Masculinity and the Body Languages of Catholicism
From counting money to lifting four-ton statues, Italian Catholics in Brooklyn have a robust, embodied language to express their masculine devotion says Prof. Maldonado-Estrada in this interview about her new book, Lifeblood of the Parish.
Conspiracy Theories, Public Rhetoric, and Power
“You don’t go to religious studies conferences with the title of the conference being ‘The Problem with Religion,'” so why do we use that rhetoric to talk about conspiracy theories? Listen in to Andie Alexander’s interview with RSP co-founder David G. Robertson to find out why!
Manifestos and the Academic Study of Religion
What are manifestos? How are they employed in society? What can the academic study of religion offer to help understand them? The faculty and students in the Dept. of Studies in Religion at the University of Sydney have a few thoughts on that. Tune in to learn more!
Power and Diversity in 4th Century Martyr Shrines
How were 4th century Christian martyr shrines locations for the negotiation of power and diversity? In this interview, Nathaniel Morehouse explains the contested nature of these shrines.
The New Satanic Panic and the Return of Blasphemy | Discourse! April 2021
Join this month’s host Dan Gorman and guests Maxinne Connolly-Panagopoulos and Sidney Castillo to find out what connects Lil’ Nas X, Alabama’s yoga ban and Polish black metal. As politics moves rightwards across Europe and the US, are we entering a period of pushback from conservative religious institutions against minority religions and secularism?
Comparing Methods in Christian Origins
What happens when scholars take seriously the human-focused study of religious practices? In this episode, Willi Braun joins Andie Alexander to discuss the importance of critical approaches in the study of religion.
Understanding Evangelical Opposition to Climate Action
Evangelicals don’t oppose climate activism for the reasons you think. Listen to expert Robin Veldman and find out why “embattlement” matters more than eschatology when it comes to rejecting climate science.
On the Tantricization of Jain Ascetic Rituals
In the RSP’s first episode on Jainism, Dr. Ellen Gough joins Andie Alexander to discuss what she terms “tantricization,” a method for thinking about the process of establishing something as tantric.
Human Rights in Australia | Discourse! March 2021
Join us for our March current events episode focused on human rights in Australia with the U Sydney crew: Prof Carole Cusack, Dr Breann Fallon and Ray Radford.
The U.S. Military Chaplaincy and Twentieth-Century Society
Dr. Ronit Y. Stahl and Dan Gorman discuss the United States military chaplaincy as a site of pluralism and cultural tension in the twentieth century.
Sex Scandals and Minoritized Religions
What do Muslims, Mormons, and Satanists have in common? Megan Goodwin argues that for all three groups, sex scandals were used to paint religious groups as un-American and “bad” religion. Learn more about minoritization and its role in policing American identity in this week’s episode.
Following the Objects: Seeing Religion in Egypt and Syria
Why do scholars of religion have such a variety of incomplete and messy tools to “follow the objects”? Find out with the curious stories of devotional objects from Cairo and Damascus as Candace Mixon speaks with Richard McGregor about Islam and the Devotional object.
Race and the Aliites
Complex issues of race, identity, citizenship, sovereignty, and Law come together in this interview with Spencer Dew about the New Religious Movements surrounding Noble Drew Ali and the groups he inspired.
Religious Climate Activism | Discourse! February 2021
Environmental issues take center stage in this month’s episode of Discourse!, hosted by Michael Munnik with guests Suzanne Owen and Daniel Gorman Jr.
Beyond Ecological Essentialism: Critical and Constructive Muslim Environmentalisms
The diversity of Muslim environmentalisms shows the urgency of decolonizing Religious Studies and Environmental Humanities amid escalating global climate crises, says Prof. Anna Gade in this week’s episode. Based on her decades of fieldwork in Indonesia, Dr. Gade sketches new intersections of religion and the environment that decenter conversations long dominated by Western ecological models.