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The peer-reviewed journal Social Sciences and Missions provides a dedicated forum for the exploration of “mission” from a social scientific perspective. It thus welcomes contributions in the fields of history, anthropology, sociology, political science or social geography. While the journal originally focused on Christianity, it now has a broader appreciation of “mission” as a concept. Specifically, for the journal, “mission” is not a theological category, but rather a type of social action and a modality of religious intervention in social space. In this sense, it is not restricted to Christian actors, and includes religious activities that outline a particular purpose at some kind of social, political, cultural, and economic transformation that may not be neatly defined as "conversion" of others. Therefore, the journal does not aim at studying missions for themselves, but rather as a social fact, which throws light on the relations between religion and society at both local and global scales.
Such a definition of mission recognizes the global transformation of the religious field and allows for the exploration of valuable themes: historical and contemporary North-South relationships as well as international circulations of religious actors; the increasing role of the Global South in missionary activities; the regulation of religious expressions in public space and the role of religion in the shaping of citizenship and political life; religious and cultural pluralism, conflict, and mediation; the influential role of religion in humanitarian action, social welfare and development work; the innovative entry of religion in other social spheres such as sports or popular culture ; its relations to sexuality, race and gender; and the evolution of religious organizations with respect to missionary work. The journal seeks to publish work that highlights the ongoing but changing significance of mission and the many intersections between religious purposes and social dynamics. Social Sciences & Missions accepts articles in English and in French. It also welcomes proposals for pioneering special issues.
