Disney and Religion: A Small Spiritual World, After All
The Wiley-Blackwell Series in Religion and Popular Culture
Edited by Jodi Eichler-Levine
Call for Abstracts
To propose ideas for future volumes in the series, please contact the series editor David Feltmate at dfeltmat@aum.edu
Disney and Religion: A Small Spiritual World, After All will be the first transnational, collaborative study of religion and the Walt Disney Company. This edited volume will explore a wide array of Disney’s international theme parks, film releases, and fandoms, showing how Disney has transformed the world’s spiritual traditions while creating new global traditions of its own. The book will be part of the new Wiley-Blackwell series in Religion and Popular Culture.
Contributors will receive an honorarium and copy of the volume.
We seek contributors to write short chapters of 5,000-6,000 words. Abstracts and subsequent essays should concisely explore a Disney media, theme park, experience, object, or other aspect of Disney culture in a way that will be accessible and written to engage the intelligent lay reader. Ideally, each essay should use a Disney example or examples to introduce readers to 1-3 key concepts in the study of religion (such as “pilgrimage” or “sacrifice”), although we are open to other accessible chapter formats.
The book’s emphasis is global in scope, so we especially hope to receive contributions on religion(s) in intersection with the following topics: Disneyland Paris, Shanghai Disney Resort, Tokyo Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, Disney Cruise Lines, adventures by Disney, Disney Theatrical Productions (especially international, touring, and licensed small productions around the globe), home Disney rituals (especially the ones people created and documented online during the COVID lockdowns); the transnational representation and reception of religion of Disney films and other media; fandom studies and religion; tourism and religion; Disney’s international history. We are open to other topics.
Submission Guidelines
- June 20, 2025: Interested scholars should email 250-350 word abstract (with tentative title) and one paragraph biography Dr. Jodi Eichler-Levine, volume editor, at joe315@lehigh.edu, by June 20. Decisions will be made by June 30.
- September 1, 2025: First drafts of accepted papers due
- November 1, 2025: Final drafts due
Please reach out to Jodi Eichler-Levine with any questions.