Call for Papers: Philosophy of Brazilian Religions — Open Theology Special Issue | ESOL edit
CFP for publication or other deadlineDecember 31, 2026
Call for Papers: Philosophy of Brazilian Religions — Open Theology Special Issue
Submit philosophy of religion research on Brazilian religious traditions, ontology, epistemology, ethics, and Global South perspectives for an Open Theology special issue.
"Philosophy of Brazilian Religions"
About the Call
This special issue addresses the historical focus of philosophy of religion on Christianity and other major world religions by bringing sustained philosophical attention to Brazilian religious traditions. It explores how Indigenous, African, and European influences within Brazil’s religious landscape provide new resources for philosophical reflection.
The issue welcomes philosophical engagement with traditions including Afro-Brazilian religions such as Candomblé and Umbanda, Brazilian Spiritism (Kardecismo), and new religious movements including Vale do Amanhecer and Santo Daime.
Submissions should focus on the philosophical questions raised by these traditions rather than primarily providing anthropological descriptions. The issue examines how Brazilian religions can contribute to broader discussions of reality, knowledge, personhood, embodiment, moral life, and the nature of religion.
Topics of Interest
Submissions may address questions including:
Relational ontology and metaphysics: How Brazilian religious traditions reshape philosophical accounts of causation, agency, and personhood.
Religious experience and epistemology: What mediumship, spirit communication, testimony, and communal practices contribute to philosophical accounts of religious knowledge.
Embodied epistemologies: How practice-based and embodied approaches challenge disembodied models of religious understanding.
Ethics and ecological responsibility: What Afro-Brazilian concepts of reciprocity, moral repair, and environmental responsibility contribute to global ethics.
Religious diversity and theology: How syncretic traditions inform debates about doctrinal coherence, religious pluralism, and theological exclusivism.
Philosophy of religion and the Global South: How engagement with Brazilian traditions expands conceptions of religion and legitimate forms of knowledge.
Submission Guidelines
Authors are invited to submit original scholarly contributions for consideration in the special issue.
Submission deadline: 31 December 2026
Submission category: Select the special issue "Philosophy of Brazilian Religions."
Review process: All submissions will undergo peer review before acceptance for publication.
Submission method: Manuscripts should be submitted through the journal’s online submission system.
Publication
Accepted contributions will be published in the Open Theology special issue "Philosophy of Brazilian Religions."
Editors
The special issue is edited by:
José Eduardo Porcher (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil)
Marciano Adilio Spica (Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste, Brazil)
How to Submit
Submit your manuscript through the journal’s online submission system.
Before submission, authors should review the journal’s Instructions for Authors.
Questions about the content of the thematic issue may be directed to the guest editors.