January 16 – February 20, 2026
Across cultures and centuries, individuals have reported moments of profound, indescribable connection with ultimate reality—experiences at the heart of religion, yet among its least understood dimensions.
PRISM explores mysticism as a serious, multi-disciplinary field of study through global collaboration, original research, and public engagement.
Program in the Study of Mysticism
About
Mysticism has long shaped religious life. PRISM seeks to restore its place in academic discourse through cross-disciplinary study and international engagement.
PRISM is a five-year research initiative based at Tampere University, Finland, and funded by the Templeton Religion Trust. The program seeks to re-center mysticism within the academic study of religion—moving beyond long-standing marginalization to understand how mystical experience shapes both individuals and societies.
For decades, religious studies emphasized doctrine and ritual, while mysticism was sidelined. But a shift is underway. In the wake of renewed interest in spiritual immediacy, altered states, and non-traditional religious practices, scholars are rethinking mysticism not as an outlier, but as a central thread in religious life—past and present.
Prism’s Primary Goals
Illuminate the Unknown
Generate new knowledge about mysticism in diverse contexts by supporting original research that deepens understanding of experience, transformation, and spiritual insight.
Connect the Thinkers
Galvanize scholarly expertise around the world by building a network of researchers engaged in collaborative inquiry across traditions, disciplines, and geographies.
Open the Conversation
Engage broader publics by communicating research beyond academia through events, media, and dialogue that invites shared reflection and wider participation.
Approach
PRISM works through international research grantmaking, theoretical development by the Tampere-based core team, and global convenings.
PRISM’s critical realist approach is grounded in evidence, enriched by diverse perspectives, and designed to build sustainable momentum for mystical research worldwide. This includes publications, events, and shared platforms that foster cross-disciplinary dialogue.
PRISM is guided by the philanthropic vision of Sir John Templeton, humbly exploring how mysticism can foster spiritual growth, insight, and social transformation.
Prism’s Guiding Values
Grounded in a critical realist framework, our approach is:
Data-driven: Building theory from evidence
Historically informed, but contemporary-focused
Globally inclusive: Comparative and locally grounded
Culturally contextualized: Attuned to lived realities
Deeply interdisciplinary
Mystic Openings
Fresh information, insights, and ideas from the field of mysticism—delivered monthly.
Explore new research, reflections, and conversations across cultures, disciplines, and traditions. Join a growing community of readers curious about the hidden, the contemplative, and the transformative dimensions of human experience.
Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events
No Upcoming Events Just Yet
We’re always curating new opportunities to gather, reflect, and explore. Stay tuned for future events—coming soon.
People
Ali Qadir
Professor of Sociology and Program Director
Ali specializes in sociology of religion, social theory, and the study of social change. He has published widely and edited books and special issues on mysticism, heresy, religious symbols, critical realism, and global social change. He has led research projects funded by the Academy of Finland, Templeton Religion Trust, Kone Foundation, and other international bodies. Ali is a member of the Board of Advisors of Templeton Religion Trust and enjoys membership and leadership positions of various professional associations.
Tatiana Tiaynen‑Qadir
Senior Research Fellow
Tatiana is a social anthropologist and historian with a focus on symbolism, religious experience, and mystical practices in Eastern Christianity and Islam. Her research blends embodied ethnography with interpretive analysis. She has held academic posts in Finland, Canada, and Pakistan and has authored over 40 scholarly publications.
Fabien Muller
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Fabien holds a PhD in Philosophy of Religion from University of Heidelberg and specializes in comparative philosophy, Neoplatonism, Buddhism, and contemplative traditions. He has just completed a fellowship at Harvard Divinity School on a translation of Porphyry, being published by Harvard University Press.
Tiia Nordström
Project Manager
Tiia is experienced in management of national and international academic projects, including those funded by the Academy of Finland and European Union. She specializes in financial as well as administrative project management.
Partners
PRISM collaborates with over 30 institutions around the world.
Grantees (Phase 1)
Pompeu Fabra University
Barcelona, Spain
Center for Aesthetics, Religion and Contemporary Culture
University of Helsinki
Helsinki, Finland
Faculty of Theology
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Department of Middle East Studies
Södertörn University
Sweden / Finland
Study of Religions
Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium
Huntsville, AL, USA
Pacifica Graduate Institute
Carpinteria, CA, USA
Psychology, Religion & Consciousness Program
Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society
Oxford, UK
At the Threshold
Seattle, WA, USA
Friedrich Alexander University
Erlangen, Germany
Centre for Advanced Studies in Alternative Rationalities and Esoteric Practices from a Global Perspective
University of Antwerp
Antwerp, Belgium
Ruusbroec Institute
University of Münster
Münster, Germany
Department of Protestant Theology
Mystical Theology Network
Ca’ Foscari University
Venice, Italy
Department of Asian and North African Studies
University of Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany
Institute for Jewish Studies
Consultation Partners
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Department of Religious Studies
Tübingen University
Tübingen, Germany
RelBib Online Bibliography of Theology and Religious Studies
Donner Institute for Religious and Cultural History
Turku, Finland
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Jerusalem, Israel
Department of Jewish Thought
ThinkTheory Communications Group
Grand Rapids, MI, USA
Protestant Theological University
Utrecht, Netherlands
Leiden University
Leiden, Netherlands
Psychedelic, Religious, Self-Transcendent and Mystical Experiences Lab
Ca’ Foscari University
Venice, Italy
Department of Asian and North African Studies
Lahore University of Management Sciences
Lahore, Pakistan
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
Durham University
Durham, UK
Centre for Catholic Studies
Giorgio Cini Foundation
Venice, Italy
Centre for Comparative Studies of Civilizations and Spiritualities
Regis College
Toronto, ON, Canada
Baylor University
Waco, TX, USA
Center for Aesthetics, Religion and Contemporary Culture
Tzu Chi Buddhist Foundation
Jakarta, Indonesia
Toronto School of Theology
Toronto, ON, Canada
University of Warmia and Mazury
Olsztyn, Poland
Institute of Political Sciences
University of Fribourg
Fribourg, Switzerland
Department of Social Sciences
Dominican University College
Ottawa, Canada
Bruno Kessler Foundation
Trento, Italy
Centre for Religious Studies
Boston College
Boston, MA, USA
Department of Theology
Carleton University
Ottawa, Canada
Program in Religion
Advisory Committee
Dr. Durre S. Ahmed
Chairperson and Senior Research Fellow
Center for the Study of Gender & Culture
Lahore, Pakistan
Dr. Catherine Cornille
Newton College Alumnae Chair of Western Culture and Professor of Comparative Theology
Boston College
Boston, MA, USA
Dr. Stephen G. Post
Director, Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, & Bioethics / Director, Institute for Research on Unlimited Love
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY, USA
Dr. Thomas Cattoi
William and Barbara Moran Chair in Early Christian Theology and Interreligious Relations
Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum)
Rome, Italy
William B. Parsons
Harry and Hazel Chavanne Professor of Religious Studies
Rice University
Houston, TX, USA
Dr. Kimon Sargeant
Vice President, Strategy and Programs (ex-officio)
Templeton Religion Trust
Nassau, Bahamas
Funding Source
Coordination Organisation
Dive Deeper
Explore the vision, strategy, and scholarly grounding behind PRISM through these three core documents.
White Paper
An overview of PRISM’s purpose and guiding approach to the academic study of mysticism across traditions.
Strategy Summary
A concise look at PRISM’s core goals, values, and methods for supporting research and public engagement.
Background Volume
A detailed literature review that maps the academic landscape informing PRISM’s research agenda.