The Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association (APSA) invites applications for the editorship of Politics and Religion (P&R) for a 5-year term starting in January 1, 2027. An overlap period with the current editors to facilitate the transition is scheduled from October 1 to December 31, 2026.
The section particularly encourages applications by pairs or teams of editors where editors represent a diversity of substantive areas of expertise. Given the necessity of balancing the journal’s scope, teams are highly encouraged to include at least one editor specializing in International Relations (IR) or Comparative Politics and one specializing in American Politics or Political Theory. Overall, the team is expected to have achieved significant research accomplishment in the subfield of Religion and Politics and should demonstrate a good range of regional expertise, sub-disciplinary backgrounds, and methodological approaches. The team should include established scholars with substantial experience in editing, publishing, reviewing and mentoring. The team should take a proactive approach to attracting and soliciting high-quality submissions, reviewers, and possess excellent administrative, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES
Politics and Religion is the flagship journal for the subfield of religion and politics. It is published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) and is now Open Access. As a result, both the number of submissions and the scrutiny required to evaluate them have increased. On average, the journal receives approximately 150-175 submissions per year, and this number continues to grow. Serving as editor therefore demands substantial time, intellectual effort, and management skills. At the same time, editorship provides an opportunity to shape the journal’s intellectual direction and influence the field of Religion and Politics. Given the Open Access model, the rising volume of submissions, challenges in securing reviewers, and the evolving landscape of peer-reviewed publishing with the widespread availability of AI tools, the current editors have graciously agreed to collaborate with the incoming team to facilitate a smooth transition.
The P&R editor reports to the Executive Committee of the Religion and Politics Section of APSA and works closely with the Publishing Editor at Cambridge and the APSA Publishing Director. The editorial team will appoint book review editors and journal editorial board members in consultation with the section’s executive committee. The editorial team is required to provide at least one written report per year on the state of the journal, in addition to frequent informal consultation with the section and CUP. Cambridge provides a stipend to the editorial team each year, which is administered by APSA.
TO APPLY
Teams should e-mail a single PDF that includes a letter of intent or proposal that discusses vision and goals for the journal and the curriculum vitas for editors. The proposal should address the challenge of balancing submissions across subfields in Religion and Politics research, given that roughly 65 percent of recent submissions come from International and Comparative studies and 35 percent from the American and Political Theory subfields. The proposal should also include a vision about Open Access; a 5-year plan; experiences directly relevant to the position of editor; plans for management and organization of the journal’s workflow; and statements of support from the host university (or universities).
Applications that can demonstrate managerial support from host institutions will be preferred. Such support may include graduate assistantship funding, direct financial contributions, or institutional arrangements that provide editors with dedicated time for their duties.
Applications should be sent to the search committee at apsa.religion.politics@gmail.com and must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. EDT July 15, 2026. All applicants will receive e-mail confirmation.
If you have questions about the editorial responsibilities and the journal’s workflow, please contact the current Editors, Andrew Lewis (Andrew.Lewis@uc.edu), Sultan Tepe (sultant@uic.edu) or Sabri Ciftci (ciftci@ksu.edu). Questions about editorial support or contracts can be directed to the APSA Publishing Director, Jon Gurstelle (jgurstelle@apsanet.org) or the section (apsa.religion.politics@gmail.com). ■
