An academic ceremony was held in autumn 2024 to mark the 70th birthday of the religious scholar and theologian Perry Schmidt-Leukel. The keynote lecture was delivered in English by theologian and expert on Buddhism Thomas Cattoi, the British theologian Alan Race gave the laudatory speech.
In a new online video, the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” at the University of Münster presents its current research on the complex field of tension between religion and politics across different periods. Featured in the film are the Egyptologist Angelika Lohwasser, the political scientist Svenja Ahlhaus, the Islamic theologian Dina El Omari, and the Catholic theologian Hubert Wolf. They also talk about early career opportunities, research transfer and the new campus for theology and religious studies of the University of Münster.
In his lecture at the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”, US philosopher and Hans Blumenberg Professor for 2024, Kwame Anthony Appiah, argued for a pluralistic understanding of religious identities. For Appiah, who teaches at New York University, this can resolve religious conflicts – without resorting to relativism.
Algerian writer and Peace Prize winner Boualem Sansal gave the first Annette von Droste-Hülshoff lecture at the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” in Münster, where he read from his works 2084: The End of the World, Rue Darwin, Harraga, and Vivre: Le compte à rebours. Sansal’s novels, essays and statements look critically at political-religious relations, especially those shaped by Islamism and totalitarian regimes.
An international conference at the University of Münster on 29 and 30 November 2023 saw experts discuss the relationship between political Islamism and authoritarian nationalism. Organized by the Cluster of Excellence and the “Islam and Politics” research cloud at the Centre for Islamic Theology (ZIT) at the University of Münster together with the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the event shed light on non-violent Islamism and the subtle methods that it uses to challenge the democratic system. The keynote speech was given by political scientist Prof. Dr. Ahmet T. Kuru from San Diego State University. There was also a public discussion, this focusing on the relationship between antisemitism, nationalism and Islamism.
A new video presents the University of Münster’s research, which is rooted in a shared understanding of excellent research and social responsibility. The University brings its disciplinary strengths and resources together in Impact Areas and Profile Areas. One Profile Area is “Religion and Society”, which also includes the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”. In the video, church historian Prof. Hubert Wolf and Islamic theologian Prof. Dina El Omari talk about research at the Cluster of Excellence that focuses on factors that have made religion an impetus for political and social change from antiquity to the present day.
To begin the annual theme “The digitalization of religion”, Protestant theologians Frederike van Oorschot and Christopher Nunn spoke at the Cluster of Excellence about theological research in the tracks of the digital humanities. Using practical examples, they took stock of theology in the digital humanities, and highlighted how digital research impacts on theological epistemology. The event was moderated by Egyptologist Angelika Lohwasser, who coordinates the annual theme. The video is in German language.
The anniversary “375 Years of the Peace of Westphalia” culminated in a discussion at the Westphalian Peace Summit in Münster that saw international experts talk about current conflicts and questions of a global peace order. The international guests included Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Roberta Gbowee from Liberia, Indian political scientist Prof. Dr. Ummu Salma Bava from New Delhi, and Director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Prof. Dan Smith.
Contemporary authors deal with religion far more often and in more diverse ways than people might think. As part of the annual theme “Religious Dynamics”, the Cluster of Excellence organized the reading series “Existential, humorous, critical: Religious dynamics in literature”, which saw the writers Zafer Şenocak, Felicitas Hoppe and Patrick Roth read from their work. The events were moderated by Cluster of Excellence scholars from the disciplines of German, Slavic studies and Romance studies. The videos are in German language.
How stable is peace? How can peace be maintained after years of war? At the invitation of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg “Legal Unity and Pluralism” (EViR) and the Cluster of Excellence "Religion and Politics” at the University of Münster, researchers discussed in the auditorium of the LWL Museum of Art and Culture in Münster the diverse consequences of the Peace of Westphalia 375 years ago, and conclusions that can be drawn from the historical events. The video is in German language.
On 9 May, sociologist of religion Prof. Dr. Detlef Pollack from the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” gave his farewell lecture, “The birth of modernity from the spirit of religion”. Pollack, who will become an emeritus professor at the University of Münster and the Cluster of Excellence, outlined a theory of how Western modernity emerged, focusing in particular on the relationship between modernity and religion. The video is in German language.
