Paper submissions are invited for a thematic session for the 34th conference of the International Society for the Sociology of Religion, which will be held in Lausanne 4-7 July 2016.
Convener: Professor Torkel Brekke, the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and Centre for Research on Extremism (C-REX), University of Oslo (torkel@prio.org)
Conference/submission page: https://wp.unil.ch/issr2017conference/call-for-papers/
Abstract: This thematic session addresses an important but understudied aspect of the diverse European reactions to the influx of refugees with Muslim background and, more generally, immigration from Muslim majority countries.
There seems to be increasing unease among politicians and researchers about the conflict potential of growing religious diversity in Europe. Christian symbols and narrative are often invoked in European politics, sometimes by xenophobic groups and individuals. Some far-right movements see the immigration of Muslims as a threat to Europe’s Christian civilization. Still, there is little research about the roles that Christianity plays in shaping and justifying attitudes and political positions towards growing religious diversity and towards minority groups in Europe today. This thematic session invites contributions with various methods that address the roles that Christianity has in shaping and justifying attitudes to Muslim refugees and immigrants and policies on immigration from Muslim majority countries.