Editorial
An Introduction to the Cognitive Science of Religion
Aarhus University
Welcome to the 7.2 issue of the Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion. This special issue consists of a book panel on An Introduction to the Cognitive Science of Religion: Connecting Evolution, Brain, Cognition, and Culture by Claire White (Routledge 2021).
Claire White holds the first tenure-track position in the cognitive science of religion in the United States. She is Professor at California State University, Northridge, where she joined the Religious Studies Department in 2012. Claire White holds a PhD degree from the Institute of Cognition and Culture at Belfast, Northern Ireland (2008). She has served as Co-Chair of the Cognitive Science of Religion Group at the American Academy of Religion and is currently Secretary-General of the International Association for the Cognitive and Evolutionary Sciences of Religion.
Because of her training and background in Northern Ireland and her experience as researcher and teacher in the United States, Claire White is in the unique position of providing insight and competence in the cognitive science of religion in all its variety, interdisciplinarity, and international contexts. She draws on research from Europe, the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, and uses a plurality of methods in her own research.
The book that is the topic of this issue of the JCSR is a welcome addition to the growing literature on the cognitive science of religion. It is also a first in that it specifically addresses students from all fields. The book has the further quality of serving as an introduction for scholars from other fields. We have therefore invited respondents from various parts of the world and from various fields to provide their critical appraisals. For those who have not had access to the book, I have written a brief overview which hopefully provides a contextualization of the commentaries and Claire White’s response.
We hope that our readers will agree that the book and panel discussion will give students and researchers welcome insight into the cognitive science of religion.