Peace, Trauma and Religion - Research Team

Research Team - Peace, Trauma, and Religion

• Aim

  In the next four years the team will study “The role of religion in the construction of post-conflict narratives and practices of polarisation and transformation/reconciliation”, in the ‘post-conflict’ societies of Colombia, Indonesia, South Africa, Russia, the Balkan region – and The Netherlands. In this project we apply a 'lived religion' methodology and deliberately combine experience of religious studies and systematic/practical theology and ethics.

  As we aim to ask “dangerous” questions, we will use postcolonial epistemologies (transdisciplinary and intersectionally), including insights from Feminist/Womanist and Gender Studies, “Racial” Justice Studies, Trauma Studies, and more. Our post-colonial lens makes it imperative to cooperate closely with local research partner institutions in each of the regions studied. This way, we will ensure that the knowledge production benefits all local partners involved and that research methods are further refined in collaboration with research partners, building a strong research network.

  We have organised and will organise expert-meetings, summer-schools, and excursions with students in the PTR program.

• Team

  • Fernando Enns (Team Leader)
  • Robert Beckford
  • Eddy van der Borght
  • David Gushee
  • Jessica Roitman
  • Katya Tolstoya
  • Leon van der Broeke
  • Andrés Pacheco Lozano
  • Srdjan Sremac
  • Theo van Willigenburg
  • Student Assistent Daniel Serrano Bernal
  • Hans de Wit

• Disciplines

  Systematic Theology al, Ethical, Empirical, Historical

• Possible thesis topics

  In recent years MA theses have been written on topics like:

  • Postcolonial Practice in the Ministry of Care. A Postcolonial Approach to the Remembered Identity Stories of Chinese Indonesians
  • Civil Resistance in the Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Bill Movement in Light of Postcolonial Theology
  • How Rebaptism can help Yazidi Women, formerly Enslaved and Sexually Exploited by Da’esh
  • Women of Faith Peacebuilding Contributions to Feminist Theology in an Intercultural-Decolonial Horizon in Colombia
  • Exploring Gandhi and King’s Understanding and Practice of Nonviolence for Political and Societal Change in Present Times
  • The Role of Churches in the Ukranian Revolution
  • Nûr from Different Prisms: Exploring Syrian Women Refugees’ Faith-Commitments Through Lived Religion

• Possible PhD Topics

  In recent years PhD theses have been successfully defended on:

  • Convictions, Conflict and Moral Reasoning: The Contribution of the Concept of Convictions in Understanding Moral Reasoning in the Context of Conflict, Illustrated by a Case Study of Four Groups of Christians in Northern Ireland
  • Towards a Theology of Reconciliation: A Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace to Heal Broken Relations in Colombia
  • Avowing Truth, Embodying Justice: A Theological Analysis of Truth-Telling and Transitional Justice in South Africa
  • “Bridging the Self-Other Divide.” Conflict Transformation and Contemplative Spirituality in Dialogue
  • Vrede hebben met het kruis van Christus. Onderzoek naar een soteriologie vanuit dopers perspectief
  • School Shootings: Existential Concerns and Implicit Religion

• Collaboration Senior and Junior Researchers

  The team meets monthly to discuss presentations and review the development of the common research project. Students in the Research Master and PhD candidates participate in the monthly meetings of the Research Team. PhD/MA students are actively involved in the meetings by taking up responsibilities such as moderating sessions, taking minutes and by exchanging research material and literature.

  Given the international and diverse character of the team and the foreign base of many PhD-students these meetings will be held via Zoom, also in the coming years.

• Connection with education

  The research developed feeds – among others – the Master specialization on Peace, Trauma, Religion (PTR) which attracts tens of students every year.

• Connection with centers/institutes

  There is a strong link to the Amsterdam Center for Religion and Peace & Justice Studies.