- 2022 – 2026
- Prof. Dr. Kerstin Radde-Antweiler
German Team: Prof. Dr. Kerstin Radde-Antweiler, Dr. Hannah Grünenthal
International Team: Dr. Gladys Ganiel (Queen’s University Belfast), Prof. Dr. Solange Lefebvre (University of Montréal), Prof. Dr. Slawomir Mandes (University of Warsaw), Dr. Caoimhe Ni Dhonaill (Queens University Belfast, Mathieu Colin (Montréal), Denitsa Tsvetkova (University of Montréal), Dr. Marta Kolodziejska (University of Warsaw), Dr. Katarzyna Sienicka (University of Warsaw).
Funding: Trans-Atlantic Platform Social Sciences and Humanities: T-AP Recovery, Renewal and Resilience
The role of religion, but also of religious organizations, has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even in largely secularized societies, negotiation processes took place regarding the role of religion, but also religious organizations and their relationship to society.
ReCov-19 examines religion in four largely secularized contexts of the Global North: Canada, Germany, Republic of Ireland/Northern Ireland and Poland.
Both the respective majority religions (Catholicism/Protestantism) and religious minorities (Islam, etc.) are examined.
The study focuses on three key areas:
- Discourses on health, disease and science, including discussions and recommendations on compliance (or non-compliance) with restrictions, public health measures and vaccination
- Lobbying and exchanges with governments and policy makers, including the contribution of religious groups to debates arising from the pandemic, such as addressing inequalities and mental health issues
- Introducing digital innovations such as mixed online/presence approaches to religious practices
Using a mixed-methods approach, documents and publications of religious communities as well as public media coverage are analyzed, as well as surveys with religious actors and interviews with experts and lay people.
RECOV-19 is a three-year, multidisciplinary research project funded by the Transatlantic Platform (T-AP) for the Social Sciences and Humanities, a collaboration between humanities and social science research funders from the Americas and Europe. It is funded as part of T-AP’s “Recovery, Renewal and Resilience in a Post-Pandemic World” program.