A personal and scholarly reflection on sociology of religion, peacebuilding and spaciousness

This invited paper is a personal and scholarly reflection on how I, Anna Halafoff, became a sociologist of religion in Australia and also presents an overview of my and my colleagues’ contributions to this field. I begin with providing some background about my upbringing in a Russian household, and my education at Methodist Ladies College and Wesley College, in Melbourne, Australia. I then recount my formative early adult years of exploring spirituality, nature and activism in Northern New South Wales and Queensland and how it led me to enrol in a Master of Letters at the University of New England, focusing on religion and peacebuilding. The next section discusses our work at Monash and Deakin Universities researching religious diversity, countering violent extremism and worldviews education, including our international collaborations. Finally, I describe my current interests in Buddhism in Australia and my continued commitment to applied research that makes a positive difference to society.