معرفی
Manéli Farahmand is a researcher in Religious Studies currently holding a postdoctoral position at the University of Fribourg in the Department of Social Sciences. She simultaneously serves as director of the Intercantonal Center for Information on Beliefs (CIC) since 2020, a Swiss public utility foundation established to provide neutral information on religious movements and prevent societal excesses.
Her academic formation includes:
- Master's degree in Contemporary History from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Lausanne (UNIL)
- Interfaculty Master's degree at UNIL
- Doctorate (cotutelle) between the University of Lausanne and University of Ottawa, with thesis titled "Néochamanisme Maya. Passé revisité, pouvoir au féminin et quête spirituelle" (Maya Neo-shamanism: Revisited Past, Female Power, and Spiritual Quest)
Her research critically examines religion's interaction with cultural and political environments, specializing in marginalized religious phenomena and indigenous spiritualities. Fieldwork in Chiapas, Mexico explored Maya neo-shamanism with emphasis on gender dynamics and spiritual resistance. She advocates for academic knowledge to transcend research silos and serve public understanding, particularly regarding contemporary religious movements in Switzerland.
Her recognition includes:
- Excellence Award from the Vaudois Academic Society for doctoral thesis
As CIC director, she leads initiatives to demystify religious movements through neutral public education, informed by her Iranian diaspora background and early exposure to intercultural dialogue through her mother's co-founding of RECIF (migrant women's center). She actively engages with current events including Iran's 2022 uprising, analyzing religion's dual role as both repressive apparatus and catalyst for social change.
