Media Release - For Immediate Release

March 31 2010

Dr. Bowlby Helping with Look at Religious Diversity

A new $2.5 million research project looking at religious diversity in Canadian life has a strong Saint Mary’s connection.

Dr. Paul Bowlby, Chair of Religious Studies, is one of a dozen researchers across Canada that will be looking at the contours of religious diversity and trying to develop approaches “that move society beyond simple tolerance to substantive equality.”

The project will be led by Professor Lori Beaman of the Department of Classics and Religious Studies at the University of Ottawa. The funding has been awarded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

The research will place Canada in the context of other western democracies, and over the course of the project, will work to identify global patterns in responses to religious diversity.

The aim of the research is to present diversity not primarily as a problem, but as a resource. The team will propose strategies for equality that will advance knowledge and enhance public policy decision-making.

“Religion, diversity and identity are central in current public discourse in Canadian society,” said Dr. Bowlby. “Such research fosters an inclusive and open dialogue that contributes to strengthening social cohesion.

With the first meeting of the research group slated for May, he said it is premature to speculate on what the research might entail.

“Personally I would like to see a workshop involving Atlantic Canadian scholars looking at the role of religion in our historical development and then ponder the role it may play into the future.”

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For More Information:

Steve Proctor
External Affairs
Saint Mary's University
(902) 420.5513
E-mail: steve.proctor@smu.ca
www.smu.ca

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