News & Blog – International Research Network

24th March 2020

Uniformity, biblical criticism and supernatural activity in the 19th century

By Nathan Bossoh Mosaic of Jesus Christ on ceiling in church in Cambridge (UK). Public Domain. In June 1887 the Canadian writer Grant Allen aptly summed up the evolution of science over the preceding fifty years in an article for the Fortnightly Review entitled “The Progress of Science from 1836 to 1886”. After providing an elaborate yet succinct overview of the immense expansion of science, Allen concluded that…

16th March 2020

INSBS Conference Postponed

As you will all be aware, across many countries governments and universities have recently been placing restrictions on people’s travel in response to the COVID 19 epidemic, with many higher education institutions closing completely for an indefinite period. This includes bans on mass gathering over 100 people and incoming international travel in some countries including South Africa. In the UK we have not yet witnessed many restrictions on travel and…

27th February 2020

Launching the new International Research Network for the Study of Science & Belief in Society website!

Welcome to our new and exciting website, please read below about all of the exciting developments we’re launching over the coming months, and have a click around while you’re here.

17th February 2020

Call for Participants: STEMM & Belief in Diverse Contexts, Early Career Researcher Workshop

29-30 June, 2020, Stellenbosch, South Africa Organised by the International Research Network for the Study of Science and Belief in Society (INSBS) in association with the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. We invite expressions of interest to participate in the fully-funded, STEMM and Belief in Diverse Contexts Early Career Researcher (ECR) Workshop, which will take place in Stellenbosch, South Africa…

22nd November 2019

Call for Papers: STEMM and Belief in Diverse Contexts: Publics, Praxis, Policy and Pluralism

1 – 3 July, 2020 Stellenbosch, South Africa Call for Papers Please note: bursaries to support attendance are available, including (but not limited to) specific funds for early career researchers and researchers who are based in Africa. Organised by the International Research Network for the Study of Science and Belief in Society (IRNSSBS) in association with the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST),…

22nd October 2019

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,…

13th June 2019

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…

10th June 2019

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…

5th September 2017

PRESS RELEASE: results of major new survey on evolution

NEW EVOLUTION SURVEY SHOWS THAT WHILST THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE IN UK AND CANADA ACCEPT EVOLUTIONARY SCIENCE, NON-RELIGIOUS AND ATHEIST INDIVIDUALS SHOW SIMILAR DOUBTS ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF HUMANS AND HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS AS RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL INDIVIDUALS. Brighton, 5th September 2017 A Newman University/YouGov survey examining public perceptions and attitudes towards evolution has found that while there is a broad consensus of acceptance towards evolutionary science…

17th July 2017

One Nation, United? Science, Religion, and American Public Opinion

By Shiri Noy and Timothy L. O’Brien Debates about science and religion—whether they conflict and how they factor into public opinion, policies, and politics—are of longstanding interest to social scientists. Research in this area often examines how those in elite positions use science and religion to justify competing claims. But, more generally how do members of the public incorporate science and religion into their worldviews?…