Religion and Cinema: from representation to expression
Call for papers until December 31
In this call for articles for REVER: Revista de Estudos da Religião, we invite researchers to also consider, in their studies, the level of expression, beyond the representation of religion in cinema. Expression is the place where the different artistic languages that form the basis of sensory experience and the process of meaning in cinema are woven, which includes elements of image, sound, and editing, which cannot be reduced to paradigms of representation or communication.
CALL FOR PAPERS – REVISTA DE ESTUDOS DA RELIGIÃO (REVER) | 31 DECEMBER 2024
Religion and Cinema: from representation to expression
Eds. Sérgio Dias Branco, Universidade de Coimbra (UC- CEIS20) and Alfredo Teixeira, Universidade Católica Portuguesa (CITER-UCP)
Among the various methodological approaches to religion and cinema, the one that brings together religious studies and film studies to critically analyze the representation of religion in cinema is one of the most common. This representation-centered approach allows us to explore religions in their material and lived dimensions, highlighting similarities and differences between religious traditions – sometimes within the same religion – but also portraying inter-religious tension and coexistence. Based on film representation, this perspective opens different possibilities for interpreting cultural perceptions about religions in societies.
In this call for articles, we invite researchers to also consider, in their studies, the plane of expression, in addition to the representation of religion in cinema. Expression is where the different artistic languages that form the basis of sensory experience and the process of meaning in cinema are woven, including image, sound, and editing elements, which cannot be reduced to the paradigms of representation or communication. Within this scope, this dossier seeks inter and transdisciplinary studies in religious studies and film aesthetics that articulate readings of concrete works based on the crossing of references rooted in worldviews, wisdom, gestures and practices that weave together different religious traditions.
The memory of the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, in 2025 – a central event in the history of Christianity, with a broad impact on the field of visual cultures – is a suitable context for opening this dossier in REVER.