World Forum on Theology and Liberation — Call for Papers
Cotonou, Benin | August 1–8, 2026
The World Forum on Theology and Liberation (WFTL) will convene alongside the World Social Forum (WSF) in Cotonou, Benin, from August 1–8, 2026. This global gathering of minds and hearts seeks to foster dialogue, explore alternatives, and weave connections in our collective quest for another possible world, equitable, just, and united. Our theme:
Rejecting Economic, Political, and Religious Domination: Reimagining Sovereignty in a Liberation Perspective
Description
The persistence of economic, political, religious, and environmental domination across the globe calls for a coordinated response. The Forum invites participants to engage in a process of decolonization of all dimensions of life and to reimagine sovereignty in collective and individual forms.
Economic sovereignty: deconstructing mechanisms of capitalism and restoring dignity to those living in impoverished conditions.
Political sovereignty: challenging authoritarianism, corruption, and violence; resisting necropolitics; and striving for peace in times of war.
Religious sovereignty: deconstructing colonial legacies, countering manipulation of religion, and building peaceful ecumenical and interfaith relations.
Ecological and social sovereignty: reclaiming territory, memory, and culture; addressing modern slavery; advancing gender justice and ecological justice in the face of forced migration and climate change.
The Forum will contribute to the renewal of liberation theologies and open new horizons for sovereignty and decolonization in human and ecological relations.
Thematic Axes
Proposals may engage with one or more of the following interdisciplinary axes:
• Liberation as hermeneutical and practical principle
• Liberation, democracy, and the common good
• Liberation and decoloniality
• Violence, human rights, and rights of the poor
• Environmental justice and food security
• Migration, climate migrants, and territorialities
• New languages and liberating reconstruction of symbolic and mythical languages
• Pact of religious traditions with policies of justice, peace, and ecology
• Gender, feminism, and diversity
•Youth and intergenerational relations
Proposal Format
Submissions should be for a 20-minute presentation in one of the following languages: English, French, Spanish, or Portuguese. Proposals must include:
• A provisional title
• A 250-word professional biography
• A 400-word abstract of the presentation
• The name of your institution or organization
By submitting, participants confirm adherence to the Charter of Principles of the WFTL, available at wftlofficial.org/who-we-are.
Deadline
Proposals must be submitted by January 25, 2026 to:
Brandon Haskel-Martinez, Assistant Coordinator of the WFTL
haskel.brandon@gmail.com
