About
Janne Kontala is a Post-doc Researcher and Project Researcher at Åbo Akademi University, affiliated with the Faculty of Arts, Psychology and Theology in the Department of Theology and Religious Science. His research focuses on worldviews, non-religion, and yoga, contributing to interdisciplinary and global understandings of contemporary spirituality.
His research interests center on the diversity of worldviews among young adults, particularly non-religious and idiosyncratic belief systems. He explores how global trends in secularization, spirituality, and religious hybridity manifest across cultures, with a special focus on yoga and the Bhagavad Gita as spiritual frameworks. His work integrates qualitative and mixed-method approaches to examine contemporary religiosity.
The analysis of his recent publications reveals a consistent focus on global youth religiosity, non-religious worldviews, and the cultural variation in spiritual identity. His research often employs cross-cultural and international datasets, emphasizing empirical theology and sociological methods.
Janne Kontala was a Co-Investigator in the YARG (Young Adults and Religion in a Global Perspective) project (2015–2019), funded by the Academy of Finland and Åbo Akademi University Foundation. This collaborative project produced several peer-reviewed publications and an edited volume. He has authored a popular science book on the Bhagavad Gita and contributed chapters to academic collections, primarily through Springer. While no formal advising roles or grants led by him are mentioned, his editorial and collaborative roles indicate active scholarly engagement.
His work contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to education, reduced inequalities, and peace and justice. He collaborates with an international network of scholars in religious studies and sociology of religion.
