The Secularism on the move project

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Description of Research Project

The “Secularism on the Move” project is a 5-year study that focuses on transnational secularism in the Francophone world (see: www.secularismonthemove.ca). It includes media, legal and political analyses, but also interviews with Francophone immigrants to Canada. Our contention is that an increasing number of secular-defined politics and ideas circulate and inform discussions about the place of religion in society. The SOM project thus quantifies and theorizes the circulation of secular peoples and ideas to Canada, with a special focus on Québec, and their movement to and from France, Switzerland, Belgium, and other francophone countries. The research project is co-led by Amélie Barras (Department of Social Science, York University) and Jennifer Selby (Professor, Memorial University). The DARE student will report directly to Prof. Barras, but will work closely with both investigators, and will join a larger group of research assistants.

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Undergraduate Student Responsibilities

The DARE student will be responsible for doing a literature review on recent scholarship related to the politics of secularism in France. France is the epicenter of ideas related to secularism in ways that reverberate beyond French national boundaries. The successful student will conduct a thorough research of the literature related to French secularism over the past decade (2016-2026). The student will create an alphabetical list of this literature, collect PDFs of articles, and book chapters, and draft a literature review analysing this literature. The DARE student will also be asked to conduct a media summary of French newspaper articles available on our website related to secularism. The student will be expected to be familiar with using library databases; how to analyse, synthesise, and organize relevant information; and write summaries of relevant scholarly sources. The student will be required to participate in monthly zoom meetings with the wider research team, which will include presenting the progress of their research.

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Qualifications Required

The applicant should possess impeccable research skills (e.g., be familiar with research databases and library and internet research), writing and organisational skills. They should also have strong analytical and critical thinking skills, possess good time management skills and communication skills to regularly communicate with the project supervisor and other members of the research team. The applicant should have an interest in questions related to religion and politics. The candidate must possess impeccable writing, reading and oral skills in English as well as preferably a very good mastery of French.