An informed and scholarly study of religion requires a comparative and interdisciplinary approach. In this department, religion is addressed in all its forms and appearances. Historians, anthropologists, sociologists and psychologists are working together to critically investigate religion as a cultural factor that is so influential in the modern world. Our expertise covers method and theory in the study of religion, the changing faces of religion in a global perspective, as well as the historical dimension of religious traditions.
Scholarly and Societal Relevance
Religion is in the news on a daily basis and permeates every corner of human affairs. It is an influential aspect of human life, which has shaped civilizations and identities in all parts of the world—and throughout the ages. Combining historical, cultural and social-scientific perspectives on religion as a human phenomenon, the research and teaching in this department offers a unique contribution to a solid analysis of religion in its societal context.
Research
All staff members operate within the framework of comparative and historical study of religion. New research is discussed in monthly meetings. Our shared research efforts focus on two projects:
Theorizing Religious Change
As a collaborative endeavour, the department plays a central role in the coordination of the Faculty Research Colloquium ‘Theorizing Religious Change: The Rise and Fall of Religious Traditions and Communities’. The emergence and disappearance of religious communities are a general characteristic of the history of religions. By combining historical, socio-anthropological and comparative approaches, we intend to provide an in-depth understanding of the dynamics that underlie processes of religious change.
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Religion, Identity, and Memory
In this programme, we adopt the approach of memory studies to investigate the role of collective and personal memories concerning religion in the narrative construction of identity. Spanning several disciplines, most notably anthropology, psychology and history, memory studies examine the interrelationship between cultural and material factors that frame representations of the past.
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The department fosters the following institutes and projects:
See Staff and PhD students for more information on individual research.
Teaching
The department is responsible for various course units in the programmes of Theology and Religious Studies. Our teaching is driven by our research interests and inspires them in return. The course units are based on the specialisms within the department, such as the anthropology of contemporary religions in Europe and Asia; the links between religion, politics and science; fundamentalist and radical forms of religion; mystical and esoteric currents in Western cultural history; and psychological approaches to religion and spiritual care.
The department contributes to the Bachelor’s programmes and offers the Master’s programme in ‘Religion, Conflict and Globalization’. In addition to this programme, members of the department are involved in the following joint Master’s programmes: ‘Religion and Culture’ (Research Master), ‘Concealed Knowledge’ and ‘Spiritual Care’. For more information about our master programmes, click here.
