Welcome to the Southwest Institute on Religion & Civil Society. SIRCS was founded in 2004 to promote broadly accessible public dialogue and focused scholarly research regarding the intersection of religion and democracy in the contemporary world. We examine the underpinnings of democratic life in the culture, institutions, and political relations of society. SIRCS has housed funded research projects focused on faith communities, civil society, and democracy in the United States, Central America, the Islamic world, and the American Southwest border region. As an interdisciplinary center at the University of New Mexico, we welcome humanities-based, social science-based, and ethical inquiry, and we co-host periodic public events, seminars, and research projects.
Research and programming at SIRCS have been or are currently funded by the Ford Foundation, the Templeton Foundation, USC’s Center on Religion and Civic Culture, the Lilly Endowment, the Louisville Institute, and the federal government’s Department of State and Department of Energy. But donor funding represents crucial “flex” funding through which we can launch creative new initiatives.
Please explore our website for information on our recent work and several active research projects. We hope to see you at one of those events soon. And please consider donating to support our mission: Sustaining a better societal conversation about religious commitment and democratic life.
