Taking its interdisciplinary heritage seriously: The future of Religious Studies in Canada

Abstract

This article will argue that Religious Studies is not a narrowly defined discipline with a single methodology but is an area or field of study that is interdisciplinary in nature. From the beginning, Religious Studies as a scholarly field has engaged a variety of disciplinary approaches including: literary analysis of scriptural texts, history of religions, comparative religion, philosophy of religions, psychology of religions, sociology of religions and anthropology of religions. This has been its strength in the past, providing ways to reach out to other disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Taking its interdisciplinary heritage seriously today gives Religious Studies a strong basis from which to move forward into the future. It enables Religious Studies departments to build bridges to cognate departments resulting in joint appointments and enriched programs for students. It widens Religious Studies' base of support and regard within the academic community. It fosters research projects with interdisciplinary team approaches to contemporary problems in areas such as biomedical ethics, environmental ethics, religion and peace-building, pluralism and public policy—global issues that transcend the ability of any one discipline to provide answers. This approach ensures that the knowledge developed by Religious Studies "has a place at the table" alongside the other disciplines and is engaged in the solving of major problems and the formation of policy recommendations.

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