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Tunisia's religious opposition

Date:11 September 2013
Author:Religion Factor
Recent events in Egypt have once again raised questions about the relationship between religion and politics in the Middle East. These events are significantly impacting other countries in the region, including Tunisia where the political situation is changing rapidly. In this post Frank Ubachs comments on the binary opposition between a religious and a secular camp that media coverage of the revolts in both countries now routinely postulates as an explanation in itself of the dynamics of change. Such sweeping dichotomies gloss over important nuances. If we are to really understand what is driving the situation, we must speak with the actors themselves.

Is the ‘new’ religious engagement really all that new? The need for reflection on the underlying values and assumptions in the engagement with religion

Date:19 August 2013
Author:Religion Factor

In this post, Brenda Bartelink draws on her research on faith based development organisations in the Netherlands and Uganda, and Dutch initiatives to engage with religion to raise some critical points for reflection on the new US Office for Faith-Based...

What does “engaging religion” mean for religion?

Date:14 August 2013
Author:Religion Factor

Last week, the US State Department made the much-anticipated announcement that it is establishing a new “Office of Faith-Based Community Initiatives” whose mission, Secretary of State John Kerry said, is “to engage more closely with faith communities...

Dead Sea scrolls on exhibition in Assen

Date:16 July 2013
Author:Religion Factor

Recently, a unique exhibition on the dead sea scrolls has opened in the Drents Museum in Assen, the Netherlands. The exhibition is curated by prof. Dr. Mladen Popovic, director of the Qumran institute in Groningen.

Humanities: down to business?

Date:05 July 2013
Author:Religion Factor

In this post, Elske Kroondijk and Erik Meinema consider the increasing influence of market discourses on academic practice, and reflect on the question how scholars and students in the Humanities can engage with this development. 

Koran & Bijbel weg uit de Tweede Kamer? De misvattingen rondom de Scheiding tussen Kerk en Staat uitgelicht.

Date:04 July 2013
Author:Religion Factor

Naar aanleiding van de ophef omtrent het verzoek van Tweede Kamer voorzitter Van Miltenburg om de Heilige Geschriften uit de Kamer te laten verwijderen, licht Carine Nijenhuis enkele misvattingen uit rondom de Scheiding tussen Kerk en Staat.

Allergic Reaction to “The Religious Other” or just a Neurobiological Fact?

Date:25 June 2013
Author:Religion Factor

Neurobiology, Social influence and its impact on our capacity to empathize.

Religion and Gay Marriage Opposition in France

Date:24 May 2013
Author:Religion Factor

This week, French President Francois Hollande signed into law legislation that allows for same sex marriage and child adoption by gay couples. With this act, France became the 14th country in the world recognizing these rights.  Yet, the process has been...

Saving lives – but which ones? Life, belonging and postsecular possibilities in contemporary asylum politics

Date:23 May 2013
Author:Religion Factor

In today’s post, Erin Wilson reflects on the recent decision by the Australian parliament to excise its territory from its migration zone, what this means for how we value life, how we belong and how both religious and secular perspectives can help us...