Local ‘formulas of peace’: Religious diversity and state-interfaith governance in Germany

Abstract

Religious pluralization in line with participatory policy approaches has led to a new field of cooperative governance of religious diversity. This article explores the collaboration between state and (inter-) religious actors in two metropolitan regions in Germany, namely Hamburg and Rhine-Ruhr. Drawing upon qualitative fieldwork, this article provides a systematic analysis of discursive and structural measures of state-interfaith governance in the two regions. It clearly shows that state-interfaith governance gains in importance and is practiced in various forms depending on the contextual setting. Based on this, comparative case analysis shows that state-interfaith governance in Germany is characterized by (1) a prominent role of the established churches; (2) a potential of accommodating religious diversity which is, however, restricted by a narrow orientation of the world-religion model and the predominant focus on Islam; and (3) takes place in a complex multi level setting which calls for further investigation.

Masks, Mosques and Lockdowns: Islamic Organisations Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany

“…Instead, some interviewees described feelings of gratitude for the central decision, where local authorities felt relieved of their responsibility and burden to decide on this delicate matter. Studies on local mosque management illustrated that it is mainly done by volunteers from the more inward-looking second generation with limited resources and administrative knowledge, while German-born members of the third generation may yet lack confidence or interest in representing the mosque (e.g., Jonker 2005;Nagel and Kalender 2014;Körs and Nagel 2018). Hence, (internal) rule compliance and the fast adaptation by local communities to the pandemic-related restrictions can be interpreted as an alignment of leadership interests with grassroots concerns.…”

“…Because of Germany's federal structure, which includes 16 states (Länder), and related cul-[3] tural and religious policies, the governance and institutionalisation of Islam is negotiated predominantly at the state level (Körs and Nagel 2018). Negotiations over a cooperation treaty between Muslim leaders and the state government of Lower Saxony began in the early 2000s.…”

The church and diaconia as local partners in the social space: Challenges and opportunities

“…In short: the church is becoming more diaconal! The new church places described above, for example in Amsterdam, but also in Cape Town, Frankfurt or New York, seem to connect precisely these elements: They represent innovative approaches that implement the church's mission as an experiential community in the context of a social space by responding to people's needs and networking with other actors, for instance in interfaith relationships (Körs & Nagel 2018). In this Böckel (2016) sees the church's future potential:…”

Governing religious diversity in cities: critical perspectives

“…The use of religious symbols in public urban spaces, again specifically Islamic ones, has also been the focus of recent enquiries (Burchardt and Griera 2018;Burchardt, Griera, and García-Romeral 2015). Research on interfaith bodies and activities as instruments of public policy in urban governance is another significant development that has increased our understanding of the transformations in the ways religion is addressed publicly (Dick and Nagel 2017;Galal, Liebmann, and Nordin 2018;Griera 2012;Körs and Nagel 2018). All these works provide rich insights into urban processes of the negotiation of religious difference between different actors.…”