Publicly Engaged Religion Mapping Project

Generously funded by the Henry Luce Foundation, the Publicly Engaged Religion Mapping Project is a collaborative initiative between ACLS, the American Academy of Religion, the Institute for Diversity and Civic Life, and the National Humanities Alliance to document and analyze the landscape of publicly engaged scholarship on religion in North America. For examples of public scholarship of religion, see the AAR Guidelines for Supporting and Evaluating Public Scholarship in Religion. These examples are not all-encompassing, but represent some of the forms this work can take. This project will create a comprehensive resource that increases visibility of this kind of scholarship while addressing persistent barriers to its connectivity and sustainability.

The project will produce a searchable database with a visual interface, accessible to scholars, practitioners, and the general public. This database will:

  • Map how scholars and practitioners engage with public audiences on matters of religion
  • Document the various dimensions of public-facing knowledge production
  • Illustrate how religious scholarship intersects with public discourse
  • Include in-depth essays and interviews highlighting diverse models of engagement

We invite scholars, practitioners, and community partners to contribute to this initiative by completing a survey about scholarship working at the intersection of religion and public engagement. The survey may take between 10-15 minutes to complete. If you are working on multiple projects related to Public Scholarship and Religion, we kindly request that you submit separate surveys for each project. Survey responses will be analyzed and incorporated into the database.

By participating in this initiative, you will help:

  • Build an accessible resource for scholars, funders, and communities
  • Advance shared frameworks for ethical engagement
  • Foster connections across disciplines and contexts
  • Strengthen the presence of religious studies within broader national conversations on public scholarship
Contribute to the Project!
Take the Survey
Goals of the Database
Increase Visibility

Elevate the profile of publicly engaged scholarship in religion to highlight its importance and impact.

Expand Networks and Interconnectivity

Foster network and collaboration across communities by surfacing shared interests and approaches through the database.

Enhanced Frameworks

Build frameworks that illuminate pathways for publicly engaged research on religion from the comprehensive database.

Accessible Content

Deepen the understanding of the landscape of public scholarship on religion by creating an online, searchable database with relevant projects.

For questions or inquiries about the Publicly Engaged Religion Mapping Project,

please contact [email protected].