The Changing Faces of Interreligious Dialogue

Organizers: Ruth Illman, Åbo Akademi University, Finland, (rillman@abo.fi), and Peter Nynäs, (pnynas@abo.fi), Åbo Akademi University, Finland

Due to the changing forms and functions of religion in contemporary society, many researchers today call for a renewed understanding of interreligious dialogue. Several overarching process on social, political, economical and cultural levels have altered the way religion is understood and employed in everyday life, thus also affecting the idea and practice of dialogue among religions. Among these, we find the complex phenomenon of globalisation. On a political and economical level, neo-liberalism as an all-encompassing ideology is gaining ground. These trends implicate an on-going transformation of Western societies, not towards secularisation as previously assumed, but rather towards a post-secular culture including greater diversity of ideas, values and practices.

The transformation of the religious landscape poses theoretical, methodological and ethical challenges to the research on interreligious dialogue. After a long tradition of intellectualised perspectives centring on the problem of ultimate truth claims in a pluralistic world, new creative and emotional approaches are currently envisioned through e.g. feminist critique and hermeneutic discourses, focusing on issues such as:

• The question of agency. As the influence of institutionalised forms of religion declines and spiritual practices focusing on individual agency and choice gain in importance, the question is raised of who acts in the dialogue situation, and by what mandate. Is dialogue still the business of religious leaders and exegetic experts or are other, individual actors gaining in influence and inspiration?
• The forms of dialogue. The growing importance attached to personal development as well as emotional and spiritual fulfilment has strong bearings on the practice of dialogue. Can dialogue still be envisioned as an abstract, meta-level comparison of theoretically and historically fixed traditions? Or is today rather an enriching and spiritually enhancing encounter between human beings? What role is played by e.g. popular culture, media, Internet communities and consumerism?
• The dialogue experience. The revitalisation of experiential forms of religion also has important consequences for interreligious dialogue as theory-centred efforts are being contested by a growing interest in utilising all senses in practicing dialogue. How is an interreligious understanding experienced and acted out in the contemporary situation, What kind of practices are regarded as meaningful and spiritually enhancing?

A paper session will be arranged around the theme of interreligious dialogue, focusing explicitly on the challenges to traditional dialogue theories outlined above and on new forms of dialogue gaining relevance in the new religious landscape.