Projects

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• IRP: Der Beitrag der religiösen Bildung zur Citizenship Education in einer pluralen demokratischen Gesellschaft [The contribution of religious education to citizenship education in a pluralistic democratic society]

  The habilitation project "The contribution of religious education to citizenship education in a pluralistic democratic society: Perspectives of students and teachers on Islamic and Catholic religious education at public schools in Austria" deals with the question of the extent to which Islamic and Catholic religious education in Austria can contribute to citizenship education or democracy education - i.e. to the promotion of democratic awareness and social participation. In view of the increasing spread of competing narratives, problematic attributions, fake news, right-wing populism and religious fundamentalism, the importance of democracy-related education is experiencing a significant revaluation.

  The aim of the study is to identify those dimensions of religious education that act as a social force in the context of the institution of school and meet the requirements of a modern, pluralistic society and its value base. The central research question will be investigated as part of the project: What contribution can Islamic and Catholic religious education in Austria make to citizenship education in a religiously diverse society?

  The project is based on a qualitative research approach, which aims to record the experiences and attitudes of pupils and teachers. As part of the study, a total of around 40 pupils (Catholic/Islamic) and 40 teachers (Catholic/Islamic) will be surveyed in guided interviews.

  The survey of the students aims to record their perceptions of religious education, particularly with regard to the teaching style, group dynamics and discussion culture. Furthermore, their handling of divergent understandings of religion and theological topics is discussed. Furthermore, the students are asked how they perceive politically and socially relevant topics. Another focus is on the students' experiences with interreligious education.

  At the same time, the teachers are interviewed about their teaching approaches and experiences. The guidelines for the interviews are based on various focal points, including the concepts of religious education, such as objectives, teaching style and discussion culture. Furthermore, dealing with divergent understandings of religion and theological topics as well as dealing with politically and socially relevant topics will be researched. A focus is placed on value orientations, practicing basic democratic attitudes and dealing with current discourses and conflicts. The teachers' experiences and attitudes towards interreligious education also play a central role.

  The interviews are evaluated using qualitative content analysis according to Kuckartz.

  The aim of the project is to identify the potentials and challenges of denominational religious education with regard to democracy education. On this basis, impulses for practice and the training of religious education teachers will be derived.

  The project is headed by Dr. Senol Yagdi PhD.

  Project duration: 2024-

   

   

   
• IRP: Muslimischer Antisemitismus in Moscheegemeinden Österreichs? [Muslim anti-Semitism in Austrian Mosque Communities?]

  This interdisciplinary anti-Semitism project, funded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences and led by Prof. Dr. Ednan Aslan, MA and Mag. iur. Michael Kramer, PhD, deals with the relationship between Islam and Judaism and between Muslims and Jews, as well as with the denotation of anti-Semitism. For this purpose, young Muslim women between the ages of 18 and 30 who attend mosques and imams of various mosque communities in Austria will first be interviewed within the framework of qualitative social research. A follow-up application is then planned to conduct interviews with young Jews as well as rabbis and Jewish scholars in Austria on Jewish-Islamic relations. The findings of this study are not only relevant for experts, politicians and legislators, but also have social significance, as they encourage critical reflection on the mutual relationship and its academic as well as media reproduction.

  Further information can be found on the project website.

  Project duration: 2023-
• ATS: Multimediales Lehr- und Lernmaterial zum Alevitentum: Bedarf, Entwicklung und Anwendung [Multimedia teaching and learning material on Alevism: demand, development and application]

  The first steps towards the academic training of Alevi religious education teachers worldwide were taken with the introduction of the "Teacher Training for Alevi Religious Education" at University of Education Weingarten in 2011 and the partial Bachelor's degree programme "Alevi Religion" at the University of Hamburg in 2015. These degree programmes, which were implemented for the first time in German-speaking countries, are still in the phase of basic academic and didactic development. In addition, subject-specific certification and further training courses have been offered throughout Germany by the Alevi umbrella organisation (AABF) for several years.

