Summary "International Conference on Peace Education and Religions", October 22-25, 2020

10.11.2020

As an interdisciplinary and transnational platform for researchers, academics and activists, the virtual conference offered an exchange across disciplines and illustrated interfaith aspects of peace education.

 The virtual conference "International Conference on Peace Education and Religions" took place online from October 22 to 25, 2020 with great interest from an international audience. The intention of the conference was to create an interdisciplinary and transnational platform for researchers, academics and activists to discuss the topic of peace education and religions with diverse aspects and the latest empirical and theoretical developments in this field.


The conference virtually hosted over 42 participants from all over the world, from Africa, Latin America, the Middle East to Europe. The topics discussed were as diverse as the participants themselves. During the four intensive days, prominent scholars from different disciplines of religious education, sociology or theology as well as young scholars and activists addressed current topics such as the refugee question, the effects of global developments on peace education and religions and reported on ongoing projects with practical relevance. In addition, they presented new theoretical approaches, religious education concepts as well as theological positions regarding peace education. Country-specific perspectives were also the topic of the conference, which in turn gave the audience an insight into practice and theory. Interreligious aspects of peace education in today's globalised, religiously pluralistic as well as mobile world represented an essential theme of the conference.


The recent religiously motivated acts of violence in France and Austria, which aim at destroying peaceful coexistence, show how urgently peace education in relation to religion needs to be addressed and promoted in religious education work.  In this sense, the discussions highlighted the relevance and the need for interdisciplinary and international exchange in the field of peace education, in a time of religious conflict, linked to a question of social justice.