Mar Griera is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Political Science and Sociology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and Director of the ISOR research centre. She has been visiting fellow at Boston University (2009), Universiteit Van Amsterdam (2008), Exeter University (2006), Université de Lausanne (2016), and l'École Pratique des Hautes Études (2022).

Her research expertise lies at the intersection of religion, spirituality, politics and heritage regimes in contemporary Europe. She has coordinated several competitive projects in this area, has edited five high-quality journal special issues, published several books and authored a high number of articles. She is currently the vice-president of the RC22 committee on Sociology of Religion of the International Sociological Association (ISA) and member of the Board of the IESR (Institut Européen en Sciences des Religions– Paris). 

Research interests

The global resurgence of religious identities and the reconfiguration of political landscapes has a large impact upon European societies. Griera’s research agenda departs from this scenario and focuses on two lines of inquiry.

First, she examines public controversies at the intersection of religion, science and health through a mix-methods research design combining ethnographic work and big data analysis. More specifically, she is interested in exploring trust (and distrust) towards biomedical technologies, and to understand how religious discourses are mobilized to frame, shape and inform political and personal positions.

Second, she focuses on religious diversity and heritage by promoting a reflection around the Mediterranean, and its multi-religious past. She develops empirical research on multi-religious heritage sites as an entry point to analyze how ideas about Europe’s religious past and collective religious memories are mobilized in contemporary political narratives.

Keywords

Religious diversity, Interreligious relations, Europe, Religious Heritage, Science & Religion