Religion and Social Integration in Europe
REGIE 2009-2014 - Religion and Social Integration in Europe: Milestones and Interim Results
The inter-disciplinary volume published by the REGIE project examines the role that religion, traditions and religious practice play in social integration in various European contexts. Click here for more information about the publication "Integration durch Religion?". The book is the result of the international REGIE conference which took place in the summer of 2012.
REGIE has organised its own series of lectures over three semesters. These religion and integration lectures advance the following themes: ‘Religion and social integration in Europe’ (2010), ‘The dispute concerning religious heritage - Religious communities between adaptation and denial.’ (2011), and ‘Majorities and minorities in Europe – Religious identities in transition.’ (2014)
REGIE has concentrated its research in five sub-projects. Numerous contributions have been published by the researchers involved to a range of academic contexts. A key finding has been that it is crucial to distinguish between issues of social integration at the individual and (religious) group level on the one hand, and questions of systemic integration within society on the other, as religions can function very differently at these two levels.
Over its duration, REGIE has obtained additional funding through spin-off acitvities: A permanent collaboration has been established with the University of Leipzig and in particular Professor Gert Pickel, within the framework of the project ‘New Dynamics in Religion, Politics and Society in Europe’ (NDRPSE). Originating from sub-project 4, SNSF funding has been obtained for research towards the ‘Swiss Metadatabase of Religious Affiliation in Europe’ (SMRE).
From the start, REGIE has accompanied public discourse about religion in Switzerland. Indeed, the opening event concerned the then as now controversial minaret-ban. Until then, Switzerland had been comparatively cautious over state policies regulating religion.
