Did you know...

  • that the Study of Religions is not a theological discipline, but a non-denominational, cultural studies subject?
  • that the Study of Religions can also be studied without basic studies (Bachelor/Master/Doctorate) within the framework of the Bachelor Religious Education (Religious Studies Education)?
  • that condition-free admission to the MA in the Study of Religions is possible after completing the two extension curricula in any undergraduate program?
  • that almost any undergraduate degree (Bachelor, Master, Doctorate) can be used for admission to the MA in the Study of Religions?
  • that required courses (usually consisting of the two extension curricula) can be completed not only before the start of the study program but also during the study programme?
  • that you can learn more about the self-image of the subject Study of Religions, the cultural studies discipline on the topic of "religion", here?
  • that EU/EEA/CH citizens do not pay tuition for their B.A./M.A./Ph.D. studies? Non-EU/EEA citizens are required to pay tuition fees of 751.92 Euro/semester.This includes all degree programmes (B.A./M.A./Ph.D.).

 News

  • Important: The application period for the Master’s programme in the Study of Religions, starting in the winter semester 2026/27, runs from 22 June to 5 September 2026. If you have any questions about the programme, please contact religionswissenschaft@univie.ac.at. 
  • We warmly welcome our newest Ph.D. candidate, Polina Luzhinskaia, with a project on Gaming Enlightenment: The Transmission and Regional Adaptation of Buddhist Spiritual Games across East Asia and the Himalayan Region, under the supervision of Professor Lukas K. Pokorny.
  • Once again this year, the Department of the Study of Religions is represented at the Vienna Kids University: Lukas K. Pokorny teaches a class on "What can we learn from Buddha, Laozi, and Confucius?"; Dominic Zoehrer on "Gods and Planets: The Secret of Our Calendar"; and Alisha Saikia on "Religion in India".
  • In the upcoming winter semester, students in the Master’s program in the Study of Religions will once again have the opportunity to complete an internship in the "Kirche im Dialog" department of the Archdiocese of Vienna. The internship can be credited towards the study program, and applications are being accepted now until 5 September. Further information can be found here.
  • Professor Lukas K. Pokorny has been appointed to the advisory board of the Aries Book Series: Texts and Studies in Western Esotericism (BRILL).
  • On 25 June 2026, three doctoral candidates (Trang T. D. Nguyen; Quang Cao Nhut Huynh; Grzegorz Frąszczak) from the Department participated in a papers session titled "Buddhist and Buddhism-Related Elements in New Religious Movements in Contemporary Vietnam" at the Online Annual Meeting 2026, organized by the American Academy of Religion. The panel was organized and presided over by Trang T. D. Nguyen.
  • Congratulations to Karljosef Rauchberger for completing the M.A. programme in the Study of Religions with a thesis entitled "Therapeutic Touch". Performanz einer holistischen Praktik in der Krankenpflege ["Therapeutic Touch": Performance of a Holistic Practice in Nursing] under the supervision of Professor Lukas K. Pokorny.
  • A review of Occult East Asia: Euro-American Perspectives, written by Professors Zhang Xinzhang (Hangzhou City University) and Wang Lixiao (Xinjiang Normal University), has just been published in Religious Studies Review. The review is available here.
  • A review of East Asian Religiosities in the European Union: Globalisation, Migration, and Hybridity, written by Professor Lehel Balogh (Szeged University), has just been published in Religious Studies Review. The review is available here.
  • Congratulations to Dr. Dirk Schuster for his election as mid-level faculty representative (Mittelbauvertreter) for the next two years. 
  • Congratulations to Pavel Horák for being elected Board Member of ESSWE – European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism.
  • A review of Taking Seriously, Not Taking Sides: Challenges and Perspectives in the Study of Religions, written by Professor Daria Pezzolio-Olgiati, has just been published in the Theologische Literaturzeitung. The review is available here.
  • Massimo Introvigne reviews the book Appropriating the Dao: The Euro-American Esoteric Reception of China, edited by Lukas K. Pokorny and Franz Winter. The review is available here.
  • In the new QS World University Ranking by Subject 2026, the University of Vienna's Theology and Religious Studies Cluster ranks 22nd worldwide.
  • For students of the Study of Religions, we are offering our mentoring program again this semester for questions and difficulties during their studies. You can find more information here.
  • A compact list of all the courses that will be offered by our institute in the upcoming summer semester can be found here.
  • The University of Vienna's bulletin has published the new curriculum for the Master's program in Study of Religions (Version 2025), which will come into effect on 1 October 2025. In addition, the two new extension curricula, "Study of Religions: An Introduction" and "Study of Religions: The Major Religions," were published as well in the bulletin and will also come into effect on 1 October 2025. Further information on the curricula can be found here. The new application form for the recognition of credits for the Master's program in Study of Religions (Version 2025) can be accessed here.
  • The current guidelines of the Faculty of Catholic Theology and the University of Vienna on the use of AI in academic studies as well as further links on AI in teaching and studying can be found here.

