Report: Workshop 'Religious Plurality'

On 13 and 14 September 2024, an international workshop on the time diagnostics of religious diversity in Vienna and Austria took place in the Dean's Hall of the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Vienna. The workshop focussed on the following questions: What characterizes religious diversity in Vienna and Austria? How can it be conceptualized in a practical way? What are the special features of the local situation in international comparison? What does this mean for professional action? The workshop was organized and conducted by HS-Prof. Dr. Karsten Lehmann. It was funded by the City of Vienna, the RaT Research Centre and the KPH Vienna/Krems.

[Translate to English:]

© KPH

The workshop started from the observation that people who are professionally confronted with religion(s) and religious diversity - such as teachers, police officers, administrative staff or journalists -  often lack the conceptual tools to deal with such phenomena. Drawing on current research in the Sociology of Religion and Religious Studies as well as the concept of social science time diagnostics, the workshop aimed to make an innovative contribution to dealing with this particular situation.


On the one hand, the comparative contributions showed how closely the legal (national) regimes of religious diversity are linked to the situation of religion(s) - on the meso-level of organisations and movements as well as on the micro-level of individual ideas. One can hardly discuss the one without the other. This applies in particular to the practical, professional handling of religion(s). On the other hand, the comparative cases have once again underlined the special nature of religious diversity in Austria - for example with regard to the (often) close cooperation between religious and political institutions in Austria, the (still) comparatively low potential for conflict (for example in comparison with South Africa), as well as the high degree of homogeneity in Austria (for example in comparison with Switzerland and its diverse cantonal solutions).

Further information can be found here.

The invitation to the workshop can be found here.

Published at: