Liturgical texts and practices in the ancient world. This project aims to reconstruct the liturgical life of one of the most diverse and influential religious traditions across Eurasia, from Roman Egypt to early modern China: the Manichaeans. It investigates cultural adaptation, chronological development and unity of practice in a deeper manner that helps support the discipline of religious studies more generally. It expects to generate new knowledge through the critical editing of complex texts ....Liturgical texts and practices in the ancient world. This project aims to reconstruct the liturgical life of one of the most diverse and influential religious traditions across Eurasia, from Roman Egypt to early modern China: the Manichaeans. It investigates cultural adaptation, chronological development and unity of practice in a deeper manner that helps support the discipline of religious studies more generally. It expects to generate new knowledge through the critical editing of complex texts and the employment of emergent methodologies for an integrated, holistic understanding of community literatures in terms of lived religion. Expected outcomes are advances to methodology and the profiling of one aspect of the ancient world.Read moreRead less
Religious Innovation and Social Reform in Sri Lanka. This project proposes comparative research on socio-religious reform movements in Sri Lanka, exploring four separate yet related research foci in the post-war context involving each of the major world religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam). It explores questions of human equality and social cohesion in the setting of post-conflict national reconstruction. The project is significant as an innovative, simultaneous study of Sri La ....Religious Innovation and Social Reform in Sri Lanka. This project proposes comparative research on socio-religious reform movements in Sri Lanka, exploring four separate yet related research foci in the post-war context involving each of the major world religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam). It explores questions of human equality and social cohesion in the setting of post-conflict national reconstruction. The project is significant as an innovative, simultaneous study of Sri Lankan religion combined with an examination of the relationship between religion and social difference, inclusion and exclusion. Involving four PhDs from Sri Lanka and Australia working with experienced anthropologists from each country, the project aims to produce a significant ongoing international collaboration.Read moreRead less
A third way between religion and secularism: new Southeast Asian spiritualities. In the conflicts between religious fundamentalists and advocates of western-style secularism, the development of far more moderate religious trends are overlooked. This project investigates one of these: the development of a new spiritualism mainly among members of Southeast Asia's educated and professional classes.