Editor, Author at International Research Network for the Study of Science and Belief in Society

Drawing boundaries: Reflections on the Science and Belief in Society conference, Birmingham 4th – 6th July, 2019

By James Riley A version of this article initially appeared on the International Society for Science & Religion website. Featured image credit: @CarolaLeicht From the 4th to 6th of July, 2019, the University of Birmingham, UK, hosted the inaugural conference of the International Research Network for the Study of Science and Belief in Society (INSBS). It was a multidisciplinary event, with scholars from the history of science, the sociology of religion, anthropology, science and technology studies, religious studies, philosophy, psychology, science communication, education and more. All, however, were drawn together to present their research on the topic of science and belief in society (note ‘belief’ rather than ‘religion’, a point I will return to). There was a diverse programme of talks, as a cursory look down the list of abstracts will show, with topics ranging from encounters between missionary’s astronomy and traditional astrology in Qing Dynasty China, to contemporary interactions between science and religion in US public health

Science and Belief in Society Conference, Birmingham (UK) 4-6 July, 2019

The first annual conference of the International Research Network for the Study of Science and Belief in Society was held at the University of Birmingham from 4-6 July, 2019. This multidisciplinary conference featured speakers from disciplines including the history of science, sociology of religion, science and technology studies, philosophy, social psychology, science communication studies, education studies, and anthropology. Keynote papers were given by historian Professor Peter Harrison, Australian Laureate Fellow and Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Queensland (Australia), and psychologist Professor Cristine Legare, associate professor of psychology and the director of the Evolution, Variation, and Ontogeny of Learning Laboratory at The University of Texas at Austin (USA). A full programme and book of abstracts can be found here. The conference themes were: The social scientific and historical study of the relationship between science and religious and/or non-religious belief and identity; Public

Rethinking Science-Religion Conflict Narratives

Public Lecture, Thursday 4th July @ 17:30, University of Birmingham Australian Laureate Fellow Professor Peter Harrison will give a free public talk titled, “Rethinking Science-Religion Conflict Narratives,” on Thursday 4th July at 5:30pm in Lecture Theatre C of the Aston Webb Building at the University of Birmingham. A bio and abstract follow, below the poster for the event. Rethinking Science-Religion Conflict Narratives Abstract: For several decades now, historians of science have contested the idea that science and religion are inherently opposed to each other and that this opposition has repeatedly played itself out in history. In spite of their efforts, in public discourse the conflict motif seems as prevalent and powerful as ever. In this lecture I explore the origins and persistence of the conflict thesis, setting out different versions of conflict narratives and suggesting ways in which they have shaped and reinforced particular self-understandings or group identities. The social