The Religious Studies Project

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The Religious Studies Project (RSP) features weekly conversations with leading scholars of Religious Studies and related fields. Our aim is to provide engaging, concise, and reliable accounts of the most important concepts, traditions, scholars, and methodologies in the contemporary study of religion. Episodes are produced by The Religious Studies Project Association (SCIO), a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (charity number SC047750). RSP material is disseminated under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License and can be distributed and utilised freely, provided full citation is given.

The Religious Studies Project

Edinburgh, Scotland


    • Jul 4, 2023 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 40m AVG DURATION
    • 365 EPISODES

    4.3 from 75 ratings Listeners of The Religious Studies Project that love the show mention: religious studies, religion, academic, study, students, field, resource, interested, great work, topics, highly.



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    Latest episodes from The Religious Studies Project

    Harm, AI, and Religion | Discourse! June 2023

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 4, 2023 50:12


    In our final #RSPdiscourse of the season, editor Andie Alexander, Craig Martin, and Paul-François Tremlett consider the concept of "harm" & religion in recent legislation, Scotland elections, and AI & Religion.

    Mediatizing “Evangelicalism”: Authenticity, Identity, and Power

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2023 40:13


    In today's episode, Daniel Jones talks with Travis Warren Cooper about Cooper's recent book, _The Digital Evangelicals_, and they discuss how issues of authenticity, authority, and power are deeply intertwined with US "evangelicalism" and its mediatization. Be sure to tune in!

    What’s Sincerity Got to Do With American Secularism?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2023 42:30


    Join Matt Sheedy and Charles McCrary as they discuss a cultural history of "sincerely held religious beliefs." McCrary explores how SCOTUS has determined who and what gets to count as 'religious' and traces the historical development of American secularism. Be sure to tune in!

    What’s Happening Down Under? | Discourse! May 2023

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2023 44:55


    RSP discourse heads Down Under once again as 2/3 of the usual suspects—Carole Cusack & Raymond Radford—discuss religion, politics, life and death in the Australian religious sphere. Be sure to tune in!

    Charting the Playful & Proper Study of Religion

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2023 52:42


    Andie Alexander is joined by Sam Gill to talk about his recent book _The Proper Study of Religion_, and they discuss questions of comparison, difference, storytracking, and playfulness in the academic study of religion. Be sure to tune in!

    Supreme Court to Coulter: Negotiating Religion in the Public Sphere | Discourse! April 2023

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2023 48:20


    Join Matt Sheedy, Tyler Tully, and host Candace Mixon as they discuss the ramifications of the in-progress Supreme Court case Groff vs. Dejoy, the Catholic Church's decision to rescind the Doctrine of Discovery, and a recent controversial tweet by the conservative media pundit, Ann Coulter. In threading these discussions together, they consider religion as negotiated in the public sphere and the limits of accommodations across religious boundaries.

    Keep Hope Alive: Preparing for White Christian Nationalism

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2023 36:24


    Tune in this week with Raymond Radford and Bradley Onishi as they discuss white Christian nationalism, evangelicalism, the Jan. 6 insurrection, and much more!

    Religion under Attack? | Discourse! March 2023

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2023 53:00


    Join host Suzanne Newcombe, Carmen Becker, and Michael Munnik for this month's episode of Discourse! They discuss discrimination in a few European cases, including the SNP, protests at an abortion clinic, and more!

    The Church of Saint Thomas Paine: Religion without God

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2023 46:49


    Tune in for today's #RSPmonday featuring Leigh Eric Schmidt and Dan Gorman discussing religion without God and the use of Thomas Paine as a symbol of atheism.

    Spitting on the Sacred: Politics and Redefining Profanation

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2023 50:29


    In this episode, Jacob Noblett talks to Dr. Finbarr Curtis about his recent book, Going Low: How Profane Politics Challenges American Democracy, to help breakdown the rejuvenation of populist political narratives and movements.

    Religious Literacy and Its Discontents | Discourse! February 2023

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2023 41:52


    Join Benjamin P. Marcus, Paulina Gruffman, and Charles McCrary for this month's #RSPdiscourse as they discuss a recent Pew survey on religious literacy and the so-called Asbury revival. Be sure to tune in!

    Navigating the Discursive Study of Religion

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2023 40:29


    In today's episode, Teemu Taira and Andie Alexander discuss how social groups negotiate the category 'religion' and the relevance of the discursive methods in the study of religion.

