research

Cross-Disciplinary and Cross-Denominational

Research is crucial to A World of Neighbours. Scholars affiliated with the network investigate what migration means at local and global levels.

Concentrating on the significance of multi-faith initiatives for welcoming people on the move, we aim to foster open-minded discussion about migration in Europe by providing critical and constructive accounts of the work of A World of Neighbours in the context of different and diverse European migration regimes.

Our research is cross-disciplinary and cross-denominational, involving scholars from a variety of religious and non-religious backgrounds from all over Europe who bring their experience and expertise to bear on the challenges most critical to the work of the network.

ongoing projects

Public Theology in the Post-Migrant Society: The Role of Religion in Multi-Faith Refugee Relief (ptps)

This project explores the role of religion in the practices of A World of Neighbours. Drawing on public theology, a multidisciplinary and multidenominational field of studies concentrating on the significance of theologies for the public square, the project analyses and assesses what impact multi-faith cooperation has on refugee relief across Europe to examine under which sociological and theological conditions diversity of religions can become a force for cohesion rather than conflict in pluralist societies.

The project is funded by Lunds Missionssällskap.

The project team includes Idil Akinci, Ryszard Bobrowicz, Alessia Pasarelli, and Ulrich Schmiedel.

Welcoming the Stranger: Resources for a European Multi-Faith Ethics of Migration (WTS)

Funded by a Saltire Collaboration Grant from the Royal Society of Edinburgh together with the Birgit och Sven Håkan Ohlssons Fond, WTS brings together scholars and stakeholders concerned with faith-based refugee relief in Europe to develop practice-based resources for a multi-faith ethics of migration.

Through immersion in the work of the practitioners of A World of Neighbours, theologically-engaged scholars from the Abrahamic religions investigated the significance of their theological traditions for a multi-faith ethics of migration in action, producing ethical guidelines for faith-based networks.

For the resources, have a look at “Who We Are: A World of Neighbours”, “Creating Brave Spaces: A Toolkit”, and “The Place of Religion in A World of Neighbours”.

Stay tuned for our forthcoming book!

Living in a World of Neighbours: Activists and Academics in Conversation about Multi-Faith Refugee Relief, co-edited by Ryszard Bobrowicz, Anna Hjälm, and Ulrich Schmiedel.

Migration is stirring up controversy across Europe. In many countries, politicians and pundits point to conflicts and clashes that – or so the story goes – flare up when people of different religious and non-religious ways of life come together. This compilation challenges this standard story. Setting an experimental and explorative agenda, it brings together the voices of activists and academics who are affiliated with A World of Neighbours, a multi-faith network working with people on the move in every corner of the continent. Coming from a wide variety of contexts and countries, these voices share their experiences and their expertise in the practice of multi-faith refugee relief to show a different story for Europe.

Nothing can stop us from building a world of neighbours.

With contributions by Amloud AlAmir, Vanessa Barker, Ryszard Bobrowicz, Mártha Bolba, Sabina Esp, Atallah FitzGibbon, Peo Hansen, Antje Jackelén, Amjid Khazir, Maria Kjellsdotter Rydinger, Rebecca Lillian, Majbritt Lyck-Bowen, Alessia Pasarelli, Anya Topolski, Cecilia Sahlström, Aude Sathoud, Ulrich Schmiedel, Rikko Voorberg, Karol Wilczynski, and Jakob Wirén.

head of research

Ulrich is Professor of Global Christianities at Lund University, Sweden. He has written widely on public and political theology, particularly religion and migration in Europe.