How to integrate the sciences and humanities in the study of religion?

At least since C.P. Snow’s provocative lecture on two academic cultures, researchers on both sides of the barricade have been trying to bridge the divide between the humanities and sciences. How would such a synthesis of the humanities and sciences look like when applied to the study of religion?

13 Aug 2019

You can find the answer to this vital question in our new article. In the manuscript, Martin Lang and Radek Kundt explore the nooks and crannies of such a synthetic project applied to the study of religion. In doing that, they also provide a kind of LEVYNA manifesto, which specifies the positions we identify with in the project of the naturalistic study of religious phenomena.

You can find the article here: https://bit.ly/2pCnLVq

26 Jun

LEVYNA conducted field research in Mauritius

As is our good tradition, LEVYNA members conducted a research trip to Mauritius in May 2025.

This year’s Mauritian expedition combined research with rich cultural immersion.
17 Feb

Witchcraft, Envy, and Norm Enforcement in Mauritius

In a new study published in Human Nature, LEVYNA was part of a team lead by A.K. Willard, studying how witchcraft beliefs affect social norms and behaviors. Specifically, researchers investigated whether witchcraft is regarded to be motivated by envy and how this notion influences community interactions. The findings show that, while witchcraft accusations were common, they were mostly directed at persons suspected of acting out of envy.
28 Jan

Socioeconomic variation in motivations for ritual practice – a new study by LEVYNA & UConn

In an ethnographic survey-based study published in the journal Religions, D. Xygalatas and P. Maňo looked at variation in motivations for ritual practice and how it relates to the socioeconomic status of respondents. The findings indicate that whereas people of lower socioeconomic standing address more immediate concerns related to material security and safety in their ritual practices, people at the other end of the socioeconomic spectrum tend to focus on the fulfillment of spiritual, social, or cultural needs.
23 Jan

Experimentally testing the existential insecurity hypothesis

In a new Registered Report published in Collabra, M. Lang and R. Chvaja experimentally tested whether secular individuals would be willing to join religious groups when threatened with cooperative insecurity. The results showed that while this effect was weak in a behavioral test, a self-reported willingness to join was much stronger than anticipated.

All articles

How to integrate the sciences and humanities in the study of religion?

More articles

LEVYNA conducted field research in Mauritius

Witchcraft, Envy, and Norm Enforcement in Mauritius

Socioeconomic variation in motivations for ritual practice – a new study by LEVYNA & UConn

Experimentally testing the existential insecurity hypothesis