2021 NEWS ARCHIVE

#EuARe2022. Alberigo Award

November 29, 2021

FSCIRE, the Emilia-Romagna Region, and the European Academy of Religion are glad to announce the third edition of the Giuseppe Alberigo Award.

Giuseppe Alberigo (1927-2007) was a historian of great magnitude who combined exceptional and exemplary rigour in research and unique timeliness in the intellectual and theological debate of his time, thereby offering a precious contribution to sowing the seeds of criticism in generations of scholars internationally.

In memory of his fervour and wealth of critical studies, the Region of Emilia-Romagna and FSCIRE, to which Alberigo dedicated 54 years of his life, will confer a sum of € 11,000 (Senior Award, € 7,000; Junior Award € 4,000), which will reward scholars engaged in a field of religious science, whether historical, exegetical, theological or other, without any form of limitation concerning the type of study.

Candidacies will be received until March 4, 2021.

For more information about the eligibility and selection criteria, important dates for submission, and how to apply for the Award, please read the call.

#EuARe2022. Call for Proposals

November 2, 2021

The Fifth Annual Conference of the European Academy of Religion will take place in Bologna from Monday 20 to Thursday 23 June 2022. FSCIRE will be the organising institution.

The overarching topic of the Conference will be Religion and Diversity.

Starting from today, it is possible to submit panel and AMC proposals, according to the rules and deadlines published in the Call for Proposals. Papers will only be allowed to be proposed within the open call panels that will be published on the website; spare papers will not be accepted.

While registrations to the conference will open in early 2022, it is already possible to renew the EuARe membership for next year. Please, remember that a valid 2022 membership is necessary in order to register for the conference at a discounted price.

We look forward to receiving your submissions!

Specialization Course

December 17, 2021

Tangaza University College (Nairobi) and FSCIRE offer the possibility to up to 15 graduate students, enrolled in European universities, to participate in the online specialization course Contexts, Sources and Critical-Historical Methods for The Research of Religion, on the study of the phenomenon of religion with the focus on East Africa.

The course aims at offering advanced students the necessary tools and methodology to approach the study of religion from a historical-critical perspective, focusing on the African context, and on different religious traditions (Christianity, Islam, African Traditional Religions) as well as on interreligious dialogue.

The course will be held online on Zoom every Thursday from 12.30 to 2.15 pm CET, between 6 January and 7 April 2022. The last two classes will be held from 1.30 to 3.15 pm CET.

The complete calendar will be available soon.

Applicants should submit their CV and motivation letter to digitalclass@fscire.it by 3 January 2022.

Research News for Münster

December 6, 2021

Find out the latest research news from the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” at the University of Münster:

Second annual theme at the Cluster of Excellence on traditions

Debates about equality, identity or religion often portray traditions as static, but on closer examination we find that they are subject to constant change. “Depending on the interests of the group that bears them, traditions have been and still are being changed, reinterpreted, reshaped, kept secret, veiled or even invented”, explain Jewish scholar Regina Grundmann and Catholic theologian Michael Seewald at the start of the second annual theme, “Tradition(s)”, at the University of Münster’s Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”.
Read the full article here.

Traditions in transition from antiquity to the present

To launch the new annual theme, “Tradition(s)” at the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”, a lecture series of the same name will shed light on how traditions in religions, law and literature emerge, are transmitted, and change. The themes of the lectures range from the ancient Egyptian god Amun to the transmission of religious traditions in families today.

Read the full article here.

Advanced training course for journalists specializing in religion on “Tradition and Innovation”

Adopting the title “Tradition and Innovation”, the fifth part of the advanced training course for journalists specializing in religion took place in Frankfurt am Main, and dealt with faith and lived religiosity. Its topics included church transformation processes such as the “Synodal Way”, modernization conflicts in religions, and contemporary Jewish cultures. The programme included visits to the Jewish Museum in Frankfurt and to the Protestant Association for Media Communication (Gemeinschaftswerk der Evangelischen Publizistik (GEP)).

Read the full article here.

500 years of Bible translation
Martin Luther’s translation of the New Testament will be 500 years old in 2022, and, to mark the anniversary, the University of Münster will be participating with the cities of Münster and Eisenach and other partners in the “Festival of Language” in September 2022. Vice rector Michael Quante signed a “Letter of Intent” for the University of Münster in Eisenach. The Cluster of Excellence is participating in the festival with a panel involving the church historian Hubert Wolf and the Protestant theologian Holger Strutwolf that will deal with the question, “What language does God speak?” The University of Münster Bible Museum is contributing its expertise in the reconstruction of the original Greek text.
Read the full article here.

Legal scholar Peter Oestmann on 70 years of the Federal Constitutional Court

For legal scholar Peter Oestmann from the Cluster of Excellence, 70 years of the Federal Constitutional Court (BVerfG) have been a success story. In the University of Münster podcast, he talks about the founding and development of Germany’s highest constitutional court. He also classifies the filling of judgeships, takes a stand on criticism of the institution, and describes the relationship between the BVerfG and European examples.
Read the full article here.

