Past Events

International Conferences:

• ‘Public Health after Covid: Belief, Religion and Competing Epistemologies’, 26-27 May 2023 at King’s College London, organised by The Religious Studies Department at The Open University, Theology and Religious Studies at King’s College London and Inform and funded by the British Academy Conference Fund and the Wellcome Trust. Videos of some of the speakers can be found here.
• ‘Minority Religions: Contemplating the Past and Anticipating the Future’, 31 January – 2 February 2014 at the London School of Economics, organised by Inform in celebration of Inform’s 25th anniversary and including a book launch for the Ashgate-Inform book series. The complete programme, with all speaker bios and abstracts, can be found here.
• ‘Twenty Years and More: Research into Minority Religions, New Religious Movements and “The New Spirituality,” 16 – 20 April 2008 at the London School of Economics. Organised by Inform and CESNUR in association with ISORECEA. A complete programme and some of the papers for this conference can be found here.
• ‘The Spiritual Supermarket: Religious Pluralism and Globalisation in the 21st Century: The Expanding European Union and Beyond’ at the London School of Economics, 19 – 23 April 2001; Organised by Inform and CESNUR. A programme of this conference is available here.
• ‘New Religions and the New Europe’ at the London School of Economics, March 1993; Organised by Inform, CESNUR and ISAR.

Inform Public Seminars and Events:
(Programmes may be obtained by contacting Inform).

• 35 Year Anniversary Celebration of Inform (January 2024)
• Harm in New and Minority Religions: Sources of Support (July 2023)
• Book Launch: Contested Concepts in the Study of Religion (April 2023 – recording here)
• New Religious Responses to the Climate Crisis – Radical Environmentalism and Protest (December 2022 – recording here)
• New Media and New Religiosity – Possibilities and Pitfalls? (July 2022 – recording here)
• Book Launch: Radical Transformations in Minority Religions (February 2022 – recording here)
• Transformations of Paganism – Identity and Practice (December 2021 – recording here)
• ‘Cult’ Rhetoric in 21st Century Thursday (June 2021- recording here)
• Book Launch: Reactions to the Law by Minority Religions edited by Eileen Barker and James T. Richardson (April 2021 – recording here)
• Becoming religious – how and why beliefs and practices are transmitted (January 2021 – recording here)
• Sexual Abuse framed by Faith or Belief (July 2020 – recording here).
• Immortality: Beliefs and Practice (February 2020).
• ‘How Minority Religions React to the Law’ (June 2019)
• Health and Healing in Minority Religions (November 2018).
• Minority Religions and Extremism in Schools and on Campus (November 2016).
• Satanic Abuse Scare in the UK, 25 Years On (July 2016) (Video available here).
• New Religious Radicalisms (May 2016).
• Children, Minority Religions, and the Law (October 2015).
• Innovation, Violence and Paralysis: How Do Minority Religions Cope with Uncertainty? (February 2015).
• Minority Religions and Schooling (December 2014).
• New Religious Movements and Counselling (May 2013).
• Changing Beliefs and Schisms in New Religious Movements (December 2012).
• Prophecy in the New Millennium: When Prophecies Persist (May 2012).
• Legal Cases Involving Minority Religions (December 2011).
• African New Religions in the West (May 2011).
• State Reactions to Minority Religions (November 2010).
• Cults and Crime (April 2010).
• New Movements within the Islamic Tradition (November 2009).
• Intentional Communities (May 2009).
• New Religions and Prophecy (November 2008).
• Adults who grew up in NRMs (November 2007).
• NRMs, Death and Dying (May 2007).
• New Religious Movements and Politics (November 2006).
• Spirit Possession and Exorcism (May 2006).
• New Religious Movements and Gender (November 2005).
• New Religious Movements and ‘Outside’ Marriage (May 2005).
• Growing Up in a New Religion (November 2004).
• How Dangerous are the New Religions? (May 2004).
• Joining New Religions: Conversion or Coercion? (November 2003).
• New Religious Movements and the Hereafter (May 2003).
• Strange Encounters of the Religious Kind (November 2002).
• New Religious Movements and Higher Education (May 2002).
• New Religious Movements and Parenting (November 2001).
• New Religious Movements and Law Enforcement (December 2000).
• New Religious Movements and the Internet (May 2000).<
• New Religious Movements and Rites of Passage (November 1999).
• New Religions and the Family (May 1999).
• New Religious Movements at the Millennium (November 1998).
• New Movements Within the Christian Churches (May 1998).
• New Religious Movements and the Media (November 1997).
• New Religious Movements and Violence (May 1997).
• New Religious Movements and Money (December 1996).
• Sexuality and New Religious Movements (May 1996).
• The Millennium (December 1995).
• New Religious Movements and Education (April 1995).
• New Religious Movements and Mental Health (December 1994).
• New Religious Movements and the Law (May 1994).
• Twenty Years On (December 1993).
• Humanistic Psychology and the Human Potential Movement (November 1992).
• Children in New Religious Movements (March 1992).
• Leaving New Religious Movements (November 1991).
• Our Body – Friend or Foe? (April 1991).
• Authority & Dependence and New Religious Movements (November 1990).
• The New Age (April 1990).
• ‘A Practical Introduction to New Religious Movements’ Launch of New Religious Movements: A Practical Introduction by the Archbishop of Canterbury (November 1989).
• Former Members’ Perspectives on New Religious Movements (March 1989).
• Counselling and the New Religious Movements (June 1988).

Specialist Workshops

• Revisionism and Diversification in New Religious Movements (December 2012).
• New Religions and Ageing (November 2009).
• Children at Risk? Possession, Witchcraft and Exorcism (December 2005).
• The Church and Contemporary Paganism: A Seminar for Clergy and Religious Professionals (July 2003).
• New Religious Movements: A Seminar for Clergy and Religious Professionals (June 2001).
• New Religious Movements: The Churches’ Response, A Seminar for Clergy and Religious Professionals (November 1992).