British Association for the History of Religions

British Association for the History of Religions is a learned society founded in 1973 that promotes scholarly study of historical religious traditions and comparative historical approaches. It convenes scholars from universities, museums, libraries and archives across the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond, engaging with disciplines and institutions such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, School of Oriental and African Studies, British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum. The association operates alongside international bodies like the American Academy of Religion, the International Association for the History of Religions, and collaborates with publishers including Routledge, Cambridge University Press, and Oxford University Press.

History

The association was inaugurated in the early 1970s amid a period of institutional consolidation exemplified by gatherings at University of Kent, University of Birmingham, and University of Leeds, drawing participants connected to archives such as the Bodleian Library and collections at the British Library. Founding figures included scholars associated with programs at King's College London, University of Edinburgh, University of Manchester, University of Glasgow, and individuals who had published with Bloomsbury Publishing and Palgrave Macmillan. Early conferences featured research on materials from sites like Stonehenge, Çatalhöyük, Göbekli Tepe, and comparative studies referencing texts preserved in collections at Trinity College, Cambridge, University of St Andrews, and the National Archives (United Kingdom). Through the 1980s and 1990s the association expanded links with institutions such as SOAS University of London, Hull University, University of York, Durham University, and networks connected to projects sponsored by bodies like the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Leverhulme Trust.

Mission and Activities

The association's mission centers on fostering historical research into religions via teaching, publishing, and public outreach in partnership with organizations including British Council, National Trust, English Heritage, Museum of London, and research centres at University College London. Activities bring together scholars active at departments such as University of Oxford Faculty of Theology and Religion, Cambridge Faculty of Divinity, King's Department of Theology and Religious Studies, and researchers publishing in journals from Sage Publications, Taylor & Francis, and Brill. The association supports postgraduate study and doctoral training coordinated with institutions such as the Open University, University of Leicester, University of Durham, and specialist libraries like the Senate House Library. Public-facing events have involved collaborations with media outlets like the BBC, cultural venues like the National Theatre, and civic institutions including City of London Corporation.

Conferences and Publications

Annual conferences rotate among host sites including University of Bristol, University of Exeter, University of Sheffield, Queen Mary University of London, University of Southampton, and international partners such as University of California, Berkeley and Leiden University. Conference programmes have featured panels on primary source collections from archives such as the Vatican Library, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Royal Asiatic Society, the Royal Anthropological Institute, and museum materials from the Ashmolean Museum, Horniman Museum, and National Museums Liverpool. The association publishes proceedings, monographs and bibliographies in cooperation with academic presses like Routledge, Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Brill, and series editors associated with Palgrave Macmillan and Liverpool University Press. Periodical outputs have been indexed alongside journals such as History of Religions (journal), Journal of Ecclesiastical History, Religious Studies Review, Numen (journal), and regional titles connected to associations like the European Association for the Study of Religions.

Membership and Governance

Membership comprises academics and practitioners affiliated with institutions such as University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of Manchester, University of Birmingham, University of Nottingham, and international scholars linked to Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, Columbia University, and University of Toronto. Governance follows a committee model with elected officers—Chair, Secretary, Treasurer—and working groups liaising with funders including the Wellcome Trust, British Academy, and the Economic and Social Research Council. Committees coordinate with learned societies such as the Royal Historical Society, British Academy, Society for Biblical Literature, Royal Anthropological Institute, and regional bodies like the Scottish Historical Review Society.

Awards and Recognitions

The association administers prizes and awards to recognize scholarship, early-career work, and public engagement, comparable to accolades from British Academy and prizes administered by Royal Society of Literature, Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, and Royal Asiatic Society. Notable recipients have been affiliated with departments at University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Durham University, King's College London, and international institutions such as University of Chicago, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Australian National University. Awards support research residencies at archives like the Bodleian Library, collections at the British Library, and fieldwork funded through programs of the Leverhulme Trust and the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Category:Learned societies of the United Kingdom