2016 “Abolishing Politics”, Politics Reasearch Group, Filosofia, Ciencia y Ciudadania, Facultad de Filosofia y Letras, Universidad de Malaga (14 Dec).

2016 “Abolishing Politics: Religion and Politics as Postcolonial Remains”, NISIS/NOSTER Autumn School, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Free University of Amsterdam) (24-7 Oct 2016)

2014 “The Ideology of Religious Studies Revisited: the problem with Politics”, Institut für Theologie und Religionwissenschaft, Leibnitz University, Hannover (15-22 June)

2014 Opening Speaker 2014 “Faith Postulates of Liberal Political Economy”, Critical Religion Conference, Uppsala University, Sweden (8-11 May)

2014 Public lecture, Faculty of Theology & Religious Studies, Lundt University, Sweden (13 May)

2012 “The Historical Invention of Religion and Politics”, The Myth of Religious Violence Conference, Dartmouth College, USA (11-13 May)

2011 speaker: “Religion and Politics in International Relations”, Department of International Relations, St. Andrew’s University, Scotland

2011 public lecture: “B.R.Ambedkar, Bahujan Samaj Discourse”, Dalits in South Asia Conference, Ryukoku University, Kyoto, Japan (21 January)

2011 Public lecture “Religion and Politics in International Relations”, Leipzig University (18 January)

2010 “The Study of Religion in Asia”, Dept. English Language and Literature, University of Singapore (16-18 December)

2010 ‘Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Buddhism, and Global Discourses on Religion and Secular’, at Prof Surendra Nath Jodhka Centre for the Study of Social Systems, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi.

2010, Seminar, Center for Political Science, School of Ambedkar Studies, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow (30th July)

2010 Public Lecture, ‘Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Buddhism, and Global Discourses on Religion and Secular’, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow [29th July]

2010 conference paper: “Religion, Politics and Bahujan Samaj Discourse”, Ryukoku University, Kyoto, Japan (9 July)

2010 International Conference on Religion and the Secular at the British Academy, joint organiser with Dr. Trevor Stack (24/5 January)

2009 ‘Religion and Politics in international Relations’, Kyoto University, Anthropology seminar, Jinbunken (Humanities Research Institute) (Oct)

2009 “Religion – Secular Dichotomy: Consequences”, University of Aberdeen, joint organiser with Dr. Trevor Stack, (25/6 June).

2009 Conference paper and round table discussant: “Rethinking Religion in India, Delhi”. The second of five conferences in Delhi, India, organised by the Centre for the Study of Local Cultures, Kuvempu University, India, and the Research Centre Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap, Ghent University, Belgium

2009 ‘Religion’ and its Constructions, interdisciplinary workshop, University of Stirling. Organised with Dr. Fiona Barclay, French Studies, SLCR at University of Stirling, and Dr. Trevor Stack, (anthropology, Hispanic Studies, University of Aberdeen). This was a one-day workshop for 30-40 lecturers and graduate students from the universities of Stirling, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Leeds, Copenhagen, with 4 panels of 4 responses each of 15 minutes each followed by discussion. Participants represented the disciplines of Social Psychology, Politics, Law, Anthropology, Education, South Asian Studies, Hispanic Studies, Religious Studies, and History (5 Feb)

2009 Public Lecture: “Religion is not a stand-alone category” at the “Interrogating Religion” International workshop, University of Ottawa (17-18 March)

2009 workshop paper, “Forms of Modern Knowledge in East Asia: Methodology and Perspective”, International Workshop Held by the Academy of East Asian Studies at Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea (23 0ct)

2008 Opening position paper: Rethinking Religion in India, Nehru Centre, Delhi. The first of five conferences in Delhi, India, organised by the Centre for the Study of Local Cultures, Kuvempu University, India, and the Research Centre Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap, Ghent University, Belgium (Jan)

2008 Research seminar paper “A Critical History of Religion and Related Categories” (respondent Prof. Robert Segal; Chair Dr Trevor Stack), University of Aberdeen (April).