According to Eastern Church scholar and peace researcher Prof. Dr. Thomas Bremer, the war in Ukraine has greatly exacerbated religious conflicts in the country. He spoke in the “Religious Dynamics” annual theme of the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” about “Religious dynamics in Ukraine”. In his lecture, he shed light not only on the complex religious situation in the country, but also on how the war has polarized Orthodoxy further. The video is in German language.
To begin the third annual theme, “Religious Dynamics”, the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” at the University of Münster hosted a discussion evening of the same name. Religious studies scholar Prof. Dr. Astrid Reuter, historian Prof. Dr. Wolfram Drews and sociologist of religion Prof. Dr. Detlef Pollack discussed the potential that religion has had to mobilize people in the past and present. The video is in German language.
The Cluster of Excellence’s series “Tradition(s): Interdisciplinary and transepochal” saw historian Prof. Dr. Silke Mende, sociologist Prof. Dr. Joachim Renn and philosopher Prof. Dr. Michael Quante deal with tradition and rationality at a discussion evening of the same name. The discussion was moderated by Jürgen Kaube from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The videos are in German language.
The historians Prof. Dr. Peter Funke and Prof. Dr. Wolfram Drews and the church historian Prof. Dr. Hubert Wolf discussed tradition and competition at a discussion evening of the same name in the series "Tradition(s): Interdisciplinary and Transepochal" of the Cluster of Excellence. The historian Prof. Dr. Ricarda Vulpius moderated the discussion. The videos are in German language.
Selected videos of the lecture series “Introduction to the Digital Humanities”, organized by the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” and the Centre for Digital Humanities at the University of Münster, provide an insight into the methods used by the digital humanities and social sciences. Speakers from the University of Münster and external speakers looked in the summer term of 2022 at various methods used by the digital humanities and at the issue of dealing with research data in a responsible way. The videos are in German language.
To begin the second annual theme, “Tradition(s)”, at the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”, the Cluster organized an interdisciplinary lecture series of the same name that looked at how traditions emerge, are transmitted, and change, for example in literature, law and religions. The lectures provided a panorama that ranged from antiquity to the present day, and from the ancient Egyptian god Amun to tradition and innovation in Arabic literature, and to how families pass on religious traditions today. The videos are in German language.
A Cluster of Excellence panel invited political scientists Prof. Dr. Armin Schäfer from the Cluster of Excellence, Prof. Dr. Werner J. Patzelt from the University of Dresden, and Dr. Astrid Séville from the University of Munich to discuss belonging and demarcation in populist discourse. The panel was moderated by political scientist Dr. Manon Westphal from the University of Münster. The video is in German language.
Sociologist Dr. Asligül Aysel and philosopher Dr. Matthias Hoesch from the Cluster of Excellence discussed the ethics and politics of integration on a panel with political scientist Prof. Dr. Karen Schönwälder from the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity in Göttingen and legal scholar Prof. Dr. Daniel Thym from the University of Konstanz. The video is in German language.
Scholars from the University of Münster’s Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” gave a public presentation in which they discussed their survey on identity conflicts in Europe. One of the most comprehensive population surveys on identity conflicts in European societies to date, the survey shows for the first time that European societies are divided in terms of identity politics. The video is in German language.
The video series “Religion and Politics in Focus” presents projects, topics and events at the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”, and is part of the Cluster’s philosophy of maintaining a dialogue with the general public on issues in the field of tension between religion and politics.
The Cluster of Excellence has long focused on “Religious Politics” and “Religion and Violence”. Researchers from many disciplines in the humanities and social sciences are involved in interdisciplinary studies across epochs and cultures. Besides pure research, they regularly communicate their findings to a wider public, one example being the “Open-Air Lecture Theatre” in Münster in May 2018. The video is in German language.
How does a representative survey work? What is particularly important in a survey on religious diversity in Europe? What conclusions regarding integration policy can be drawn from the empirical data obtained? The film from 2011 provides an insight into the processes of quantitative social research carried out by Prof. Pollack and his research team comprising Olaf Müller, Alexander Yendell, Nils Friedrichs and Dr. Gergely László Rosta.
According to Münster church historian Prof. Dr. Hubert Wolf, Germans know too little about how historiography is created in archives. Speaking in the 2012 video “How history is made”, the academic from the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” says that, while people are very enthusiastic about historical topics, they can “scarcely believe the hard work that actually goes into historical research”. THe video is in German language.