 New Publications

  • Lukas K. Pokorny:
    1. and Franz Winter, eds. 2026. Occult East Asia: Euro-American Perspectives. Leiden and Boston: Brill.
    2. "The Ascended Confucius: Images of the Chinese Master in the Euro-American Esoteric Discourse." In Lukas K. Pokorny and Franz Winter, eds. Occult East Asia: Euro-American Perspectives. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2026, 53–71.
    3. "'The Way, the Truth, and the Light': Franz Hartmann's Daodejing." In Lukas K. Pokorny and Franz Winter, eds. Occult East Asia: Euro-American Perspectives. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2026, 93–118.
    4. Franz Winter. "Introducing Occult East Asia." In Lukas K. Pokorny and Franz Winter, eds. Occult East Asia: Euro-American Perspectives. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2026, 1–9.
  • Nickolas P. Roubekas:
    1. "Profile Roman Religion." The Classical Review 76 (1), 2026, 16–22.
  • Dirk Schuster:
    1. "Die 'entjudete' Botschaft Gottes - Versuch einer Einordnung." In: Yearbook on the Science of Bible Translation 8, 2022–2023 [2026], 32–47.
    2. "The Christian Community Hirt und Herde: The Development of a Religious Community from the German Empire to the Present Day." In: Religions, 17 (7), 2026, #764.
  • Wurzrainer, Robert:
    1. Religion und Religionen im Ethikunterricht. Theoretische Grundlagen und Anwendungsmöglichkeiten einer praxisorientierten Religionswissenschaft. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer, 2026.
  • Samuel Thévoz:
    1. "Nirvana à Colombo, Sumangala à Paris? Octave Mirbeau, une mystification littéraire et les origines du bouddhisme en France." In Octave Mirbeau: Études et actualités 7, 2026, 132–153.
    2. Review of Perrier, Jean-Claude (2025), La Mystification indienne. In Octave Mirbeau: Études et actualité 7, 2026, 281–282.
  • Moritz Maurer:
    1. "Sigrid Hunke (1913-1999). Völkische Religion in der Bundesrepublik." In: Handbuch der Religionen, Ergänzungslieferung 87, 2026.
    2. "The Tartarian Empire." In: World Religions and Spirituality Project.
  • Sára Eszter Heidl:
    1. Event Religion and European Festival Experience: Concepts and Case Studies. New York: Routledge, 2026.
  • Pavel Horák:
    1. "Occult Use of Race, Ethnicity, and Nationalism: Slavic and German Occultism in Comparison." In Aries – Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism (published online ahead of print): 1–29.
  • Alisha Saikia:
    1. "Doll Artists and their Dolls: Animators and the Animated." In Interdisciplinary Journal for Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society (published online ahead of print), 1–34.
    2. "Ningyō kuyō: Doll Funerals in Japan from the Perspective of Neo-Animism and Relational Personhood." In Journal of Religion in Japan (published ahead of print): 1–25.
  • Ivana Ryška Vajdová:
    1. "Courage in Vulnerability as a Psychological Quality and Civic Virtue". In The International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society (published online ahead of print): 1–13.
    2. "How Deep is Jung's Love for Plato? Cosmological Echoes in Analytical Psychology". In: International Journal of Jungian Studies (published online ahead of print): 1–27.
  • Davide Marino:
    1. “Western Esotericism with Chinese Characteristics: Translations and Translators in the People’s Republic.” In Chienhui Chuang, Julian Strube and Sangyun Han, eds.. Esotericism in East Asia. London: Bloomsbury, 2026, pp. 53–78.
