Call for Papers: Journal of Religion in Europe, Abstract submission deadline: 31 January 2026
Eastern Spiritualities in Europe: Reshaping Religion Beyond Boundaries
Guest Editors:
Katarina Plank (Karlstad University, Sweden) > Dave Vliegenthart (Maastricht University, the Netherlands)
Over the last century, Europe’s religious landscape has been significantly transformed by its
encounters with ideas and practices from Asia. Yoga, Ayurveda, meditation, mindfulness, Tai Chi,
Reiki, and various New Age adaptations of Eastern wisdom traditions are no longer viewed as dis-
tant cultural imports but have been integrated into the daily lives and identities of many Europeans.
This special issue of the Journal of Religion in Europe explores how these forms of Eastern spiritualities
are reshaping religious beliefs, practices, and identities in contemporary Europe. We are particularly
interested in contributions that examine how the intercultural movement and entanglement of ideas
and practices have challenged and changed the concept of “religion” within a European context.
Among the questions we seek to explore:
. How have Asian wisdom traditions interacted with European concepts of religion and secularity?
. How have Asian spiritual practices been adopted, adapted, or secularized in European contexts?
. Do contemporary Asian-inspired spiritual seekers in Europe only turn to “the East” as a source
of legitimation for their identities, beliefs and practices, or are they also turning to other sources?
· What role do migration, globalization, postcolonialism, or digitalization play in shaping these inter-
cultural spiritual dynamics today?
. How do gender, class, race, and politics intersect with the reception and transformation of Asian
spiritualities in Europe today?
We welcome both empirical and theoretical contributions that address these and related questions,
with a focus on practices, movements, communities, or broader socio-historical and cultural trends.
Important Dates
Abstract submission deadline: 31 January 2026
Notification of acceptance (conditional on a positive review of the final article): 31 March 2026
Article submission: 31 January 2027
. Peer review process by the editors and reviewers (including revisions): February – October 2027
Final (revised) article: 31 December 2027
. Planned publication of thematic issue: Spring 2028
Submission Guidelines
Please send an abstract (max. 300 words) and a short bio (max. 100 words) to both guest editors:
Katarina Plank katarina.plank@kau.sc
Dave Vliegenthart dave.vliegenthart@maastrichtuniversity.nl
We especially encourage contributions from early-career researchers and scholars working across
disciplines such as religious and cultural studies, history, anthropology, sociology, and philosophy.
For more details, refer here
