The American Academy of Religion, Western Region (AAR-WR) 2026 Annual Conference will be held in person, with some hybrid capabilities.

- Conference theme: 'Religion, Technology, and Innovation'
- Dates: March 13-15, 2026
- Venue: Las Vegas, NV, United States (University of Nevada, Las Vegas)
- Due date for submissions: November 30, 2025
- AAR-WR Website: https://www.aarwr.com/

Please Note: For details on more than 20 other units, kindly visit the conference Call for Papers and submit your proposals directly to the respective unit chairs at https://www.aarwr.com/call-for-papers.html



American Academy of Religion, Western Region

RELIGION OF ASIA UNIT

Co-Chair, Fadime Apaydin, University of California, Riverside
Co-Chair, İhsan Çapcıoğlu, Ankara University, Türkiye


IMPORTANT NOTE! The Religions of Asia Unit plans to propose an edited volume—primarily based on papers presented at the conference—for submission to a reputable academic publisher such as De Gruyter Brill, Routledge or Springer. We are also pleased to consider high-quality submissions that engage with our themes but cannot be accommodated within the conference program due to limited presentation slots.


Under the theme of “Religion, Technology, and Innovation,” the Religions of Asia Unit warmly invites scholars to explore how religious traditions across Asia have engaged with technological developments, adapted to innovation, and redefined spiritual authority, rituals, and ethical reflections in light of emerging possibilities.

Topics may include, but are not limited to (with a particular focus on Asian religions and traditions):

- Algorithmic authority and legitimacy in emerging movements
- Digital mediation and transmission of sacred texts and rituals
- Digital pedagogy and innovations in religious education
- Indigenous technologies and decolonial cosmologies
- Responses to artificial intelligence and biotechnology in Asian religious thought
- Sensory technologies in meditation, trance, and healing
- Technoscientific religion in Asian contexts
- Techno-utopias and eschatological imaginaries
- Transnational and diasporic spiritualities in digital spaces

We also welcome proposals that align with the broader conference theme.

Submit your Proposal Form (Word or PDF) to Fadime Apaydin (fapay002@ucr.edu) by November 30, 2025.

👉 Kindly find the Proposal Form available at https://www.aarwr.com/call-for-papers.html