Shakespeare and Religion
A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Humanities/Philosophies".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 February 2025 | Viewed by 796
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This is a call for essays for a Special Issue of Religions titled “Shakespeare and Religion”. Twenty years after the “turn to religion” in early modern studies, it is unclear if this long-lasting, powerful, critical discussion is over or evolving. In the popular mind and imagination that addresses the matter, Shakespeare remains stalled as the rather militant secular intellectual, albeit aging, New Yorker of the 1960s and 1970s, embracing familiar forms of twentieth century liberal humanism. In academia, a rather stern historicism still holds sway, seeking to place the playwright in a time-locked world, a fierce game of obscurantism, underway without a clear end. The close relationship between religion and continental philosophy that generated some excitement at the turn of the century seems barely visible, the idea of “justice” no longer beyond deconstruction but easily accessible to every undergraduate and social media account. At the same time, the religious pressures of geo-politics are returning with a ferocity that would unnerve the most passionate reformers or recusants of Shakespeare’s world. And the humanities itself, for a host of reasons, seems to have lost its footing, perhaps for the last time since it organized itself around Shakespeare (and his complex religious world) so many decades ago. Does Shakespeare and Shakespeare studies still have anything to say? To itself? To a broader audience?
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: reflections on the “turn to religion”, anything on the lessons of The Merchant of Venice and its study, Shakespeare and the new Gods of AI and social media, and, of course, serious, original historical scholarship.
We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 150–200 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor, Prof. Dr. Kenneth Jackson ([email protected]) and CC the Assistant Editor, Ms. Joyce Xi ([email protected]). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Prof. Dr. Kenneth Jackson
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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
- religions
- secularism
- continental philosophy
- historicism
- reformation
- recusant
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