The ACSRM was founded in Montevideo in 1994, in the framework of the IV Conference on Religious Alternatives in Latin America under the name "Asociación de Cientistas Sociales de la Religión en el Mercosur" (ASCRM - Association of Social Scientists of Religion of MERCOSUR*). Progressively the ACSRM was expanding their borders and now includes researchers and professors of the entire Latin America and also from other parts of the world. The ACSRM is a not-for-profit entity of an academic nature, and is independent from political, religious or economic groups. At present, it is a point of reference for all those in Latin America and the Caribbean who take an interest in studies about the religious phenomenon. Its purposes are
To foster research and teaching about social sciences of religion from a Latin American perspective.
To encourage social scientists of the MERCOSUR countries to contribute to the analysis of the religious phenomenon in this part of the American continent.
To promote scientific meetings, congresses, seminars, conferences, so that members may exchange information among themselves and with those of similar international scientific associations. Every two years, the Association organizes the Conference on Religious Alternatives in Latin America.
To support the publication of books and magazines on the topic of religion, securing, to that effect, financial help from public and private institutions. The Association publishes the journal Ciencias Sociales y Religión/Ciências Sociais e Religiao ("Social Sciences and Religion"), which can be found at https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/CienciasSociaiseReligiao.
*MERCOSUR is the Common Market of the South (of Latin America)