The Donner Institute

The Donner Institute for Research into Religion and Culture is a private research institute connected to the Åbo Akademi University Foundation. We gather researchers, students and cultural agents and provide a meeting point for research on religion and culture in Finland and in the Nordic countries. We work to strengthen the visibility of research and create spaces where new knowledge can be born.

Experiencing Temple Space

Just before the fast day of Tammuz 17 in the Hebrew year 5781 (2021), an inspirational picture commenting on the...

Approaching Religion and Nordisk judaistik/Scandinavian Jewish Studies get a level 2 classification

Publication Forum is a classification of publication channels, created by the Finnish scientific community, with the aim to support the...

DI’s opening hours

The Donner Institute library is closed from December 23, 2022, until January 1, 2023. We open again on January 2,...

Research & publications

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Approaching Religion 13/1 on death and funerals in the North

The new issue of Approaching Religion (Vol. 13/1 2023) is based on a roundtable seminar arranged in Åbo/Turku, in April 2022, with the theme “‘Death comes equally to us all, and makes us all equal when it comes’? Funerals in the North of Europe – similarities and differences”. The event was organised jointly by the Swedish funerals research network, based at The Centre for Multidisciplinary Research on Religion and Society (CRS), Uppsala University, and the Donner. Guest editors for the issue are Martha Middlemiss Lé Mon (UU), Magdalena Nordin (GU) and Måns Broo (ÅAU). The roundtable explored similarities and differences in funerals in...

Approaching Religion Vol. 12/3: “Rituals and Ritualization”

The new issue of Approaching Religion is dedicated to Terhi Utriainen, Professor of the Study of Religions at the University...

The Donner Institute Research Prize to Maija Butters

The Donner Institute for Research in Religion and Culture in Turku has decided to award Dr.Phil. Maija Butters the institute’s...

Approaching Religion Vol. 12/2: “Nordic Fundamentalism”

The current issue of Approaching Religion (Vol. 12, Issue 2) approaches the complex and much-debated concept of ‘fundamentalism’ from a...

Events

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mån
15.05.

Religion and Spirituality as Sites of Learning

The conference Religion and Spirituality as Sites of Learning, organized by the Donner Institute and the LeNeRe-project (Learning from new religion and spirituality), will take place on site in Åbo/Turku, May 15-17, 2023.

mån
12.06.

Religion: Memory and Innovation

The aim of the summer school and conference is to bring together doctoral candidates and researchers from various academic fields that engage with the study of religion, such as theology, study of religions, history, philosophy, the arts, social and political sciences and other.

Book of the month

Atheism in 5 minutes edited by Teemu Taira (Equinox 2022) What can one learn about atheism in five minutes? This may depend on what you...

Did you know that we have the Nordic region's largest special library on religion?

Open to everyone. Weekdays 12-16.

Our donors Olly and Uno Donner were forerunners of their time.

The endowment made by Olly and Uno Donner in 1956 was one of the largest donations received by Åbo Akademi University to date. In addition to supporting research on religion and culture, the couple shared an interest in languages and anthroposophy.