D. Bodenhamer
Over the past two decades scholars of religious studies has embraced new methods drawn from a wide array of disciplines. The historical geography of religion, however, continues to reside in the field’s backwater, despite the emergence of a technology, geographic information systems, with great potential to provide new perspectives on the socio-cultural expression of religious belief and adherence. GIS depends upon the existence of spatially referenced digital data. Ironically these data are especially rich for the study of religion, especially in the United States where “counting” religion is an important cultural function. The ability of GIS to integrate data based on its spatial characteristics suggests that this technology is ripe for scholarly exploration. Recently developed Web-based GIS resources, such as the North American Religion Atlas and the American Religion Data Archives, have begun to make this potential real. This presentation will explore the application of GIS to the study of religion, using case studies to examine both the opportunites and challenges offered to religion scholars.
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