European Society of Intercultural Theology and Interreligious Studies

European Society of Intercultural Theology and Interreligious Studies

The Study of Religions in a Changing Europe:

Integrity,Translation andTransformation

Third Conference, Marmara University, Istanbul – April 26-29, 2011

The third conference of ESITIS will deal with the encounter of religions in South East Europe, especially Muslims and Orthodox Christians. Both the Christians and the Muslims in these parts of Europe have “differences” among themselves in various countries, such as in Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Serbia, etc.

The broader themes of the conference will deal with the study of religions in a changing Europe and the relevance of contextual theology for the intercultural and interreligious developments in Eastern and Western Europe.

The conference will be housed in the Asian part of Istanbul, hosted by the Faculty of Theology at Marmara University.

1.  The Regional Context: Istanbul and South East Europe

The conference will begin with a session on “Interreligious relations – the Istanbul experience”. Speaker: to be confirmed.

2.  Dealing with the Past:
Historical narratives of religious diversity in West and South East Europe

Two sessions will focus on narrative strategies in dealing with the past regarding religious diversity and power. The first session takes its points of departure in two defining European narratives of politico-religious history: the Holy Roman Empire and the Easter Roman (Byzantine) Empire with its successor the Ottoman Empire. The histories of religious minorities in Western Europe after the Westphalian Peace are very different from those of the religious minorities in the Ottoman Empire. This session gives an overview of the respective confessional legacies in political and religious live. The second session will analyse and interpret some cases of interreligious coexistence in South East Europe, with special attention paid to minority narratives of the encounters. Speakers: Thomas Bremer (Münster), Angeliki Ziakas (Thessaloniki) and Önver A. Cetrez (Uppsala).

3.  Power Relations, Vested Interests, and Changing Authorities

Globalisation, the Internet, better education, and growing individualism are characteristic of modern societies and have a strong influence on religious organisations and the ways in which people choose and accept authorities and how they belong to traditions. What is happening to the ways in which people participate in religion, and what (widely divergent?) consequences does it have for theological education? Speakers: Kajsa Ahlstrand (Uppsala), Zilka Spahić-Šiljak and Hans-Joachim Sander (Salzburg).

4.  Teaching and Researching Religion in a Pluralistic Europe

Changes in the cultural and religious landscape of Europe have brought new challenges for the teaching and researching of theology and religion in European universities and colleges. Theological and religious studies faculties have responded in ways that reflect their different contexts. What are the ways in which teaching of, and research into, these fields have changed over time and adapted to new contexts and cultural pressures? What is the relationship between the state, religious communities and universities? What is the future of theological and religious education in Europe? This session will consider three examples from three different universities – in Birmingham, Sofia and Istanbul. Speakers: David Cheetham (Birmingham), Ina Maedjanova (Sofia/Dublin) and Recep Kaymakcan (Sakarya).

5.  Interreligious and Interfaith Studies in Europe

In recent years, some faculties of theology have established chairs, study programs and research projects in "interreligious studies" - focusing on the living encounter between different faiths in Europe's increasingly pluralistic societies. This session will deal with the background and nature of interreligious or interfaith studies in European universities. Scholars and faculty boards have different ideas about the most appropriate form for such studies and their academic legitimacy between interfaith engagement and detached reflection. How should interreligious studies be conceived of, and how does this new discipline relate to the academic legacies of theology and religious studies respectively? The theme of interreligious studies will be explored from several perspectives, and from the vantage point of theological faculties/institutes in Norway, Romania and Turkey. Speakers: Oddbjørn Leirvik (Oslo), Nicolae Durã (Constantia) and Mahmut Aydin (Samsun).

6.  Integrity, translation and transformation

Traditions are dynamic historical phenomena, changing with the various contexts and influential competitors and partners. Without transformation, religious movements will die. This session will reflect philosophically on issues such as integrity in change, authenticity of religious convictions in cultural and inter-religious translation, and the motives of and criteria for religions’ transformation. Speakers: Norbert Hintersteiner (Dublin) and Maureen Junker-Kenny (Dublin), with response from Ali Murat Yel (Istanbul).

7.  Euro Islam revisited

In 1995, a conference was held in Stockholm under the heading of “Euro-Islam”, focusing both on the growing presence of Islam in Western Europe and on Europe’s relations with “the Muslim world”. Others have preferred to speak more modestly about “European Muslims” and their contribution to European societies, in order not imply that the understanding of Islam as a religion is changing on European soil. Or is it? In these debates about European Islam and European Muslims, the continuous presence of Islam in South East Europe is not always integrated in the larger picture. This session will revisit the notion of Euro-Islam and examine its relevance in present-day Europe (Western and Eastern). Speakers: Fikret Karčić (Sarajevo), Ibrahim Kalin (Istanbul) and Ingemar Karlsson (Stockholm/Istanbul).

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Further details of the programme will be published later on the ESITIS website (www.esitis.org) and in issues of Studies in Interreligious Dialogue.

The conference will have sessions for “short papers.” Senior and junior scholars are welcome to submit proposals that are connected to the various themes of the conference sessions. Proposals should be submitted before 31 January 2011; the format of these proposals and further details relating to them will be published later. See separate Call for papers: http://folk.uio.no/leirvik/ESITIS/Call_for_papers2011.pdf