Solange Lefebvre
Solange Lefebvre holds the Chair in Cultural and Religious Diversity Management (established in 2003 as the Chair of Religion, Culture, and Society) and is a professor at the Institute of Religious Studies. The chair focuses on the study of religion in the public sphere. S. Lefebvre’s expertise is sought after by public and private institutions, community and religious groups, and the media. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2011. She is also co-holder of the France-Québec Chair in Freedom of Expression, established in 2022.
Solange Lefebvre has distinguished herself through her studies on secularization and secularism, Christian secularity, the new challenges posed by religious diversity to states, as well as on young people and generational relations. Her books include the monograph Cultures et spiritualités des jeunes (Bellarmin, 2008), and under her direction the collectives Dix ans plus tard : La commission Bouchard-Taylor, succès ou échec? (Québec America, 2018), Public Commissions on Cultural and Religious Diversity (Routledge, 2017), Religion in the Public Sphere, Canadian Case Studies, (University of Toronto Press, 2014). Le programme d’éthique et culture religieuse : De l’exigeante conciliation entre le soi, l’autre et le nous (Presses de l’Université Laval, 2012), Les religions sur la scène mondiale (PUL, 2010) Le Patrimoine religieux du Québec. Éducation et transmission du sens (PUL, 2009).
She has published over sixty scientific articles and more than 80 book chapters. She is a member of several editorial boards for international scientific journals. She has managed grants totaling over $6 million. She currently leads several projects (see Grants) and is part of several international teams. She has completed 35 projects, and her recent results are available online, for example: Media and Radicalization Leading to Violence (FRQSC 2017-2022) and Spiritual Needs in Quebec Prisons (2017-2021). Her outreach includes several conferences and international invitations. She currently leads the project Secularism, municipalities and religious diversity (MuRel).
She has supervised more than forty students who have completed master's and doctoral degrees and hosted several post-doctoral fellows. She frequently collaborates with the media. She was notably a weekly columnist (Ethics and Religions) for the national Canadian newspaper Le Devoir, between 1997 and 2000. She was a commentator for CTV during the conclave in spring 2013 and for Radio-Canada in spring 2025. She has more than 250 interviews for Canadian and foreign newspapers, radio and television programs.
Regularly consulted on religious issues by governments, the media, and public and private organizations, Ms. Lefebvre was notably a member of the committee of experts surrounding the Consultation Commission on Accommodation Practices Related to Cultural Differences, chaired by Gérard Bouchard and Charles Taylor, from 2007 to 2008. She was also a member of several scientific councils and boards of directors, including Centraide of Greater Montreal and the Béati Foundation.
This content has been updated on 24 September 2025 at 11 h 42 min.