Call for Papers - Religion, Digital Media & Politics
for the UCSIA Summer School from 23 to 28 August in Antwerp, Belgium
Application deadline: 20 April 2026, 9.00 am UTC+2
www.ucsia-summerschool.org
From Disciples to Followers
Questioning the Digital Experience of Religions Online
We are pleased to announce the launch of the call for papers for the UCSIA Summer School 2026, to be held in Antwerp from 23 to 28 August 2026.
The 2026 edition, titled From Disciples to Followers: Questioning the Digital Experience of Religions Online, marks the final year of UCSIA’s three-year cycle on Religion & Politics: (Dis)Entanglements in Communities and Societies.
This summer school invites early-career scholars to critically examine how digital technologies, online platforms, and political economies are reshaping religious practices, publics, authorities, and forms of belonging.
Call for papers
We welcome paper proposals from PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers working in the humanities, social sciences, or law, whose research engages with religion in relation to digital media, online publics, theology, ritual, ethics, or (theo)politics.
Contributions may address, among other themes:
→ the transformation of religious authority, authenticity, and community in online environments
→ the interaction between digital religion and political imaginaries
→ historical and comparative perspectives on media and religion
→ questions of power, representation, racialization, and moral vocabularies in digital religious spaces
Selected participants will join an intensive one-week mentoring programme combining expert lectures, interdisciplinary discussions, paper presentations, and individual tutorials.
The faculty
Yasmin Moll (University of Michigan) is a socio-cultural anthropologist whose work explores the intersections of religion, media, politics, and ethics in the Middle East and North Africa.
Alessandra Vitullo (Sapienza University of Rome) is a sociologist specializing in digital religion, online mediation of belief, and the transformation of religious authority and belonging in digital cultures.
Jonas Kurlberg (University of Würzburg / Durham University) is a theologian working at the intersection of Christian faith and digital culture. His research focuses on digitally mediated religious practices, theological ethics, and the implications of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, for theology and religious life.
Apply now! Submit your abstract by 20 April 2026 and be part of this enriching academic experience.
Practical information
Date & Location
23 - 28 August 2026
Antwerp, Belgium
Participation and stay
for young scholars and researchers are free of charge, but participants should pay their own travel expenses to Antwerp. A limited number of partial travel grants are available for participants who are unable to fund their own travel and do not qualify for a travel grant at their host institution.
Application procedure
Submit your cv, research statement and research paper (4000–8000 words, including bibliography) via www.ucsia-summerschool.org.
Deadline for applications
Monday 20 April 2026, 9.00 am UTC+2
Notice of acceptance
Thursday 30 April 2026
General inquiries
Visit www.ucsia-summerschool.org or www.ucsia.org.
Contact project coordinator Gilke Gunst (she/her).
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Entanglements in Communities and Societies. This summer school invites early-career scholars to critically examine how digital technologies, online platforms, and political economies are reshaping religious practices, publics, authorities, and forms of belonging. Call for papers We welcome paper proposals from PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers working in the humanities, social sciences, or law, whose research engages with religion in relation to digital media, online publics, theology, ritual, ethics, or (theo)politics. Contributions may address, among other themes: → the transformation of religious authority, authenticity, and community in online environments → the interaction between digital religion and political imaginaries → historical and comparative perspectives on media and religion → questions of power, representation, racialization, and moral vocabularies in digital religious spaces Selected participants will join an intensive one-week mentoring programme combining expert lectures, interdisciplinary discussions, paper presentations, and individual tutorials. The faculty Yasmin Moll (University of Michigan) is a socio-cultural anthropologist whose work explores the intersections of religion, media, politics, and ethics in the Middle East and North Africa. Alessandra Vitullo (Sapienza University of Rome) is a sociologist specializing in digital religion, online mediation of belief, and the transformation of religious authority and belonging in digital cultures. Jonas Kurlberg (University of Würzburg / Durham University) is a theologian working at the intersection of Christian faith and digital culture. His research focuses on digitally mediated religious practices, theological ethics, and the implications of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, for theology and religious life. Apply now! Submit your abstract by 20 April 2026 and be part of this enriching academic experience. Practical information Date & Location 23 - 28 August 2026 Antwerp, Belgium ‌Participation and stay for young scholars and researchers are free of charge, but participants should pay their own travel expenses to Antwerp. A limited number of partial travel grants are available for participants who are unable to fund their own travel and do not qualify for a travel grant at their host institution. ‌‌Application procedure Submit your cv, research statement and research paper (4000–8000 words, including bibliography) via www.ucsia-summerschool.org. ‌‌Deadline for applications Monday 20 April 2026, 9.00 am UTC+2 ‌‌Notice of acceptance Thursday 30 April 2026 ‌‌‌General inquiries Visit www.ucsia-summerschool.org or www.ucsia.org. Contact project coordinator Gilke Gunst (she/her). &source=https://iisalumni.orghttps://dmluoj0wft2i7.cloudfront.net/assets/cdn/images/logos/7dd1046ebbd9c20c1fe1b1f9b2ff43b4.png "LinkedIn")
Entanglements in Communities and Societies. This summer school invites early-career scholars to critically examine how digital technologies, online platforms, and political economies are reshaping religious practices, publics, authorities, and forms of belonging. Call for papers We welcome paper proposals from PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers working in the humanities, social sciences, or law, whose research engages with religion in relation to digital media, online publics, theology, ritual, ethics, or (theo)politics. Contributions may address, among other themes: → the transformation of religious authority, authenticity, and community in online environments → the interaction between digital religion and political imaginaries → historical and comparative perspectives on media and religion → questions of power, representation, racialization, and moral vocabularies in digital religious spaces Selected participants will join an intensive one-week mentoring programme combining expert lectures, interdisciplinary discussions, paper presentations, and individual tutorials. The faculty Yasmin Moll (University of Michigan) is a socio-cultural anthropologist whose work explores the intersections of religion, media, politics, and ethics in the Middle East and North Africa. Alessandra Vitullo (Sapienza University of Rome) is a sociologist specializing in digital religion, online mediation of belief, and the transformation of religious authority and belonging in digital cultures. Jonas Kurlberg (University of Würzburg / Durham University) is a theologian working at the intersection of Christian faith and digital culture. His research focuses on digitally mediated religious practices, theological ethics, and the implications of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, for theology and religious life. Apply now! Submit your abstract by 20 April 2026 and be part of this enriching academic experience. Practical information Date & Location 23 - 28 August 2026 Antwerp, Belgium ‌Participation and stay for young scholars and researchers are free of charge, but participants should pay their own travel expenses to Antwerp. A limited number of partial travel grants are available for participants who are unable to fund their own travel and do not qualify for a travel grant at their host institution. ‌‌Application procedure Submit your cv, research statement and research paper (4000–8000 words, including bibliography) via www.ucsia-summerschool.org. ‌‌Deadline for applications Monday 20 April 2026, 9.00 am UTC+2 ‌‌Notice of acceptance Thursday 30 April 2026 ‌‌‌General inquiries Visit www.ucsia-summerschool.org or www.ucsia.org. Contact project coordinator Gilke Gunst (she/her). "Facebook")