This event will be held at the Aga KhanA title granted by the Shah of Persia to the then Ismaili Imam in 1818 and inherited by each of his successors to the Imamate. Centre (AKC) near London King’s Cross, and streamed online via Zoom, at 17:00 BST.
Join us for a discussion with authors of, a new book that aims to make critical theory on ‘religion’ more accessible, hopefully even to its sceptics.
Why do many scholars now doubt that ‘religion’ is a useful concept for understanding aspects of our world? What’s wrong with describing things as ‘religious’ or ‘non-religious’? Why does it matter, and what can we do about it? These are the kinds of questions addressed by the book’s twelve authors, who speak to the importance and usefulness of critical approaches based on their own research and teaching in various fields.
The book offers a toolkit for understanding and doing Critical Religion – i.e., the critical study of ‘religion’ and related categories such as ‘the secular’. Through a diverse sample of cutting-edge scholarship, this book shows what Critical Religion means in action. It includes perspectives on history, anthropology, sociology, political science, and education, with case studies representing research in contexts from Japan to the Middle East to Europe and North America.
This event is an opportunity to discuss the critical revolution in religious studies with several of its pioneers. Our panel of scholars will explain what critical religion means to them and share their experience of putting these theoretical insights into practice. There will be plenty of time for Q&A, and all are welcome to continue these conversations over drinks at 6:30 pm.
Attendees are invited to stay for drinks reception at the AKC afterwards.
Speakers
Dr Alex Henley
Programme Leader, ¹ú²úÊÓƵ
Dr Alex Henley is the editor of . He leads the Graduate Programme in Islamic Studies and Humanities at the IIS, and teaches on religion and politics in the Middle East. His research interests revolve around ‘religion’ as a changing category of practice and governance, especially modern models of religious leadership and how they have been shaped by connected processes of religionisation, institutionalisation and sectarianisation.
Dr Suzanne Owen
Associate Professor, Leeds Trinity University
teaches on the study of religionÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýserves asÌýHonorary Secretary of theÌýÌý(BASR).ÌýHer researchÌýfocuses onÌýcontemporary Paganism,ÌýBritish Druidry and indigeneity inÌýNewfoundland. She is the author ofÌýÌý(2008),Ìý²¹²Ô»åÌýhasÌýalsoÌýpublished on the state of theÌýreligious studies in the UK.Ìý
Dr Mitsutoshi Horii
Professor, Shumei University and Chaucer College
is a professor of Sociology atÌýShumeiÌýUniversity in Japan, and principal of Chaucer College in Canterbury, UK.ÌýHe co-editsÌýtheÌýleadingÌýjournalÌý, and his most recent books areÌýÌý(2018) andÌýÌý(2021).Ìý
Dr Steven Sutcliffe
Visiting Fellow, Open University
recently retired from a senior lectureship role in the study of religion at the University of Edinburgh. His research interests include the effects of category formation on contemporary social life and cultural production. His publications include (2003) and (2016).
Dr Timothy Fitzgerald
Research Associate, Center for Critical Research on Religion
was Reader in Religion at the University of Stirling from 2001 to 2015, having previously worked in Japan for thirteen years. He coined the term ‘critical religion’ and founded the Ìýwith colleagues at Stirling. He is the author ofÌýÌý(2000),ÌýÌý(2007), andÌýÌý(2011).
Prof Naomi Goldenberg
Professor, University of Ottawa
Naomi Goldernberg is a professor in Ottawa’s Department of Classics and Religious Studies. Her ‘vestigial state theory’ builds on insights from Critical Religion, and is the subject of her chapter in Ìýas well as her own co-edited volumeÌýÌý(2021).