“His accomplishments outweigh his awful comments”
To mark the “Franz Hitze Memorial Year”, historian Olaf Blaschke from the Cluster of Excellence spoke to the University of Münster’s newspaper about the anti-Semitism and later apology of the Catholic theologian and social reformer Franz Hitze, who was the University’s first professor of Christian social sciences.
Read the full article here.

Worldwide survey on how individuals are coping with corona
Psychologists from the Universities of Münster, Munich and Osnabrück have come together in a joint project called “Coping with Corona” (CoCo) to conduct a worldwide survey on how individuals are coping with corona. Project spokesperson is the psychologist Mitja Back from the Cluster of Excellence, who is also CoCo spokesperson. Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), the aim of the study is to understand differences in how people are coping with the pandemic, and to develop individualized measures for this and future crises.
Read the full article here.

Facial expressions decisive for first impressions that Germans have of refugees
Smiles win: according to new research, facial expression and attractiveness are more influential in people’s first impressions of refugees than the latter’s refugee status. Spontaneous degradation of refugees is found especially among Germans with right-wing attitudes. These are the findings of studies conducted by the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” at the University of Münster.
Read the full article here.

Further News

Call for applications. 2021 Call for Research Fellowships

November 19, 2021

FSCIRE invites applications for Postdoctoral Fellowships for its Bologna and Palermo centres.

Fellowships are established in accordance with requirements defined by the policy of FSCIRE, its agreements with the Regional Government of Emilia-Romagna, the Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research, and its donors.

Candidates may thereby apply for one of the following positions:

Junior Research Fellow (2 years, renewable). Applicants must have obtained their doctorate within the last five years. The successful candidate will sign a research contract for two years, equivalent to the Italian “Assegno di ricerca junior” (which amounts to a monthly net sum of about € 1,400). The contract defines a research programme in accordance with the research lines of FSCIRE.
Senior Research Fellow (2 years, renewable). The Applicant’s doctoral thesis must have already been published. The successful candidate will sign a research contract for two years, equivalent to the Italian “Assegno di ricerca senior” (which amounts to a monthly net sum of about € 1,650). The contract defines a research programme in accordance with the research lines of FSCIRE.

Applications should be sent by December 20th, 2021 to:

POSTDOC FELLOWSHIP FSCIRE, via San Vitale 114, 40125 Bologna
or to segreteria@fscire.it.

Read the call in full for more information on the fellowship, how to apply, and the evaluation process.

The Enigma of the Ecclesiastes. Webinar

November 5, 2021

The John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue kindly invites you to participate in the webinar with Rabbi Jack Bemporad, The Enigma of the Book of Ecclesiastes.

The book of Ecclesiastes is and was a controversial book not readily accepted into the Jewish Biblical Canon. Its seeming skepticism and uncertainty as to its true religious significance rendered it suspect. Numerous interpretations have been offered as to its meanings and why it was inserted into the Canon. Rabbi Jack Bemporad will discuss these interpretations and offer one of his own.

The webinar is scheduled for November 16, 06:30 PM (Rome time). Click here to register.

REFORC Book Award 2022, Call for Submissions

November 4, 2021

The Reformation Research Consortium (REFORC) is accepting submissions for the REFORC Book Award 2022. Submissions are welcome by March 1, 2022.

The Award, which aims to encourage academics to present their research, is presented annually for publications related to Early Modern Christianity (c. 1400-1700). The prize-winning book will be announced during the Eleventh Annual REFORC Conference and the author will receive € 1000 and a certificate.

To know more about the eligibility and selection criteria, important dates, and how to apply for the prize, please visit the dedicated page on the REFORC website.

Library of Latin Texts now Searchable via ReIReSearch

October 8, 2021

An important new dataset, viz the metadata about and links to the works contained in the Library of Latin Texts (LLT) has been added to ReIReSearch, the unified discovery environment RESILIENCE is working on.

The Library of Latin Texts (Brepols/Corpus Christianorum) is the world’s leading database for Latin texts, bringing together works from the beginnings of Latin literature down to the present day. The texts which are incorporated are selected from the best editions available and established according to the best contemporary scholarly practice.

ReIReSearch addresses the growing need of scholars in Religious Studies to discover more data, regardless of location, on a platform where disparate digital resources and databases are searchable in a unified and standardized way. The unified discovery environment as developed by the ReIReS project preceding RESILIENCE is further extended and built upon by RESILIENCE. In this way, RESILIENCE will facilitate the long-term sustainability of the discovery environment by taking care of the inclusion of the metadata of new collections, aligning formats, metadata standards, license information and providing a human and machine readable output using the latest semantic web and indexing technologies.

Go here to read more.

Call for Paper. Eleventh Annual REFORC Conference

October 1, 2021

The Eleventh Annual REFORC Conference will be hosted by the Sonderforschungsbereich 980 Episteme in Bewegung of the Freie Universität in Berlin, and will take place May 4-6, 2022.

The topic of the plenary lectures is Body and Soul. Comparative Studies on the Body-Soul Concept in the Pre-Modern Era.

The conference is open to individual short paper presentations (20-minute presentations) and to thematic sessions of two or three short papers. Papers can focus on all disciplines related to Early Modern Christianity, ca. 1400-1700, such as philosophy, law, history, theology, etc., independent of the theme of the plenary papers.

t is also possible to attend the conference without giving a paper.

