Biography
Lori Beaman is a professor in the University of Ottawa’s Classics and Religious Studies department, and holds the Canada Research Chair on Religious Diversity and Social Change. A leading expert on religion, law and society, she is internationally recognized for her innovative research on how to achieve a fair and just society amid increasing diversity.
She is principal investigator in a SSHRC-funded, interdisciplinary project on religion and diversity. Involving 37 team members at 24 universities around the world, it examines the intersections of religion, secularism, law, politics and culture, and builds new frameworks for living together in the diversity that characterizes modern societies.
Her findings will be the focus of a 20-minute video to be used as a classroom tool, and to summarize the research for policy-makers, stakeholders and interested members of the public.
The “deep equality” approach Beaman uses emphasizes focusing on similarities to transcend boundaries. Beaman is considered a pioneer in the study of nonreligion, and the co-existence in society of different ways of being religious or nonreligious.
The breadth, depth and uniqueness of her research have earned her accolades from peers around the world. She has been interviewed on national and international radio and television programs, given presentations in 18 countries, and has authored and edited many scholarly papers, including 18 peer reviewed journal articles, and 29 book chapters. Beaman has also been an inspiring mentor to students and scholars at all stages of their career.