The Critical Study of Religion

What is the critical study of religion? In these personal picks from RSP Co-Founder Christopher Cotter, listeners move from major issues related to the definition and category of “religion” to a powerful roundtable on identity featuring the members of Culture on the Edge before concluding with discussions of key terms such as secularism and decolonization.

From Non-Religion to Unbelief? A Developing Field [transcript]

From Non-Religion to Unbelief? A Developing Field Podcast with Lois Lee (26 February 2018). Interviewed by Christopher Cotter Transcribed by Helen Bradstock. Audio and transcript available at: Lee_-_Non-Religion_to_Unbelief_-_A_Developing_Field_1.1 Christopher Cotter (CC): Greetings, Religious Studies Project listeners! I am speaking to you from London, in the abode of Dr Lois Lee, who’s returning to the Religious Studies […]

The BASR and the Impact of Religious Studies [transcript]

This interview is also available as a PDF. The BASR and the Impact of Religious Studies Podcast with Steve Sutcliffe, Stephen Gregg, Christopher Cotter, Suzanne Owen and David Robertson (12 March 2018). Transcribed by Helen Bradstock. Audio and transcript available at: The BASR and The Impact of Religious Studies 1.2 Steve Sutcliffe (SS): Ok. Well, thanks […]

Myth, Solidarity and Post-Liberalism [transcript]

Myth, Solidarity and Post-Liberalism Podcast with Timothy Stacey (9 April 2018). Interviewed by Christopher Cotter. Transcribed by Helen Bradstock. Audio and transcript available at: Stacey_-_Myth,_Solidarity_and_Post-Liberalism_1.1 Christopher Cotter (CC): Welcome to another episode of the Religious Studies Project. It’s the start of 2018 as I’m recording – although who knows when this is actually going to […]

Why Do We Believe? Evolution, Primates and the Human Niche [transcript]

Why Do We Believe? Evolution, Primates and the Human Niche Podcast with Agustin Fuentes (23 April 2018). Interviewed by Christopher Cotter. Transcribed by Helen Bradstock. Transcript available at: Fuentes – Why Do We Believe 1.1 Christopher Cotter (CC): “Humans can see the world around them, imagine how it might be different, and translate those imaginings into […]

Stereotyping Religion: Critical Approaches to Pervasive Clichés [transcript]

Stereotyping Religion: Critical Approaches to Pervasive Clichés Podcast with Brad Stoddard and Craig Martin (30 April 2018). Interviewed by Christopher Cotter Transcribed by Helen Bradstock. Audio and transcript available at: Stoddard and Martin – Stereotyping Religion 1.1 Chris Cotter (CC): “Religions are belief systems.” “Religions are intrinsically violent.” “Religion is bullshit.” These are just some of […]

EASR Roundtable 2018: What is the Point of Academic Conferences? [transcript]

EASR Roundtable 2018: What is the Point of Academic Conferences? Podcast with Chris Cotter, Sammy Bishop, Moritz Klenk, Angela Puca and Tom White (24 September 2018). Transcribed by Helen Bradstock. Audio and transcript available at: EASR_Roundtable_2018_1.1 Christopher Cotter (CC): Welcome to the podcast studio in Bern, Switzerland, on the final day of the European Association […]

Ecospirituality, Gender and Nature [transcript]

Ecospirituality, Gender and Nature Podcast with Susannah Crockford (1 October 2018). Interviewed by Christopher Cotter. Transcribed by Helen Bradstock. Audio and transcript available at: Crockford_-_Ecospirituality,_Gender_and_Nature_1.1 Christopher Cotter (C.C.): In some contexts, asking the question “what gender is nature?” might provoke a condescending response – “of course nature doesn’t have a gender”. Yet, despite this naturalistic […]

Representations of Religious Studies in Popular Culture [transcript]

Representations of Religious Studies in Popular Culture Podcast with Brian Collins and Kristen Tobey. (8 October 2018) Interviewed by Christopher Cotter Transcribed by Helen Bradstock. Audio and transcript available at: Collins_and_Tobey_-_Representations_of_Religious_Studies_in_Popular_Culture_1.1 Christopher Cotter (CC): Many of our discussions at the Religious Studies Project focus upon the complex intersections between religion – whatever that is – […]

The ‘secular’, the ‘religious’ and the ‘refugee’ in Germany [transcript]

The ‘secular’, the ‘religious’ and the ‘refugee’ in Germany Podcast with Carmen Becker (22 October 2018). Interviewed by Christopher Cotter. Transcribed by Helen Bradstock. Audio and transcript available at: Becker_-__The_Secular,_The_Religious,_and_The_Refugee_in_Germany_1.1 Christopher Cotter (CC): We are recording this interview on what I believe is the International Day of the Refugee. And I’m joined in Bern, at […]

Young People and Religion in a Global Perspective [transcript]

Young People and Religion in a Global Perspective Podcast with Marcus Moberg and Sofia Sjö. (14 January 2019) Interviewed by Christopher Cotter Transcribed by Helen Bradstock. Audio and transcript available at: Moberg_and_Sjo_-_Young_People_and_Religion_in_a_Global_Perspective_1.1 Christopher Cotter (CC): I am at the European Association for the Study of Religion’s Conference in Bern, and I’m joined today by Marcus […]

The Study of Religion and National Identity in Estonia [transcript]

The Study of Religion and National Identity in Estonia Podcast with Atko Remmel (28 January 2019). Interviewed by Christopher Cotter. Transcribed by Helen Bradstock. Audio and transcript available at: Remmel_-_The_Study_of_Religion_and_National_Identity_in_Estonia_1.1 Christopher Cotter (CC): The Estonian case in the study of religion is something that we’ve not really talked about very much on the Religious Studies Project. […]

What is Mindfulness? A Critical Religious Studies Approach [transcript]

What is Mindfulness? A Critical Religious Studies Approach Podcast with Ville Husgafvel (15 April 2019). Interviewed by Chris Cotter. Transcribed by Helen Bradstock. Audio and transcript available at: Husgafvel_-_What_is_Mindfulness_1.1 Chris Cotter (CC): Anyone who spends any time on line or on social media these days, hasn’t managed to avoid adverts for different mindfulness applications and […]

Critical Approaches to Pre-Islamic Arabia and Early Islam [transcript]

Critical Approaches to Pre-Islamic Arabia and Early Islam Podcast with Ilka Lindstedt (6 May 2019). Interviewed by Christopher Cotter. Transcribed by Helen Bradstock. Audio and transcript available at: Lindstedt_-_Critical_Approaches_to_Pre-Islamic_Arabia_and_Early_Islam_1.1 Christopher Cotter (CC): Given the way in which many introductory courses present the history of early Islam and pre-Islamic Arabia, we may be tempted to think […]

Spatial Contestation and Conversions [transcript]

A transcription of this interview is also available, and has been pasted below. Spatial Contestations and Conversions Podcast with Daan Beekers (10 June 2019). Interviewed by Christopher Cotter. Transcribed by Helen Bradstock. Audio and transcript available at: Beekers – Spatial Contestations and Conversions 1.1 Christopher Cotter (CC): Listeners to the Religious Studies Project, particularly in […]