    Where was God?: Jewish Theological Responses to the Holocaust

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2023 43:52


    Where was God during the Holocaust? There is no straightforward answer to this and there are different viewpoints across the different streams of Judaism. Join Dr. Breann Fallon as she speaks with Dr. Barbara Krawcowicz on her recent monograph exploring Jewish theological responses to the Holocaust.

    Critical Approaches to Studying Religion in Film

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2023 29:08


    Ting Guo chats with Rebekka King and Tenzan Eaghall about their new edited volume, Representing Religion in Film (Bloomsbury 2022), and they explore the “ideological blindspot” of existing studies on religion and film, have a listen!

    film religion studying critical approaches
    Oversimplified Binaries | Discourse! January 2023

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2023 31:23


    This month's Discourse! features our co-founder Chris Cotter, Lauren Horn Griffin, and Kristi Boone complicating and unpacking oversimplified binaries—be sure to tune in!

    discourse binaries chris cotter
    Interrogating the Interrogators: Managing Muslims in Germany

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2023 39:31


    In this episode host Candace Mixon and guest Schirin Amir-Moazami discuss Amir-Moazami's book, _Interrogating Muslims: The Liberal-Secular Matrix of Integration_ as a starting point in discussing topics such state categorizations of religion in the liberal state and considerations of religion and secularism. Through examples of German swimming classes and citizenship tests, Amir-Moazami suggests that in relational moments, there are places to look for state reinforcement of its own bodily needs and governing of subjects that cannot govern themselves.

    Realities (Altered & Virtual) | Discourse! November 2022

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2022 61:18


    Join host Sidney Castillo and guests Jordan Loewen-Colón and Sharday Mosurinjohn for the bumper final Discourse! episode of 2022!

    Queens of the World | Discourse! October 2022

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2022 36:43


    This month's Discourse! welcomes back Founding Editor Chris Cotter to the host's chair, along with guests Ting Guo and Carmen Celestini. They first discuss Queen Elizabeth II and “mourning” in Hong Kong, and then more broadly. This segues neatly into a conversation about the Filipino conspiracist who has dubbed herself the “Queen of Canada”. They talk about the Iranian protests, and "compulsory hijabs". Finally, they have a wee rant about how religion and spirituality is presented in mental health surveys.

    Secular Spaces? | Discourse! September 2022

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2022 39:54


    This month's Discourse! centres on questions of the secular and the religious in the contemporary public square. What does it mean to be a secular space? How do institutions "deal with" religious ideas and identities in such a space? We talk about religious bias in universities, how religious spokespeople affect politics, and how religious freedom sometimes trumps other forms of freedom. Tune in with host Jacob Barrett and guests Richard Irvine and Jacob Noblett to learn more!

    Shifting the Focus of Graduate Education in the Study of Religion

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2022 31:41


    Join Carmen Becker and Andie Alexander for the RSP's 400th episode where they discuss the new international MA program at Leibniz University, Hannover.

    Reflections on REF 2021

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2022 39:12


    In this week's episode, we reflect on the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 report. Gordon Lynch, the chair of the TRS panel, joins David Robertson to outline the process and tell us what it says about the situation for the discipline, and the social sciences and Arts and Humanities more broadly.

    arts reflections humanities trs david robertson research excellence framework ref
    Presentism and Politics | Discourse! August 2022 (with video)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2022 62:04


    Our first #RSPdiscourse episode for the season features host Emily D. Crews, who is joined by long-time friends of the RSP, Richard Newton and Theo Wildcroft. This excellent and wide-ranging episode addresses present issues of history and identity, social activism and new religious movements, doulas and abortion rights, and much, much more! You won't want to miss it. Be sure to tune in and check out the video episode!

    Unruly Women: Neocolonialism, Race, and Discrimination

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2022 42:00


    For our first episode of Season 12, Falguni A. Sheth joins RSP editor Andie Alexander to discuss issues of liberalism, racial discrimination, religious freedom, and governance with regard to Muslim women of color and Black Muslim women in the US.

    Authorities and the Past | Discourse! June 2022

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2022 43:52


    Join Ben Marcus, Lauren Horn Griffin, and Jade Hui as they discuss issues of religious freedom, tradition, and authority in topics ranging from Justice Alito's leaked draft decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization to public ritual and performance art in Hong Kong. Tune in to learn more!

