Welcome on the homepage of the European Graduate School (EGS) “Theology in Religious, Cultural and Political Processes of Transformation“.
In terms of topics and organization, the EGS combines theological research and the training of young scholars from three European universities. The EGS investigates current transformation processes of and in the Catholic Church in Europe and worldwide, which have changed its social presence as well as its self-understanding.
Some major questions are:
- How are these processes to be interpreted?
- How can we understand them as transformations of grown traditions, as reforms, as dissolution phenomena etc.?
- What new forms of Christianity emerge as a result of these transformations?
The implications that these processes introduce into ecclesiology and thus into the self-understanding of the Church are of particular interest for the EGS. The projects aim at helping to understand the crisis of the Church and how to deal with it. They should develop future scenarios for contemporary and future church life.
For this purpose, socio-institutional, religious, political, pastoral developments and changes in “church administration” are examined in PhD and postdoctoral projects as well as in cooperative international research.
The EGS “Theology in Religious, Cultural and Political Processes of Transformation” is located at the three Universities of Erfurt (Germany), Leuven (Belgium), and Salzburg (Austria). The Principal Investigators are:
Prof. Dr. Judith Gruber
(Leuven, Systematical Theology)
Prof. Dr. Julia Knop
(Erfurt, Systematic Theology)
Prof. Dr. Gregor Maria Hoff
(Salzburg, Fundamental Theology)
Prof. Dr. Benedikt Kranemann
(Erfurt, Liturgy and Ritual Studies)
While there has been intensive research on liberation theology in Leuven in recent years, in Salzburg questions of the theory of religion and culture have been in the foreground for a long time. In Erfurt, research on questions of theology, church and secularization has also been going on for a long time in the “Theologische Forschungskolleg”.
The research team has already collaborated in various contexts: Currently, an international publication project is in progress that deals with the reception of the Amazon Synod in and for Europe. For further cooperation, especially with young theologians, the EGS has been established. Small teams will work at the three locations. Networking will be ensured both digitally and through on-site workshops and research visits. The doctoral students and postdocs will also benefit from the scientific profile of the different universities. Fellows who will work at the different locations and in the overall project will also contribute to the cooperation. Joint supervision of doctoral students is planned, as well as excursions, conferences and joint publications. Other researchers, also beyond Erfurt, Leuven and Salzburg, are planned to take part in the project, which is initially scheduled to run for three years. The Stifterverband has made 1.2 million euros available for the entire project.