Churches and Religion in the Cold War

Description

Churches and Religion in the Cold War
The interactions between politics and religion during the Cold War have profound historical, social and theological implications. This era, dynamic on many levels, not only influenced geopolitical relations, but also shaped the development of churches and other religiously determined entities on a global, but above all on a local level.
Protagonists, entities and networks in the field of religious actors in the second half of the last century in the context of the Cold War are considered in particular as those who found their fields of activity in the social, cultural and ethical issues of the time.
They were initially characterized by an analytical approach to the relevant social contexts and thus their own perspective on the signs of the times, from which they attempted to develop solutions to overcome ideological boundaries, a possible improvement in the living conditions of believers and, in any case, the protection of human existence. In this context, for example, the "preservation of creation" was recognizable as a theological perspective and task and was repeatedly a mainstay in the field of action of religious actors. In church or non-hierarchical religious spaces, both in the international diplomatic arena and in the local sphere of activity, everyday life on the ground, it was evident that in the "half-century Cold War" religious entities and networks were ostensibly prepared to take on a more neutral, politically independent and moderating role. They were ostensibly able to act more independently than state, politically integrated actors of the time and were thus, for example, important partners in the development and course of the CSCE process.

ReCoNet ("Religion and Cold War Network"), a network of various international universities (Bielefeld, Fribourg, Helsinki, Lund, Cagliari, Salzburg, Villanova), is dedicated to this broad field of research topics. We invite researchers to the third follow-up conference in Salzburg to submit their contributions to this international conference on "Religion in the Cold War" in order to evoke and deepen a comprehensive understanding of this topic, with its interactions between churches/religions and society, politics and diplomacy.

Period	25 Sept 2024 → 27 Sept 2024
Event type	Conference
Location	Salzburg, AustriaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International