Preliminary Programme

This paper studies the questions of belonging, citizenship and cultural identity of Radhasoami followers in Canada by studying discursive practices and ideologies in several communities. The focus is on the issue of belonging of Radhasoamis while considering several aspects of responsible citizenship and its impact on cultural identity. While analyzing the assertion of a discursive identity that is global, cosmopolitan and distinctly Radhasoami, and thus as quite distinct in the Canadian context, it would be important to also inquire about emotions and ideologies linked to queer, dalit and indigenous identities within the community. How do contemporary debates on minority identities inform discursive practices and identity narratives within the Radhasoami community in Canada? This paper discusses issues of belonging, citizenship and cultural identity by means of analysis of fieldwork and data from interviews with Radhasoami followers. (Show less)

In his Apostolic Exhortation in 2016, Pope Francis explicitly acknowledged different family forms as a source of lived faith and expressed the importance of pastoral care that starts from the reality of people’s everyday lives. However, this open statement is only one side of the issue. Catholic church teaching has also always been explicit – and insistent – in its assertion that there are specific moral standards that should guide Catholics with regard to how the ideals and practices of procreation, child raising and family life are to be understood and taught. It is against this background of contrasting dynamics that I will assess the different programmes, events and courses that selected German dioceses have offered (and continue to offer) for couples and families since the late 1960s. What do those measures consist of? At whom are they directed? How do they manage to both include not only church teachings but also take account of diverse findings from social science and the extent of changing societal values? (Show less)

This paper explores how Presbyterians in Northern Ireland responded to the conflict commonly known as the Troubles (1968-1998), focusing on how they have used Christian conceptions of forgiveness to make sense of their experiences of violence and loss. The paper offers two levels of analysis: 1) narrative analysis of the discourses of religious elites, such as ministers and other church leaders; and 2) narrative analysis of more than 100 interviews, conducted in 2017, with so-called ‘ordinary’ Presbyterians with a variety of experiences: victims, security force personnel, emergency responders, health care workers, grassroots peacemakers, politicians, paramilitary ex-combatants, and people who left Presbyterianism. At an elite level, the analysis reveals tension between those who advocate unconditional forgiveness; and those who insist that the perpetrator must repent or apologise before forgiveness can be granted. These discourses are echoed among ordinary Presbyterians. But the interviews also include insights into the complex and often long-term individual and social processes required for forgiveness to occur. The paper concludes by considering how or to what extent the Presbyterian Church, as the largest Protestant denomination in Northern Ireland, might influence contemporary public discourses about forgiveness, in a context where healing and reconciliation remain elusive. (Show less)

The widespread social transformations brought by new technology in the early and middle decades of the twentieth century (and the expectation that such trends would only accelerate in the coming years) were a central topic of discussion for social commentators of all political persuasions and worldviews. Christians were active participants in such efforts to explain and, if possible, influence the direction of social change: in many ways, their reactions were similar to those of non-Christians; however, many also saw in their faith traditions a distinctive resource for understanding and evaluating the changes going on around them. This paper concentrates on a British network of ecumenically active Christian academics, thinkers, and activists, drawing out key aspects of their thinking about technological development and the social changes it brought with it. Particular emphasis is laid upon how post-war narratives reveal broad continuities with inter-war emphases and concerns, even if the language of analysis changed. (Show less)