2008 Public lecture plus Senior Seminar at Uppsala University and the Forum for Advanced Studies in Arts, Languages and Theology (Oct)

2008 Research seminar paper, “Theology and Religious Studies”, Faculty of Theology, Durham University (Dec)

2007 Symposium paper: “Theology, religious studies and the secular academy: control on the meanings of words” Symposium on Contemporary Developments in the Study of Religion, at Faculty of Theology and Religion, Turku University, Finland (March)

2007 seminar paper: “Religion, colonialism and Japan”, Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, Oxford (Nov)

2006 Guest speaker at Symposium on James L. Cox, A Guide to the Phenomenology of Religion, (Continuum, 2006) at New College, University of Edinburgh, UK (Dec).

2006 Panel organiser for NAASR/AAR: Religion as a Colonial and Postcolonial Category. Participants: Jun’ichi Isomae (Japan Women’s University, Tokyo), John Zavos (Manchester), Tom Pearson (Wabash Centre). “A Critical History of ‘religion’ and ‘politics’.” NAASR/AAR, Washington, USA (Nov)

2005 speaker: “Encompassing Religion, privatised religions and the invention of modern politics”, one day colloquium on Theology and Religious Studies, University of Wales at Lampeter (Oct)

2005 “Encompassing Religion, privatised religions and the invention of modern politics”, Research seminar of the School of Languages, Cultures and Religions, University of Stirling, UK (Oct)

2004 Discussant for Dr. Michael Bergunder (Heidelberg): Sanskrit in the Modern World symposium, University of Newcastle, UK (May).

2003 Guest lecture “Religion and shûkyô: local contexts”, Anthropology/Japanese Studies, School of Social Sciences and Law, Oxford Brookes University (Feb)

2003 “The construction of ‘world religions’ in the Scottish Highers Curriculum, Changing the Subject” Conference on Religion and Education, Institute of Education and Religious Studies Department, University of Stirling (Feb)

2003 Public Lecture: “Comparative Religion as Ideological State Apparatus” School of Divinity, New College, University of Edinburgh, UK (May)

2003 Organiser: Religion and the Secular: Historical and Colonial Formations, University of Stirling (4-6 July). This was an international three day conference with 4 key note speakers, 15 panel papers and 70 participants from universities in USA, Canada, South Africa, Japan and UK. It resulted in publication of an edited volume with 12 contributors, (ed.) Fitzgerald, Religion and the Secular: Historical and Colonial Formations (Equinox Press, 2007)

2002 “Revising Buddhism. Changing the Subject?” Conference on Religion and Education Institute of Education and Religious Studies Department, University of Stirling, UK (Feb).

2002 Guest speaker at the One Day Symposium on The Ideology of Religious Studies, Department of Theology and Religions, University of Manchester, UK (May).

2002 Guest Speaker: The Ideology of Religious Studies. Research Seminar, Department of Religion, University of Lancaster, UK (May)

2002 Guest speaker: “Do Japanese religions exist? A problem of history and epistemology” at Centre for the Study of Japanese religions (CSJR), SOAS, University of London, UK (Oct)

2001 “The ‘religion-secular’ problem in the context of Japan.” British Association for the Study of Religion (BASR) Conference, Cambridge, (Aug)

2001 “The modern construction of religion as a category: a problem for historians, anthropologists, philosophers and others.” History of Ideas Seminar Series, University of Stirling, (Oct)

2000 (1) Foucault panel with Jeremy Carrette, Russ McCutcheon; 2) Panel on Comparativism: respondent, with Luther Martin, Bill Paden and Benson Saler. Two papers at International Association of the History of Religion, (IAHR), Durban, South Africa (Aug)

1999 Respondent “The Ideology of Religious Studies: meeting the critics”, (with Gustavos Benavides, Frank Korom and Benson Saler.) Annual Conference of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (NAASR)/American Academy of Religion (AAR), Boston, USA (Nov)

1998 “Unwrapping the ritual packaging of Japanese universities”, Association of Social Anthropologists conference, “Indirection, intention and diplomacy”, University of Kent at Canterbury (March)

