The “Religious Conflicts and Coping Strategies” interfaculty research cooperation (IRC) brought its four-year project to a successful conclusion in 2022.
“Religion plays an ambivalent role in social conflicts. Knowing when, how and why religion is involved in a specific conflict is important,” says IRC Co-Head Katharina Heyden when summing up one of the key findings.
Within the scope of twelve sub-projects, more than 30 researchers of the University of Bern investigated the previously insufficiently documented relationship between religion and specific conflicts and asked about coping strategies. How much potential do religions have in terms of placating or aggravating conflicts? And how can societies deal with religiously charged conflicts?
The IRC has developed a model that illustrates interactions between factors of conflict, religious dimensions and coping mechanisms. It incorporates insights from the realms of political and social science, religious research and psychology and shows which factors need to be taken into consideration when analyzing a conflict with religious dimensions.
The model embraces a context-sensitive approach in an effort to find appropriate coping strategies and identify the constructive potential of conflicts – and of religion in conflicts.
"Our model can be an aid to context-sensitive perception of religion in conflicts in order to find adequate coping strategies," says IFK co-director Katharina Heyden. The point is to recognize the constructive potential of conflicts - and of religion in conflicts.