New graduate centre: "Glocal Religiosities: Entanglements, Identities, Belongings"

The graduate centre was initiated by Professor Patrick Becker (Faculty of Catholic Theology) and Professor Katharina Waldner (Faculty of Philosophy).Other founding members of the research group are Dr Christoph Günther, Professor Vasilios Makrides and Dr Isabella Schwaderer (all Faculty of Philosophy).

The complex interdependencies and patterns of influence that have arisen through processes of globalisation mean that both local and global narratives play an important role in the development of social identities and belongings. Researchers within the GlocRel centre aim to explore these – contemporary or historical – entanglements from a range of different transdisciplinary standpoints.

Work at the centre seeks to analyse the convictions and experiences of individuals or collectives as well as the processes which contribute to the creation of meaning and identity, insofar as these can be interpreted as expressions of religiosity. The centre draws upon the methodological and theoretical diversity of cultural and social studies. It seeks to bring historical perspectives on religious thought and praxis into dialogue with empirical methods of research, combining broad transcultural perspectives with attention to local situations and circumstances.