Vulnerability in Theology, the Humanities and Social Sciences

Dear Colleagues,

Τhe natural and life sciences have denigrated the concept of vulnerability for a long time in research, treating it through the lens of weakness. However, since the turn of the millennium, theology, the humanities, and social sciences have become involved in research on vulnerability, and vulnerability is no longer viewed through the binary coding of vulnerability and resilience, but rather, it is understood in a more complex way, taking into account its multiple effects of power, including ‘vulnerance out of vulnerability’.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the discourse once more. On one hand, the concept has been narrowed again in the social debates. On the other hand, vulnerability has developed into a new dispositive of power. Both developments challenge vulnerability research regarding what interdisciplinary approaches can yield.

In this Special Issue, the contributions of vulnerability research in theology, the humanities, and the social sciences will be worked out in connection with this challenge. We welcome all articles from the perspective of the individual disciplines as well as those written from transdisciplinary perspectives. The range of thematic fields is also broad and can for example include discourses on migration, climate change, gender, right-wing populism, race, and both sexual and spiritual violence.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 400–600 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the guest editors ([email protected]; [email protected]) or to the Religions editorial office ([email protected]). Abstracts will be reviewed by the guest editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

Prof. Dr. Hildegund Keul
Prof. Dr. Claudia Bruns
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• vulnerability
• resilience
• vulnerance
• dispositive of power
• gender perspectives