Institute for Religion, Culture and Societal Futures

We’re looking forward to hosting a webinar with Anna Strhan on her new co-authored book "Growing Up Godless: Non-Religious Childhoods in Contemporary England," 2:30pm-3:30pm EST on March 4th. To attend the free virtual event, please register here: uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

We're partnering with @stjeromesuni.bsky.social for this upcoming webinar titled "How Local Government Officials Manage Interaction between Religion and State" with Gary Adler on Thursday Feb 26 @ 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM EST. Register here to attend the Zoom webinar for free: ticketfi.com/event/6841/l...

In this infographic, Sinara, undergrad student assisting the IRCSF this term, summarizes some key points from our “Habits of the Heart” webinar last month. To watch this webinar in full, visit: youtu.be/6E6lnJa0D88

The effect of family religious socialization on adult religiosity in the context of secular transition in five Western countries. This article investigates how family religious socialization during childhood influences adult religiosity within the context of secular transition. Using new cross-national survey data from the Tr...

New paper out by our student fellow Jacob Legault-Leclair titled "The effect of family religious socialization on adult religiosity in the context of secular transition in five Western countries": www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

We’re looking forward to hosting a webinar with Anna Strhan on her new co-authored book "Growing Up Godless: Non-Religious Childhoods in Contemporary England," 2:30pm-3:30pm EST on March 4th. To attend the free virtual event, please register here: uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

...as an indirect/imperfect indicator of differential fertility levels between (non)religious groups in Canada.

Our Director Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme is currently a visiting researcher at the Centre for Fertility and Health in Oslo, Norway! Below are the average number of children women aged 20-44 in Canada have in their household, by women's religious group

In this infographic, Naz, undergrad assisting the IRCSF last term, summarizes some key points from Joel Thiessen's talk last November "Planting Seeds: The Catholic Parish in the Religious Transmission Ecosystem."
To watch Joel's guest lecture from last November: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtMa...

YouTube video by Institute Religion, Culture and Societal Futures Habits of the Heart, Then and Now - A 40th Anniversary Retrospective

Hunkering down for the snowpocalypse this weekend? Check out the recording from our event yesterday "Habits of the Heart, Then and Now - A 40th Anniversary Retrospective," available now to watch anytime for free on our YouTube channel: youtu.be/6E6lnJa0D88

In this infographic, Joanne, undergrad assisting the IRCSF last term, summarizes some key points from Joel Thiessen's talk last November "Planting Seeds: The Catholic Parish in the Religious Transmission Ecosystem."

To watch Joel's guest lecture from last November: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtMa...

Join us for our upcoming webinar "Habits of the Heart, Then and Now - A 40th Anniversary Retrospective." This free event on Zoom will take place from 1-2pm EST on Thursday January 22nd, 2026. To attend, please register here: uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Just builds the anticipation :)

Due to the snowstorm and our universities being closed today, unfortunately this talk by Gary Adler at St Jerome's University has been cancelled for tonight.

Majority of Canadian Orthodox Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs were born outside the country.

Immigration trends among Canadian (non)religious groups, from 2021 Census data. Catholics, Muslims and those with no religious affiliation gained the most people from immigration to Canada between 2016-2021.

This event celebrates the 40th anniversary of the seminal book Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life with its four living authors Richard Madsen from UC San Diego, William Sullivan, Ann Swidler from UC Berkeley, and Steven Tipton from Emory University.

Join us for our upcoming webinar "Habits of the Heart, Then and Now - A 40th Anniversary Retrospective." This free event on Zoom will take place from 1-2pm EST on Thursday January 22nd, 2026. To attend, please register here: uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

(3/3) To watch Joel's guest lecture from last November: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtMa...

(2/3) "...These nine practices represent empirically grounded strategies that strengthen transmission outcomes for children and youth. They enhance parental, parish, peer, and institutional influences, helping the ecosystem function more effectively."

(1/3) Elina, undergrad assisting the IRCSF last term, summarizes the following from last November's talk: "Joel Thiessen discussed the concept of religious transmission ecosystems in his guest lecture...

Join us for Gary Adler's talk "How Local Government Officials Manage Interaction between Religion and State" on Thursday January 15th, 2026 from 7:30pm-9pm EST. To either attend the free event in person at St Jerome's or virtually online, register here: uwaterloo.ca/st-jeromes/e...

Join us for Gary Adler's talk "How Local Government Officials Manage Interaction between Religion and State" on Thursday January 15th, 2026 from 7:30pm-9pm EST. To either attend the free event in person at St Jerome's or virtually online, register here: uwaterloo.ca/st-jeromes/e...

New Religious Movements and the Romantic Spirit of Modernity Cambridge Core - History of Religion - New Religious Movements and the Romantic Spirit of Modernity

Our Associate Director Galen Watts has a new book out with Stef Aupers and Dick Houtman titled "New Religious Movements and the Romantic Spirit of Modernity." Free e-copy downloads for the next 72 hours at: www.cambridge.org/core/element...

Get your copy now!

YouTube video by Institute Religion, Culture and Societal Futures Kevin Flatt's IRCSF Book Launch

Missed Kevin Flatt's launch of his new book "Secularization, Social Order, and World History: Toward a Global Perspective" at the IRCSF last week? Here's the recording of the event, for free viewing anytime: youtu.be/jfDP0x9HXjA

YouTube video by St. Jerome's University Lectures in Catholic Experience Presents - Joel Thiessen

Watch Joel's talk “Planting Seeds: The Catholic Parish in the Religious Transmission Ecosystem” here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtMa...

Amy highlights: "Kids come in for classes in Catholic parishes (for First Communion, for Confirmation, etc.), and parents slowly find themselves coming back too for this reason. It’s a small reminder that sometimes children lead the way back to church more than we realize."

Amy, undergrad student assisting the IRCSF this term, highlights the following finding in this poster as particularly interesting from Joel Thiessen's talk last month at St. Jerome's University:

Still time to register for this free online event on Friday!

Join us for our last webinar of the autumn 2025 term: the launch of Kevin Flatt's new book "Secularization, Social Order, and World History: Toward a Global Perspective" on Friday December 12th @ 2pm EST. Register here to attend the free event: uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

YouTube video by Institute Religion, Culture and Societal Futures Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith

Watch Christian's IRCSF talk here: youtu.be/BVxCy5zacf4