CFP: Special issue of Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy

A special forthcoming issue of Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy will be edited by Lab Director Wendy Cadge, Aja Antoine (University of California at Berkeley) and Marilyn JD Barnes (Virginia Commonwealth University). The issue will be on the theme “Chaplains of Color: Histories and Practices.” You can find instructions on submitting an article for consideration here.

From the gallows and fields of war to the street and bedside, chaplains of color have been present and instrumental in providing spiritual and emotional support in public and private settings across the United States. Their histories and experiences are not well documented and integrated into the fields of spiritual care and chaplaincy, a field often understood as predominantly white and Christian. The presence and actions of chaplains of color parallel, converge with, and diverge from patterns laid out in the normalizing studies of white chaplains. Research is needed to document these realities so that individuals and institutions can name, address, and respond to historically grounded racial inequities in the work of chaplains of color. This research will enable chaplains of color to relate their experiences in their own words and to consider the practice and scope of spiritual care at the intersections of race, gender, class, and religion.

The goal of this issue is to highlight the work of chaplains of color, historically and in the present, in the provision of spiritual care in the United States. We invite manuscripts focused on chaplains in any sector (healthcare, education, prison, military, community/social movement, etc.) and any group of chaplains of color. Intersectional and comparative approaches are particularly welcome. Of particular interest are manuscripts that advance our understanding of chaplaincy and spiritual care as shaped by race and ethnicity. We seek insight into the educational preparation of chaplains of color, structural racism, religious diversity, provider and client experiences, workplace dynamics and other themes. Topics may include:

• Data on the number and positions of chaplains of color and their duties relative to their institutions’ aims.
• Descriptions of educational or workplace dynamics with colleagues, care recipients, and institutional authorities; professional development (self-led or guided); and information on retention, recruitment, and advancement, or lack thereof.
• Primary assessments of historical and institutional records documenting the entry of chaplains of color (particularly women of color) into the field.
• Analysis from chaplains and/or other professionals about the impact of systemic racism on spiritual care provision.
• Descriptions of the experiences of chaplains of color in areas of their work, the clinical pastoral education process, and/or the professional certification process.
• Locality-specific (e.g., city, region) historical studies.
• Narratives about the obstacles chaplains of color have faced, as well as those about personal and professional fulfillment.

Articles that draw on qualitative, quantitative, and/or archival/primary research are all welcome.

Find instructions for submitting an article manuscript here.