    Abortion, Climate Change Protests, & Ukraine Invasion | Discourse! May 2022 (with video)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2022 120:43


    Tune in for our new Discourse! episode with Carmen Becker, Susannah Crockford, and Savannah Finver as they discuss legal issues of rights, abortion, protests, and more!

    Cults and NRMs: An RSP Remix, Part I

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2022 10:50


    Tune in for Part I of our RSP Remix episodes on Cults and New Religious Movements!

    Curanderismo Roundtable

    Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2022 51:02


    What is curanderismo and where is it practiced? How does it connect to the borderlands? Is it a "folk" religion, and what exactly does that mean? Tune in with Andie Alexander, Israel L. Domínguez, Brett Hendrickson, and Jennifer Koshatka Seman for the RSP's first episode on curanderismo!

    Semana Santa, Diversifying the Seder, Prayer in High School Football, and… Derry Girls? | Discourse! April 2022

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2022 46:02


    In this month's discourse, Sidney Castillo is joined by Chris Cotter and Sierra Lawson to discuss the contemporary localized manifestations of Easter and Passover celebrations, a current US Supreme Court Case relating to the First Amendment, and the entanglement of Catholicism and national identity in television's “Derry Girls”.

    Sunday in the Park with Theory

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2022 56:12


    Jason Ānanda Josephson Storm and Dan Gorman discuss Storm's thoughts about the future of critical theory from his recent book Metamodernism.

    park theory metamodernism josephson storm dan gorman
    Obeah and Experiments with Power

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2022 44:18


    What happens when we reframing spiritual practices as an "experiment with power"? This week, J. Brent Crosson joins Ray Kim to discuss how we can challenge conventional understandings of religion and law in modern nation-states. Be sure to tune in!

    How “Woke” Is Your Textbook?: Introducing Religious Studies in the 2020s

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2022 37:27


    RSP co-founder Chris Cotter and Paul Hedges discuss the construction of introductory textbooks in the contemporary world, including issues of positionality, criticality, and decolonization.

    Ukraine Invasion, Philippine Elections, and Misinformation | Discourse! March 2022 (with video)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2022 36:34


    Tune in for this month's Discourse! with Andie Alexander, Daniel Gorman, Jr., and Paul-François Tremlett as they discuss the upcoming elections in the Philippines and the Russian Orthodox church response to the invasion of Ukraine.

    Religious Legal Activism: Abortion Rhetoric Among British Evangelicals

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2022 54:54


    In this episode, Dr. Méadhbh McIvor joins Savannah Finver to discuss her recent book Representing God: Christian Legal Activism in Contemporary England. Dr. McIvor provides our listeners with the background for her project; the method of ethnography, as well as its challenges and implications for the study of religion; and how the belief in a certain kind of afterlife impacts the kinds of legal and political activism that her interlocutors are willing to engage in.

    The Wilderness of Mirrors: Nationalism, Religion, and Secret Intelligence

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2022 34:17


    You've heard of the CIA, but did you know that they're just as interested in religion as we are? Join Dr. Michael Graziano and Jacob Noblett as they discuss the impact of the OSS and CIA's religion-oriented intelligence operations across the globe!

    The Devil is in the Details! | Discourse! February 2022 (with video)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2022 40:58


    This month's episode of Discourse! features Candace Mixon, Craig Martin, and Suzanne Owen discussing issues of religious freedom and rhetoric—you won't want to miss it!

    The Insider/Outsider Problem: An RSP Remix

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2022 15:16


    Visit our archives to explore the insider/outsider problem in the study of religion. We explore questions such as "What is an 'insider' or 'outsider'?" and "How do scholars of religion study and engage 'insiders'?" to begin unpacking what all is at stake in this process of group formation.

    Spiritual Abuse Roundtable

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2022 59:45


    Join host Theo Wildcroft and panelists Wendy Dossett, Dawn Llewellyn, Suzanne Newcombe, and Lisa Oakley as they discuss scholarship and academic approaches to issues of 'spiritual abuse'.