Go here to read more information about the conference.

Research News for Münster

September 22, 2021

Find out the latest research news from the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” at the University of Münster:

Kiss of Judas, regicide, whistleblowing: traitors make history

Whether regicide, whistleblowing or “traitor to the people” cries from so-called lateral thinkers – according to historians, treason has shaped political fortunes since antiquity. “High treason is considered the ultimate political crime in all epochs and states, and is punished draconically”, says historian André Johannes Krischer in the run-up to an international conference on the history of treason at the University of Münster’s Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”.

Read the full article here.

Questions of religious policy for the 2021 Bundestag election on the radio station Deutschlandfunk

Scholars from the Cluster of Excellence have talked about questions of religious policy in the upcoming Bundestag elections in a three-part series of the programme “Tag für Tag” (Day by Day) on the radio station Deutschlandfunk (in German). The political scientist Ulrich Willems took a look at church lobbying, the Catholic theologian Judith Könemann dealt with the question “Does politics still need religion?”, and sociologist Marc Helbling, current Hans Blumenberg Visiting Professor at the Cluster, discussed religious policy as integration policy.

Read the full article here.

TED-talk on “Campus of Religions”

At the TEDx-talk in Münster, the Islamic theologian Mouhanad Khorchide and the Catholic theologian Johannes Schnocks, both from the Cluster of Excellence, have spoken about the Campus of Religions in Münster. In their talk, they discussed the importance of the campus for interreligious dialogue. From 2023, it will bring together the various theologies and institutions of non-denominational religious research at the University of Münster, and become a place of exchange for representatives from academia, politics, religious and non-religious communities, and non-governmental organizations, as well as from the media, culture, and the arts.

Read the full article here.

Research at the European Academy on “Religion and Change”

The “European Academy of Religion” (EuARe) is coming to Germany for the first time with its annual conference at the end of August. Under the title “Religion and Change”, the conference will see 900 international scholars involved in interdisciplinary research on religion come to the University of Münster. As a founding member of the Academy, the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” will host 15 of the 160 panels with themes from its current research programme.

Read the full article here.

Fake news long before Trump

According to researchers from the University of Münster’s Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”, fake news existed long before Donald Trump and social media. Whether courtly plots or conspiracy theories in the face of the plague: uncertainty about the truth of news is not a new phenomenon. “The negotiation of true and false information has always been able to develop its own dynamics in times of crisis. This also applies to the Middle Ages, although communication in this period required a much stronger corporeal presence”, explain the Romance scholar Pia Claudia Doering and the historian Marcel Bubert from the Cluster of Excellence. “Contrary to what we think today, the spreading of fake news and the assessment of the truth of news are not necessarily linked to mass media”.

Read the full article here.

New Dossier Chapter: God's will/God's succour? Religious interpretations of epidemics

Writing in Christ & Welt in February 2021, Peter Frey, editor-in-chief of the German television channel ZDF, criticized the churches for having gone underground during Corona, saying that, while it is true that the church is no longer portraying the pandemic as God’s punishment (as it used to do), it has not embraced a new creativity during the crisis. For Frey, there has been no spiritual depth to the pandemic and its consequences. In contrast, the Münster sociologist of religion Detlef Pollack said in an interview in March 2021, also in Christ & Welt, that it was right for the churches largely to refrain from interpreting the meaning of the pandemic, saying that the time when religion was responsible for solving all problems is long gone. For Pollack, many people probably do not interpret the crisis in religious terms, but rather perceive it as a medical and political problem only. The contributions in this dossier trace religious interpretations of epidemics, as they can be read in textual testimonies and images from past (and more devout centuries), but also turn their gaze to present-day Africa, for example.

Read the full article here.

Podcast series “Belonging or Excluded? 1,700 Years of Jewish Life in Germany“

In the podcast series "Belonging or Excluded?", researchers from the Cluster of Excellence and the Institute for Jewish Studies of Münster University such as Prof. Dr. Regina Grundmann and Prof. Dr. Katrin Kogman-Appel report on the everyday life, religious life and history of persecution of Jews from antiquity to the present (in German language). The series is part of the nationwide festival year "1,700 Years of Jewish Life in Germany".
Read the full article here.

Episodes

#EuARe2021. Hybrid Conference

August 9, 2021

You can participate on-site in Münster or online. On-site the conference venue is in the centre of the city of Münster in university buildings (Fürstenberghaus, Domplatz 20-22 / "Domplatz 23" building, Domplatz 23) and takes place there in around 15 lecture and seminar rooms. Spacious meetings areas are available in the buildings and outside.

All conference rooms are equipped with professional techniques to connect on-site and online participants.

Online participation will be possible with a professional conference platform, which allows full participation in all keynote lectures, discussions, and panels. As online participant you use a special app and you can join all panels which you like and even have short looks only into panels.

Also you can connect permanently to all other online participants. Then, there is every day for some hours an online meeting room, a kind of online cafeteria, in which you can walk around and talk to all the people who are also there. On-site participants can also join the possibilities of online participation. Exclusively for online participants are two drinks receptions on the evenings of 30th and 31st August.

