Youth, Religion and Participation : Theoretical and Methodological Approaches

This roundtable session focus on religious and social change as well as democracy and political culture, startingfrom the role of youth in these processes. The role of religion in young people’s participation is a key theme inthe cross-disciplinary network “youth and religion” connected to the Impact program. Participation here includesboth citizens’ “vertical” capacities to make their voices heard and influence decision-makers in the political system(e.g. via elections or civic organizations and social movements) and their “horizontal” capacities to communicateand cooperate with other people (within society at large or certain associations/communities). The participants ofthe session will present influential theories and methodologies used to study participation among youth within theresearch disciplines they represent (i.e. sociology of religion; theology; ethnology; political science). This will befollowed by a joint discussion of how these theories and methodologies have approached religious involvement witha particular focus on youth’s participation in politics, civil society as well as social media and the internet. The aim ofthe session is to look for common themes and new issues that can guide contemporary studies of participation in thefield of youth and religion. The session is open to conference participants interested in the issues discussed.

Möten med muslimer i Sverige

Snart tjugo miljoner muslimer lever i Europa, och runt 300 000 i Sverige. Knappt fyra procent av Sveriges befolkning är muslimer, och bara en liten del av dem utövar sin religion, är praktiserande. Men alla muslimer, oavsett grad av religiositet, behandlas ungefär på samma sätt. De möts av fördomar, okunskap och hat. Detta konstaterande låter journalisten och författaren Kerstin Gustafsson Figueroa bli utgångspunkt för en antologi -För Guds skull. Muslimer i Sverige -fylld av personliga samtal med människor bakom stereotypierna.