    The Critical Humanist Study of Islam

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2022 43:40


    What sort of discursive traps to we fall into when talking about 'Islam' or 'the West'? How might we reframe our discussions with a critical humanist approach? In this episode, Khurram Hussain joins Andie Alexander to discuss his recent book, The Muslim Speaks (Zed Books, 2020) explore the benefits of critically engaging these issues in a way that takes seriously the human-focused study of religion.

    When Religion Doesn’t Behave | Discourse! January 2022 (with video)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2022 46:25


    The first Discourse! of 2022 is hosted by Michael Munnik (Cardiff), who is joined by guests Beth Singler (Cambridge) and Richard Newton (Alabama) to discuss how the media is talking about "religion" this month.

    Questioning the Silver Bullet: Critical Approaches for the Study of Ayahuasca

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2022 62:22


    How can we approach the study of ayahuasca critically? In this RSP episode, join and hear Sidney Castillo talk with Bernd Brabec de Mori and Olivia Marcus on their research about indigenous and mestizo use of ayahuasca in the Peruvian rainforest.

    The Strange Charm of Gnosticism

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2021 38:22


    For our last interview of 2021 (not to worry, the Mid-Year special is coming!), our co-founder David G. Robertson is back in the interview seat discussing his new book Gnosticism and the History of Religions with our co-editor Andie Alexander. Tune in to learn more about the 'strange charm of gnosticism'!

    Genealogy of the Jewish Notion

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2021 32:51


    Dr. Breann Fallon sits down with Professor Daniel Boyarin to discuss the difficulty of defining Judaism and Boyarin's new book Judaism: Genealogy of a Modern Notion

    Religious Freedom, Exemption, and Festivals in Australia | Discourse! November 2021 (with video)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2021 31:24


    In this Aussie episode of November Discourse, Professor Carole Cusack and Ray Radford sit down with Dr. Breann Fallon to discuss religion as in Australian current affairs.

    The World Religions Paradigm: An RSP Remix

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2021 21:00


    This RSP Remix answers the question "What is the world religions paradigm?" with an abridged version of our 2013 interview with James Cox.

    remix james cox world religions paradigm
    Religious Symbols, Secularism, and Culture Wars

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2021 61:04


    In this episode, Matt Sheedy joins RSP co-editor Andie Alexander to discuss his recent book Owning the Secular: Religious Symbols, Culture Wars, Western Fragility and unpack common assumptions about secularism and religion in the public sphere.

    When Christians Meet Each Other: The Saint Thomas Christians of Southwest India in the Early Modern Period

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2021 56:22


    What happens when Christianities meet each other? Find out in this week's episode of the RSP, where Sidney Castillo talks with István Perczel on his research of the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala, and their encounters with Catholic missionaries and Western colonial powers in the early modern period.

    Discourse Analysis & Ideology Critique in the Study of Religion

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2021 45:52


    In this episode, Dr. Craig Martin joins Savannah Finver to discuss his forthcoming book, Discourse and Ideology: A Critique of the Study of Culture. Dr. Martin shares with us his motivations for writing this book, describes his primary methodologies and the key concepts he introduces in the text, and explains some of his thoughts on the utility of religion as a category of analysis in religious studies scholarship.

    Religion, Bodies, and the State | Discourse! October 2021

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2021 48:44


    Join Emily D. Crews, Alison Robertson, and host Theo Wildcroft for a collection of topical stories on how religion mediates how the state treats human bodies in different ways. And Jesusween!

    Focus on Fieldwork: An RSP Remix

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2021 45:36


    In the first RSP Remix, Dave McConeghy guides us through recent RSP discussions of fieldwork and its impact on scholarship. This episode features excerpts from conversations with Christopher R. Cotter, Spencer Dew, Liz Bucar, Alyssa Maldonado-Estrada, Robin Veldman, Elizabeth Pérez, and Cristina Rocha.

    remix cotter fieldwork rsp elizabeth p christopher r cotter
    Mapping the Digital Study of Religion

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2021 38:49


    Dan Gorman speaks with Christopher Cantwell and Kristian Petersen about the future of the digital study of religion.

    Deconstructing ‘Religion’ in Contemporary Japan

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2021 34:30


    In this episode, Dr. Mitsutoshi Horii joins Andie Alexander to discuss his recent book, The Category of 'Religion' in Contemporary Japan: Shūkyō & Temple Buddhism, where he demonstrates the necessity for understanding how and why certain groups come to be classified as 'religious' in contemporary Japan.

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