The Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion welcomes a variety of contributions that further feminist and womanist theory, consciousness, and practice. The editors are interested in material that examines how categories of identity such as gender, race, sexuality, class, age, ability, ethnicity, nationality, and structures of inequality are mutually constituted and must be understood in relation to one another.
The JFSR welcomes material from and about all religious traditions—literate or nonliterate, traditional or contemporary, as well as articles that question the category of religion or consider religion from secular perspectives.
The JFSR is not restricted to any one conception of feminism and seeks to represent the widest possible range of feminist perspectives on religion. However, the editors are interested in publishing material that does not just focus on women but has a clear feminist framework.
- What is a feminist publication?
- Article guidelines
- Poetry guidelines
- Resources and guidance for academic writing
- Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
- Contact the submissions editor
- Submit your manuscript
What is a feminist publication?
Feminist publications in the JFSR will be critical, intersectional, and transformational:
- Critical: The article will approach religious texts, symbols, practices, etc. with an awareness of the power relations that they reflect, reinforce, or challenge. It will interrogate or critique constructs/categories of “woman,” “feminism,” “religion,” or other central terminology. It will demonstrate critical self-reflection about the positionality of the scholar in relation to their subject of study. If the article deals with some aspect of women’s religious lives or practices, it will address them in their particularity without generalizing or stereotyping “women.”
- Intersectional: It will demonstrate an understanding of the unequal power relationships among and between peoples, aware that categories of gender, race, class, sexuality, nationality, etc. are mutually constitutive. It will critically engage with traditions of feminist theories and methods, especially as they produce cross-cultural knowledge, and it will be in conversation with other feminist scholars, approaches, and ideas.
- Transformational: It will show interest in the transformation of the academy/ the field of religious studies and/or the transformation of society. It will produce transformational—i.e. anti-racist, anti-capitalist, anti-colonial, etc.–knowledge. It will be concerned with liberation and justice for all women and for all people. If the author is not comfortable with the construct/category “feminism,” the submission should articulate how the scholarship supports the full humanity of people, especially women.
- Manuscripts submitted should not be under consideration elsewhere or previously published.
- Manuscripts should be typewritten in Times New Roman font (including any non-Roman characters), double-spaced, around 7,500 words (including footnotes). Articles that are significantly longer or shorter will not sent out for review. Please do not include a bibliography.
- Articles must include a 150 word abstract.
- Form should follow the footnote style in The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2024).
- In order to protect anonymity, no identifying information should appear anywhere in the document, including footnotes.
- We ask authors to transliterate foreign languages in the manuscript. If authors wish to use a non-Unicode font and the article is accepted for publication, then authors will be required to pay any extra fees associated with typesetting.
Article Review
All submitted articles are initially screened by JFSR editors to determine whether a) they clearly focus on both feminism and religion, b) demonstrate scholarly excellence and c) incorporate some consciousness of the geopolitical context of the feminist and religious issues discussed. Papers that meet these criteria and are potentially appropriate for publication will then be sent out anonymously to at least two reviewers, on whose judgment the editors rely heavily. Authors will be notified once editorial and review decisions have been made. The average time for review is currently 4-6 months.
Manuscripts that include images
If an article includes images or artwork, the author is responsible for acquiring permission to publish forms for these images prior to publication. If the artist requires fees in order to publish the image, the author is responsible for those fees. Additionally, all images must be saved as high definition files (jpeg, etc.), and should not be included in the text of the file but saved separately. See the JFSR’s Style Sheet for more information. Click here for the art permission form which must be completed before publication.
Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but please inform JFSR immediately if a submitted poem is accepted elsewhere by emailing [email protected].
Writing that is in any way sexist, racist, homophobic, or otherwise discriminatory will not be accepted.
All poetry is subject to editorial modification.
All poetry appropriate for the JFSR will be sent out anonymously to at least two reviewers, on whose judgment the editors rely heavily. Reviewers are asked to evaluate creative pieces not only on the basis of their poetical mechanics but also on the basis of their religious content, contribution to feminist theory, their acquaintance with significant issues in the women’s movement, and their vision of social and/or religious change.
Resources and Guidance for Academic Writing
The JFSR is an academic journal, and it is important that submitted articles locate themselves in the context of larger scholarly conversations. In making their arguments, authors should demonstrate familiarity with the scholarly literature on their topic and support their claims by citing such literature where appropriate.
The editors recognize, however, that the structures of global academic life make access to resources deeply unequal and that different regions of the world have their own scholarly sources, feminisms, styles, and standards. What matters most is that articles offer critical or constructive, nuanced arguments. To that end, we suggest keeping the following points in mind:
- Rather than making sweeping or vague claims, be specific and give textual references. Cite particulars of scripture, commentaries, traditions, legal texts, or social scientific data. A scholar of Judaism, for example, rather than saying, “Judaism says X or Y” should give textual references. Instead of saying “According to Jewish law,” s/he should define which periods, places, texts, or authorities are at issue. Consider whether you are discussing ideals, realities, or the complex interplay between them.
- With any religious tradition, always be aware of complexity. It is rare that all persons of a particular faith are in agreement on all issues or practices, and it is typical that there is great diversity. Across historical periods too, particularly when the subject is women or gender, the range of past and present views can be staggering. When did some people come to hold the view you are describing? What social shifts may have facilitated or accompanied the development of this view?
- When disagreeing with existing studies, fairly cite those with whom you disagree, and provide clear reasons for your alternative view. Academic conversation moves forward through articulation of one’s own views in careful conversation with the views of others. For instance, a scholar of Islam might say, “Although Ali (2010) argues that early Muslim jurisprudence denies wives’ sexual rights, slightly later texts (cite them) shows that Jurist X and Jurist Y in fact provides avenues for unsatisfied wives to complain.”
When authors lack access to recent, relevant scholarship through libraries, or their access to common online sources is limited, we suggest several other ways to get a feel for recent scholarship:
- google.com/books, a site which allows one to search books for key words and topics. Usually there are limits to how many pages you are able to read, but you may still get ideas and current information from this site.
- scholar.google.com, where you can search topics, scholars, or keywords, and often are able to access pdf or book files.
- academia.edu, where scholars (you can search by name or keyword) may post their own forthcoming, recently published, or work in progress.
- writing directly to scholars to request copies of articles of interest.
- the Program Book for the American Academy of Religion and Society for Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, which lists unit sessions, or AAR and SBL websites.
- Following the work of bloggers on https://fsrinc.org/efsr and feminismandreligion.com.
- guest writing for the JFSR blog and soliciting comments from informed readers.
- contacting current co-chairs of relevant AAR/SBL program units to see whether they have a listserv and how to join.
Read our Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement:
Ethics and Malpractice Statement
Contact the Submissions Editor
All correspondence related to the submission of manuscripts should be sent to: Brigid Dwyer, Submissions Editor, [email protected].
All manuscripts should be submitted via the online system.
*If you would be willing to review articles for JFSR, please email [email protected] with your name, institutional affiliation, and reviewing interests or areas of expertise.
Click here to begin the process for electronic submission of materials.