ICSSR invites papers on ‘religious conversion and demographic dynamics’

Religious conversion and demographic dynamics; cross-border migration, border governance and national security; indigenous populations and social diversity in demography; and digital society and artificial intelligence in demographic data systems are among the 18 themes on which the Indian Council of Social Science Research ( ICSSR ) has invited original research papers for a special issue on “Understanding India’s Demographic Shift: Trends, Transitions and Policy Perspectives” for its journal Indian Social Science Review (ISSR).

The call for papers also spans a wide range of other areas including population dynamics and demographic transition, population policy and census systems, comparative and international demography , population ageing , fertility and family formation, migration and urbanisation, labour market transformation, human capital, health and nutrition, and population-environment linkages.

According to ICSSR, the special issue seeks “innovative, policy-relevant scholarship” that can deepen understanding of India’s evolving demographic landscape and contribute to the broader vision of Viksit Bharat in 2047. The submission guidelines will be released on August 24, while the deadline for online submissions is November 21.

ICSSR member secretary Dhananjay Singh, in a post on X on August 17, stated that special issue of the journal would provide “an interdisciplinary platform to examine the drivers, dimensions and consequences of India’s demographic transformation and their implications for family, society, economy, governance and national development”.

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The government, in May set up a high-level committee to study demographic changes. It is chaired by Union home minister Amit Shah and its mandate includes mapping demographic changes on account of illegal migration and other “abnormal” factors and suggesting measures to counter the same.

Singh claimed India is undergoing a “profound demographic transformation” driven by changing fertility, life expectancy, ageing, migration, labour markets and technology. He said evidence-based debate was needed to address emerging challenges and “enrich India’s demographic discourse, inform policymaking and contribute to the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047”.

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The Indian Social Science Review, a multidisciplinary journal of ICSSR, was first launched in 1999 but discontinued in 2009 following internal policy reviews and shifting institutional priorities. The latest call marks its revival.

Pawan Khera, MP, Rajya Sabha and chairman of Congress’ media, publicity and communications department, said, “This is not an isolated incident; It is part of a larger pattern of the RSS-BJP seeking to establish its hegemony. And for that, it uses educational institutions, civil society organisations, mass media, social media, religious organisations, literally any platform it can, to reinforce its communal, xenophobic and supremacist ideology.