ReIReS. Time to say goodbye

August 2, 2021

The ReIReS H2020 funded project has ended July 31, 2021.

A lot happened in the past 3,5 years and the starting community obtained many important results, such as laying the foundations for the research infrastructure RESILIENCE.

While ReIReS says goodbye to its many users, followers, partners, and colleagues, we congratulate the community for its achievements and we wish them an even greater success with RESILIENCE.

Keep following their work via the RESILIENCE newsletter and social media!

Call for applications. 2021 Call for Research Fellowships

July 29, 2021

FSCIRE invites applications for Postdoctoral Fellowships for its Bologna and Palermo centres.

Candidates may thereby apply for one of the following positions:

Junior Research Fellow (2 years, renewable). Applicants must have obtained their doctorate within the last five years. The successful candidate will sign a research contract for two years, equivalent to the Italian “Assegno di ricerca junior” (which amounts to a monthly net sum of about € 1,400). The contract defines a research programme in accordance with the research lines of FSCIRE.
Senior Research Fellow (2 years, renewable). The Applicant’s doctoral thesis must have already been published. The successful candidate will sign a research contract for two years, equivalent to the Italian “Assegno di ricerca senior” (which amounts to a monthly net sum of about € 1,650). The contract defines a research programme in accordance with the research lines of FSCIRE.

Applications should be sent by August 22nd, 2021 to:

POSTDOC FELLOWSHIP FSCIRE, via San Vitale 114, 40125 Bologna
or to segreteria@fscire.it.

Read the call in full for more information on the fellowship, how to apply, and the evaluation process.

Ahead of the 2021 Italy G20 Summit Webinar Series. Episode 5

July 20, 2021

The sixth and last episode of the series, under the title A Digital Revolution? Ethical Implications and Interreligious Engagement, is going on take place on July 28, 2021, 15:00 CEST.

World economies are now looking to move out of the pandemic crisis. Most are deploying strategies and initiatives to reignite growth, with vaccination programs playing a major part in these efforts. As outlined by the Italian chairmanship of this year’s G20, “The digital revolution represents a fundamental tool to achieve prosperity and better quality of life.” Our concluding panel will look at current developments with a particular focus on interreligious engagement in the area of emerging digital technologies and artificial intelligence.

All those interested in participating can register themselves at this link.

Ahead of the 2021 Italy G20 Summit Webinar Series. Episode 5

July 9, 2021

The fifth episode of the series, under the title Interfaith Initiatives to Achieve the Agenda 2030 Environmental Goals, is going on take place on July 14, 2021, 15:00 CEST.

Most faith teach their members to be good stewards of the environment. Following up on the earlier webinar on faith and environmental stewardship, this episode will focus on concrete interfaith initiatives that have raised awareness, influenced policy and inspired to do good..

All those interested in participating can register themselves at this link.

IV International IQSA Conference. Qur'an in contact

July 2, 2021

The International Qur’anic Studies Association (IQSA) is delighted to announce the program of its fourth international conference, Qur’an in contact: Plurality of views from other traditions, disciplines and peripheries.

This hybrid conference will be held virtually and in person from July 4-11, 2021, hosted by the “Giorgio La Pira” Library (Palermo, Italy).

At the moment of their registration, participants will be asked if they are planning to attend the event in presence. The number of spots available is limited, so make sure you note your interest!

#EuARe2021. Conference venues

June 30, 2021

The first draft of the conference program is out.

If you are planning to attend the conference in presence and you are organising your travel and stay in Münster, at this link it is possible to book a reserved contingent of hotel rooms, dedicated to the participants at #EuARe2021. You might also want to note that the premises where the conference will take place are:

Fürstenberghaus, Domplatz 20-22
"Domplatz 23" building, Domplatz 23
Auditorium, Schlossplatz 46

Remember that registration is required either that you are attending in presence or online: registrations are open until Sunday, August 22.

We are looking forward to welcoming you all online and on-site to another exciting edition of the EuARe conferences!

RESILIENCE Roadmap ESFRI

July 1, 2021

On June 30th, 2021, the ESFRI Forum included RESILIENCE in the Research Infrastructure Roadmap 2021. This means that RESILIENCE will take its place in the strategic Research Infrastructures for the European Research Area and that it can work on the further development of the Research Infrastructure for Religious Studies.

The first initiatives to build a Research Infrastructure date back to 2016, which finally led to the launch of RESILIENCE in September 2019. RESILIENCE has since worked on the design of a sustainable European infrastructure for all Religious Studies. This design has now proven to be mature and was successfully evaluated by the ESFRI forum, allowing RESILIENCE to take its place in the strategic Research Infrastructures for the European Research Area.

Characteristic in the infrastructure design is that it includes physical as well as digital access to knowledge about religion. Via this infrastructure, academics who are working in the broad field of Religious Studies will be supported in many ways: they will be able, among other things, to access more resources, to enhance their digital skills, to participate in projects, to promote their research, and to build a professional network. Also other professionals, such as those working in galleries, libraries, archives and museums, policy makers, and representatives of religious communities can benefit from the knowledge offered by RESILIENCE.
The placement in the ESFRI Roadmap 2021 assures that the 13 consortium partners, coordinated by the Italian research institution FSCIRE, take the next step. This next step will be the development of the preparation phase, such as ensuring the finances and distribution of tasks among the partners. The new Research Infrastructure is intended to support its users for at least 34 years.
The news of the ESFRI decision was received with great joy and gratitude by FSCIRE and all the consortium partners. All institutions are grateful to the national ministries and delegates for their support.

