Three renowned scientist to give public lectures on religious change

On Thursday and Friday, September 26 and 27, three professors of religion shall give public lectures in Ülikooli 18-228.

The seminar invites to discuss the changes in religious landscape in contemporary Western world. Religious diversity, losing of religious affiliation and at the same time the growing popularity of new forms of religiosity is in the center of attention. Connections between social and religious changes, issues of sex and gender in relationship with religion are not to be left aside. Historical background and sociological aspects of changes will be tackled by specialists.

Seminar consists of lectures, seminars and discussions conducted and moderated by guest lecturers.

On Thursday, September 26 at 10.15 professor Jim Beckford from the University of Warwick will give public lecture „Sociological aspects of religious diversity“. Jim Beckford, Fellow of the British Academy, has conducted research on the theoretical and empirical aspects of religious organisations, new religious movements, church-state problems, civic religion, religion in prisons, religion and development, and religious controversies in several different countries. His teaching and research have taken place at the Universities of Reading, Durham, California at Berkeley, Loyola at Chicago, the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris, and the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris. His current research deals with the relationship between social theory and religion, the treatment of religious minorities in prison, and public policies on religion.

On Thursday, September 26 at 14.15 professor Callum Brown from the University of Glasgow will give public lecture „Losing Religion: how people have lost religion in Canada, UK and USA since 1940“. Professor Brown is a social and cultural historian with special research interests in the social and cultural history of religion and secularisation, the social history of modern humanism, and the history of community ritual, all in the post 1750 period and more especially in the 20th and 21st centuries.

On Friday, September 27 at 10.15 professor Linda Woodhead from the University of Lancaster will give a public lecture „Religious Change in Europe since 1989: De-Reformation and the Return of Magic“. Her work explores the relationship between religious and social change worldwide. Although she consider earlier periods, she is particularly interested in change from the 1980s to the present. She has written about changes in Hinduism, Christianity, alternative spiritualities, paganism, and Islam in Europe. Central themes include the importance for religion of changing gender relations, global consumer capitalism and new media, and the rise of an increasingly educated and expanding middle class.

The events are supported by the European Union through the European Social Fund (Estonian Graduate School of Culture Studies and Arts) and the European Regional Development Fund (Centre of Excellence in Cultural Theory).

More information about the programme you can find here.