16th International Roundtable (2026) to Examine Communication and Religious Humanism in a Changing World

16th International Roundtable (2026) to Examine Communication and Religious Humanism in a Changing World

The Asian Research Center for Religion and Social Communication (ARC) announces the 16th International Roundtable, to be held November 1–3, 2026, and hosted by Centurion University, Bhubaneswar, India. The conference is organized by ARC in academic partnership with the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice (DTCRSJ), University of the Western Cape, South Africa.

The Roundtable will focus on the theme: “Communication and Religious Humanism in the Contemporary World: Nurturing Dialogue, Dignity, and Social Change.”

This international academic gathering will bring together scholars, researchers, and practitioners to examine how religious humanism, understood as a philosophical and ethical orientation grounded in religious traditions, affirms human dignity, moral responsibility, and social solidarity in the face of contemporary global challenges. Drawing on diverse spiritual and intellectual heritages—including Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, Jewish, Confucian, Indigenous, and other wisdom traditions—the conference highlights converging commitments to compassion, justice, and the common good across cultures and religions.

The Roundtable will explore how these religious humanistic perspectives are being tested and rearticulated amid intensifying socio-political conflicts, digital transformations, widening inequalities, and ecological crises. Particular attention will be given to the role of communication—both traditional and digital—in shaping religious discourse, public narratives, ethical imagination, and social engagement. Communication is understood as a powerful force that can foster dialogue and inclusion, or alternatively deepen polarization, misinformation, and exclusion.

Conceived as an interdisciplinary forum, the International Roundtable invites contributions from fields such as religious studies, communication and media studies, philosophy, sociology, political science, and related disciplines. Through critical discussion and scholarly exchange, the conference will examine the theoretical and practical intersections of religious humanism and communication in addressing pressing contemporary concerns in Asia and wider global contexts.

Further details, including the Call for Abstract Proposals and submission timelines will soon be made available through the website of the Asian Research Center for Religion and Social Communication.