Download the press release here.

Ahead of the 2021 Italy G20 Summit Webinar Series. Episode 4

June 28, 2021

The fourth episode of the series, under the title Freedom of Religion or Belief to Promote Peace, Justice & Stronger Societies, is going on take place on June 30, 2021, 15:00 CEST.

As Jan Figel', former European Commission’s Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of religion or belief outside the EU, used to say, “Freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is a litmus test of civil and political rights.” The correlation between FoRB, peace, and prosperity has been clearly demonstrated. Invited experts from academia, governments and multilateral organizations, churches, religious groups and civil society will discuss how FoRB can help tackle inequality, build a more inclusive global society, protect the most vulnerable, support the economy, promote women’s empowerment, ensure universal access to education.

All those interested in participating can register themselves at this link.

Research news from Münster

June 21, 2021

Find out the latest research news from the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” at the University of Münster:

International survey on identity conflicts in Europe

International survey by Cluster of Excellence reveals division of European societies into two entrenched camps of substantial size – In Germany, one third hold opposing positions on national belonging, threat, disadvantage – “Politics should not take one side: positions should be traced back to their respective functional core, compromises sought, polarization stopped” – Most comprehensive survey on identity conflicts in Europe to date.

Read the full article here.

Sociologist Marc Helbling new Hans Blumenberg Visiting Professor

During stay at Cluster of Excellence, Helbling to work on Islamophobia and right-wing extremism – Lecture on 8 June on Islamophobia in Western Europe

Read the full article here.

Hass (hate) comes from hetzen (to hound): the history of an emotion

Literary scholar sees escalation of language in public discussion over last ten years – research project on politicizations and instrumentalizations in past and present literature – history of language shows connection between Hass (hate) and hetzen (to hound) – Episode 6 of the Cluster of Excellence’s research podcast “Religion and Politics”

Read the full article here.

“Remembering is an integral part of Jewish life”

Cluster of Excellence’s new research podcast “Belonging or Excluded?” sheds light on 1,700 years of Jewish life – Researchers from Jewish Studies, History and Theology use pictures, manuscripts and photos to report on the everyday and religious life of Jews, as well as on their exclusion and persecution – Podcast as part of the year of celebration “2021: Jewish Life in Germany"

Read the full article here.

“It’s not enough to dismiss conspiracy theorists as ‘crackpots’”

International study by psychologists and political scientists explores the spread, causes and effects of conspiracy theories in Germany, Poland, Jordan – Belief in conspiracies more common in societies shaped by higher religiosity – Also more common in countries that have actually experienced conspiracies – Scepticism towards minorities and institutions is ubiquitous – Episode 7 of “Religion and Politics” research podcast

Read the full article here.

Fashion victims on board Sebastian Brant’s Ship of Fools

Moral satire about human foolishness still encourages self-knowledge 500 years after the author’s death – woodcuts by Albrecht Dürer allow us to see parallels to the graphic novel – also deals with hostility to science at a time when printing was invented – episode 5 of the Cluster of Excellence’s research podcast “Religion and Politics”

Read the full article here.

Righteousness in Early Modern Christianity. Voices, Fruits & Failures

June 16, 2021

Righteousness is a verb not a noun. This became apparent in the theological and philosophical debates in Early Modern Christianity as well as in socio-political, legal and economical discussions during that time. These two spheres of debate were closely connected in theory and in practice. Different views on a righteous God and a righteous society resulted in debates, turmoil, plans and projects that are reflected in art and literature.

The Reformation Research Consortium (RefoRC), in cooperation with FSCIRE and the Coram Deo Program, announce the program of the international conference 'Righteousness in Early Modern Christianity. Voices, Fruits & Failures', to be held in Bologna, September 15-17, 2021.

Sixteen speakers from all around the world will explore how the issue of righteousness was dealt with in Early Modern Christianity as a period that brought about immense and long-lasting changes and brought forth inspiring individuals with innovative ideas.

Find out more here.

What Does Theology Do, Actually?

June 14, 2021

How and why scholars study the Bible varies, not only across confessional or cultural contexts, but across institutional-academic contexts. The symposium What Does Theology Do, Actually? will not seek to resolve this ambiguity, but will approach it diagonally: experts in research on the Bible at early and advanced career stages, and from diverse socio-cultural and institutional contexts will discuss fundamental questions about the interrelations of contexts, institutions, and knowledge production in the fields of exegesis.

The symposium will be held as a digital event and hosted by the University of Bonn on Friday, July 9th, 09:00-18:30, and on Saturday, July 10th, 09:00-13:20.

Find out more here or contact Dr. Matthew Ryan Robinson, Dr. Drew Davis, and Dr. Daniel Lanzinger at: wdtd@uni-bonn.de.

Registration to the event is required but free.

