Centre for the Study of Religion and Politics (CSRP)

Description

The Centre for the Study of Religion and Politics (CSRP) at the University of St Andrews was established in November 2004 by academics from the Schools of Divinity, International Relations, Modern Languages, and Philosophical and Anthropological Studies. The current director specialises in the intersection of religion and politics. The CSRP operates within St Mary's College and the School of Divinity.

Religion and politics are primary focus areas in contemporary research projects within Divinity. Here, theology serves as a narrative of a unique, creative epistemological paradigm. Religion represents a practice, while theology is the narrative of human communities engaged in daily rituals that interact with broader social, economic, and political contexts. The intersection of religion and politics in Divinity implies understanding religious practices through interpretive models and social epistemologies, continuously interacting with societal governance models.

The primary objectives of CSRP are to undertake collaborative research in these areas:

• Exploration of the relationship between religion and its political context.
• Investigation of theologies as religious narratives developed by specific religious communities.
• Examination of the link between religious and political histories and between theology and history.
• Study of the history of Christian Churches, particularly focusing on religion and politics in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
• Analysis of world religions and their involvement within specific social and political contexts, including the influence of indigenous religious narratives on contemporary political issues.

Furthermore, CSRP engages in international cooperative research with various groups, such as the LINK Scotland-Colombia and the Memoria y olvido international research group. It also seeks to secure funding for research on religion and politics in 20th-century Latin America and World Religions. The centre also hosts a series of seminars and an annual conference on a pertinent topic.

Offers funding

No, this infrastructure does not provide funding.

Founding year

2004

Contact details

On the map

Go to larger version of this map

Categorisation

Type

Project Tags

University affiliation(s)

University of St Andrews
NA
St Andrews
KY16 9AJ