Religion Call for Papers | @relcfp

The theme for the forthcoming special issue of the Journal for the Study of Religious Experience is “AI and Religious Experience.” Artificial Intelligence has been rapidly implemented within our increasingly technology-mediated world. The “digital turn” means making use of digital research methodologies and e-tech to propel the anthropology of religious experience forward. Hence, we invite and encourage contributors to showcase their work in these recent emerging fields which advocate, rather than denounce AI. Central are the intersections between digital technologies, ethnography and fieldwork, and data banks research, for example on how existing memory archives may shape and provide the lens for AI’s application within the fields of religious and spiritual experiences. However, the theme may encompass a wider range of topics and ideas as well. Possible areas which may be considered include (but are not limited to):

• Transcendental states: Can AI “experience” transpersonal states of being?
• AI and the Afterlife: Is the Metaverse the (r)evolutionary next phase?
• Religious engagement and digital media (prayer apps, digital religious forums, online religious Zoom gatherings).
• Conducting ethnographic and database research on religious experiences with AI.
• Philosophical implications of AI and (other) non-human intelligence: Is AI a form of non-human intelligence?
• Enculturation of religious experience and AI.

The abstract submission deadline is 30th September 2024. If you would like to discuss an idea for the issue, please don’t hesitate to get in touch:

Dr. Jack Hunter - jack.hunter@uwtsd.ac.uk

Dr. Mara Steenhuisen - mara.steenhuisen@gmail.com