1998 “Post-McCutcheon and post-religion: how shall we re-represent our academic field?” Annual conference of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR), Montreal, Canada (Nov)

1998 “American Baseball and Japanese basuboru or yakyû”, Religion as Entertainment: Entertainment as Religion; Annual conference for the North American Association for the Study of Religion NAASR)/ American Academy of Religion (AAR), Orlando, USA. (Nov)

1997 “Religious experience: bowing to the taxman.” British Association for the Study of Religion (BASR) conference on Religious Experience, Oxford, (Aug)

1997 “Reformulating religious studies as cultural studies”, North American Association for the Study of Religion (NAASR)/American Academy of Religion (AAR), San Francisco, USA (Nov)

1997 “Gireitekina chitsujo toshite nihon shûkyô: Japanese religion as ritual order”. Bath College of Higher Education Graduate Seminar, Bath, UK (March).

1996 “The Concept of ’religion’ and the study of Japanese culture”, Bath College of Higher Education, Bath, UK

1996 “Japanese Religious Studies and the study of Asian religion”, University of Singapore Asian Studies Workshop (June)

1996 “19th Century Imperialism and the Ecumenical Construct ‘Religion’”, North American Association for the Study of Religion (NAASR)/ American Academy of Religion (AAR), New Orleans, USA (Nov)

1995 “A Philosophical and anthropological critique of the concept of ‘religion’”, International Association for the Study of Religion, (IAHR), Mexico (July)

1993 “Ambedkar, Dumont and Buddhism”, Religious Studies Seminar, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK (Feb)

1993 “New Religious Movements and Ambedkar Buddhism”, New Religions Seminar, King’s College, University of London, UK (March)

1993 “Was the Leader of the Untouchables an ‘Orientalist’?” International Conference of Asian and North African Studies (ICANAS), University of Hong Kong (Aug)

1992 “Hinduism and Untouchability”, guest lecture, Department of Religion, Bath College of Higher Education, Bath, UK (Feb).

1992 “An Anthropology of Buddhism in Maharashtra”, Centre for Development Studies, University of Wales (Swansea), UK (March).

1992 “Buddhism in Maharashtra: Individualism or Caste Identity?” Symposium on Religious Renewals in Asia, National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan (March)

1992 “Research Report on Buddhism in Maharashtra”, Nihon Shukyo Gakkai, Saitama University, Saitama, Japan (Aug)

1991 “Buddhism in Maharashtra: A Tripartite Analysis”, Conference on Dr. Ambedkar, Buddhism and Social Change, Bhikkhu Jagdish Kashyap Institute of Buddhist and Asian Studies, Sarnath, India (March).

1991 “Religion and Society among the Mahar Buddhists”, guest speaker, International Buddhist Association, Tokyo, Japan (July)

1991 “Buddhism in Maharashtra: Analytical Distinctions”, Minami Ajia Kenkyu Gakkai (South Asian Studies Association conference), University of Nagoya, Japan (Oct)

1990 “Soteriology and Communal religion in Hinduism and Buddhism”, Conference of The Society of Pali and Buddhist Studies, Nagoya, Japan (Jan)

1990 “Krishnamurti and the Myth of God Incarnate”, Ningen Bunka Kenkyujo (Human Culture Study Centre), Aichi-Gakuin University, Japan (Oct)

1987 “Dumont, Caste and Untouchability”, guest lecture, Department of Religion, Bath College of Higher Education, Bath, UK (July)

1986 “Louis Dumont on Caste and Hierarchy”, guest lecture, University of Wales Religious Studies Conference, UK (June)

1985 “Ambedkar and ‘Neo-Buddhism'”, guest speaker, Oxford University Indian Society, Oxford (Sept)

1983 Conference organiser and presenter: “Buddhism and Education”, Conference on Buddhism and Education, Institute of Religion and Theology, Oxford, UK (June)

1978 “Anthropology and Religious Studies”, Institute of Religion and Theology conference, Oxford (July)