SMRE Session at the EASR 2018 in Bern

The SMRE team organized a session at the EASR 2018 in Bern (17-21 June 2018). The title of our session was "Contested Religious Belongings in Europe. Membership, Practice and Identiy in Comparative Perspective".

Contested Religious Belongings in Europe. Membership, Practice and Identiy in Comparative Perspective

The role of religion in European societies has become a prominent topic of public and academic debate. Questions concerning religion figure large when it comes to identities, politics and social integration. Historically religion in Europe is a highly territorial feature of social structure. Its standard form is an exclusive social membership role. Currently Europe’s religious landscape is changing rapidly. The number of religious bodies and communities is growing. Muslim minorities and persons without religious affiliation take a larger share within many countries. In addition, religious affiliation and religious belonging have gained a new prominence as categories of social identification. Consequently, the importance of statistics on religious affiliation has grown. Data on religious affiliation, practice and Identity are regularly brought forward in debates about the strength, predominance and acceptance of various religious groups.

How different are countries and regions of Europe religiously? What happens to religious practices like church attendance? How religiously pluralized is Europe? And how and why do these changes interplay with social conflicts concerning religious identities and state religious policies?