Trees and Landscape, J. H. Pierneef (Source: wikiart.org)

ABOUT

The Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Religion, Community, and Ecologies (CIRRCE) is dedicated to the study of religion and theology in its relationship to contemporary social, cultural, ecological, and technological realities.

Established in 2025, the CIRRCE aims to advance research at the intersections of religion, community, and ecology, with particular attention to questions of justice, development, embodiment, environmental change, and digital transformation. This work is grounded in the conviction that religion remains a significant force in shaping human life, collective identities, ethical commitments, and relationships with the natural world.

Through interdisciplinary research, the CIRRCE seeks to generate new knowledge that responds to the challenges and possibilities of the present; to contribute to academic scholarship and public understanding of the complex relationships between religion, communities, and the diverse ecologies in which they are embedded.

RESEARCH AREAS

Religion, Gender, and Embodiment In this focus we examines how religious beliefs, practices, and communities shape experiences of the body, identity, gender, well-being, and social belonging.

Religion, Environmental Justice, and Ethics Investigates the relationship between religion, ecology, and environmental justice, exploring ethical responses to climate change and ecological crisis.

Religion, Digitalisation, and Decolonisation Explores how digital technologies are transforming religious life, community, knowledge, and power, with particular attention to decolonial perspectives.

Religion, Leadership, and Development Studies the role of religion and religious leadership in social transformation, community development, and alternative visions of human flourishing.

Alignment of UFS Research Themes: Flourishing Life, Sustainable Futures, Planetary Health and Well-Being

CIRRCE aligns closely with the UFS research theme of Flourishing Life through its focus on the role of religion in shaping identity, community, justice, leadership, memory, embodiment, and social transformation. The Centre examines how religious beliefs, practices, and institutions contribute to human flourishing within diverse social, cultural, and political contexts, while also addressing questions of inequality, exclusion, healing, and reconciliation. This commitment extends to the study of sustainable forms of community life and ethical responses to contemporary challenges, aligning the CIRRCE with the theme of Sustainable Futures. Through its research on environmental justice, ecological ethics, and human relationships with the natural world, CIRRCE further contributes to conversations surrounding Planetary Health and Well-Being, recognising the interdependence of human, social, and ecological flourishing.