The Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry, Tel Aviv University, and the Department of History, Bielefeld University, hereby invite scholars to submit contributions for an edited, peer-reviewed volume on the relations between sports and religious doctrines and practices in Judaism, Christianity and Islam from late antiquity to the present.

Sporting cultures have challenged religious creeds and establishments in a number of ways: by emphasizing the physical rather than the spiritual; distracting believers from their duties; establishing rituals that substitute religious ones; and involving behaviors deemed immoral or undesired. In addressing those challenges, theologians and religious establishments have chosen one of two paths: accommodation – infusing religious meaning and hierarchies into sports; or rejection – defining religiosity through its total or partial opposition to sports.

The edited volume does not seek to answer one specific research question and does not draw on one discipline or methodology. Rather, by bringing together diverse case studies of Jewish, Christian and Muslim attitudes to sporting institutions and activities at different historical periods, it aims to present a rich perspective on how the three monotheistic religions have treated challenges different sporting activities have presented, and how they have utilized these challenges to define and re-define their essences.

Contributions already included explore, for example, how early versions of tennis played in medieval monasteries were interpreted by Christian theologians as manifestations of God’s presence in the world; the emergence of the understanding of sports as antithetical to “true” Judaism as a backbone of ultra-Orthodox Jewish creeds; and the transformation of debates on religio-legal norms regarding sports into a definer of Muslim religious identity in the West, and how these contributed to changes in Western sporting culture.

Contributions are welcomed from scholars of all relevant disciplines. Contributions from early-career scientists are encouraged. Contributions should be original, written in English, and between 7,000 to 10,000 words.

Abstracts (not more than 300 words) of proposed contributions and CVs should be sent to the editors by August 1, 2025. Decisions on potential suitability will be sent to authors within two weeks. Submissions of articles will be required by no later than January 10, 2026.

Additional inquiries can be directed to Dr. Carl Yonker at yonker@tauex.tau.ac.il.