Past Conferences
The Center for the Study of World Religions convenes conferences that bring together scholars, practitioners, artists, and thought leaders from across disciplines to explore religion, spirituality, culture, and the pressing questions of our time. The conferences listed below reflect the breadth of the Center’s ongoing intellectual and public programming across recent years.
Psychedelic Intersections: 2026: Bridging Humanities, Religion, and Law
April 10-11, 2026
Building on the Center for the Study of World Religions’ (CSWR’s) popular conference series, the 2026 conference is a collaborative initiative of the CSWR at Harvard Divinity School, the Mahindra Center at Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School.
For more information visit the Psychedelics Intersections conference website.
Thinking with Plants and Fungi: An Interdisciplinary Exploration into the Mind of Nature
May 15-17, 2025
This conference convened scholars from across the sciences, humanities, and social sciences together with artists, culture keepers, and practitioners to explore how plants and fungi help us rethink the nature of mind and matter, and humans’ relationship to the ‘more-than-human' world.
For more information visit the Thinking with Plants and Fungi conference website.
Psychedelic Intersections 2025: Betwixt and Between Chaplaincy, Plant Medicine, and Aesthetics
February 15, 2025
The third annual Psychedelic Intersections conference brings together interdisciplinary scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss the intersection of psychedelics and spirituality.
For more information, visit the Psychedelic Intersections conference website.
The Teachings and Legacy of G.I. Gurdjieff
December 4-5, 2024
Celebrating the centenary anniversary of his visit and Movements performance at Harvard, the conference focused on the legacy and teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff, a charismatic philosopher, mystic, spiritual teacher, composer, and, in his words, “teacher of temple dancing” from the early twentieth century.
For more information visit the G. I. Gurdjieff Conference website.