This workshop, related to the Muslim youth groups project, aims at confronting preliminary results of the research team with other researcher's findings and theoretical concepts.

In the frame of the two-year project "Muslim youth groups and engendering civic social capital in Swiss society", researchers at the University of Lucerne currently study Muslim youth groups and their activities in Switzerland. The project seeks to investigate the various perspectives and attitudes of Muslim youth on religion and society and asks to what extent embeddedness in religious associations impedes or enhances integration and participation in Swiss society. In particular, the project will take-stock of the various religious, cultural, and social activities of youth groups within and outside Muslim organisations. Using the approach and vocabulary of civic social capital, developed by Prof. Alex Stepick and his team at the International University of Florida, Miami, the project seeks to analyse to what extent Muslim youth group activities provide and promote the building of bridges and links towards the wider society.

Being now well into the second half of the project period, the research team in Lucerne invites academic researchers with similar interests to a one day workshop. We would like to discuss our preliminary findings, learn from your field observations and research findings, and exchange theoretical concepts. The workshop will include a keynote by Prof. Stepick as well as presentations by researchers from related projects in Vienna and Fribourg. Researchers from other contexts are welcome to attend and to participate in the discussion. They will need to provide for own travel and accommodation. Meals including dinner will be offered by the organizers thanks to the funding by the Jacobs Foundation.

For application and more information please contact Andreas Tunger-Zanetti