About the Centre for Religion and Contemporary Society

In recent years, questions about the place of religion and the sacred in the contemporary world have come to much greater public and academic prominence. Unfortunately, the complexity of these issues has coincided with a period in Western universities since the 1960’s in which the study of religion has been largely marginalised from the mainstream of social and cultural analysis.

The Centre for Religion and Contemporary Society seeks to address this challenge by supporting and publicising new research and by encouraging a more nuanced public debate about contemporary religion. The Centre encourages empirical research that is theoretically-informed and which contributes to wider debates about the nature and significance of contemporary religion. The research interests of its members are wide-ranging, covering areas such as:

• religion, gender, ethnicity and identity
• the relationship between religion and political movements and institutions
• the negotiation of the place of religion in society through the legal system
• transnational religious movements
• religion, media and cultures of everyday life
• religion and social conflict
• religion, citizenship and community development
• religious demographics
• theorising lived forms of religion and the sacred

The Centre for Religion and Contemporary Society draws its members from across the College. The Centre also benefits from its close association with the Birkbeck Institute for Social Research, which offers an excellent programme of seminars, workshops and conferences, as well as advanced research training in social research methods for doctoral students. The Centre is managed by its director, Professor Gordon Lynch, and a small steering committee of staff and postgraduate students. The work of the Centre is also supported by an international advisory group of leading researchers in the field of religion and contemporary society, many of whom either manage similar centres across the world or who have responsibility for managing major research programmes.

The Centre is committed to building collaborative working relationships with a range of partner groups and organizations. It is part of the London Universities Consortium on Religion, Politics and Society, a network of eight higher education institutions who undertake a range of research, consultancy and teaching work in relation to religion and contemporary society, and is involved in building wider regional training and research networks in London and the South-East.

Any enquiries about the work of the centre can be addressed to Prof Lynch.