Religion Research

New religions and contemporary spirituality

The religious landscape in the West has changed significantly over the last hundred years or so and work done at Lancaster University has been at the forefront of mapping this change. One area in which our research has been particularly influential has been the study of new religions. While the emergence of ‘cults’ is not a recent phenomenon, since the Second World War, factors such as increased travel, advances in global communication, the influence of popular culture, and the advent of the Internet have all contributed to the emergence of a bewildering variety of options for spiritual seekers. As such, whether you’re interested in sectarian belief, apocalyptic ideas, paranormal experiences, or the influence of conspiracy theories, the School of Global Affairs is an excellent place to study new religions and spiritualities.

Richardson Institute for Peace Studies

The Richardson Institute is the oldest peace and conflict research centre in the UK, based in the Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion at Lancaster University.

Richardson Institute

Enhancing public understanding of and debate about religion

Faith debates — The Faith Debates

The aim of the Faith Debates is to bring academic research about religion and belief into constructive conversation with public and policy work.

tealight candles — Radicalisation Research

Radicalisation' has often seemed the key to understanding, and preventing, modern terrorism. The Radicalisation research website gathers high-quality academic research on radicalisation and makes it easily accessible for policymakers, journalists and anyone else whose work deals with this area.

The interior of an ornate religious building — Iconic Religion

Iconic Religion (IcoRel) is funded by the HERA programme (Humanities in the European Research Area). It provides financial support for the IcoRel project as well as for 17 other projects, all of them focusing on cultural encounters.

Improving religious education

A selection of coloured pencils on a wooden surface

A New Settlement

Woodhead and Clarke’s 2015 and 2018 reports ‘A New Settlement: Religion and Belief in Schools’ forwarded proposals for improving the teaching of religion in UK schools.

These reports were launched in Parliament, debated by politicians, widely discussed in the media and by faith bodies, and have created public consensus about the need for change.

A royal person holding a bow on a horse-drawn carriage surround by an army at war. — An illustration from the Maharabhata

In Dialogue with the Mahabharata

This project is the first thoroughgoing examination of dialogue in the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata, composed in Sanskrit - likely between 400 BCE and 400 CE - is a long, narrative poem that chronicles the history of the Indian people within the context of a divine struggle between good and evil. Throughout India's history, the Mahabharata has continued to be of central cultural and religious significance.

Improving the understanding and treatment of religion amongst public agencies

Re/Presenting Islam on campus

Re/presenting Islam on Campus was a project to explore how Islam and Muslims are represented and perceived on UK university campuses. It was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).