  Alongside the introduction of Alevi religious education (ARU) in currently eight federal states at over 100 schools, these achievements mark an important milestone in the academic institutionalisation of Alevism. However, in addition to the opportunities, they also bring with them a multitude of challenges in the systematic processing of teaching and learning materials.

  The research project therefore focuses on the development of multimedia teaching and learning material on Alevism, which is theologically reflected and prepared in terms of religious and media education. This target group-specific material will be accessible via a specifically created website and is primarily aimed at university lecturers in teacher training, teachers and pupils. However, it is also intended to offer all other interested parties a condensed and comprehensible approach to the topic of Alevism through an AI-based library.

  The project is based on the view that educational institutions in Germany's immigration society can make an important contribution to recognising religious and cultural diversity in an appreciative manner and integrating it on an equal footing. For this reason, particular attention is paid to promoting interreligious dialogue, diversity skills, an understanding of democracy, civic engagement and an examination of current social discourse in addition to religious content when designing the teaching and learning materials on Alevism.

  This project is led by Prof. Dr. Handan Aksünger-Kizil and Dr. Miriam Grabenheinrich. Initial start-up funding comes from the professorship's appointment funds and is supported by the professorship for Religious Education at the University of Hamburg.

  Project duration: 2024-2027
• IRP: Effekte des Islamischen Religionsunterrichts in Österreich [Effects of Islamic Religious Education in Austria]

  The research project of Prof. Dr. Ednan Aslan, MA and Tamara Nili-Freudenschuß, BA MA aims to evaluate Islamic religious education in Austria on the basis of results obtained through quantitative research. The project compares the knowledge about and attitudes towards Islam (and other religions) of 9^th grade students who attend Islamic religious education with the knowledge and attitudes of students who have opted out of Islamic religious education. The project is designed as a cross-sectional study with approximately 1,000 subjects per group.

  The aim is to elicit the effects of Islamic religious education in Austria on the basis of the knowledge and attitudes surveyed in the questionnaire, which will serve as a basis for its further development.

  Further information can be found on the project website.

  Project duration: 2022-
• ATS: Gelebte Religion in alevitischen Gemeinden in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz [Living religion and religious education in Alevi communities in the DACH region]

  The project explores the question of which religious content and which religious knowledge is passed on with the help of which oral, written and performative sources in Alevi communities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

  Following the principle of mixed methods, a) participant observation, b) guided interviews, c) video recordings, d) online questionnaires with young people and so-called e) "action days" in Alevi Cem houses will be carried out. In this context, a survey will be conducted at selected locations to collect written and audiovisual sources in the form of audio, video and image recordings, as well as artifacts from family traditions, in order to ideally make them available for basic research and the training of religious education teachers.

  The project is led by Prof. Dr. Handan Aksünger-Kizil and is currently financed from the professorship's appointment funds. Further information on the project can be found in the linked PDF file (in German).

  Project duration: 2023-2028
• IRP: The Return on Islamic Religious Education - an Evaluation of the Effects of Islamic Religious Education in Central Java

  This is a project by Prof. Dr Ednan Aslan, MA in collaboration with UIN Walisongo in Indonesia.

  Islamic religious education in Indonesia, like the other subjects, has an important educational mission in public schools, in that it aims to enable Muslim students to develop a religious orientation in confrontation with their cultural, social origins and the Islamic tradition, and to treat people of other religious or ideological orientations with respect and tolerance. Given this central importance of Islamic religious education for society, the project “the return of Islamic religious education – an evaluation of the effects of Islamic religious education in Central Java” aims to investigate the extent to which Islamic religious education in Central Java’s public schools achieves its educational goals.

  The planned research project aims to evaluate Islamic religious education in Central Java based on results obtained through quantitative research. For this purpose, a comparison of the knowledge about and attitudes towards Islam (and other religions) of 12th grade students attending Islamic religious education classes (study group) with the knowledge and attitudes of students attending Islamic religious education classes in a non-Muslim country, using Austria as an example (control group), will be conducted. The two projects are supervised and coordinated by an international team.

