Rationale

The Journal of Digital Religion and Contemporary Society (JDRCS) is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Zamzami Scholar Publishing, Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia. The journal is established to address the growing significance of digital technologies in shaping contemporary religious life. As religious ideas, practices, and identities increasingly circulate through digital media, there is a need for systematic, critical, and empirically grounded scholarship that examines these transformations. JDRCS responds to this need by providing a dedicated platform for the study of religion within digitally mediated social contexts, with attention to both global trends and region-specific dynamics.

Topical and Interdisciplinary Scope

JDRCS promotes interdisciplinary research at the intersection of religion, media, and contemporary society. It welcomes contributions from religious studies, sociology, anthropology, media and communication studies, political science, and digital humanities. The journal covers a wide range of topics, including digital religious practices, online communities, religious authority in digital environments, algorithmic curation of religious content, artificial intelligence and religion, digital publics, and the representation of religion in online media and popular culture. While the journal has a strong interest in contemporary developments, historically informed studies are also considered when they contribute to understanding current digital phenomena.

Focus and Methodology

The journal prioritizes research that is methodologically rigorous and theoretically informed. JDRCS emphasizes empirical approaches such as digital ethnography, netnography, discourse analysis, and computational methods, alongside critical and conceptual frameworks. Submissions are expected to engage clearly with research questions, relevant literature, and analytical methods. Purely normative or doctrinal discussions are generally not prioritized unless they are situated within broader social, cultural, or digital contexts. The journal particularly encourages studies that examine how religion is practiced, negotiated, and contested within digitally networked environments.

Readership

JDRCS is intended for an international academic audience, including researchers, lecturers, graduate students, and practitioners interested in religion and digital society. Its readership spans multiple disciplines, particularly those concerned with contemporary religious transformations, media and communication, and socio-cultural change. The journal also seeks to engage scholars working on underrepresented regions, especially in the Global South, by providing a platform for context-sensitive and globally relevant research.