The University of KwaZulu-Natal is pleased to be part of a dynamic partnership of research on religion and development called the International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development. This partnership of prolific researchers has launched a new Journal on ‘Religion and Development’ at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. CIHA Blog’s Co-Editor Professor Simangaliso Kumalo represented UKZN as a principal researcher and member of the Editorial board together with colleagues from Universities of Stellenbosch, Pretoria, Humboldt, Western Cape and the Church of Sweden. The purpose of this Journal is to explore the interface between Religion and Development and [its] focus is to understand the work done by religious groups especially African Independent Churches (AIC’s) in shaping development goals and understanding what is happening in the field.
Click here for more information about the journal, and view the first issue here.
Aims & Scope
Over the past years, a new interdisciplinary and dynamic research field on religion and development has emerged. A growing corpus of literature has begun to investigate the manifold relationships and interactions of religion and development. The topic is of cross-disciplinary interest, with research spanning from religious studies and theology to anthropology, sociology, politics, economics and development studies.
Religion & Development seeks to contribute to the religion and development research field by publishing original, peer-reviewed research in this field. The journal is interdisciplinary and welcomes contributions from across the social sciences and humanities.
Both religion and development are understood in a wide sense. Religion encompasses all forms of religious institutions, communities, networks, scenes, cultures, and phenomena. Development refers to manifold processes of social, economic, ecological, political and cultural dynamics in all parts of the world. One core frame of reference are the Sustainable Development Goals. Overarching questions are, for example, how religious communities contribute to processes of (sustainable) development, how social, economic, ecological, political and cultural dynamics affect religion and what understandings and notions of (sustainable) development exist in religious communities.
Peer Review Policy
Religion & Development is committed to publishing high quality research in the field. Each manuscript will undergo a rigorous peer review process. Submissions are first screened by the editors regarding formalities, academic quality and suitability for the journal. They are then sent to two anonymous expert reviewers for their review (double blind). Authors might be asked to revise their contributions based on the reviewers’ comments as well as potential further remarks by the editors.