Since its inception, the North American Religions book series has steadily disseminated gracefully written, pathbreaking聽explorations聽of聽religion聽in聽North聽America. Books聽in the聽series聽move聽among the discourses of ethnographic, textual, and聽historical analysis聽and across聽a range of topics, including sound, story,聽food,聽nature,聽healing,聽crime,聽and pilgrimage.聽In so聽doing聽they聽bring聽religion聽into聽view聽as聽a style聽and聽form聽of聽belonging, a set聽of聽tools聽for聽living聽with聽and聽in聽relations聽of聽power,聽a mode of cultural production and reproduction, and a vast聽repertory聽of聽the聽imagination. Whatever聽their聽focus, books聽in the聽series聽remain聽attentive聽to聽the聽shifting聽and聽contingent聽ways in which聽religious phenomena聽are named, organized,聽and聽contested. They bring fluency in the best of contemporary theoretical and historical scholarship聽to聽bear on the study聽of religion聽in聽North聽America.聽The series focuses primarily, but not exclusively, on religion in the United States in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
The series editors welcome聽creative, venturesome, and challenging books that are carefully researched and compellingly written.聽We favor studies that聽start from the premise that religion itself matters even as they pay attention to the cultural, social, and political contexts of religious beliefs and practices, and to the聽intersections of religion and race, gender, and sexuality.聽We are open to a wide range of methodologies, including ethnography, historical study, and the close reading of literary and other texts.
All works submitted for consideration must be broadly construed and critically engaged, ideally blending theory seamlessly within arguments and supporting interesting contentions with clear evidence. The big-picture contribution of the work must be clear. Writing must be both accessible and engaging. Most books in the series will be single- or dual-authored by scholars situated within religious studies or closely related fields including American studies, history, anthropology, and literature.
A proposal should be at least 6鈥�10 pages in length and should include (i) a statement of the significance, need, and organization of the work, (ii)聽its intended readership(s), including particular disciplines, any likely course adoption into specific types of common classes, any likely audience(s) outside the academy, and any relevant organizations whose members may be interested in the work, (iii) a聽brief discussion of 3鈥�5 similar/competing works and how the proposed volume will distinguish itself, (iv) an annotated chapter outline with 1鈥�2 paragraphs describing what each chapter will discuss, (v)聽ideally 2 or more sample chapters, (vi) an indication of the time line for completion and the anticipated length, and (vii)聽a current copy of the author鈥檚 curriculum vitae. (Note:聽Typical manuscripts should be roughly 80,000鈥�90,000 words in total.) Please contact the series editors if you are interested in submitting a proposal.
