What does religion in the United States sound like? We begin by exploring the question that animates the American Religious Sounds Project (ARSP), a collaborative research initiative co-directed by Michigan State University Religious Studies Professor Amy DeRogatis and Ohio State University Comparative Studies Professor Isaac Weiner.

The American Religious Sounds Project aims to offer new resources for documenting and interpreting the diversity of American religious life by attending to its varied sonic cultures. Centered on the construction of a unique sonic archive, this project seeks to document the diversity of everyday religious life through newly produced field recordings, interviews, oral histories, and related materials.

Through the development of a digital platform and website, DeRogatis and Weiner continue to draw on materials in their archive to engage users in telling new stories about religious diversity in the United States.

Over the last 10 months, DeRogatis and Weiner have shifted their research to focus on how the sounds of religious practice have changed over this period of quarantine and social distancing. This includes calling on people (including you) to record and share their own religious sounds.

For more information, visit the American Religious Sounds Project website.