Doing Study of Religions in public institutions in countries where religion is legally separated from the public sphere is a common research topic. The participants of the panel doing research of ‘religion’ in several public institutions in different European and/ or North American countries; but, what does it mean to do research on ‘religion’ in public institutions? The question does not only touch upon the issue of research practice, but also raises fundamental methodological considerations, and calls for consideration of science-policy and -politics that arise from a specific understanding of what is meant by the ‘Study of Religions’. Overall, it can be stated that research on religion has to be analysed on different levels and from different perspectives, because there are also several understandings of ‘religion’. After a general introduction by the chairwomen, the participants will discuss this overarching topic of the panel with reference to their own research experience.
