Calls for Papers

JRFM 2027, 13/2 (Nov 2027); Deadline submissions: 1 October 2026

Urbanity and Religion in Film

Iconic urban settings shape cinematic narration in unique ways. Landmarks like the Coliseum, the Forbidden City, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, or Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai serve not just as background to a film’s plot, but play their own part as expressions of cultural values, technical achievements, cultural exchanges and conflicts, or historical constellations. From drama to science fiction, from comedy to animation, from film noir to documentary, and also in productions that challenge any genre categorisation, urban centres are landscapes in which all kinds of narrative can unfold, ranging across all styles.

Cities appear in films and TV series as formations in which multiple places, cultural meanings, and social functions are interlaced, and people and groups interact in manifold ways. They assume symbolic values as a representation of the innermost world of characters, of power relationships, of hopes, desires, or disappointments. They foster cultural and technological progress, destruction and war, fragility of life and the end of the world.

Cinematic cities may refer to existing urban settings, highlighting concrete socio-political formations and dynamics. However, films can also unfold new imaginations of urban formation: utopias as well as dystopias are often developed as cities and explore the question of how urban formation may contribute to the ideal of the good life, or, vice versa, how cities can be transformed into hellish places of destruction and violence. Film depicts cities in dreams and nightmares, in otherworldly travels, as nostalgic reenactments of past communities or projections of futuristic high-tech cityscapes.

These manifold representations of urban phenomena in film are closely entangled with religious communities, institutions, traditions, practices, worldviews, or places. Cities provide the concrete material spaces in which religious institutions may be constructed and practices unfold, which on their part serve to symbolically and affectively enrich the filmic narratives.

In this JRFM issue, we explore the multilayered interactions between urbanity and religion in mainstream films, arthouse productions, TV series, or short films. Contributions may focus (among others) on the following topics:

the role of religious communities and traditions in shaping filmic cities,
the interrelation of urban and religious places and their functions in film,
the cinematic representation of the entanglement of urban formations and ritual practices in diverse genres,
processes of sacralisation of urban places in films, including natural elements within the city (vegetation, animals, water etc.),
the representation of the tension between transcendent and immanent dimensions in urban practices,
utopian and dystopian imaginations of urban formation in film in response to human and environmental existential needs and desires,
the development of new cities and new religious practices in films.

The issue also includes an open section for articles on other topics related to the profile of the JRFM. The deadline for all submissions is 1 October 2026. Contributions should be between 5,000-6,000 words (including notes and references) and be submitted for double-blind peer-review through the journal homepage, www.jrfm.eu. We kindly ask authors to register and follow the instructions for submitting contributions. Manuscripts have to be formatted according to the JRFM’s style guide. Publication of this issue is scheduled for 15 November 2027. For any questions about the issue or possible contributions, please contact the issue editors: Prof. Dr. Stefanie Knauss (stefanie.knauss@gmail.com) and Prof. Dr. Daria Pezzoli-Olgiati (pezzoli@lmu.de).

JRFM 2026, 12/2 (Nov 2026); Deadline submissions: 10 February 2026

Fandom

Labubu! If you have not come across the “cute, ugly or just plain weird” monster toy doll based on Hong Kong illustrator Kasing Lung’s characters and sold by China based Pop Mart, you have clearly missed the latest fandom craze that, by 2025, has managed to build a global fanbase: from celebrities and social media influencers to regular Joe Blog on the streets and children around the globe. The frenzy and fan community that Labubu has built has also made it clear in public discourses that fandom can be risky, dangerous even, and linked to overt or more hidden political agendas. The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, for example, published a report suggesting that Labubu, along with other increasingly popular Chinese brands such as BYD, may be part of a broader Chinese strategy to exert soft power in the West (ORF 2025). The link between fandom and politics is, of course, nothing new and one can find numerous examples of encounters, clashes, and overlaps between fandom and politics, such as Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris and her being reprimanded for it.

Both the increasing politicization of fandom and the visibility of such politicization also needs a closer examination from a religious studies and media studies perspective. Previous discussions explored “nationalism and religion as forms of fan-based identities” (Dittmer and Bos 2019). More recent studies conceptualize fandom as a form of play and discuss to what extent fandom and religion are distinct or overlap (Davidsen 2013). To a large extent, these discussions depend on one’s definition of religion (Wolff 2023). Of interest is also the phenomenon of how politics normalizes toxic fan practices (Le Clue 2024) or how “normies” are radicalized, e.g. in the context of conspiracy theories (Reinhard et al. 2022) and the polarization in politics (Barnes 2022).

