The International Seminar on Religious Education and Values is an association of over 290 religious education scholars from around 34 countries. It includes scholars from various religious traditions, and secular specialists in religious studies and education who meet in session every other year.
These biennial sessions have been taking place since 1978, mostly in Europe and North America, although many members come from other parts of the world. In addition, members use an email list for the exchange of information and opinions.
The sessions are basically for the members; although there is provision for a limited number of guests to be invited to a particular session. These may be family or friends of participating members, or academic or professional persons whose work is relevant to that session. Full members may invite their research students, under arrangements described in the ISREV Membership Procedures. At these sessional gatherings, approximately 120 papers are presented during the week, in plenary meetings and in smaller collegial groups. Selected papers from each session have been published in book form since 1998. ISREV has also stimulated other Publications by members.
Constitution
ISREV is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, Number 1102701.
Trustees and Executive Committee
President of the Seminar: Professor Dr Dr theol.h.c. Mualla Selçuk (Türkiye)
Ankara University Türkiye
Research interests:Islamic Religious Education,Interreligious Education and Qur’anic Anthropology
Vice-President: Professor Christina Osbeck (Sweden)
Christina Osbeck is professor in Subject matter education, specializing in social studies at the University of Gothenburg. In her research, she is especially focussed on religious education, ethics education and existential questions of young people, their life interpretations and life views. She is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Education.
General Secretary: Professor Julian Stern (England)
Julian Stern works on education and religion, leading research projects and organisations, and supervising doctorates. He was a school teacher for fourteen years. Moving into teacher education and research, he has worked in universities in London, Yorkshire, and now Lincolnshire, along with universities in Latvia, Poland, the USA and Germany. Themes of his work include the philosophy of schooling, religious education, spirituality in education, research methods, and issues related to solitude, silence and loneliness.
Deputy General Secretary: Dr Eli Kohn (Israel)
Eli Kohn is a Senior Lecturer at Orot Israel College, Rechovot, Israel, and has taught at the Faculty of Education, Bar-Ilan University; the MA Faculty of Michlala Teachers’ College, Jerusalem; and Herzog College, Jerusalem. He is a member of the World Religions and Education Research Unit (WRERU), UK, Deputy General Secretary of ISREV, and a Visiting Senior Fellow at Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln, UK.
Treasurer: Professor Stephen McKinney (Scotland)
Deputy Treasurer: Professor Bob Bowie (England)
Membership Secretary (admissions): Dr. Elisabeth Arweck
Elisabeth Arweck is Honorary Professor of WRERU (Warwick Religious Education and Research Unit) at Lincoln Bishop University (from 1 August 2022) and Honorary Associate Professor (Research Focus) in the Department of Education Studies at the University of Warwick (September 2021–August 2026). She is the Editor of the Journal of Contemporary Religion (https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/cjcr20). Her research interests revolve around developments in contemporary religion, spirituality, and non-religion, including: religious diversity, mixed-faith families, religious identity formation, religious nurture/socialisation, young people and religion, young people and education, new religious movements in Europe and the US, ‘sects’/’cults’, alternative educational programmes, methods in the study and research of religion, education and values.
Membership Secretary (records):
Chair of Programme Committee: Dr Saila Poulter (Helsinki)
Deputy Chair of Programme Committee: Dr Caroline Klintborg (Sweden)
Caroline Klintborg is associate professor in religious education at Stockholm University, Sweden. In her research she is particularly interested in young people’s meaning-making and in teaching the subject of religious education in a time characterised by religious change. She is also interested in conceptualization and have been working with the understanding of concepts such as “worldview”, “participation” and “vocation”.
Co-opted (convenor of the 2027 session): Jarek Horowski
Co-opted (convenors of the 2025 session): Professor Dzintra Iliško (Latvia), Dr. Lasma Stone (Latvia)
Aims
- To promote high quality research into religious education whether in public or private education systems or within and between religious communities;
- To encourage younger and/or emerging religious educators to undertake such research; and:
- To disseminate the results of such research by means of meetings of the Seminar, through contacts and exchange between members and by publication; so as:
- To influence the development of religious education in public or private education systems and in religious communities.
History
Beginning with fewer than 40 members in 1978, ISREV has grown steadily over the years, and is now passing into a period of rapidly growing membership and influence. ISREV is recognised as the major international research body comprising academic and professional specialists in this field. Details of the founding of ISREV, and about the first two Sessions, including original documents, can be seen on the History [link to: history] page.
Annual Meetings
Annual meetings of the members and of the Trustees and executive committee take place at the biennial sessions, and in England in the intervening years. At each biennial session, the members elect the office bearers and other Trustees of the association, who together form the Executive Committee for the next two years. The academic work of the Seminar, including the preparation for the programme of each session, is managed by the Programme Committee, whose Chair is an elected Trustee.
How to Become a Member
Membership in the Seminar proceeds in two stages. New members are designated as Associate Members, and after some time when certain academic conditions are met, they may be voted into full membership. Applications for membership should be accompanied by references from two Full Members of ISREV. Membership is by peer review. The academic work of the proposed new members is reviewed at the time when they are nominated, and again when full membership is being considered.
Application forms can be accessed from the Members’ Information page.
Religious Affiliation
ISREV is not a faith-based or an inter-faith association, but an organisation promoting high quality religious education and values research. There is no religious basis of membership; individual members belong to various religious traditions or to none. All members pay the subscription, which is collected in advance for the next two years at the time of each session. ISREV is a registered charity in England and Wales.