G20 Interfaith Forum 2021: June Issue

June 12, 2021

The IF20 and FSCIRE announce a series of upcoming events to keep in mind, with their new monthly appointment.

And if you didn't have the chance to join the last webinars, the summaries are now online:

Responses to Anti-Asian Hate Crimes, held on June 10th, 2021
G20 as a Driver to Reduce Poverty and Ignite Growth, held on June 9th, 2021.

Stay tuned!

REFORC. A Workshop for Scholars

June 9, 2021

The Babeș-Bolyai University together with REFORC and the Long Reformation in Eastern Europe (1500–1800) Research Team organizes the workshop New Chances for Research on Early Modern Christianity, October 7-8, 2021, that seeks to present and discuss new projects, new possibilities for cooperation and new initiatives to support junior and senior researchers, universities, and libraries.

Individual research can usually be improved significantly if it gains support from the joint efforts of a teamwork. Yet, teamwork itself and its benefits often originate from informal networks, groups and clusters beyond the formal support of institutions, but brought together temporarily and driven by similar quests and scholarly curiosity.

The workshop in Cluj will present the many possibilities offered by the Reformation Research Consortium (REFORC) in stimulating and facilitating these collaborations.

If you are interested in attending our workshop, you are invited to apply by April 15,
2021 via https://www.reforc.com/new-chances/.

More information is available here.

Ahead of the 2021 Italy G20 Summit. Webinar Series. Episode 3

June 1, 2021

The third episode of the series, under the title G20 as a Driver to Reduce Poverty and Reignite Growth, is going on take place on June 9, 2021, 15:00 CEST.

At the time of the Covid-19 outbreak of last year, many hoped that social and business restrictions would last a few days or weeks. A year later, the world is mourning the loss of millions of lives while still facing the economic and social effects of the pandemic. With vaccination programs now underway, it is time to implement strategies to address poverty and reignite growth. Reducing poverty has often been a core tenet of most faiths and beliefs. In recent years, studies have shown the positive correlation of freedom of religion or belief and economic growth and prosperity. Our speakers will discuss how religious communities can be a valuable resource due to their extensive experience “on the ground.

All those interested in participating can register themselves at this link.

Online book presentation

May 20, 2021

On Friday, May 28, 3 pm (CEST) FSCIRE organizes an online discussion on the recently published book Friday Fish. Fasting and Christianity.

The author, Claudio Ferlan (FBK-ISIG) will explore the topic with Federico Ruozzi (Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia/FSCIRE).

The meeting, which is organised in the framework of PluReS (Master's Degree in Religious Pluralism and Historical Knowledge) will be held in Italian. If you are interested in participating please write to segreteria@fscire.it.

Call for application. ReIReS School on the Use and Study of Special Documents

May 20, 2021

The call for applications for the ReIReS School on the Use and Study of Special Documents is still open!

The School will be hosted online by the University of Hamburg, June 15-17, 2021.

The School will pay special attention to Jewish manuscripts. The Institute of Jewish Philosophy and Religion together with the Maimonides Centre for Advanced Studies offer to the starting community a well ruled system of hosting scholars and researchers as well as open access to several tools and facilities in the field of Jewish Studies. We will learn about the research infrastructure at Hamburg, gaining insight to the work of different institutions such as the Institute for the History of the German Jews, the Academy of World Religions and the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC). At the CSMC we will be given the chance to visit the manuscripts labs and learn about different technologies applied to current case studies.

The Course is open to scholars and others affiliated with ReIReS-partners, and to max. 5 attendants from outside the consortium. Attendants from outside the consortium will pay a fee of € 150,00.

To know more about the program of the School and the call (deadline: June 1, 2021), please visit the ReIReS website.

G20 Interfaith Forum 2021: May Issue

May 12, 2021

As the IF20 Forum approaches, more and more preparatory meetings and thematic webinars take place.

The IF20 and FSCIRE are pleased to share the results of the activities held over the last month:

the joint IF20-ACLARS webinar on the role of faith based communities in the African COVID-19 response and vaccination effort, which took place on April 20th and April 27th;
the webinar Artificial Intelligence: Challenges and Opportunities, organised by the IF20 working group on Research and Innovation for Science, Technology and Infrastructure on May 5th;
the first episode of the webinar series Ahead of the 2021 Italy G20 Summit, which was held on May 6th and was devoted to the topic of (Re-)Building a Post-Covid Society pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals.

The summaries of the meetings are also available in Italian at the FSCIRE website.

Ahead of the 2021 Italy G20 Summit. Webinar Series. Episode 2

May 12, 2021

The second episode of the series, under the title The Gift of Our World: Faith and Environmental Stewardship, is going on take place on May 19, 2021, 15:00 CEST.

For people of faith, our planet is a gift from God. It is our home as we travel through our own life’s journey. As such, it deserves to be respected and cared for. Unfortunately, society has downplayed these simple truths to the advantage of other goals or priorities for too long and now the Earth is asking for our attention. This webinar will explore the religious dimension of environmental stewardship as well as existing initiatives that advocate for a more environmentally responsible economy.

All those interested in participating can register themselves at this link.

