Galen Watts

Galen Watts is an assistant professor in the Sociology and Legal Studies Department at the University of Waterloo. His research focuses on cultural and institutional change in liberal democracies since the 1960s, with an emphasis on the spheres of religion, morality, work, and politics. His first book, The Spiritual Turn: The Religion of the Heart and the Making of Romantic Liberal Modernity (Oxford University Press, 2022) won the 2023 Society for the Scientific Study of Religion’s Distinguished Book Award. He has published articles in venues such as the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, American Journal of Cultural Sociology, Civic Sociology, the Sociological Review, and European Journal of Social Theory.

Featured Work: The Spiritual Turn: The Religion of the Heart and the Making of Romantic Liberal Modernity

Upcoming Projects: Watts is currently investigating the cultural and religious dynamics underpinning the “diploma divide” in Canada.