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| The Pluralism Project | |
|---|---|
| Name | The Pluralism Project |
| Formation | 1991 |
| Founder | Diana Eck |
| Type | Research center |
| Location | Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Affiliation | Harvard University |
The Pluralism Project is a research initiative based at Harvard University that documents, studies, and interprets the changing religious landscape of the United States through fieldwork, publications, and digital archives. Founded in the early 1990s, it has produced ethnographic reports, multimedia resources, and curricular materials that engage with diverse communities, interfaith networks, and public institutions. The Project’s work intersects with major public debates and civic institutions across North America, influencing policymakers, educators, and media outlets.
Founded in 1991 by scholar Diana L. Eck, the initiative grew out of academic conversations at Harvard Divinity School and collaborations with colleagues at Harvard University and the broader Boston research community. Early fieldwork connected researchers to communities around Boston, including neighborhoods influenced by migration from Haiti, El Salvador, Vietnam, and Sierra Leone, and engaged with institutions such as Trinity Church, Old South Church, and local synagogues like Temple Israel. During the 1990s the Project expanded its scope to include studies of diasporic networks linking New York City, Los Angeles, Houston, and Chicago. Major events such as the aftermath of September 11 attacks and debates over religious accommodation in cases before the Supreme Court of the United States shaped subsequent research priorities and public engagement strategies.
The Project articulates a mission to document religious diversity, promote civic pluralism, and provide resources for civic leaders, educators, and journalists. Its objectives include producing empirical studies that inform discussions within institutions like City Hall (Boston), Massachusetts State House, and national bodies such as the United States Commission on Civil Rights. It seeks to build partnerships with community organizations including Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, Hindu Temple Society of North America, Chabad-Lubavitch, and ecumenical networks like the National Council of Churches. Emphasis is placed on translating research for audiences affiliated with Pew Research Center, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and cultural institutions like the Smithsonian Institution.
Research programs have included mapping religious sites, documenting rituals, and analyzing legal disputes over religious liberty. Field projects have generated case studies involving institutions such as Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood, Sikh gurdwara, Buddhist temple, and Afro-Caribbean churches tied to Haitian Vodou and Candomblé practices in urban centers like Miami and New Orleans. The Project has produced detailed studies of immigrant congregations from China, India, Korea, and Philippines, and has examined issues found in municipal cases similar to those in San Francisco and Minneapolis. Collaborative research has interfaced with scholars associated with Princeton University, Yale University, Columbia University, and think tanks such as Brookings Institution and American Enterprise Institute.
Educational outputs include curricular guides, multimedia exhibits, and training modules for teachers, clergy, and public officials. Tools developed for use in classrooms at institutions like Harvard Kennedy School, Boston College, and Tufts University provide case studies on interreligious dialogue involving figures and movements such as Thomas Merton, Desmond Tutu, and organizations like Interfaith Youth Core. Public-facing exhibits have been showcased in venues including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and libraries such as the Boston Public Library. Training workshops have targeted leaders from the AARP, municipal school districts, and faith-based non-profits like Catholic Charities USA.
The Project’s research has informed coverage by major media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, and PBS, and has been cited in academic publications from presses like Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. Policymakers and legal scholars referencing the Project’s work include contributors to debates in the United States Senate and in filings before the Supreme Court of the United States. Its digital archives have been used by students and scholars at Princeton Theological Seminary, Union Theological Seminary, and community historians in cities such as Baltimore and Detroit. Awards and recognition have come from civic bodies and foundations including the MacArthur Foundation and regional cultural councils.
The Project maintains partnerships with universities, religious organizations, and civic institutions including Harvard Divinity School, Boston College, the Search for Common Ground, and interfaith coalitions such as the Council on American–Islamic Relations in local chapters. Funding sources over time have included grants from foundations like the Luce Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and federal funds administered through agencies such as the National Endowment for the Humanities. Collaborative grants have linked the Project with cultural institutions including the Smithsonian Institution and municipal partners in cities like Cambridge, Massachusetts and Somerville, Massachusetts.
Critics have argued that academic framing and institutional alliances risk privileging certain voices and models of pluralism associated with elite universities such as Harvard University and think tanks like the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Debates have arisen over representation of minority traditions versus mainstream denominations such as Roman Catholic Church and major Protestant bodies like the United Methodist Church, and tensions surfaced in coverage of controversies involving public accommodations and legal disputes akin to cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. Scholars from institutions including Rutgers University, University of California, Berkeley, and community activists in locales like Flint, Michigan have pushed for more participatory research methods and redistribution of archival control.