• The university of Dar es salaam started as the University College of the University of London in 1961.
• In 1963, the University College of Dar es salaam became the University College of the University of East Africa together with Makerere and Nairobi.
• In 1970 the University of Dar es Salaam became a fully fledged national University and acquired the name University of Dar es Salaam.
• Unlike Makerere and Nairobi Universities, the University of Dar es Salaam never established Department of Religious studies.

  Reasons for not having a department of religious studies were:

  1.Religion and ethnicity were seen as issues that foster disunity.

  2.Marxist influence at the University of Dar es salaam; religion was regarded as an ‘opium of the masse’.

  However, a research tradition on the relationship between religion and social aspects existed.

This centre will conduct studies on the relationship between society and religion.Religion is any form of beliefs and practices which will there not be limited to mainstream religions (Christianity or Islam or African Religions) but will include other contemporary belief systems which are not related to supernatural forces. E.G. Civic religion, mass consumerism, belief in sport, secularism, etc.