Christian Social Ethics in the Benelux Countries

The Dynamics of European Unity in Diversity

Abstract

The Benelux countries are more frequently presented as a unity in tourist guides than in academic life. Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg are nevertheless bound together by a specific historically founded position within the EU with consequences for the conditions and topics of Christian social ethics. Although it rarely exists as an autonomous discipline, the tension between old universities with religious traditions and a widely proceeded secularisation provides an ideal starting point for innovative research and teaching at the heart of Europe: with an access to the English speaking world and a bridge between German and French influences. All over the Benelux countries, social ethics combines an international profile with regional rooting.