Call for Papers for next edition of PRS (Dec 2026)

2026-05-24

We are pleased to share the new Call for Papers and Contributions for the Performance, Religion and Spirituality (PRS) Journal, (Vol. 7 No. 2) for Decemeber 2026 publication. This edition will have a special section curated on the recent inaugural World Ritual Arts Symposium (Derry-Londonderry UK, 22-24 May 2026).

We invite submissions that explore the intersections of performance, religion, and spirituality in all their diverse, dynamic, and contested expressions. We especially welcome contributions emerging from the work of the IFTR Performance, Religion and Spirituality Working Group, and attendants at the recent World Ritual Arts Symposium, mentioned above. We also welcome proposals that engage performance as ritual, devotion, resistance, or transformation across global contexts. We invite proposals in two main categories:

  1. Scholarly Articles: (5,500–7,000 words)
    Original, interdisciplinary research that investigates religion and/or spirituality in, as, or through performance, which will go through a doible-blind peer-review process. 
  2. Creative and Practice-Based Contributions for our new "Insights" section:
    Submissions that document or reflect on artistic practice, fieldwork, historical overview, or performance-based research (e.g. Practice-as-Research, video essays, artist writings). These should clearly articulate their methodology and critical context.  These sections are not peer-reviewed. 

Possible areas of focus include (but are not limited to):

  • Embodied ritual and sacred performance
  • Performance and the work on the self
  • Religious and spiritual dimensions of Carnival performance
  • Intercultural and syncretic practices
  • Indigenous cosmologies and performative expressions
  • Performance and altered states of consciousness
  • Performance as a vehicle for spiritual activism and ecological awareness

We also welcome book and event reviews, and encourage suggestions for titles or performances to be considered.

To submit a contribution, please follow the steps on the journal’s website in the submissions sections. 

The deadline for full submissions for this CfP for next edition is September 15th 2026. 

If you would like to discuss your proposal prior to submission to see if it is a good fit for this journal, or discuss any questions you may you may have, please reach out directly to the editors:

Giuliano Campo (g.campo@ulster.ac.uk) and Alexandra Mackenzie Johns (amackenziejohns@byu.edu).  

We look forward to building the next phase of PRS with your voices, and to deepening the global dialogue between performance, religion, and spirituality.  

Warm regards,
Alexandra & Giuliano 

Performance, Religion and Spirituality Editorial Team