David Goa was born in Camrose, Alberta, to Solveig and Finn Goa who emigrated from Norway to Canada. He studied history, philosophy, and the history of religions in Chicago. He counts the eminent philosophical theologian Paul Tillich, the scholar of religion Mircea Eliade, the historian Zenos Hawkinson, the political philosopher Hannah Arendt, and Jaroslav Pelikan, Sterling Professor of History, Yale University, among the scholars who have most influenced his work. David Goa has been involved in various research and documentation and communications projects both in Canada and abroad. He built the program for the study of culture through his field research work over thirty years at the Royal Alberta Museum. He lectures widely and is the author of numerous books and scholarly articles and is a regular contributor to the media. His work focuses on religious tradition and modern culture, culture and the civil life, and on public institutions in service to cultural communities and modern civil society.