Greetings everyone!

We are excited to announce the commencement of abstract submissions for the fifth volume of Sophia Luminous.

Sophia Luminous ( ISSN: 3048-6211) is a national-level, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary online research journal for students, published by Sophia College for Women (Autonomous), Mumbai, India. It is devoted to the discussion of the innovative, novel, and contemporary areas of research by undergraduate students, postgraduate students, and early researchers from an array of disciplines.

This issue is thematically restricted. The theme for this issue is Sports,Culture and Society and we invite previously unpublished research papers that are written by students ranging from undergraduate to MPhil degree.

The sub themes for the issue are as follows:

• Sports diplomacy and international relations 

• Sporting leagues and racism  

• Sports and marginality (caste based, disability, gender based etc)

• Sports and the culture of secrecy and privacy

• Team sports and psycho-social implications of hazing 

• Sports and economics

• Sports and technology

• Sports and law

• Sports and injury risk

• Transnational athlete migration and talent drain

• Physical and psychological trauma in sports 

• Physiological consequences of brain injuries in contact sports 

• Urban sports  

• E-sports  

• Impact of COVID -19 on sports  

• Sports Fan culture  

• Role of nutrition in endurance sports  

• Nationalism and identity formation through sports  

• Commodification of athletes and sports labour  

• Mental health stigma and athlete vulnerability  

• Media representation and narrative framing in sports  

• Mythmaking and hero construction in sports narratives

• Digital fandom and virtual sports communities

• Sportswashing

• Emotional labour and discipline in athletic training cultures

• Hegemony and power dynamics in global sports culture

• Neoliberalism and the privatization of sports institutions

• AI, data analysis and surveillance in sports

• Politics of hosting mega sporting events (Olympics, World Cup etc)

• Indigenous, folk and regional sports

• Sports as ritual and performance

• Masculinity, femininity and sporting bodies

• Sports memoirs

• Gambling and informal economies

• Martial traditions

• Colonialism, empire and sports

Luminous welcomes varied perspectives and lenses in the form of academic and theoretical papers and essays, providing readers with an all-rounded approach and an eye-opening dive into academia.

Important dates to note:

Submission of abstract in 150 to 200 words: June 15, 2026.

Confirmation regarding selected abstracts: June 20, 2026.

Submission of the first draft: July 15, 2026.

Thank you.