Research news from Münster

May 12, 2021

Find out the latest research news from the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” at the University of Münster:

Protestant parliamentarians not predominantly left-wing

According to researchers, a long-term perspective shows that Protestant parliamentarians cover the entire political spectrum and are by no means predominantly left-wing. “The cliché of the bearded clergyman at anti-nuclear demonstrations, for example, is in need of revision. Although party affiliation has moved a little towards a more social-democratic and green outlook during the past 170 years, it would be going too far to speak of a red-green turn in the spirit of 1968”, explain social ethicist Arnulf von Scheliha and theologian Uta Elisabeth Hohmann, who are researching the parliamentary activities of Protestant theologians from the 19th century to the present day.

Read the full article here.

Cluster of Excellence’s new research podcast “Belonging or Excluded?” sheds light on 1,700 years of Jewish life in Germany

According to Jewish scholars, remembering one’s own history, as is the case in the nationwide year of celebration “1,700 years of Jewish life in Germany”, has always been an integral part of Jewish life. “Jewish culture has always had a close relationship with its own history, and not only since the Shoah, and is strongly defined by its collective memory”, say Jewish scholars Regina Grundmann and Katrin Kogman-Appel from the University of Münster’s Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”. They were speaking at the start of the Cluster podcast series “Belonging or Excluded? 1,700 years of Jewish life in Germany”.

Read the full article here.

“A database for the future” - Religious scholar Perry Schmidt-Leukel on the late Swiss theologian Hans Küng

Not only a critic of the pope and the church: the religious scholar and theologian Perry Schmidt-Leukel pays tribute in an article to the work of the well-known Swiss theologian Hans Küng to mark his death on 6 April. Küng was concerned above all with “what is actually still credible about the Christian faith today”. He also created “foundations for dialogue between the world’s religions that are far from being exhausted today”.

Read the full article here.

“Not only at Easter: all religions are concerned with life after death”

According to scholars, ideas of life after death, as Christians celebrate at Easter in their belief in the resurrection, shape many religions. “Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists have also developed diverse concepts of the afterlife – as an answer to the great human question: Is there something after death? And, if so, what?”, says the religious studies scholar and theologian Perry Schmidt-Leukel from the University of Münster’s Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”.

Read the full article here.

Research project on radicalisation among Muslims acquired

As part of its funding line “Social Causes and Effects of Radical Islam in Germany and Europe”, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has awarded €1.46 million to Mouhanad Khorchide (Islamic Religious Education), Detlef Pollack and Olaf Müller (Sociology of Religion), and Levent Tezcan (Social Science Research on Islam in 20th- and 21st-century Europe) to pursue their research project “Resentment as the affective foundations of radicalization”.

Read the full article here.

“Mount Olympus: populated by gods, but devoid of humans”

On Mount Olympus: according to Greek mythology, the celebrated mountain massif was populated by gods; according to archaeologists, though, it was in real life almost entirely devoid of humans for thousands of years. “The highest mountain in the country has thus been from antiquity to the present day a site for the projection of an unusually large number of human imaginings and appropriations – religious, political, pop-cultural”, says archaeologist Achim Lichtenberger from the University of Münster’s Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”.

Read the full article here.

First episode of the “Religion and Politics” podcast – survey on corona and social cohesion

Despite the Corona pandemic and restrictions on contact, people in Germany are continuing to show solidarity and togetherness, according to a survey by the University of Münster’s Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”. In the non-representative online survey from July 2020 to January 2021, 63% of the good 2,300 respondents say that they show more solidarity and helpfulness in their everyday lives during the pandemic. Also, 45% feel more (and only 17% less) connected to their fellow human beings despite the restrictions on physical contact, as political scientist Carolin Hillenbrand from the Cluster of Excellence explains in the new Cluster podcast “Religion and Politics” (in German).

Read the full article here.

Artificial Intelligence: Challenges and Opportunities

May 4, 2021

How will artificial intelligence transform society? Join the G20 Interfaith Forum working group on Innovation for Science, Technology and Infrastructure in an online discussion on addressing challenges and capturing the opportunities.

The discussion, moderated by Branka Marijan (Project Ploughshares), will be joined by Peter Asaro (New School in New York City), Kanta Dihal (Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge), John Markoff (Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, Stanford University), Illah Nourbakhsh (Carnegie Mellon University), Selma Šabanovic (Indiana University).

The webinar will be held on May 5, 2021, 15.00-16.00 CEST. You are welcomed to register here.

Call for Papers. The Responsible Society in Early Modern Christianity

April 30, 2021

January 26th-28th 2022, the conference The Responsible Society in Early Modern Christianity. Voices & Fruits will be held in Rome. The organizers, Deutsches Historisches Institut in Rom, Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome, and REFORC, welcome paper proposals on related topics.

The conference centers around two main topics: voices and fruits and concentrates geographically on Italy, Northwest Germany and The Netherlands.

The conference is interdisciplinary and comparative regarding various geographical and confessional positions. Papers may be in English, German or Italian. Publication of the proceedings of the conference is intended.

Applications are welcome before June 1, 2021. For application go here.

