Study of Religions 

Study of Religions examines how religions and their adherents are embedded in and relate to broader social and cultural contexts, both historically and in the present day, within specific regions and across different cultures.

The study of religion generates knowledge about religion and religious practices, as well as related values, norms, beliefs, and spirituality. Religious studies in Copenhagen help to deepen our understanding of—and the relationship between—religion, society, politics, and culture both within and outside Denmark. The research helps increase knowledge of religion as a cultural, historical, and contemporary phenomenon.

The department’s religious studies researchers work in fields such as history, sociology, history of ideas, and anthropology. The research focuses, for example, on gender, migration, minority-majority relations, cultural change, esotericism, aesthetics, technology, politics, law, and popular culture. We operate at the intersection of basic and applied research, where findings are disseminated in journals, at international and national conferences, in public lectures, through public policy engagement, and in the news media.

Each year, the academic community organizes a public seminar featuring both researchers and societal stakeholders on a current topic. The contributions are published in a subsequent issue of our open-access digital journal RELevans. There is a strong and active academic community that regularly organizes seminars for participants at all levels of research and guest lectures open to the public.