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Religion for Sustainable Societies -Research Team-

The mission of this Research Group is to research academic, political, societal and religious discourses in the field of religion, public policy, and human rights in the past, present and future.

The focus of this Research Group is on Religion, Public Policy and Human Rights. As the faculty expects much from governments, it is relevant they can see that our Faculty, and more specifically this research group, pays profound attention to the interplay between religion, public policy, and human rights. This agenda relates to the three goals of the Faculty of Religion and Theology at VU Amsterdam: academic relevance, relationship with faith communities, and the role of religion in society (valorisation).

Research Team - Religion for Sustainable Societies

  • Mission

    The mission of this Research Group is to research academic, political, societal, and religious discourse in the field of religion, public policy, and human rights in the past, present, and future. This agenda relates to the three goals of the Faculty of Religion and Theology at VU Amsterdam: academic relevance, relationship with faith communities, and the role of religion in society (valorisation).  

    The focus of this Research Group is on Religion, Public Policy and Human Rights. As the faculty expects much from governments, it is important they can see that our faculty, and more specifically, this research group, pays profound attention to the interplay between religion, public policy, and human rights.  

  • Aim

    The aim of the Research Group Religion for Sustainable Societies (originally, Religion, Public Policy, and Human Rights) is to work together as junior and senior researchers in the interdisciplinary field of public policy and human rights, both in research and education, and to contribute to societal urgency and challenges. 

  • Team

  • Disciplines

    Religion, law, and society/church polity; religion and public policy; religion and human rights

  • Possible Master thesis topics

    • Religion and public policy
    • Religion and human rights
    • Public policy and human rights
    • The rights of religious minorities
    • SDG13
    • Gender equality
    • Faith communities
    • Faith communities and governments/civil authorities
    • Demands for good governance and policy access for religious minorities
    • The religious freedom of/and faith communities
    • Religious freedom in faith communities
    • The organization of faith communities
    • Politics and religion
    • Politicians and religion
  • Possible PhD topics

    • Religion and public policy
    • Religion and human rights
    • Public policy and human rights
    • The rights of religious minorities
    • SDG13 with a view to spirituality
    • Gender equality
    • Faith communities
    • Faith communities and governments/civil authorities
    • Demands for good governance and policy access for religious minorities
    • The religious freedom of/and faith communities
    • Religious freedom in faith communities
    • The organization of faith communities
    • Politics and religion
    • Politicians and religion
  • Collaboration Senior and Junior Researchers

    Junior researchers (PhD/MA-studenten) participate in this research group, not only as listeners to senior researchers but as active participants in reading and commenting on each other’s work (research proposal, applications for funding, draft manuscripts etc.), but also in preparing meetings, seminars, and taking responsibility for public relations of the research group.

  • Connection with education

    The research group is connected to education when it comes to:

    • the Minor Religion, Law, and Society. 
    • two master modules (electives) at the Faculty of Law on Faith Communities and Law (1 and 2). Their names will be changed to Religion and Law (1 and 2). In module 1 the focus is more on the religious aspects and in module 2 more on the juridical aspects of the main theme of Religion and Law.
  • Academic relevance and societal urgency

    The fields of human rights, public policy, law, and religion not only reveal academic relevance, but also societal urgency, and the specific needs and/or questions of society and societal stakeholders with regard to these fields.

  • Connection with centers/institutes

    Two research centres are attached to the research group Religion for Sustainable Societies:

  • Research agenda

    The overarching focus in the research agenda of R4SS is the role of religion in its diverse perspectives: politics, politicians, governments, and civil authorities at the (inter)national, regional and local levels; it focuses on law (religious freedom, migration law); history; education; political parties; faith communities (their contribution to a sustainable society, religion in the public domain); sustainable development; and human rights.

    In the coming years, R4SS focuses on the role of religion in a diversified and sometimes unstable Europe. The European Union started from a Christian vision and legitimized, as a religious narrative, the foundation of Europe. More than six decades later, Europe exists as a mainly economic community in a post-Christendom era under a secular canopy. 

    Recent developments, as result of the invasion in Ukraine, demonstrate not only an accelerated turn towards a more united and stronger political and military European Union but moreover a confrontation with the religious narrative of authoritarian Russia. This raises the question about the identity of the European Union as a world power, especially how its political identity connects to (a)religious narrative(s). Since this research group not only focuses on Europe as such, but on its functioning in a global context, this topic is connected with the question of how other, non-European, powers use religion as a narrative to account for their global position, and how they connect religion with their political identity, be it democratic, authoritarian or otherwise.

  • Contact

    To communicate with us, please send a message to our research assistant, Luciano E. Bizin (l.e.bizin@vu.nl), and he will get back to you as soon as possible.