Dear list-members, We are happy to announce the release of the special issue of "Online - Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet" on "Aesthetics and the Dimension of the Senses"! (Please see: http://www.online.uni-hd.de/.) When we look on the various representations of religious groups and individuals on personal homepages, in weblogs, in virtual worlds or the like and when we follow their communications on religious topics online, the visual and auditive aspects of the medium seem to play a major role. Using pictures, videos, icons, as well as music and other sounds, the internet users can design a multisensual virtual environment which might implicate its own notion of ‘aesthetics’. As the aesthetic and sensual dimensions of religions and rituals on the internet have long been a neglected area of research, we called upon theoretical and methodical reflection as well as on empiric studies referring to these topics. - And many renowned scholars answered with interesting and inspiring articles with which we hope to contribute and give some impulse to the still ongoing discussion on the different theoretical, methodical and methodological approaches to “aesthetics and the dimension of the senses” in the context of religion and religious practice online. Table of Content: Simone Heidbrink / Nadja Miczek: Introduction to the Special Issue: Religions on the Internet – Aesthetics and the Dimensions of the Senses Louise Connelly: Virtual Buddhism: An Analysis of Aesthetics in Relation to Religious Practice within Second Life Gregory Grieve: Virtually Embodying the Field: Silent Online Meditation, Immersion, and the Cardean Ethnographic Method Tim Hutchings: The Politics of Familiarity: Visual, Liturgical and Organisational Conformity in the Online Church Anna Piela: Challenging Stereotypes: Muslim Women's Photographic Self- Representations on the Internet Paul Teusner: Imaging Religious Identity: Intertextual Play among Postmodern Christian Bloggers Theo Zijderfeld: The Transformation of the Prayer Wall Christopher Helland: (Virtually) been there, (Virtually) done that: Examining the Online Religious Practices of the Hindu Tradition: Introduction. Phyllis K. Herman: Seeing the Divine through Windows: Online Puja and Virtual Religious Experience Nicole Karapanagiotis: Vaishnava Cyber-Pūjā: Problems of Purity and Novel Ritual Solutions Heinz Scheifinger: Hindu Embodiment and the Internet Best regards, Simone Heidbrink Nadja Miczek (editors) -- Simone Heidbrink, M.A. SFB 619 Ritualdynamik - Teilprojekt C2 Institut für Religionswissenschaft Universität Heidelberg Akademiestr. 4-8 D - 69117 Heidelberg Tel.: ++49-(0)6221-54-74 82 Fax.: ++49-(0)6221-547624 E-Mail: simone.heidbrink@zegk.uni-heidelberg.de http://www.rituals-online.uni-hd.de/ http://www.sl-research.de