The cover art is here for CSRS Artist-in-Residence Neil Griffin's upcoming book. Excited to have a copy on our coffeetable! #extinction #endings

Foodways are a central to our connection in community and with tradition, perhaps especially for diaspora communities. Simi Kang explores the wide-ranging implications of food as practice in conversation with CSRS director Rachel Brown. Remote access at uvic.ca/csrs/events. #foodaspractice #foodways

We are excited to welcome Rory Dickson (UWinnipeg) this week to discuss Sufism as a philosophy and spiritual practice. How we lured him to Victoria, we'll never know. But grateful. Join us Wed over lunch, in person or remotely (uvic.ca/csrs/events). #sufism #spiritualpractice @uvic-rcs.bsky.social

The wonder of a library (oh, the smell of old books in the stacks!) is a phenomenon long enjoyed by fortunate people around the globe. Join us Wed as Matthew Huculak takes us into some of the history and uncertainty facing this great institution. #bibliophile @uvichumanities.bsky.social

Reproductive health work in Nigeria bumps up against various religious, political and cultural challenges. Join us Wednesday as Aminat Muibi walks us through this fraught but oh so important terrain. @uvichealth.bsky.social @uvic-rcs.bsky.social #ReproductiveHealth #ReligionAndHealth

What can Buddhist monks tell us about navigating legal pluralism in the world today? Join us as visiting scholar Ben Schonthal describes some of the challenges at the intersection of religion and law in Southern Asia. In-person only. #religionandlaw @benschonthalnz.bsky.social @uvic-rcs.bsky.social

Thailand promotes religious freedom, but Khemthong Tonsakulrungruang (Chulalongkorn University) argues that authorities use criminal laws to suppress non-conventional interpretations of Buddhism. Are only the right kinds of religion truly free? Join us. #religiousfreedom #religioustolerance

Our annual Artist-in-Residence Gala is here! Join us Thursday to celebrate our fantastic artists, Melanie Siebert and Neil Griffin, and to hear more about their artistic journeys. @uvic-rcs.bsky.social @uvichumanities.bsky.social #religionandart #journeys

Some people just have more interesting topics than others. Join us tomorrow online or in person for Shubham Arora's Harold Coward India Research Lecture! @uvic-rcs.bsky.social @uvichumanities.bsky.social #sexualpleasure #kamasutra

This week Suad Ahmed takes a nuanced look at the experience of racialized Muslim youth from immigrant families as they negotiate complex identity dynamics in Canadian culture. Join us! #muslimyouth #somalicanadian @uvic-rcs.bsky.social @uviceducation.bsky.social @uvicanthro.bsky.social uvic.ca/csrs/

Congratulations to Kathy Chan on her appointment as Full Professor in the UVic Faculty of Law! Join us tonight for timely inaugural lecture on the debate over religion's public benefit. #religionandlaw @uvic-rcs.bsky.social @uvichumanities.bsky.social

Trauma arising in religious contexts is neither new nor rare. But the research around this form of trauma is relatively nascent. Join us Thursday as Jessica Fichtner-Nolin introduces us to the issues from a clinical perspective. @uvic-rcs.bsky.social @uvichealth.bsky.social #trauma #religion

Conspiracy culture is not new. Join us Thursday as Sarah Madsen traces the political and judicial impact of a plot that rocked 17th C England and may yet have lessons for today. Joined for conversation by Gary Kuchar. @uvic-rcs.bsky.social @uvichistory.bsky.social #conspiracy #religionandpower

Indigenous religions are undergoing a grassroots revival in Russia. What does this mean for a country so intimately tied to the Russian Orthodox Church? Find out Thursday. Registration and Zoom login at uvic.ca/csrs/events. @uvic-rcs.bsky.social #indigenousspirituality #russianreligion

What is it to be "masculine" today? The question is perhaps trickier if one is a racialized, immigrant Muslim man negotiating a new culture. Or is it? CSRS fellow Youssef Benzouine has thoughts. Join us Thursday! Talk back: Rachel Brown. @uvicanthro.bsky.social @uvic-rcs.bsky.social #masculinities

The stories we tell shape our cultures and sense of the sacred. Join us Thursday as Peter Evans and Tommy Happynook explore Coast Salish myth and how it does and does not fit the 'theoretical mold'. @uvic-rcs.bsky.social @uvicanthro.bsky.social #coastsalish #sacredmyth

