News — Research Programme on Religious Communities and Sustainable Development

Research Programme on Religious Communities and Sustainable Development

Welcome to the Research Programme on Religious Communities and Sustainable Development!

About us: The Research Programme on Religious Communities and Sustainable Development is an interdisciplinary hub for excellent research and policy advice...

... in the field of religion and development. It is based at the Faculty of Theology and headed by Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Gräb and Philipp Öhlmann. We seek to actively contribute to finding solutions to the fundamental challenges of our time. We do so with a focus on religious communities in different contexts – investigating their potential to foster development, equality, social cohesion and ecological sustainability, but also analyzing their role as possible sources of exclusion and marginalization – and by continuously intensifying our international collaboration, particularly with our partners in the global South.

Current News

Call for Applications: The IN//RCSD Master Class "Development Paradigm in Coversation - Master Class on Religious Communities and Sustainable Development" | Deadline 31 May 2022

In-person Class. 08 August - 19 August 2022 - University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (Pietermaritzburg Campus)

The application form can be found here.

We are very delighted to announce the application for the IN//RCSD Master Class 2022 is now open! Kindly find the overview of the application here.

The objectives are to provide MA and PhD students with theoretical and methodological research techniques in religion and sustainable development, which has so far found its way into the curricula of only a few universities. The course offers research training from internationally renowned lecturers with participants receiving an advanced course in qualitative research methods.

Further information can be found here.

Send application in ONE COMBINED PDF DOCUMENT to Ms Nora Monzer network.rcsd@hu-berlin.de

Invitation: Lecture Series on Religion and Ecology | 20 May, 25 June, 08 July 2022

Kindly find the information here.

We are very delighted to invite you to participate in the Lecture Series on Religion and Ecology.

How are religion and sustainability related? Do religious communities contribute to social transformations towards sustainability? And if so, in which ways? Or does religion in fact hinder or counteract sustainability?

The lecture series explores these questions by focusing on the relationship between religious communities and socio-ecological transformations. Kindly register to Ms Anna-Linnea Herrmann: anna.linnea.herrmann@hu-berlin.de

Philipp Öhlmann and International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development (PaRD) on "Prayers and Policy": How Governments and Religious Actors Can Meet Sustainable Development Goals Together

Please click here to find the full article.

Recent studies show that insecurity increases religiosity in societies; simply put, religion plays a more significant role in places where development cooperation is relevant. The reluctance to formalise government cooperation with religious organisations has political, social, and historical validity. Yet, as Dr Philipp Öhlmann points out, “we need to show people the relevance of religion independent of their own attitude or disposition towards it.”

Newsletter 02/2021

Please click here to find our current newsletter.

Here, we provide news from our Research Programme as well as information concerning new publications, upcoming events and our most recent activities.

A Panel Discussion on Sustainability with Philipp Öhlmann, Katharina Pyschny, Mona Feise-Nasr and Wolfram Stierle

"Glauben & Wissen. Theologiegespräche an der HU": Nachhaltigkeit

Please click here to find the talk (in German).

Climate change and its ecological and social consequences, the exploitation of natural resources and the extinction of animal and plant species - humanity is responsible for all this. In this interview, the speakers discussed this topic more in depth.

Radio Interview on Religion and Sustainability in the Deutschlandfunk Program "Climate Talks" with Philipp Öhlmann.

Please click here to find the full article (in German).

„Klimaschutz & Religion. Was die Kirchen sagen – und was sie tun“.

Philipp Öhlmann was interviewed for this interesting program of Deutschlandfunk. He talked about the contribution of churches in the field of climate protection in Africa. In particular, he highlighted their role in relation to sustainable agriculture. If you want to know more about this topic and about the role climate protection plays in German churches, we invite you to read the whole article here.

Religion and Sustainability: Interview with Marie-Luise Frost on the Sustainability Webportal of Humboldt17

Please click here to find the interview (in German).

Religion connects people, their faith brings them together to shape society together. This is especially true in those regions of the world where religious communities are the most important local institutions. Can communities there contribute to sustainable development? And if so, what role do religion and religiosity play in this process of change? These are the questions that researchers at the Research Programme on Religious Communities and Sustainable Development (RCSD) want to answer.

Research Result and Policy Recommendations for German Development Policy

"Potentials of Cooperation with African Initiated Churches for Sustainable Development"