Migration and Religion

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

During the major migratory movements to Germany that began in the mid 1950s, in which workers from other European countries and later from Turkey were specifically recruited, the living situation and the religion brought with them of the migrants received little interest for a long time. At the latest since the so called refugee crisis in 2015, the situation and, in particular, the social perception of migration has changed dramatically. Hardly anything apart from Corona moves and polarizes German society more than the issue of migration and refugee policy. The seminar will focus on this often controversial debate with a very specific focus: it will examine the role and importance of religions and their followers in this debate. In addition, it is necessary to ask what religious-political problems a modern state faces, based on the separation of state and religion and the right to religious freedom. Program The seminar will continuously deal with questions of religious studies and religious history in order to analyse and reflect on currently discussed problems and conflicts on the topic of migration and religion e. g. Does Islam belong to Germany?. In a further focus, we will discuss the relationship between state and religion, the right to religious freedom and its political implications in the European context.