When we imagine the comings and goings of a bustling Muslim community, we don't usually think of -30C, snowy and dark. But so it is for Arctic Muslims in Canada this time of year. Join us Thurs do hear how this extraordinary environment shapes religious life. #arcticmuslims @uvic-rcs.bsky.social

Ever wondered just how Buddhism was used as a political tool in the Cold War era? Wonder no longer! CSRS Program and Research Coordinator Todd Klaiman will bring us all the back story this Thurs, January 15th. Join us! @uvic-rcs.bsky.social @uvichistory.bsky.social @uvicgeography.bsky.social

Paul Bramadat's Yogalands is named one of the top 10 religion books of 2025! Congrats Paul! religionnews.com/2025/12/29/r... @uvichumanities.bsky.social @uvichistory.bsky.social @rns.org #readlikeayogi

AI is causing us to reconsider perennial questions about life and consciousness that have long been dear to religious traditions. Join us Thurs as CSRS faculty fellow Martin Adam takes up the thread in conversation with elements of Buddhist thought. #AIBuddhism #AIconsciousness @uvic-rcs.bsky.social

Yogalands making a splash at AAR in Boston!

The Canadian Society for the Study of Religion (CSSR) invites proposals for their 2026 Annual Meeting, to be held at St. John’s College, University of Manitoba, from Saturday, May 30 to Monday, June 1, 2026 with an online component on Friday, June 12, 2026. cssrscer.ca/annual-meeti...

Horror film as social criticism? Join us Thursday with Sarah Lynne Roberts! #mexicanfilm #leonoracarrington #occultfilm #religionandhorror @uvic-rcs.bsky.social @uvichumanities.bsky.social @uvicarts.bsky.social

Register now for our latest Meet the Author webinar featuring Ben Laws. In this webinar, Dr. Laws will present his new book, Asylum and Nonreligion: Emotions, Evidence-making and Credibility (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024). November 12 11am ET Register here: uottawa-ca.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

We're thrilled to welcome John Albert Hall Lecturer Sarah Kathleen Johnson to Victoria (take that, Ontario winter!) to help us think more deeply about the place in our communities of those who show up 'some of the time'. More info: uvic.ca/csrs/events. @uvic-rcs.bsky.social @abbeychurch.bsky.social

Laurah E. Klepinger offers a nice overview and review of Paul Bramadat's Yogalands: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/....

Law scholar Mélisande Séguin joins us Thursday to discuss her work with the Indigenous Campesino movement in Guatemala, and the line between scholarship and activism. Join us Thursday!

Think you know how we know what we know? Think again.

Scholars in the Square welcomes Matt Sheedy! Join us Thursday.

Shemine Gulamhusein of the Critical Muslim Studies hub is hosting and moderating a book launch for _When Genocide Wasn’t News: How Canadian media covered up the destruction of Gaza_, with editor Martin Lukacs on Thursday, October 23rd, 2025, 7:00pm at Camas Books and Infoshop in Victoria. BC.

This week CSRS Scholars in the Square welcomes Shemine Gulamhusein. Join us Thursday! @uvichumanities.bsky.social; @uvicanthro.bsky.social; @uvic.ca

We are now accepting applications for 2026-27 CSRS fellowships. For more information, visit our website: uvic.ca/csrs/fellowships. Come join our vibrant community!

Very excited for this week's lecture and discussion with John Thatamanil and Tim Lilburn. Join us Thursday in person or via Zoom. @uvichumanities.bsky.social @uvic.ca

Excited to welcome UofT's Ken Derry to the beautiful west coast this week. Ken will lecture in our Scholars in the Square series (Th), and help lead a workshop for the new CSRS-based Teaching Religion in Canada initiative (Fri). Join us!

And we're back! An exciting start to the year with a brand new cohort of fantastic CSRS fellows. Our first public lecture is next Thursday, September 18th with CSRS director Rachel Brown. Visit our website to register: uvic.ca/csrs/events.

The CSRS congratulates partners the Climate Disaster Project and Sean Holman on the $2.5 million grant to train students and journalists to tell the stories of climate disaster survivors. We look forward to conversations with Sean and his Project team members during their residency at the Centre.