The aim of the EASR Working Group on Theory and Theorizing in the Study of Religion is to advance the practice of theorizing in research and teaching in the study of religion.
In panels at EASR conferences, PhD workshops, and joined publications we want to discuss questions such as these:
- how do we theorize in practice?
- what is good theorizing, what makes a theory productive for further theorizing, and how can we theorize better?
- and how can we teach theory and theorizing to students?
In doing so we aim to contribute to the coherence and vitality of the discipline.
For more information, see the Proposal for Working Group which was approved by the Executive Committee on 20 September 2026 at the annual EASR conference in Bucharest.
The Working Group advertises its activities on the general EASR lists but also maintains an email list for members of the Working Group. If you want to join our list, please contact one of the two chairs.
Chairs
Dr. Markus Altena Davidsen
University Lecturer in the Sociology of Religion, Leiden University
email: m.davidsen[a]hum.leidenuniv.nl
Dr. Mattias Brand
Stellvertreter Professor Religionswissenschaft, Universität Basel
Email: mattias.brand[a]unibas.ch
Initiators
Markus Altena Davidsen (Netherlands), Anja Kirsch (Norway), Mattias Brand (Switzerland), Lech Trzcionkowski (Poland), Indrek Peedu (Estonia), Göran Larsson (Sweden), Steven Sutcliffe (UK), Alexandra Grieser (Ireland), Katharina Wilkens (Germany)
Members of the Working Group for Theory and Theorizing in the Study of Religion during the 2026 conference in Bucharest. From left to right: Steven Sutcliffe, Mattias Brand, Andrea Rota, Daan Oostveen, Katharina Wilkens, Markus Davidsen, Niels Reeh, Lech Trzcionkowski, and Isis Mrugalla-Kalmbacher.