Routes and relations in Scandinavian interfaith forums: Governance of religious diversity by states and majority churches

Abstract

In the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, as elsewhere in Europe, governance of religious diversity has become a matter of renewed concern. A unique aspect of the Scandinavian situation is the hegemonic status of the respective Lutheran Protestant majority churches, usually referred to as 'folk churches', with which the majority of the population associates, alongside a prevalence of high degrees of regional secularism. As such, the majority churches have played a key role as both instigators and organisers of several interfaith initiatives, and have thereby come to interact with the public sphere as providers of diversity governance. Based on country-level studies of policy documents on majoritychurch/interreligious relations and field studies, this article sets out to explore the prompting and configuration of majority-church-related interfaith initiatives concerning church-state relations and the governance of religious diversity.

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.…”

Tiltrædelsesforelæsning: Arrival of the fittest

“…Det aendrede politiske klima har også betydet, at når man arbejder som antropolog med spørgsmål relateret til flygtninge og indvandrere, må man navigere inden for et politiseret felt med stor bevågenhed fra journalister, politikere, NGO'er og kommentatorer. Mange kan sikkert huske den polemik, der fulgte i kølvandet på den såkaldte "RUC-rapport" (Galal & Liebmann 2020) i sommeren 2020. For at gøre en lang historie kort var resultatet en opslidende debat om anvendeligheden og lødigheden af akademisk forskning i spørgsmål relateret til indvandrere og flygtninge.…”

Religious Diversity in Europe

“…Some of these originated in the ecumenical movement or, particularly in Germany, in the attempts at reconciliation between Christians and Jews. Public authorities sometimes appeal to majority churches to encourage interfaith activities both as an instrument to prevent potential conflicts and the emergence of extremism, but also to promote moderate forms of religion and civic education(Galal, Liebmann and Nordin 2018;Griera and Forteza 2013). Some Muslim communities in Europe are also striving to foster interfaith dialogue,…”