Proa – Journal of Anthropology and Art announces its upcoming Dossier "Technologies and Creative Arrangements in Research on Religion: Materials and Methods at the Intersection of Anthropology and Art" , and invites all those interested in the topic to submit their contributions within the submission period.
Abstract: Technologies, understood both as technical artifacts and as methodologies and modes of practice, are an essential part of anthropological research on religions and spiritualities. On one hand, technological mediation - ranging from performing bodies to the incorporation of artificial intelligence - is present in both religious lived experience and the public presence of religions; this dossier is interested in the various ways religions manifest, including rituals, ceremonies, festivals, labor, marches, events in private and public spaces, public engagement, and presence in media and social networks. On the other hand, the technologies, materials, and methods chosen for fieldwork influence the relationship between researchers and research participants as well as ethical considerations, while generating creative arrangements in the ways scientific research is conducted and disseminated.
The aim of this dossier is to present and discuss theoretical-methodological reflections on the relationship between technologies and creative arrangements in research on religion, expanding the dialogue between Anthropology and Art. With this proposal, we hope to receive works that engage with the following themes:
- Theoretical-methodological and empirical challenges and strategies. These may encompass: the relationships between researchers and interlocutors, considering different religious strands and phenomena; diverse sources and media (bodies, books, notebooks, documents, drawings, images, audiovisual materials, digital technologies, etc.) and the material production of research, utilizing various technological resources (body/experience, memory, oral, textual, visual, sonic, and digital productions, etc.).
- Ethnographic experimentations and alternative methodologies, including the use of technologies and participatory or collaborative approaches to conducting research.
- Ethical issues regarding the use of technologies in research, authorship and co-authorship, and data handling, privacy, and security.
- Emic uses of technologies by actors, groups, and within the public sphere. New technologies of belief/believing; new technological devices in rituals. Various mediations and devices for belief/believing, ritual technologies, materialities, and materials.
Submitted articles may align with a single thematic axis or a combination thereof; they are expected to present one or more of the following outcomes, among other possibilities:
- Empirical creative production and the use of materials across different media (textual, digital, audiovisual, photographic, audio, drawings, collages, or other alternative formats, etc.).
- Presentation of research accounts and materials with diverse focal points (spaces, groups, objects, mediations, agents, rituals, etc.) across various media.
- Theoretical-methodological and empirical reflections on the use of technologies in fieldwork and science communication, including negotiations between researchers and research interlocutors.
This dossier seeks to include works covering diverse geographic contexts (in Brazil and abroad), written in Portuguese, Spanish, or English. We accept submissions in Indigenous Languages, provided they are accompanied by a translation into Portuguese. In addition to articles, we also encourage theme-related submissions for other sections of Proa, including Essays (audiovisual, photographic, audio, drawings, collages, or other alternative formats), Experience Reports, Translations, and Interviews.
Keywords: Religion; Technologies; Methods; Anthropology; Art.
Organizers:
Guilherme Ramalho Arduini (LAR/Unicamp, IFSP - Hortolândia Campus)
Maïa Guillot (Aix-Marseille University/IDEAS)
Mariana de Carvalho Ilheo (LAR/Unicamp)
Olívia Bandeira (LAR/Unicamp)
Languages: Spanish, English, and Portuguese.
Submission period: October 1, 2026 – November 30, 2026 (no extensions)
Publication: Volume 17, 2027