ESA Research Network 34 Sociology of religion mid-term conference
20-21 August 2025, Tilburg University, The Netherlands
“The liquid presence of religion in the public sphere”
What happens when the boundaries between religion and other institutional spheres such as politics, economy, education, care, and the arts are revisited? This question calls for renewed attention to the public sphere, stretching from the prominent presence of religion in contemporary politics to the public significance of individual faith among younger generations.
Despite ongoing secularization as generally observed in quantitative studies of religion in Europe, religion continues to play an important role in the public sphere, including in politics, civil s
ociety, and social media. The role of religious institutions and discourses in recent political events—such as the US elections, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the continuous rise of populist movements in Europe and beyond—shows the need to reflect on the shape of the public sphere and its prominent actors. These events also present an opportunity to critically rethink the place of religion in ‘modern’ societies beyond theories of privatization and differentiation.
This meeting of the ESA RN34 Sociology of Religion focuses on the volatile relations between the religious and the secular, particularly where the religious ‘leaks’ into the secular and vice versa. We welcome papers that examine how secular institutions take on ‘religious’ characteristics and how religious organizations or groups incorporate secular elements into their practice. The conference aims to further our understanding of how current developments—such as globalization, neoliberalism, the rise of authoritarianism, and digitalization—influence and transform values, social relations, and religious communities and shape new ways of meaning-making and religious experience. Research projects on all three levels of analysis (macro, meso, and micro) and their interactions are invited.
We invite topics related, but not limited to, the following key themes:
– Racism and xenophobia, geopolitics, and religion
– Mediatization of religion and religious values
– The role of religion and spirituality in conspiracy movements and theories
– Manifestations and expressions of modern spirituality
– Religion in the context of neoliberalism
– Secular spirituality as new forms of capital
– The influence of technological developments on religious institutions and discourses (including AI)
– Religious identities and political parties: mutual influences
– Apocalyptic discourse and rituals in (anti-)environmental movements
– Religion and welfare states in crisis: new avenues
Keynotes: Suzanne Klein Schaarsberg (Tilburg University), Marian Burchardt (University of Leipzig)
Deadline for abstract submissions: February 28th, 2025
Abstract submission form [closed]
Fees:
| ESA and NOSTER members | Non-members | |
| Regular attendees (PhD, affiliated) | 100 EUR | 120 EUR |
| PhD Students, MA students | 80 EUR | 80 EUR |
| non-affiliated/ independent scholars | 80 EUR | 80 EUR |
The fees include conference participation, coffee breaks, and welcome reception dinner on August 20th.
If you have any questions, contact us via esarn34conference[at]gmail.com
Registration: https://esareligion.org/conferences/current-conference/registration/
The conference is co-organized by the CRiPS: Centre for Religion in the Public Sphere | Tilburg University
The Conference organization was supported through ESA funds, Tilburg University, and NOSTER – Netherlands School for Advanced Studies in Theology and Religion