Past Events

International Conferences:

• ‘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).

• 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).