Change the way you see the world

Religion, Culture and Society is an interdisciplinary program focusing on the integral place of religious traditions within culture and society–today and in the past, from local to global settings.

By exploring various dimensions of religion, including how it is experienced, practiced, and manifests throughout the world around us, we look at the vital role that religion plays in the social, political, artistic, and intellectual spheres of most human communities.

Studying religion connects us to politics, identity, literature, and the big questions: why are we on earth (and what lies beyond), what happens after we die, how can we lead a good life, and how are we linked to one another? As global events and processes like political upheaval, COVID-19, and climate change prompt us anew to seek meaning, connection, and paths forward, thinking about religion could not be more timely.

—Shamma Boyarin, and Andrew Wender, past and current program directors

Our program reflects the growing diversity of religions within Canada and an interconnected world, underscoring the need to understand differences, similarities, and relations among religious traditions.

We acknowledge and respect the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples on whose traditional territory the university stands and the Songhees, Esquimalt and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.