Issues are published 2-4 times a year with the contents of each issue being released on our website (and notifications via email, Instagram and Twitter) on a staggered schedule. Copyright for publications (including peer-reviewed articles) is shared between authors and The Jugaad Project (TJP). Please note that we are a volunteer team providing open-access content and do not pay or compensate for accepted publications. Those we showcase on our platforms whether through an article or podcast are expected to actively share their article or podcast episode on relevant social media accounts and listservs.

We define Material Religion as how and why people use material interfaces/mediums such as objects, bodies, spaces, and senses to connect the reality of their lives with beliefs of various kinds. By focusing on beliefs and the ways they are imagined, evaluated, mediated and manipulated we explore how people deal with the invisible, spiritual, supernatural, magical, mystical, ancestral, and/or divine to achieve certain goals. Jugaad and Jugaad-like practices take place in different social structures and cultures through improvisation, bricolage, diy, making do, and hacking. Thus, we emphasize contexts of diversity and innovation in conceptualizing ‘religion’ as belief (secular, civic, spiritual) as well as interrogating the relevance of place, practice and experience.

For further information and to discuss possible contributions please contact Urmila Mohan, editor.

Choose a Format

Articles are analytical and critical expositions based on original investigation or review of literature and other archives. Suggested length: 4,000 words including image captions, notes and references. Eligible for external peer review.

Essays are written from a more personal, subjective viewpoint. This format is especially suitable for opinion pieces, artistic and fictional works. Suggested length: 2,000-3,000 words including captions, notes and references. Internally edited.

Interviews are question and answer formats and can cover a range of topics. Suggested length: 1,500-2,500 words including image captions, notes and references. Internally edited. (To be considered as a guest on our podcast Embodied Worlds, please email us directly with your expression of interest.)

Reviews of books, museum exhibits, art exhibits and films. Suggested length: 2,000-3,000 words including captions, notes and references. Internally edited.

Fieldnotes are brief write-ups for publication on our Instagram that describe a moment, encounter or object from one's field research. 1-4 separate fieldnotes can be published at a time. Suggested length: 250 words for each note/audio/video file. Internally edited.

Photo Essays may be considered a compilation of several fieldnotes where the narrative is illustrated through persuasive images, lengthy captions and text. Suggested length: 5-10 photos. 100-250 words for each still image or video. Total word count of upto 3000 including captions, notes and references. Eligible for external peer review.

Resources can be annotated bibliographies (5-10 titles) or other items designed for practical use within the profession. Length varies. Please consult the editor. Internally edited.

Use these Guidelines 

Text

  • Download the Article Template in Word or Pdf and use it to draft your submission. Please send your draft to us in Word format.

  • Ensure your submission has not been previously published or submitted elsewhere.

  • Use Times Roman, 12 point, 1.5 line spacing.

  • English (US or UK spelling).

  • Include a 150-200 word abstract in English.

  • Insert appropriate endnotes (not footnotes) and in-text citations with a list of citations at the bottom of the draft.

  • Anonymize the draft if you are submitting for external peer review

  • Use the appropriate word length for your submission. Articles should be around 4,000 words and essays should be around 3,000 words.

Images

  • Indicate in the word document where an image is to be inserted in the text [figure 1 goes about here].

  • Include descriptive captions and accreditation for each image. [title for image, location, year. Photo by author or other.]

  • Attach hi-res images (at least 300 dpi) when submitting your final draft.

Tags

Include 5-10 words.

Permissions

  • For excerpts of an article, book chapter, or an image that has been previously published, ensure that you have received permission from the publisher.

  • Include credits and/or a link to the original publication at the beginning of the word document.

Profile

  • Along with your draft send us a headshot, short bio., a list of research interests, and a link to your academic webpage or personal site.

Style

Writing styles vary from the formal to the conversational. Consider supplementing your content with links to other sites and audio-visual material to take full advantage of the digital format. For articles and essays, we encourage authors to address the following - Why does this matter? What insight will be gained? Why should non-specialists be curious to read this?   

Citation

All content is provided with a citation in MLA format. Please quote it when referencing the publication.

Improper Borrowing

To learn more about forms of improper borrowing including the lesser known ‘self-plagiarism’ please read this.