"What do you think about religion? ..." Gretchen asked Dr. Faust in Goethe’s tragedy of the same name. A research team at the TRAWOS Institute is also exploring this topic under the title “A Religion-Sensitive Culture of Integration in Eastern Saxony—Exploration, Testing, Design.” After all, even today, religious differences continue to cause friction and alienation in everyday life. In particular, religious practices that are visible in everyday contexts—such as wearing certain types of clothing or celebrating religious holidays in public— such as the end of Ramadan in Islam or religious processions by our Polish fellow citizens of the Roman Catholic faith, reinforce the sense of difference. This is often triggered by a lack of knowledge and a lack of dialogue between religious and non-religious people.
This is where the “Religiously Sensitive Integration Culture” project of the TRAWOS Institute at the Görlitz university campus comes in; the project launched in August. The development of a religion-sensitive integration culture among and between locals and migrants in the Görlitz district is to be supported by fostering and organizing (inter)religious communication, education, and experiential processes. The focus is on mutual communication and learning among and between atheists and believers of diverse religions and denominations. The conceptualization, planning, and implementation of dialogic educational formats and modules as part of a pilot project are intended to contribute to this goal. Another goal is to foster networking among stakeholders in this field (social integration and the role of religion). The project is funded by the Free State of Saxony as part of the state program “Integrative Measures” and by the Görlitz district as part of a cooperation agreement.
Anyone who would like to learn more or get involved can find more detailed information about this and other projects on the institute’s website.
This initiative is co-funded with taxpayer money based on the budget approved by the members of the Saxon State Parliament.
Contact:
Diplom-Sozialwissenschaftlerin Sînziana Schönfelder
Email: Sinziana.Schoenfelder@hszg.de
Phone: 03581 374-4671