Conference on ‘Religion and Politics in the Construction of the European Union’, 16th June, London School of Economics

Report 

On Saturday 16th June a very successful one day conference on ‘Religion and Politics in the Construction of the European Union’ was held in the Founders’ Room (aka the Shaw Library).  This international event was supported by the Department of Government and the European Institute and was organised by John Madeley and Lucian Leustean (who recently received his doctorate) both of the Department of Government.  

The programme addressed a wide range of issues including Secularism, the role of Christian Democracy, European enlargement, church-state models, whether Europe has a soul, the place of Islam in the EU, and religious lobbying in the EU. There were twenty two presentations during the day, divided between a morning plenary session and two sets of parallel afternoon sessions. Ninety participants from fifteen countries attended the conference including historians, philosophers, political scientists, sociologists of religion, canon lawyers and students of religious studies. All agreed that the variety of disciplinary approaches made the discussions particularly valuable and stimulating.  Due to the large number of papers, the conference worked on the assumption that full versions of all of the papers had been read in advance; they had been made available electronically two weeks before the day of the conference.  Each presenter was given only fifteen minutes to remind the audience of their paper’s content, and underline, point up or modify the main points.  This ensured focused and informed dialogue between the presenters and other participants.   It is hoped and expected that the conference will be followed by the establishment at the LSE of a Forum on Religion in Europe in the 2007/2008 academic year. We are grateful to the following publishers for their financial assistance towards the costs of the conference: Oxford University Press; Cambridge University Press; Amsterdam University Press; Sage; Routledge; and Polity Press.

PROGRAMME

Opening Plenary Session, 10.00-12.30, Shaw Library, 6th Floor, Old Building, LSEJohn Madeley, London School of Economics

Introduction: Grit or Pearl? The Religious Factor in the Politics of European Integration - Professor Jean-Paul Willaime, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Sorbonne

Secularism (Laïcité), Religion and European Integration - Dr Linda Risso, University of Reading

The French and Italian Christian Democrats and the Rearmament of Germany, 1949-1955 - Professor Norman Doe, Cardiff University

Toward a ‘Common Law’ on Religion in the EU - Dr François Foret, Université Libre de Bruxelles

Religion: a Solution or a Problem for the Legitimization of the European Union? - Max Fras and Dr David Herbert, Open University, London

European Enlargement, Secularization and Religious Republicization in Central and Eastern Europe

Break, 12.30-14.00

Parallel Sessions A Church-State Models, 14.00-15.30, Shaw Library, 6th Floor, Old Building, LSEChair: Professor Roger Trigg, Oxford University & Professor Mark Hill, Cardiff University

Voices in the Wilderness: The Established Church of England and the European Union - Dr Sabine Riedel, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, Berlin

Models of Church-State Relations in the European Union Russell Sandberg, Cardiff University

Church-State Relations in Europe: Towards a New Legal Model - Daphne Halikiopoulou, London School of Economics

The Changing Dynamics of Religion and National Identity: Greece and Ireland in a Comparative Perspective

Europe’s Soul, 14.00-15.30, Room 316, 3rd Floor, Old Building, LSEChair: Dr Piers Ludlow, London School of Economics Carin Laudrup, University of Copenhagen

A European Battlefield - Does the EU Have a Soul? - Giulio Venneri and Paolo O. Ferrara, University of Trento

The Europeist efforts of Alcide De Gasperi and the Proposals of Antonio Messineo: A Spiritual Conception of Politics Meeting a Pragmatic Idea of Religion? - Professor Vincenzo Pacillo, Universita di Modena e Reggio Emilia

‘Positive Secularism’ and its Development in the Italian Legal System Dr Blandine Chelini-Pont, Université Paul Cezanne, Aix-en-Provence

The Papal Thought about Europe and European Union and its Ways of Influence

Break, 15.30-16.00 Parallel Sessions B Islam in the EU, 16.00-18.00, Shaw Library, 6th Floor, Old Building, LSEChair: Dr Effie Fokas, London School of Economics Dr Benoit Challand, European University Institute, Florence

From Sickle to Crescent: The Question of Religion for European Identity - Dr Katherine Brown, University of Southampton

Fanatics in the Mosque and the Women Want In? The Impact of Securitisation Agendas on Identity, Gender and Community - Luca Mavelli, University of Wales, Aberystwyth

Islam and European Integration. Re-enforcing or Overcoming the Divide? - Parveen Akhtar, University of Birmingham

Religion in the Air: A Case Study of a Birmingham-Based Muslim Radio Station

EU Lobbies, 16.00-18.00, Room 316, 3rd Floor, Old Building, LSEChair: Dr Lucian Leustean, London School of Economics Kenneth Houston, University of Ulster, Belfast

Article 52.3: The Logic of Structured Dialogue between Religious Associations and the Institutions of the EU Friederike Böllmann, Philipps University, Marburg
Churches as INGOs and EU Policy Experts? The Europeanization of Religious Organisations - Dr Martin Steven, University of Glasgow

Religious Lobbies in the EU: From Dominant State Church to Faith-Based Organisation Sabrina Pastorelli, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Sorbonne
European Union and New Religions

http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/government/news/conferencereligion&politics.htm

If you have any questions please contacts the organisers:

John Madeley (j.madeley@lse.ac.uk) & Lucian Leustean (l.n.leustean@lse.ac.uk)