Dear Aoir-ists with apologies for duplications and cross-postings - please distribute the following to interested colleagues and appropriate lists. Thanks! -- charles ess == Call for Papers, special issue of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication: RELIGION ON THE INTERNET: CROSS-CULTURAL APPROACHES TO CONFLICT, DIALOGUE, AND TRANSFORMATION Guest editors: Charles Ess (cmess@drury.edu) Interdisciplinary Studies Center, Drury University Akira KAWABATA <kawabata@hus.osaka-u.ac.jp> Osaka University, Japan Hiroyuki KUROSAKI <hkuro@kokugakuin.ac.jp> Kokugakuin University, Japan IMPORTANT DATES Proposals due: October 15, 2005 Full papers due: April 15, 2006 Anticipated publication: October 2006 or January 2007 As with most other dimensions of contemporary life in industrialized societies, the emergence of the Internet and the World Wide Web has deeply impacted religious life, and vice-versa. Indeed, based on the number of Google hits (on August 28, 2005), "religion" (89,700,000 hits) is even more ubiquitous on the web than "sex" (75,200,000 hits). In the U.S. context, religion on the Internet has inspired a number of important treatments and studies, but as yet, relatively little scholarship has examined the interactions between religious life and the Internet from comparative, cross-cultural perspectives. Such perspectives are of compelling interest, precisely because the global reach of the Internet and the Web means that the interactions between religious life and CMC are not restricted to national/cultural boundaries. At the same time, this global reach means that scholars and researchers around the world also enjoy new opportunities for cross-cultural collaboration and research. This special issue of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication invites analyses of the interactions between religious life and CMC technologies, with an emphasis on cultural dimensions and cross-cultural comparisons of those interactions. Suggested submission topics include: * The sacred online? Are experiences of the sacred (e.g., in Christian communion, Jewish and Muslim prayer, mediation with kami in Japanese religion, etc.), restricted to the embodied community offline, and/or are there ways of facilitating these experiences online that are recognized as legitimate by traditional authorities and communities? * Broadcast and/or interaction? There is some evidence in both the U.S. and Japan to suggest that more evangelical traditions adopt the more interactive features of CMC as part of their strategy for attracting and converting new members, while less evangelical traditions develop more static websites that archive authoritative texts and resources. Are there correlations between the "style" of faith and use of CMC? How far do these hold - or not hold - across cultures? * Religion and the Generations Religious institutions in both the U.S. and abroad consciously use the Internet to "target" young people, who are generally more comfortable with new media, while older people are often resistant to the new technologies, and may even see new media as corrupting traditional religious authority, practices, and beliefs. Are such generation gaps apparent in diverse cultures? What are the implications of such generation gaps for online religion and traditional religion? * The Generation of Religion New media offer multiple possibilities for communities of faith to construct new approaches to traditional religious practices and authorities - some of which may be seen as not simply reformist, but as revolutionary, if not "heretical." How do new media promise/threaten to construct and generate new religious practices, beliefs, etc.? Are these possibilities realized in different ways, depending on religious tradition and/or culture? * Gender and Religion: Liberation in Cyberspace? Western cyber-feminists have hoped for new forms of liberation and gender equality in cyberspace. At the same time, contemporary world religions remain largely patriarchal or masculinist. How do CMC environments facilitate and/or inhibit these processes of preservation and transformation in religious life? Are there notable differences among cultures, given that some national/cultural traditions are more gender equal than others? * Preservation and/or Transformation of Religious Authorities, Practices, Traditions? What roles do CMC technologies play in preserving and/or transforming religious authorities, practices, and traditions? How do these roles vary, if they do, from culture to culture? * Other issues The above list does not include all possible questions and approaches to cross-cultural analyses of religion online. We encourage and invite other topics appropriate to this theme. SUBMISSION PROCEDURES Potential authors should submit a preliminary proposal of 500 words by October 15, 2005, to the Charles Ess (cmess@drury.edu) and Hiroyuki KUROSAKI <hkuro@kokugakuin.ac.jp>. The proposal should indicate (a) the specific issues, topics, and/or themes that will be explored, including the specific religious traditions and culture(s) at the focus of analysis, (b) strong awareness of relevant studies and literature to be drawn upon, and (c) at least a preliminary sketch of what claims, hypotheses, etc. that the author(s) expect to confirm or disconfirm in their work. Since JCMC is an interdisciplinary journal, authors should plan for papers that will be accessible to non-specialists, and should make their papers relevant to an interdisciplinary audience. In addition, judicious use of the multimedia possibilities of web publication is encouraged, e.g., screen shots, photos, etc. Earlier submissions and questions are welcome. Authors whose proposals are accepted for inclusion will be invited to submit a full paper of roughly 7,000-10,000 words by April 15, 2006 Anticipated publication date for the special issue is October 2006 or January 2007. Proposals and final submissions should be e-mailed to the special issue editors Charles Ess (cmess@drury.edu) and Hiroyuki KUROSAKI <hkuro@kokugakuin.ac.jp>.