Religion, Society, and World Relations

The investigation of self- and transcendental relationships, of the relationship between community and individual and of ritual communication and its meaning, as well as the reflection on social-institutional orders, on processes of social change, on value and meaning concepts, combine the question of "religion", "society" and "our relationship to the world". This mutual interrelation of individual actors, social structures and cross-border horizons gives the research in this focus area its profile. In concrete intra- as well as interdisciplinary projects – the profile is formed here by the association "Attraktion, Repulsion, Indifferenz – eine kulturvergleichende Analyse von Weltbeziehungen" ("Attraction, Repulsion, Indifference – A Culture-Comparative Analysis of our Relationship to the World") – researchers in this field are dedicated to historical and contemporary phenomena in different cultural and social contexts. All faculties and the Max Weber Kolleg as well as the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy and various Graduate Centres like the Center for Political Practices and Orders and the Theological Research Centre are involved in the projects. For a long time, there has been close cooperation between the actors of the research focus in research and teaching, including joint conferences and workshops, lecture series and publications, and interdisciplinary seminars. The research is characterized by a special interest in the utilization of historical research results for questions of religion, culture and society of the present, whereby current social debates are taken up consistently and intensive scientific communication is carried out.

Projects of the research focus (German only)