About Us
The Queensland Atlas of Religion investigates, documents, and interprets the diversity of religion and religious practices in Queensland’s past and present. Using an inter-disciplinary approach, this public reference website is the first major scholarly treatment of religions and religious life in the Queensland setting.
The project is a partnership between the State Library of Queensland and researchers at the University of Queensland, and commenced in 2019. It was supported in 2019–24 by an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant (LP180100341), and by generous funding from the State Library of Queensland and the UQ Faculty of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences.
The project has involved three PhD projects, two MPhil projects, a state-wide project reference group for community input, and a range of regional research presentations, field visits, interviews, and other initiatives. Website development, graphic design, and content architecture was completed by Jess White, ICEMedia, Jonathan Hadwen, and the general editors.
Led by A/Prof. Geoff Ginn and A/Prof. Adam Bowles and located in the UQ School of Historical & Philosophical Inquiry, the QAR project has engaged contributors and affiliates from the university sector, community-based researchers and independent scholars, graduate students, and participants from a wide range of places and traditions in Queensland.
Alongside Ginn and Bowles, Chief Investigators for the ARC Linkage Project, 2019–24, were A/Prof. Tom Aechtner, Em. Prof. Phil Almond, Dr Shirin Maryam Jamarani, Em. Prof. Peter Spearritt, Dr Richard Martin, Dr Ryan Williams, and Dr Valerie Cooms. Postgraduate researchers on the project were Elverina Johnson, Jess White, Prabuddha Mukherjee, Jerrold Cuperus, and Zerrin Afza. Jess White was employed on a part-time basis as the project’s administrator.
This is the first time that a place-based approach has been employed for the scholarly study of Queensland’s religious pluralism and diversity, emphasising the patterns of historical accommodation and inclusion needed to inform religious toleration and cross-community understanding.
Launched in December 2024, the QAR will be updated into the future with new entries and media content. In generating new knowledge, published in contemporary digital media, the QAR seeks to enrich and inform a wide audience through engaging humanities scholarship.
Editorial Board
A/Prof. Adam Bowles, General Editor
A/Prof. Geoff Ginn, General Editor
Ms Jess White, Executive Editor
Consulting Editors
Em. Prof. Phil Almond
Em. Prof. Peter Spearritt