Events
Lectures, conferences, symposia, a film series, field-trips and special events—these are some of the channels through which knowledge generated from CSRS research is shared with the community. With few exceptions, CSRS events are free and open to all members of the public and university community.
Our lecture formats:
- Scholars in the Square (SiTS) - weekly public lectures foster collegial conversations that build bridges between specialists and broadly curious members of the public. See this term's lecture schedule below!
- Special Events - we host many events by collaborating with inside and outside the CSRS community.
- Distinguished Lecture in Islam
- Annual Artist-in-Residence Gala
- Can We Talk?
- See our Special Events page for more information
Our next lecture:
How to attend:
Option 1: In-person: register for in-person attendance at this lecture by clicking the poster below - seating is limited.
Register here for in-person attendance at this lecture
Option 2: Online: click the button below to join our lecture online via Zoom. The link goes live 5 minutes prior to the lecture.
Click here to attend this lecture online
Don't want to miss our lectures? Sign up for our weekly Lecture Notices using this button to receive reminders. Sign up for Lecture Notices
The CSRS Lecture Schedule: January to April 2026
Held in an intimate venue with a maximum in-person audience of 20 people, these 20-minute lectures are followed by a 20 minute conversation with an expert on related to the speaker’s topic. The final 20 minutes of the event are reserved for questions from the audience--the “Square” in this format refers to the public square--the general public is welcome to join us online.
All past lectures are recored and available on YouTube, UVic's SoundCloud site (audio only), and Vimeo page.
These CSRS lectures feature our fellows and special guests. They are held from 5:00-6:00 pm Pacific Time on Thursdays throughout the academic year.
See our full schedule below (*indicates a different time: see poster for details)
| Jan. 15th, 2026 | Todd Klaiman | Buddhist Relics and Beauty Pageant Winners in Cold War Asia |
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Jan. 22nd, 2026 |
Bouchra Mossmann | North of Ordinary: Muslim Lives in the Canadian Arctic |
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Jan 29th, 2026 |
Peter Evans | Imitation and Scapegoat in Coast Salish Myth |
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Feb. 5th, 2026 |
Youssef Benzouine | Muslim Masculinities in Quebec |
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Feb. 12th, 2026 |
Megan Swift | The Revival of Indigenous Religions in Russia |
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Feb. 26th 2026 |
Sarah Madsen | Conspiracy, Catholicism, and the Courts during the Popish Plot Crisis |
| March 5th, 2026 | Jessica Fichtner-Nolin | Un-silencing Voices of Religious Trauma |
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March 12th, 2026 |
Suad Ahmed | Through our Eyes: The Social and Emotional Lives of Somali Muslim Youth |
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March 19th, 2026 |
Distinguished Lecture in Islam | Hidden Heritage: Decorated Qur'ans from Coastal East Africa* |
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March 26th, 2026 |
Melanie Siebert and Neil Griffin | Artist-in-Residence Gala* |
The CSRS Weekly Lecture Series - September-December 2025
These CSRS lectures feature our fellows and special guests. They are held from 5:00-6:00 pm Pacific Time on Thursdays throughout the academic year, with the exception of some special lectures (see dates below with an asterisk* for exceptions).
Video/audio recordings of our past lectures are available on YouTube, UVic's SoundCloud site (audio only), and Vimeo page.
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Sept. 18th, 2025 |
Rachel Brown | Beyond Food Fights: Religion, Food, Power and Politics |
| Sept. 25th, 2025 | Ken Derry | Religion 101: How do we introduce students to the study of religion? |
| Oct. 9th, 2025 | John Thatamanil | The Enlightenment: Cause or Cure for the Post-Truth Crisis? |
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Oct. 16th, 2025 |
Shemine Gulamhusein | Navigating Muslimhood in Sport and Recreational Spaces |
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Oct. 23rd, 2025 |
Matt Sheedy | Muslims in North American Popular Culture |
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Oct. 30th, 2025 |
Brian Pollick | The Shape of the World: Knowledge Visualization in the Medieval Ages |
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Nov. 6th, 2025 |
Mélisande Séguin | Indigenous Campesino Resistance: A Researcher's Dilemma |
| Nov. 13th, 2025 | Sarah Kathleen Johnson |
Understanding and Valuing Occasional Religious Practice |
| Nov. 20th, 2025 | Sarah Roberts | Occult Visions: Surrealism, Spirituality and Resistance in Film |
| Nov. 27th, 2025 | Martin Adam | What is Life? Buddhist Reflections on Artificial Consciousness |
The CSRS Weekly Lecture Series - April-May 2025
These CSRS lectures feature our fellows and special guests. They are held from 12:00-1:00 pm Pacific Time on Wednesdays (unless otherwise noted). The location of the lecture is available upon registration for limited in-person audience. The general public is welcome to join us online without registration. Simply click the lecture attendance button on top of this events page to do so. Please sign in at least five minutes prior to the lecture. Click lecturers' names to see more details.
Scholars in the Square (SITS): Our Public Lecture Format
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April 26th, 2025 9:30am-3:30pm Saturday |
John Albert Hall Symposium Christ Church Cathedral |
John Albert Hall Lecture series Where We Live: Critical Perspectives on Our Natural and Built Environments |
| April 30th, 2025 | Zaheera Jinnah |
Belief and Belonging among Muslims in British Columbia |
| May 7th, 2025 | Dietrich Jung |
Arctic Muslims. Studying Religion in Deep Snow |
| May 14th, 2025 | Laura Gillis |
YouTube History: The Emissaries of Divine Light |
| May 21th, 2025 | Bob Gibbs |
Disagree for God's Sake: The Idea of Discord in the University |
| May 28th, 2025 | Françoise Keating |
Artful Dealings: The Noble Vision of René d’Anjou |
