Julia Köbrich

In African societies, celebrations of religious diversity exist alongside (violent) religious extremism. What determines whether interreligious relations are peaceful or contentious? What can we learn from positive examples, and what role does religious extremism play in interreligious peace?

For a photo project Togolese and Sierra Leonean participants took photos of religion and interreligious relations in their everyday life. This documentation of the project displays their diverse perspectives and invites observers to reflect on religion and interreligious relations in their lives.

Sometimes, people belonging to different religions do not get along well. In 2022 we travelled to Sierra Leone and Togo where interreligious relations were very peaceful. This comic depicts some examples of how to make interreligious peace: celebrating together, collaborating, being friends, and respecting each other despite differences.

Rising religious violence makes it imperative to develop strategies to foster and preserve interreligious peace. We examine the role of descriptive and injunctive pro-mixing ingroup norms in explaining interreligious contact and, indirectly, more favorable interreligious attitudes.

IBEI-GIGA Workshop Security, Conflict and Peace, IBEI, Barcelona Julia Köbrich (Speaker)

Presentation of collaborative work with Tobias Stark, Borja Martinović, and Seyram Adiakpo engaging with the question what shapes individual preferences for intergroup contact focusing on changeable factors that can be targeted by interventions.

Perils and Promises: Social Cohesion amidst the Global Polycrisis, IDOS: German Institute of Development and Sustainability, Bonn Organisers: German Institute of Development and Sustainability Julia Köbrich (Speaker)