Inquisitive, relevant, thought-provoking. A blog for reflection on religion as an element of public life, coordinated by the Centre for Religion, Conflict and Globalisation, Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Groningen.
How is laïcité – official state secularism - practiced in contemporary France? In this post, the Centre for Religion, Conflict and Globalisation’s Dr. Julia Martínez-Ariño discusses recent research in the cities of Rennes, Bordeaux and Toulouse to suggest that laïcité takes many forms in French municipalities – including the recognition and support of ‘religious’ actors …
Continue reading "Is the French State Really ‘Secular’? Some Reflections on Municipal Laïcité"
Is membership of a 'religious' community a good predictor of one's views on abortion? In light of last week's referendum on abortion in the Republic of Ireland, Januschka Schmidt reflects on the situation north of the border, where official church teaching and local attitudes appear increasingly out of step. On May 25th, two thirds of …
Continue reading "Abortion in Northern Ireland – A ‘Religious’ Problem?"
Researchers from the University of Groningen and the University of Stellenbosch recently concluded a one-year study on the role of faith leaders in challenging gender-based violence and gender inequality.[i] The study, which was funded by the UK Department for International Development[ii] and and carried out by the Gender-Based Violence Hub of the Joint Learning Initiative …
Méadhbh McIvor, Editor In February 2018, Icelandic Member of Parliament Silja Dögg Gunnarsdóttir made international news by proposing a bill that would criminalise the circumcision of male children for non-medical reasons. The bill, which is supported by the ruling Progressive Party and Left-Green coalition, has sparked heated debates within Iceland (and beyond): while its supporters argue …
In a post to mark International Women’s Day, Dr Brenda Bartelink problematizes the selective language of ‘harmful cultural practices’, challenging the development sector to confront its ongoing colonial biases as it seeks to improve the lives of women and girls. Today, March 8th, the Netherlands’ former Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen, …
We start the new year with a post by Alanna Cant. Drawing on recent fieldwork in Oaxaca, Mexico, Cant explores church-state relations through the lens of church restoration, religious 'heritage', and popular devotion to the saints. In September, two large and seismically unusual earthquakes struck Mexico. On the 7th of September, the strongest quake the country …
Drs Fernande Pool and Timothy Stacey (see bio's at end of this post) have recently launched the Lived Religion Project (http://livedreligionproject.com/), a story project focusing on the 'religious' lives of ordinary people. “Discourse on religion is getting ugly. Quickly. And academia can’t keep up.” This was the simple thought that led us out of the …