  • Human-Friedrich Unterrainer:
    1. et al. "Alcohol Misuse as Dysfunctional Affect Regulation: A Network Analysis of Psychopathology Across Adulthood." In: Journal of Affective Disorders, 401 (2026): #121290.
    2. et al. "The Influence of Attachment Styles and Defense Mechanisms on Marital Satisfaction: An Interaction Analysis in Iranian Couples." In: Frontiers in Psychology, 17 (2026): 1659840.
    3. et al. "The Network Ties Between Sleep Quality, Suicidality, and Psychopathology." In: Neuropsychobiology (2026).
    4. et al. "Psychotherapeutic Interventions in Violent Extremism: A Cross-Cultural Review of Radicalization Pathways and Resilience Mechanisms." In: Frontiers in Psychology, 4 (2026): 1699208.
    5. et al. "Metabolomic and Gut Microbial Biomarkers of Smoking Cessation Treatment in Long-term Drug Therapy: A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial." In: Frontiers in Psychiatry, 17 (2026): 1677235.
    6. "Prometheus Unbound? Oceanic Affectivity and the Neuropsychodynamics of Addiction." In: Frontiers in Psychology, 17 (2026): 1699816.
    7. et al. "Effects of a Mindful Self-Compassion Intervention on Emotion Regulation in Psychiatric Rehabilitation: A Randomized Controlled Trial." In: Neuropsychobiology, 85 (2026): 12–21.
    8. et al. "Psychotherapy for Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Efficacy and Therapeutic Factors." In: Frontiers in Psychology, 17 (2026):1684921.
    9. "Deadly Embrace: Trauma, Psychosis, and the Ambiguity of the Hades-Persephone Myth." In: Psychological Perspectives, 69.1 (2026): 86–93.
  • Thaler, Marleen: 
    1. with J. Strube, D. Zoehrer, eds. Subtle Energies in Therapy, Spirituality, Arts, and Politics. Leiden: Brill, 2026.
    2. with J. Strube, D. Zoehrer, "Introduction." In Julian Strube, Marleen Thaler, and Dominic Zoehrer, eds., Subtle Energies in Therapy, Spirituality, Arts, and Politics. Leiden: Brill, 2026, 1–9. 
    3. "Gaia's Energy Flows: The Interplay of Eco-Spirituality and Terrestrial Energy Healing." In Julian Strube, Marleen Thaler, and Dominic Zoehrer, eds., Subtle Energies in Therapy, Spirituality, Arts, and Politics. Leiden: Brill, 2026, 207–226.
  • Dominic Zoehrer:
    1. with J. Strube, M. Thaler, eds. Subtle Energies in Therapy, Spirituality, Arts, and Politics. Leiden: Brill, 2026.
    2. with J. Strube, M. Thaler, "Introduction." In Julian Strube, Marleen Thaler, and Dominic Zoehrer, eds., Subtle Energies in Therapy, Spirituality, Arts, and Politics. Leiden: Brill, 2026, 1–9.
    3. "Historical Roots of 'Subtle Energies': Occult Physicalism." In Julian Strube, Marleen Thaler, and Dominic Zoehrer, eds., Subtle Energies in Therapy, Spirituality, Arts, and Politics. Leiden: Brill, 2026, 23–70.
    4. "Historical Roots of 'Subtle Energies': Occult Orientalism." In Julian Strube, Marleen Thaler, and Dominic Zoehrer, eds., Subtle Energies in Therapy, Spirituality, Arts, and Politics. Leiden: Brill, 2026, 71–97.
  • Birgit Heller:
    1. "Religiöses Wissen - ein männliches Privileg? Zum Verhältnis von Bildung und Macht in den Religionen." In: Religionen unterwegs 32, 2026, 4–10.
  • Johann Figl:
    1. "Kanonbildung heiliger Schriften im Buddhismus – in Begegnung mit dem Christentum." In: Mariano Delgado und Klaus Vellguth, Hg., Kanon und Diskurs. Religionswissenschaftliche, ethische und theologische Perspektiven. Ostfildern: Matthias Grünewald Verlag, 2026, 91–104.