RISECI
What is RISECI?
RISECI is an acronym that means Religion in the Construction of European Cultural Identity; a project that has united for 2 years 4 European organizations and that has been led by the Blanquerna Observatory of Communication, Religion and Culture.
The University of Edinburgh, the Sigtuna Foundation in Sweden and the Sticna Christianity Museum in Slovenia are the actors of a project that reflects on the role of religion in the European public space and in the construction of its identity in cultural terms.
On one hand, RISECI is based on the idea that, if Europe wants to explore its religious heritage, it must first recognize its legacy. The project, in this sense, offers the opportunity to talk in a new context; to integrate all religious and non-religious traditions that have become part of the construction of Europe.
European religions and cultures, the various spirituals have an important role in Europe in terms of social change. Religion in a globalized world has triggered a cascade of unexpected consequences that affect civil society in very different ways.
Religion, on the other hand, is a source of interpretations and is a source of universes of meaning that have nurtured the new European context. That is why this project seeks to bring together the territories where religion has played a significant role and others in which the religious factor is less explicit or absent.
The objective is to offer new perspectives on the debate on the sacred, the new technologies, the cultural heritage and the idea of Europe. That is the reason why our goal is to establish relationships with European partners from geographically distant places. We are trying to understand this phenomenon not only from a local point of view, but from a broad and genuinely European perspective.
Shared knowledge is the backdrop for this project, which is being developed by two universities, a museum, associations, cultural organizations and, above all, institutions with different religious origins: Anglicanism and Lutheranism.
The main objectives are the following ones:
- Creating a new way of cooperating in the field of religion, culture and the media within the European context.
- Encouraging the creation of multi-European networks among partners from different areas and disciplines in the field of culture, religion and issues in Europe.
- Analyzing how Religious Organizations and Non-Religious Organizations can help by fostering social cohesion in different European countries.
- Promoting multi-stakeholder association, a public of different ages and different religions.
- Promoting cohesive societies that show the benefits of cultural heritage regarding to religious issues.
- Experimenting with interdisciplinary connections, such as history, new technologies, visual arts, journalism and cultural studies, among others.
- Reflecting on public interaction in the issues of religion, media and culture.
- Responding to the so-called “European exception” when addressing to religious affairs (public visibility of religion has been reduced).
- Discovering innovative forms of participation of social media in the field of art, culture, media and religion.
- Coproducing a European Cultural Calendar with the most important religious events in the European history.
- Drawing a comparative map of the religion that shows the different expressions of art in the north and in the south of Europe.
- Discovering whether religious identities are defending or tending to share values within the European landscape.
Links
Check thoroughly the following website for further information about the activities and results regarding the project : www.riseci.eu
