At our 2025 Regional Meeting, we announced the winners of our Student Paper Award competitions

Aneri Patel from the University of Toronto won our Undergraduate Student Paper Award for her paper titled "Reimagining Sacred Space: The Kashi Vishwanath Corridor and the Mediation of Pilgrimage"

Shashank Rao from the University of Toronto  won our Graduate Student Paper Award for his paper titled "Hindu Studies in the Time of Hindu Nationalism."

Please join us in congratulating our two winners, and thank you to all of the students who submitted fantastic papers this year!

We are happy to share that the preliminary program for our upcoming conference at St Lawrence University is now available!

We are excited for you to join us at St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY for our 2025 Regional Meeting. The city of Canton has put together a number of helpful guides on getting around the city and making the most of your stay. View the following links for information on where to eat and drink, sites of interest, and more!

We are thrilled to announce the Keynote Address of our 2025 conference will be delivered by Slavica Jakelić, the Richard P. Baepler Distinguished Professor in the Humanities at Valparaiso University. Join us as Dr. Jakelić shares her reflections on the topic Beyond the Impasse in the Study of Religion and Nationalism? What Religious Studies Can Offer and Why That Matters. Our Keynote Address will begin on Friday April 4 at 5 PM in the St. Lawrence University Inn. Learn more about Dr. Jakelić and her presentation below!

The administration of York University (Toronto, Canada) recently announced that they are suspending admissions to the Religious Studies program. This is devastating news, especially as suspending admissions can lead to much more drastic steps being taken, including closing programs.

We at the EIR firmly believe that the study of religion is an integral component of higher education, which gives students valuable training in a range of areas. This includes skills which are valuable in the professional world, as well as perspectives which help students become well-informed citizens of a global community. The action of suspending admissions, at one of Canada’s largest universities, is a gravely concerning development. To express our disappointment with this decision, the EIR has submitted a letter to the York University administration.

Faculty members of the Religious Studies Program at York have produced a letter to university administration. The letter can be read in full here. We encourage all of our members to read this letter, which highlights both the value of this program, as well as the unreasonable actions of the administration. The last paragraph of this letter calls for others to stand in solidarity and respond to York’s decision, and includes information on where to address letters of protest or support. The EIR encourages all of our members to offer whatever support they are able to in solidarity with our colleagues at York.

Registration for the 2025 EIR Regional Meeting is officially open!

Join us April 4-6 at St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY. Centred on the theme The Future(s) of Religious Studies, the conference will feature a keynote address from Dr. Slavica Jakelić (Valparaiso University) as well as presentations from scholars and student from across the region.

The EIR is thrilled to announce the theme of our 2025 Regional Meeting! Join us from April 4-6 at St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY for a conference around the theme The Futures of Religious Studies. For more information about this topic, see the full text of our Call for Papers below, or view it as a PDF.

The EIR has an open call for nominations for 2 Regional Leadership positions.

The EIR is pleased to announce the results of our virtual election. Marzia Alteno from the Université de Montréal will be joining the executive as our next Student Director! Members and students in the region can look forward to connecting with Marzia and the rest of the EIR Executive over the next year!

At our 2024 Regional Meeting, we announced the winners of our Student Paper Award competitions