  By comparing the results of the study and control groups, the effects of Islamic religious education in different contexts can then be elicited. This is possible because the survey also captures instructional, personal, and social indicators that can be used to determine the extent to which variances between the study and control groups are moderated by Islamic religious instruction or caused by other factors.

  Further information can be found on the website of the project.

  Project duration: 2022-
• ATS: Alevitischer Religionsunterricht und Digitalisierung in Europa: Grenzen, Chancen und Erwartungen [Alevi Religious Education and Digitalisation in Europe: Limitations, Opportunities and Expectations]

  The world's first Alevi religious education (Alevitische Religionsunterricht, ARU) was taught in Berlin in 2002/03. The idea and the associated further training of Alevi religious education teachers were developed through the initiative of the Alevi Cem houses on the district and national level.

  Within the framework of this project, an initial inventory of Alevi religious education (ARU) in German-speaking countries is to be drawn up and, in a second step, a working platform (Cloud/SharePoint) is to be provided. The aim is to exchange different methods, possibilities and developments in learning and teaching religious knowledge through theological, pedagogical, social, sociological and anthropological approaches in a digital environment. The transparency of the ARU on this digital platform can promote socio-political expectations regarding the integration and identity policies of Alevis in the countries where they live. By incorporating social media and digital interaction, this project can also contribute to the ARU's digital teaching. 

  This project is led by Prof. Dr Handan Aksünger-Kizil and Dr. Deniz Coşan Eke. Initial start-up funding will come from the appointment funds of the professorship, and in the further run third-party funding is to be acquired

  For further information please visit the website of the project (in German).

  Project duration: 2022-
• IRP: Islamlandkarte

  A project by Prof. Dr. Ednan Aslan, MA

  Project duration: 2021-2025
• IRP: Religious Education Pedagogy Podcast

  RelipedCast is a multimedia project run by the department for Islamic Religious Pedagogy at the Institute for Islamic Theological Studies at the University of Vienna, led by Prof. Dr. Ednan Aslan, MA.

  The podcasts and radio features scientific voices involved in the science and tenets of religious pedagogy and would like to be known as a platform where topics of religious pedagogy are explored and debated.

  Further information can be found on the website of Religious Education Pedagogy Podcast.

  Project duration: 2020-
• ATS: Digitale Edition und Übersetzung einer Buyruk-Handschrift [Digital Edition and Translation of a Buyruk Manuscript]

  Even though the transmission of religious knowledge in Alevism was primarily oral and through ritual acts, there are nevertheless a considerable number of written sources. As part of the project, a historical, Ottoman-language Buyruk manuscript will be transcribed and translated into German, which will appear in a digital version with commentary. The transcription has already been done and the translated version should be available by the spring of 2021. This project is led by Prof. Dr. Handan Aksünger-Kizil and Dr. Cem Kara. Start-up funding for the project will come from the professorship's appointment funds. In addition, further third-party funds are to be raised.  

  Project duration: 2019-
  

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• ATS: Bestandsaufnahme und Systematisierung [...] zur Qualifikation religiösen Personals in alevitischen Gemeinden in Deutschland [Inventory and systematisation [...] of religious personnel in Alevi communities in Germany]

  As part of the research expertise "Bestandsaufnahme und Systematisierung von Erfahrungen, Erwartungen und Empfehlungen zur Qualifikation religiösen Personals in alevitischen Gemeinden in Deutschland" [Inventory and systematisation of experiences, expectations and recommendations for the qualification of religious personnel in Alevi communities in Germany], we are looking for interviewees for qualitative interviews.

  In each city (Berlin, Hamburg, Mannheim, Stuttgart, Hannover and in the Ruhr area) five to six Alevi clergy (Dede and Ana) as well as Alevi lay people (Talip) are to be interviewed.

