Our Work

We create and share knowledge about the roles religion plays in the world.

Special Initiatives and
Areas of Interest

Explore our growing areas of expertise and public engagement below.

Religion in Chicago

We research and collaborate with the diverse religious communities of Chicago.

Multimedia Storytelling

We use audio, visual, and other media to share stories about our community and programs, as well as to engage wider audiences with the research and expertise of the Divinity School.

Religion, Arts, and Culture

We support projects and programming that use art as a vehicle for scholarly inquiry about religion.

Black Religious Life

We work to enrich and complicate narratives about Black religious traditions and highlight the perspectives of scholars and practitioners in this field.

Religion and Reproductive Politics

We facilitate research and discussion about the relationship of religion to the politics of human reproduction.

Why This Text Matters

In this signature video series, produced in partnership with the Undergraduate Religious Studies Program at the University of Chicago, experts at the Divinity School introduce classic texts that are important in the study of religion.

Sightings

Featuring weekly articles by students, faculty, alumni, and guest writers, our digital magazine explores how viewing the world through the lens of religion can help us make sense of developments in politics, art, business, and other fields. If you are interested in submitting an article for consideration, please view our submission guidelines here.

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Smart Sightings: Mary Magdalene's Invitation to Redemption

This depiction of the Crucifixion is special in that its iconography focuses on St. Mary Magdalene, presenting her as a role model for the Christ-loving, repentant sinner seeking forgiveness—and finding it.

Emptying the Arsenals of Memory

The gap between contemporary and ancient conceptions of memory lie at the heart of the challenge in understanding Israeli and Jewish perspectives on October 7 and its aftermath.

Structural Violence in the Headlines

Focusing only on direct violence obscures other, potentially more harmful, social injustices.

Smart Sightings: Embodying Religion in Rodin's "The Cathedral"

Time and again, my camera has taught me that religion is deeply enmeshed with the body and everyday lived experience. Rodin’s piece resonates similarly.

James Baldwin and the Cost of Community

Denying that there is persistent brokenness in the world, we have concluded that everything wrong comes from structures that rest on ideologies we oppose.

Jews, Semites, and Antisemitism

We need a conceptual approach that recognizes the multifaceted nature of identity and groups.

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Community Opportunities

We provide educational opportunities for the public and equip leaders to better serve their constituencies.

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Student Opportunities

We provide academic resources and professional training for Divinity School students, preparing the scholars of the future for careers within and outside of the academy.

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Faculty Opportunities

We advance the work of faculty by providing funding and visibility for their research and events.

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Where to next?

Connect.

Get in Touch.

Swift Hall
1025 E 58th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
773-702-8200
martycenter@uchicago.edu

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