This forthcoming issue of JRFM aims to build in the existing scholarship and explore the complex and complicated entanglement between religion, media, fandom, politics, economic interests in greater detail. With this issue, we hope to contribute to a better understanding of how religious ideas might fuel fandom practices, while avoiding (simplistic) discussions to what extent fandom might be religion or religion might be a form of fandom. We are interested in how the different forces that might drive fandom practices, e.g. economic interests, vested power interests, political agendas, might be fueled by or expressed through religious language or iconography.

In particular, we are interested in the following questions:

How can fandom be approached from a religious studies and media studies perspective? Which concepts are helpful to understand the complex interrelation between fandom, religion and media?
Which methodological approaches to fandom, media and religion are useful? What are their potential and limitations?
What interrelations can be observed between fandom, religion, media and other areas of society such as art, economics, popular culture?
How does fandom change over time? What does it mean to address these transformations from a religious studies and media studies perspective? How are religious practices affected by such transformation processes?
What processes of politicization of fandom can be observed, and what role do media and religion play in the politization – and economic exploitation – of fandom?

Article Length

JRFM is committed to providing a space and platform to encourage discussion, but also experiment with and test out novel ideas, concepts, and theoretical frameworks. Discussion inputs and encouragements benefit from short and concise presentations of arguments and relevant data. As such, we are looking for articles of ca. 3.000 words in length. To facilitate discussions, we would ask you to include a strong thesis statement and overview of argument in the introduction. Please also include a discussion on the relevance of your argument in the conclusion.

Relevance of Argument

As Open Access journal, JRFM is committed to demonstrating to the broader scholarly community and the broader public the importance of the study of religion in what is often still perceived as an increasingly secular society. We are therefore asking you to include a brief reflection or discussion about the relevance and importance of your argument/case study in the conclusion. In other words: we are interested in a brief discussion/statement on what it is that we can learn from looking at your topic (or fandom more generally) from a religious/media studies perspective that we might not learn otherwise. What is it that religious/media studies brings to the table to help us better understand today’s increasingly fractured (and ruptured) societies and cultures.

Use of Images

JRFM encourages the use of visual material in submissions. For this issue, we particularly encourage the use of photographs as visual source and ethnographic material. Images should not serve mere illustration purposes but should be a crucial element of the argument.

Due to space constraints, we would ask authors to limit the number of photographs to a maximum of five. Photographs should ideally have been taken by the authors themselves. If they are sourced externally, authors must have permission for reproduction. As Open Access journal, JRFM does not have the financial resources to reimburse authors for any copyright fees incurred.

Deadline

The deadline for all submissions is 10 February 2026. The publication is scheduled for 15 November 2026.

For questions regarding this call for papers or the submission and publication process, please contact the editors of the issue, Anna-Katharina Höpflinger (a.hoepflinger@lmu.de) and Alexander D. Ornella (alexander@ornella.at).

JRFM 2027, 13/1 (May 2027); Deadline submissions: 1 May 2026

"To Believe or Not to Believe"
Atheism and Nonreligion in Media and Popular Culture

Research has clearly and repeatedly illustrated that media and popular culture can be an important resource for religious individuals and religious institutions, and for identifying contemporary attitudes to religion. These days, many learn about religion from media and popular culture, not via religious institutions, which is why the latter invest a lot of money and time in their social media presence and or support different cultural sectors. Media and popular culture can provide important insights about faith, religious traditions, and innovations in today’s world and function as resources and as a space of resonance for religious meaning making.

However, media and popular culture can also be an area for presenting critique of religion and provide spaces for the reflection and expression of atheistic and nonreligious worldviews. Scholarly work has illustrated the important role social media can play for nonreligious individuals looking for a community of likeminded people. Particularly YouTube-atheists have been explored in multiple studies highlighting their focal points and areas of conflict. Some studies have also investigated how atheists have been treated and presented in popular culture, particularly in American television series. Yet this is still an area in need of much more research.

In this upcoming thematic section of the Journal of Religion, Film and Media we wish to further explore what atheism and nonreligion looks like in media and popular culture today and in the past. How are atheist characters portrayed in film and television and how have these representations possibly changed over time? In what ways are nonreligious views expressed in popular music and music videos? What kinds of debates about religion are prevalent on YouTube or platforms like Instagram or TikTok? What kind of atheist-communities can we find online and what questions are essential for those active in these communities? How is atheism discussed in contemporary journalist outputs and represented in new media?

Urbanity and Religion in Film

Fandom

"To Believe or Not to Believe"Atheism and Nonreligion in Media and Popular Culture

"To Believe or Not to Believe"
Atheism and Nonreligion in Media and Popular Culture