“Religious identity and education: A response to contemporary global pressures” – special issue in the Forum for International Research in Education

Call for papers
Religious identity and education: A response to contemporary global pressures
A special issue in the Forum for International Research in Education slotted for publication in fall 2018.

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One of the challenges and pressures which globalization has engendered for national education systems, schools, and classrooms worldwide is the growth of religious diversity. Thus, in many places, religious diversity has become a new reality of schooling, to which educators do not necessarily know how to properly respond. Moreover, in the context of religious resurgences around the globe, the growth of religious diversity is often associated with the increase in significance of one’s religious identity and its ardent embrace. By contrast, in secularized settings, there is often resistance and animosity to open manifestations of religious identities. Furthermore, as is true with any social identity, religious and secular identities often become markers that differentiate “us” and “them,” and, therefore, may breed inter-group tensions and conflicts. This special issue addresses this new social reality and its educational implications. We invite papers, which discuss if and how educational establishments worldwide, whether public or private, religious or secular, respond to the problems associated with the surge in diversity and significance of religious identity in the age of globalization and its pressures. We especially welcome papers which comparatively examine if and how teaching of, about, or from religious or spiritual traditions reflects, aggravates, or alleviates social, cultural, economic, or political inter-group tensions inside or outside school walls.

Keywords: religious diversity; religious identity; secular identity; education; secularization; religious tradition; spiritual tradition

Deadline: February 9, 2018. In your submission, please include:

 A 250 word abstract to describe and clarify the article you would like to contribute. To submit a book review, please select one of the books listed below (or a recent publication of your preference) and explain why it may be important to review.
 5-6 key words in relation to your abstract
 The professional name(s), institutional affiliation(s), and email address(es) of the author(s).
 FIRE accepts manuscripts in other languages, so long as an English translation of the full manuscript is submitted as well. If you would like to submit in this format, please let us know when you submit the abstract. Note: The English and non-English manuscripts will both be reviewed.

Please send all submissions to W. Y. Alice Chan at alice.chan@mail.mcgill.ca. This cfp is sent specifically to CIES R&E SIG members but please feel free to share this with others in your network as well.

Potential books for review:
Collet, B. A. (2017). Migration, Religion, and Schooling in Liberal Democratic States. London, UK: Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.routledge.com/Migration-Religion-and-Schooling-in- Liberal-Democratic-States/Collet/p/book/9781138651098
Hilton, J. III. (Ed.) (2018). Teaching Religion Using Technology in Higher Education. London, UK: Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.routledge.com/Teaching-Religion-Using-Technology-in- Higher-Education/III/p/book/9781138087224
McGill, J. (2016). Religious Identity and Cultural Negotiation: Toward a Theology of Christian Identity in Migration (American Society of Missiology Monograph Series).Pickwick Publications. Retrieved from https://wipfandstock.com/religious-identity-and-cultural-negotiation.html
Sivasubramaniam, M. & Hayhoe, R. (Eds.). (2017). Religion and Education: Comparative and International Perspectives. Oxford, UK: Symposium Books. Retrieved from http://www.symposium-books.co.uk/bookdetails/101/
If you wish to submit a book review, FIRE can obtain a free copy that will be sent to you for review.

Timeline for issue:
 February 9, 2018 – Interested authors submit abstract to guest editors.
 February 23, 2018 – Guest editors contact authors to confirm acceptance or decline.
 April 30, 2018 – Deadline for authors to submit articles for guest editor review.
 June 30, 2018 – Guest editors return initial manuscript to authors.
 September 1, 2018 – Deadline for authors to resubmit edited papers based on our
comments from June. Guest editors to submit manuscript to FIRE on behalf of authors.

Guest editors:
W. Y. Alice Chan, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Integrated Studies in Education, McGill University, alice.chan@mail.mcgill.ca
Elena Lisovskaya, Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, Western Michigan University, elena.lisovskaya@wmich.edu
Bob Osburn, Executive Director, Wilberforce Academy, St Paul MN, bob@wilberforceacademy.org