The quarter finals against populism: national identity in the Dutch elections

  Renée van der Harst - Wagenvoorde has written an analysis of the campaigning period  and how it differs from previous years of the Dutch parliamental elections that will take place on the 15th of March. Renée is a postdoctoral research fellow and the funding officer of the Centre of Religion and the Public Domain.  …

Inviting our future: liberal de-culturalization and the Paris attacks – Part two

  “Perhaps we should ask ourselves if these people have not rather come here to save us.” (Erik Borgman)   In today’s post Ton Groeneweg continues his analysis of liberal de-culturalization as a deeper trend exposed by the responses to the attacks in Paris. In this second part of his blog, he focuses on how …

Inviting our future: liberal de-culturalization and the Paris attacks – Part One

After a brief hiatus, today we continue our series of reflections on the broader meaning and consequences of events such as the attacks in Paris in November late last year. In today’s post, which is the first of a two-part blog, Ton Groeneweg reflects on the structures that create and sustain the image of superiority …

Religion and Disaster Risk Reduction: A Review of the World Disasters Report 2014

The 2014 edition of the International Federation of the Red Cross’ (IFRC) World Disasters Report (WDR 2014) focuses on risk and culture.[1] The intersection of these two areas represents a response to the current trend for disaster risk reduction (DRR) research, policy, and programming in the humanitarian sector and the introduction of culture as a potentially …

“Culture” or “religion”? Understanding the popularity of the Passion

The Passion comes to Groningen in 2014. A hugely popular event, it raises many questions at the same time. Is it a form of religion reasserting itself in the public sphere? Is it a purely cultural event, as some commentators suggest? Is it a combination of the two? What are its political and social implications? …

Turkey and Religion; included or excluded in the EU?

Today's post shows Ella Sebamalai's reflection on Turkey's accession to the EU. On the one hand she reflects on religion and  secularism as part of the public debate, on the other hand she also illustrates the consequences of specific perceptions. In a crisis custody case between the Dutch government and a Turkish migrant family in the …

Antisemitisme Nederlandse Moslimjongeren; Sociaal Probleem

In de post van vandaag bespreekt dr. Marjo Buitelaar het sociale probleem van antisemitisime onder Nederlandse Moslimjongeren. Daarin bespreekt zij zogenaamde oorzaken en de misperceptie daarvan door, onder andere, de media. In een NRC- artikel over antisemitisme van moslimjongeren in de krant van 15 maart 2013 worden verschillende verklaringen hiervoor genoemd, waaronder het antisemitistische klimaat …

Multiple Secularities: How Culture Matters in Religious-Secular Relations

Next Tuesday Prof Monika Wohlrab-Sahr will give a seminar in Groningen on her research into the impact of different secularities in various cultural and political contexts. Today she gives Religion Factor readers a sneak preview. There is a tendency in recent literature on secularism, either to highlight the unifying ideological power of “the secular modern” …