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Gender is one of the most salient features of religious movements and religious institutions. Women are the majority of participants in religious life and they are increasingly significant actors in religious movements and politics. In many religious traditions, cultural and religious continuity hinges &#160;on gendered practices and sexual regimes. Many regions of the world are experiencing important transformations with respect to religion. For instance, China has seen an enormous upsurge in participation in religious and spiritual movements, including large numbers of women. Evangelical Christianity is an increasingly significant player in society and politics across the Global South. Buddhist women in Asia are taking on positions ofgreater authority in their religious tradition. Hindu nationalism in India and Islamist governments coming to power in the Middle East and North Africa, have given renewed urgency to questions about women and religion. &#160;And in the United States, many political debates continue to be polarized by religious affiliation and these debates have become significant issues in public discourse.Despite the growing popular and scholarly interest in religion, scholarship on gender and religion remains under-conceptualized and marginalized in the discipline of sociology.This special issue of *Gender &#38; Society *seeks to br ing together a range of empirical studies at the intersection of gender and religion in diverse contexts in order to develop new theoretical concepts and perspectives that can illuminate these issues._Gender &#38; Society_ is one of the most highly cited journals in sociology, and we expect this issue to become a significant platform for emerging scholarship that will point toward new directions and continuing conversations in the study of genderand religion.We welcome papers that interrogate the gendered nature of religiouscommunities, movements, and experiences while recognizing the centrality of religion in the lives ofmany communities and individuals. Especially welcome are papers that highlight transnational work that is grounded in deep regional knowledge,papers that bridgedifferent religions, and papers that contribute totheorizing of major conceptual debates in the study of gender and sociology more generally. Empirical and theoretical issues may include:* &#160; &#160; &#160;Religion, structure, and agency* &#160; &#160; &#160;Religious social movements* &#160; &#160; &#160;Religious sexual cultures* &#160; &#160; &#160;Religious masculinities* &#160; &#160; &#160;Gendered religious practices* &#160; &#160; &#160;Religion, gender, and politics* &#160; &#160; &#160;Religion, gender, and everyday life* &#160; &#160; &#160;Gender and secularism/post-secularism* &#160; &#160; &#160;Religious law and gender* &#160; &#160; &#160;Religion and activism for social/gender justice* &#160; &#160; &#160;Religion, gender, and economic life / and or class* &#160; &#160; &#160;Intersectional perspectives on gender and religion* &#160; &#160; &#160;Religion, gender, and nationalismCompleted manuscripts, due *September 1, 2013*, &#160;should be submitted online to&#160;http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/gendsoc&#60;https://mail.eservices.virginia.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=JSa7ZaKhG0CZqovFHmP6ofNzkUQL7s8IKuYA17oSziMCgmr_V84eMsMLDT54FmLK8TzKaedK3mE.&#38;URL=http%3a%2f%2fmc.manuscriptcentral.com%2fgendsocand should specify in the cover letter that the paper is to be considered for the special issue.For additional information, please contact any of the guest editors forthis issue:Orit AvishaiDepartment of SociologyFordham Universityavishai@fordham.eduAfshan JafarDepartment of SociologyConnecticut Collegeajafar@conncoll.eduRachel RinaldoDepartment of SociologyUniversity of Virginiarar8y@virginia.edu