000 words in length
• should focus on studying Eastern Orthodoxy, whether in Ukraine, Russia, or elsewhere in the global context
• may be submitted by scholars in any discipline, including, but not limited to anthropology, history, international relations, political science, religious studies, sociology, and theology
• must be submitted as a ‘discussion’ via the journal’s online submission portal at https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/crss20 and must select the special section title: Studying Eastern Orthodoxy in the context of war in Ukraine

Successful submissions will not be peer reviewed. However, they will be assessed by the editors of the special section (Peter Flew, Zoe Knox, Stella Rock, Marat Shterin and Dan DeHanas), with feedback shared for revisions as required. Those pieces that are accepted will be published in Religion, State & Society in 2024. If you wish to discuss your contribution before submission, please contact Zoe Knox ([email protected]).

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