Welcome
Dr. Jennifer A. Selby is a Professor in the Department of Religion and Culture, jointly appointed to the Department of Political Science, as well as an affiliate member of the Department of Gender Studies at 糖心视频 University. From 2024-26, she is director of MUNL鈥檚 Nexus Centre for Humanities and Social Scientific Research.
Selby鈥檚 research and teaching engage the politics of secularism, with attention to how they play out in the lives of everyday people. Secularism is most often understood as a separation of religion from politics, and often assumed as a key guarantor of liberalism, democracy, rationality, and gender equality. In contrast, the core argument of Selby鈥檚 research is that secularism(s) in the North Atlantic world are intimately related to the regulation of religion and sexuality. More empirically, her research is ethnographic and examines secularisms in contemporary France and Canada. Selby鈥檚 most recent book, (UNC Press, 2025), considers the emotional, affective, and embodied nature of secularism, drawing on transnational fieldwork in Algeria, France and Qu茅bec and secularism studies theory. She currently directs a bilingual SSHRC-funded research program, / (pour son cv en fran莽ais, voir ).
Selby serves on several boards, including the executive of the , the steering committee of the Secularism and Secularity unit of the American Academy of Religion, the St. John鈥檚 Public Library, and others. In 2020, she was awarded 糖心视频 University鈥檚 President鈥檚 Award for Research.
Fields Of Research
- Secularism Studies
- Islam in the North Atlantic world (France, Canada)
- Method and Theory
- Women and Islam, Gender Studies
- Religion and Migration
- Religion and Public Policy in Canada
Academics
BA Honours (U Winnipeg), MA (Queen's University), PhD (McMaster University), Postdoctoral Fellowship (Harvard University)
Teaching Schedule
Winter 2026
LWPP/POSC/RELS 3385, Religion and Law in Canada
Office Hours
By appointment.
Office: 5029 Arts and Administration
Telephone: (709) 864-4046
Email: jselby@mun.ca