Message from the Head of Department
The Department of Religious Studies welcomes students to an
academic environment that encourages the critical and inclusive
study of religion in its many expressions.
Religion is closely connected to culture, identity, history and
everyday life. Our approach recognises the diversity of religious
traditions, including African traditional religions, Buddhism,
Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism and emerging religious
movements. We seek to understand these traditions in their own
contexts and on their own terms.
Our teaching and research value different ways of knowing,
interpreting and understanding the world. We also examine how
colonialism and imperialism have shaped the study of religion,
particularly through the marginalisation and misrepresentation
of traditions from the Global South.
Through rigorous academic inquiry, we encourage students to
question assumptions, engage thoughtfully with different
perspectives and critically examine hierarchies that present
some religious traditions as more legitimate or developed than
others.
We invite you to approach your studies with curiosity, intellectual
openness and a willingness to learn and relearn. The study of
religion offers opportunities to deepen our understanding of
human experience and engage more thoughtfully with the diversity
of the world around us.
Welcome.