Non-religion and Secularity Research Network (NSRN)

To visit the web-site click here

The Non-religion and Secularity Research Network (NSRN) is an international and interdisciplinary network of researchers founded in 2008. The NSRN aims to centralise existing research on the topic of non-religion and secularity and to facilitate discussion in this area.

The two concepts of non-religion and secularity are intended to summarise all positions which are necessarily defined in reference to religion but which are considered to be other than religious. Thus, the NSRN’s research agenda is inclusive of a range of perspectives and experiences, including the atheistic, agnostic, religiously indifferent or areligious, as well as some forms or aspects of secularism, humanism and, indeed, religion itself. It also addresses theoretical and empirical relationships between non-religion, religion and secularity.

The network was set up in November 2008 to publicise the increasing amount research being conducted in this field, both for fellow NS researchers as well as for a range of other users. Its current activity focuses on developing the NSRN website as a central resource for everyone interested in non-religion and secularity. The website includes a directory of researchers working in the field as well as a directory of current post-graduate projects. The website also includes a bibliography of work published since 2000, with a comprehensive bibliography forthcoming.

The NSRN also maintains two email lists, for the announcement of NS relevant events and publications and for anyone requiring specialist advice or discussion. To sign up to one or both of these, please visit www.jiscmail.ac.uk or email one of the NSRN coordinators.

Plans for a study day to be held at Cambridge University in Autumn 2009 are underway and a larger launch conference is anticipated for 2010. News of both these events will be circulated via the website and NSRN-ANNOUNCE mailing list. For further information, email Stacey Gutowski at seg46@cam.ac.uk.

If you would like more information about the NSRN, please email Lois Lee at ll317@cam.ac.uk.

Lois Lee | Updated 3 May 2009