  The project, led by Prof. Dr. Handan Aksünger-Kizil, is funded with 25.000 euros by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees in Germany. Dr. Deniz Cosan Eke is employed as a research assistant in the project. 

  You can find more information in the article linked here.

  Project duration: 2020-2022
• IRP: Einfluss des medial vermittelten Islambildes auf die religiöse Orientierung muslimischer SchülerInnen in Österreich [The influence of the image of Islam conveyed by the media on the religious orientation of Muslim pupils in Austria]

  Project by Prof. Dr. Ednan Aslan, MA, in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Erol Yildiz from the University of Innsbruck

  Migration and mobility are phenomena that have become indispensable in today's society. More and more people have transnational connections as well as their own or family migration and mobility experiences. Diverse lifestyles, language and everyday practices are also becoming increasingly visible and audible in Austria. The pluralisation of society is accompanied by dynamic processes that also influence religious orientations and affiliations. The proportion of the Muslim population in Austria has risen significantly in recent years and was put at around 700,000 members by the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) in 2017 (cf. ÖIF 2017).

  If we look at the media representation of Muslims and Islam, we see above all organised Muslim associations, institutions and mosque congregations, which, however, only make up a small section of religious everyday practices and by no means reflect the diversity of all Muslims (cf. Aslan/Kolb/Yildiz 2017). In media representations, there are numerous examples that often depict Muslims as "different" in a generalised way. This image creates binary group affiliations ("us" and "them")

  The findings of this study are on the one hand relevant for experts, but also have social significance beyond that, as they encourage critical reflection on existing images of Islam and their academic and media reproduction. The results can also serve to rethink existing concepts of migration and integration. In addition to the deconstruction of stereotypes, insights into their structural conditions of emergence are indispensable for professional interaction in a heterogeneous field of work.

  Further information can be found on the project website (in German).

  Project duration: 2020-2022
• IRP: Podcast zur virtuellen Konferenz "Peace Education and Religions" [Podcast for the virtual conference "Peace Education and Religions"]

  A project by Prof. Dr Ednan Aslan, MA

  Project duration: 2020
• IRP: Religious and Scientific Instruction on Evolution and Origins in Israeli Schools

  A project by Prof. Dr. Ednan Aslan, MA in cooperation with University Haifa, University College London

  Project duration: 2019-2023
• IRP: Handbuch der Islamischen Religionspädagogik [Handbook of Islamic Religious Education]

  A project by Prof. Dr Ednan Aslan, MA

  Project duration: 2018-2022
• IRP: Citizenship Education and Islam

  The university project "Citizenship Education and Islam" under the direction of Prof. Dr. Ednan Aslan, MA, CEAI for short, offers teaching materials, podcasts, videos and blog posts on socio-political topics from the perspective of a European-style Islam. Citizenship is the encounter of people with the structures and laws of a state. If religion and migration play a role in this, it also requires a particular degree of debate. It is an exciting encounter. Ideally, a dialogue.

  The project serves to convey intercultural values. This arises on the one hand from Austrian-Christian cultural history and on the other hand from the traditional religious attitude of Muslims in Austria. The CEAI project wants to take the religious background of Muslim children and young people seriously. Therefore, CEAI offers a substantive, but also personal-emotional examination of the question of which individual and authentic participation possibilities exist in Austrian society. In this regard, the focus is on identity formation and civic awareness of young Muslims in Austria.

  CEAI aims to provide the clearest possible definitions and representations of various values, principles, tenets and norms of Islam and democracy. Democracy in this sense is not to be understood merely as a model of rule. In the context of the Austrian Constitution, democracy also refers to ensuring the rule of law, respecting universal human rights, allowing diversity and guaranteeing peace, security and freedom. This can enable the participation of all children and young people living in Austria in shaping the future and create a solid foundation for social peace.

  Further information can be found on the CEAI website (in German).

  Project duration: 2015-2020
• IRP: Islamische Landkarte

  A project by Prof. Dr Ednan Aslan, MA

  Project duration: 2012-2020