Ahead of the 2021 Italy G20 Summit. Webinar Series

April 30, 2021

The Baha’i International Community, the European Evangelical Alliance, the European Platform Against Religious Intolerance and Discrimination, the Fondazione Bruno Kessler, the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University, the King Hamad Chair for Inter-Faith Dialogue and Peaceful Co-existence at the Sapienza University of Rome, the Study Center and Magazine Confronti, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - European Union & International Affairs Office, the University of Siena, and the World Faith Development Dialogue, in cooperation with the G20 Interfaith Forum Association and FSCIRE, are organising the webinar series Ahead of the 2021 Italy G20 Summit.

The series will touch on the main themes of this year's G20 Summit that will take place in Rome, October 30-31. The overall objective of the webinar series is to bring together government and religious leaders, experts and officials from multilateral organizations, civil society, and academic institutions to share knowledge and inform on current issues, trends and initiatives addressing the contribution of faith and religious organizations in achieving the priorities set by the Italian chairmanship of this year’s G20 Summit: people, planet, prosperity. Each priority will be further discussed looking at the contribution of religion as a builder of social capital, and the many ways religious communities and institutions contribute across the entire spectrum of society. A final report highlighting the main ideas and outcomes from each of the webinars will be published at the end of the series.

The first episode of the series, under the title (Re-)Building a Post-Covid Society pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals, is going on take place on May 6, 2021, 15:00 CEST. All those interested in participating can register themselves at this link.

REFORC Conference on Early Modern Christianity

April 26, 2021

From May 6 to May 8, 2021, the Research Centre for the Humanities in Budapest will host the Tenth Annual REFORC conference on Early Modern Christianity.

The conference will explore three major thematic perspectives in the plenary lectures:

Long Reformation and Historical Writing;

Social History and the Benefits of Long Reformation;

Multimediality and Fine Arts.

Plenary speakers are Gabriella Gilány (Budapest), James Kelly (Durham), Erica Kiss (Budapest), Volker Leppin (Tübingen), Alec Ryrie (Durham), Zsombor Tóth (Budapest), and Anna Vind (Copenhagen).

The conference will take place as a hybrid event: it can be attended both in-person and virtually. You can indicate your preference in the registration form. If you have already registered, we will ask you about your preference. Registration closes on May 5, 2021.

Research Project Presentation: The Legacy of Birgitta of Sweden

April 23, 2021

On Thursday, April 29, 17:00 CEST Prof. Anna Wainwright (University of New Hampshire) and Dr. Eleonora Cappuccilli (University of Oslo), in cooperation with FSCIRE, will present the research project The Legacy of Birgitta of Sweden. Women, Politics and Reform in Renaissance Italy.

European and American scholars have lately uncovered the extraordinary surge of women writers and philosophers in Early Modern Italy (1350–1700), a number that by far surpasses that of women writers in other countries during the Renaissance. In the same period, Birgitta of Sweden’s literary oeuvre circulated widely in Italy. Latin manuscripts of Birgitta’s work Revelaciones (Celestial Revelations) were copied in Italian scriptoria, translated into Italian vernacular, incorporated in compilations, and printed in Latin and Italian editions. However, the legacy of Birgitta’s extensive literary production and its possible impact on female writers and intellectuals in Renaissance Italy has hitherto not been explored.

The presentation will be held online. All those interested in participating can register themselves by writing to segreteria@fscire.it.

The project, organized by the University of Oslo and directed by Prof. Unn Falkeid (Alberigo Award 2019, Senior Category), is funded by the Research Council of Norway (FRIPRO).

#EuARe2021. Registration is open

April 16, 2021

We are happy to announce that the registration for the conference is now open.

You can register for #EuARe2021 from Friday, April 16th to Sunday, August 22nd.

As in previous years, there will be different registration periods and special conference rates for EuARe members.

Due to the prolonged COVID-19 related emergency, we are planning two different scenarios: a hybrid conference (online and on-site in Münster) and a full online conference (as a kind of backdoor in case the pandemic does not allow on-site panels and lectures). For both forms of participation (online or on-site) you have to register with a conference fee.

Please, visit the dedicated page for more details about the registration process and fees.

G20 Interfaith Forum 2021: Joint ACLARS and IF20 Webinar

April 16, 2021

IF20 and Fscire invite you to the webinar The Role of Religion and Faith-Based Communities in the African COVID-19 Response which will take place on Tuesday, April 20th, 16:30 CEST.

Carlos Dos Santos (Ambassador of the Republic of Mozambique to the United States), Ramsey Day (Former Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Africa, U.S. Agency for International Development), Sister Barbara Brillant (Dean of Mother Patern College of Health Sciences, Liberia), Rahma Gulam (Acting Executive Director of Muslims for Human Rights, Kenya), and Francis Kuria Kagema (Secretary General of the African Council of Religious Leaders, Religions for Peace, Kenya) will engage in the conversation moderated by Esha Faki Mwinyihaji (Masemo University, Kenya).

The webinar is organised in the framework of the G20 Interfaith Forum 2021 (Bologna, 12-14 September 2021).

Registrations are open: save your spot!

G20 Interfaith Forum 2021: First Peoples, First Racism

April 12, 2021

On Monday, March 29, the G20 Interfaith Forum held a first webinar organized by its

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