Department for the Study of Religions

Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University

Connecting the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences in the study of religious traditions and their general conditions

We educate

"Religious Studies taught me above all to think critically — to look up sources, not to accept everything as given fact, but to ask questions and investigate."

Fro PhD Applicants

We experiment

We study religious behavior in collaboration with the natural and social sciences.

I want to know more!

We organize lectures, workshops and conferences

We invite leading experts on both classic and new topics to Brno.

Look!

We map

We model religious behavior
in space and time. We strive to see connections —
the individual within the whole.

Show me!

Previous Following

From the Research and Deparment

DISSINET

31 Mar

DISSINET is now on Bluesky and Mastodon

Stay up to date with DISSINET news by following our new social media accounts.

DISSINET

28 Mar

Structural insights into the inquisition register of Bologna (1291-1310)

Inquisition registers are an excellent source for studying the social organisation of medieval communities. Did the investigated people form one or a few cohesive social bodies of “heretical movements” – communities – or are they better understood as many unrelated cases of small groups or individuals who drew the attention of the inquisitors separately?

LEVYNA

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.

From the Study

LEVYNAPhD

14 Nov 2023

Two LEVYNA graduates have been awarded for excellent study results

The vice-rector for Research and Doctoral Studies at Masaryk University has awarded two LEVYNA graduates - Dan Řezníček and Radim Chvaja with a price for excellent results during their Ph.D. studies.

LEVYNAPhD

3 Jul 2023

Dan Řezníček defended his dissertation thesis

In his thesis, titled The transmission of intergroup aggression: Prestige, credible displays, and coalitionary signals, he studied the factors and ways of spreading of intergroup aggression within groups during their mutual conflicts.

CEDRR

19 May 2023

Tomáš Glomb received the Rector's Award for Outstanding Research Results Achieved by Young Scientists under 35

Dr. Glomb's contributions to the digital research of religion were recognized by Martin Bareš, the rector of Masaryk University, at the Dies academics ceremony.