Boulder, CO — August 10, 2026 — The editorial board of the Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory (JCRT), a Whitestone Publication, is pleased to announce the relaunch of its book review program. Effective immediately, JCRT is soliciting single-title reviews and cluster reviews from scholars working across religious studies, theology, philosophy of religion, critical theory, and adjacent fields.
The relaunch responds directly to the void left by the closure of Reading Religion, the American Academy of Religion’s openly accessible book review site, which ceased active operations on May 31, 2026. With one of the largest open venues for scholarly religion reviews now transitioned to an archive, JCRT aims to help fill that gap by offering an open-access, peer-edited home for rigorous, timely, and theoretically engaged reviews.
A call to a broad community of reviewers
JCRT especially encourages graduate students and independent scholars to submit reviews, alongside tenure-track and established faculty. The editorial board views the relaunched review section as both a venue for serious critical engagement and an opportunity for emerging scholars to build publication records, sharpen their voices, and contribute to ongoing conversations in cultural and religious theory.
“We want the review section to reflect the full range of scholars doing important work in our fields — from first-year doctoral students to senior colleagues,” said J.C. Smith, the book review editor. “Independent scholars and graduate students often produce the most incisive and generative reviews, and JCRT is committed to being a home for that work.”
Submission formats
JCRT invites two primary formats:
- Individual book reviews — approximately 1,500 words, engaging a single recent title.
- Cluster reviews — approximately 2,000–2,500 words, engaging two to three thematically related titles in conversation.
Reviews should combine substantive summary with critical, theoretically informed engagement consistent with JCRT’s longstanding editorial vision.
How to submit or propose a review
Scholars interested in reviewing for JCRT — whether proposing a specific title, responding to a call, or offering to be added to the reviewer pool — should email the Book Review Editor at [email protected] with the subject line “JCRT-Review.” Please include a brief statement of interest, areas of expertise, and (if applicable) the title or titles you propose to review.
Full submission guidelines are available at https://jcrt.org/submissions/
About JCRT
The Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal published by Whitestone Publications. Since its founding, JCRT has served as a leading venue for interdisciplinary work at the intersections of religion, theology, philosophy, and cultural theory, publishing scholars from around the world.
Contact
Contact: JC Smith, Book Review Editor, [email protected]
Web: https://jcrt.org
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