German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

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Religion for Peace: Identifying Conditions and Mechanisms of Interfaith Peace

  • Religion has become an increasingly contentious phenomenon, with religious violence and discrimination on the rise worldwide. However, there are also many societies that are examples of peaceful interreligious coexistence. We contribute to the rigorous empirical study of the link between religion and interfaith peace, especially regarding elements of positive peace like interreligious cooperation.
    DFG, 2020-2024

    Team

    Dr. Lisa Hoffmann

    Associate

    Julia Köbrich

    Doctoral Researcher

    Research Questions

    This project asks: What are the conditions and mechanisms of peaceful interfaith relations, and what policies are promising for promoting interfaith peace?

    Specific questions are:
    1.What are the conditions for peaceful interfaith relations worldwide?
    2.What institutional, ideational, and other variables work in favor of peace when certain other conditions are not favorable to it?
    3.What are the underlying mechanisms that link religion and peace?
    4.What policies are hence promising for creating interfaith peace?

    Contribution to International Research

    In recent years, religion has become an increasingly contentious phenomenon, with religious violence and discrimination on the rise worldwide (e.g. Toft et al. 2011; Grim & Finke 2011; Fox 2016). However, according to the “ambivalence of the sacred” (Appleby 2000; Philpott 2007), religion is also connected to peace: interfaith peace is, in fact, the norm rather than the exception. Even where conditions seem less favourable, such as in religiously diverse and rather poor countries like Benin, Ghana, Mauritius, or Tanzania, peaceful coexistence occurs. Theoretically, religion is also a source of positive peace beyond neutralizing conflict risks (e.g. Hasenclever & Rittberger 2000). Religious ideas such as norms and values of nonviolence, universal love, tolerance, and forgiveness increase trust, prevent violence, inspire peace efforts during conflict, and foster reconciliation after it. Regarding the demography of religious identity groups, crosscutting cleavages and high diversity are favourable to peace (e.g. Gubler & Selway 2011). If structural conditions are unfavourable, inclusive institutions can accommodate the interests of religious communities; interreligious networks can reduce prejudice between them. However, while a growing body of empirical works has investigated the link between religion and violence (e.g. Svensson 2007, 2012; Toft 2007; Bormann et al. 2015; Basedau et al. 2016), interfaith peace has scarcely been studied empirically in a rigorous manner—especially the positive aspects of faith.
    This project contributes to the rigorous empirical study of the link between religion and interreligious peace, especially regarding elements of positive peace such as interreligious cooperation.

    Research Design and Methods

    The project studied these questions in a nested research design (e.g. Lieberman 2005; Poteete et al. 2010) that connects different levels of analysis in order to make optimal use of the strengths of qualitative and quantitative strategies. First, the project refined the theorizing on religion and interreligious peace, including the development of a conceptualization of interreligious peace that explicitly accounts for elements of positive peace. We then used unique global data—compiled in previous projects—that provides information on religion and peace to identify global conditions of interfaith peace. The cross-country analysis was the basis for the selection of country cases that qualify as “unlikely success stories” of interfaith peace despite an unfavourable demography or previous conflict experience: Togo and Sierra Leone. We explored reasons for the unlikely success of maintained interreligious peace using qualitative methods and tested hypotheses on causal mechanisms behind interreligious peace via experiments . These results can serve to identify, compile data on, and test additional factors affecting interreligious peace that were not considered in the initial quantitative analysis. The last step comprised dissemination activities, including publication endeavours and policy advice in societies at risk of interreligious conflict.

    Preliminary Findings

    This project contributes in three ways to research on religion and peace: First, it proposes a definition of interreligious peace and reviews the relatively scarce research on (religious) determinants of interreligious peace. Second, it measures interreligious peace in a global comparative study and underscores how state-religion relations create conditions for interreligious peace. Third, it allows insights on mechanisms behind interreligious peace using qualitative and quantitative data from Togo and Sierra Leone.

    The project’s definition conceptualizes interreligious peace as the absence of interreligious physical violence, hostile attitudes and perceived threats, and the presence of interreligious cooperation and trust. A systematic review of the existing quantitative literature spotlights the scarcity of research on religious determinants of interreligious peace, particularly regarding the role of religious elites and institutions. Efforts to map interreligious peace show great regional variation but overall we observed a global downward trend. In the global comparative study, the project investigated three main religious correlates of peace, namely religious ideas and norms, religious demography, and state-religion relations. The findings highlight how state institutions matter for interreligious peace: While secularization seems particularly important for peaceful interreligious coexistence, state discrimination is undermining interreligious peace in general (Hoffmann et al. 2024).

    Turning to Togo and Sierra Leone - two unlikely success stories of interreligious peace - we compiled local theories on factors contributing to maintaining interreligious peace. The combined knowledge of conversation partners in Togo and Sierra Leone suggests that strong social relationships and norms, inclusive religious ideas, lived tolerance and institutional cooperation as well as state protection of freedom of religion and belief protect interreligious peace despite unfavorable conditions (Akinocho et al. 2024). Research with residents of Lomé and Freetown shows that pro-mixing ingroup norms are related to more interactions between members of religious groups. In contrast, individuals’ preferences to interact with those similar to themselves were a barrier to interreligious contact. Inclusive religious ideas and knowledge of outgroup religious practices can be factors reducing preferences for similar others while exclusive religious ideas reinforce them (Köbrich et al. 2023). Further, in an experimental study, videoclips wiht peace messages effectively increased cooperation and willingness for contact across religious divides. Against our expectations, we found video peace messages by non-leaders to be at least as effective as those from religious leaders – if not more so.

    Publications and outputs of the project can be found below.

    Project Publications

    Political Psychology | 12/2024

    Overcoming Barriers to Interreligious Peace: Determinants of Preferences for Religiously Similar Others in Togo and Sierra Leone

    This mixed methods paper developed and tested hypotheses on changeable determinants of contact preferences informed by data from Togo and Sierra Leone. Inclusive ideas and knowledge of outgroup practices were associated with weaker, and exclusive ideas with stronger, preferences for similar others.

    Julia Köbrich

    Ass. Prof. Dr. Tobias H. Stark

    Ass. Prof. Dr. Borja Martinović

    Yawo Seyram Adiakpo

    Contribution | 10/2024

    Putting Interreligious Peace Together: Insights from Two Years of Research

    The project „Religion for Peace: Identifying Conditions and Mechanisms of Interfaith Peace“ explored ways to build and maintain peace between different religious groups. This illustrated summary presents key findings and highlights what we learned about interreligious peace, challenges involved, and ideas about what can be done to put interreligious peace together.

    Theodora Benesch

    Research Fellow

    Julia Köbrich

    Doctoral Researcher

    Chapter in Edited Volume | 09/2024

    Erfolgsbedingungen interreligiösen Friedens

    The success of interreligious peace hinges on the concept of peace. By adopting an expanded concept of peace, we can apply it to interreligious relations. Our approach defines four elements of interreligious peace from the dimensions of negative and positive peace, as well as behavior and attitude.

    Prof. Dr. Matthias Basedau

    Dr. Lisa Hoffmann

    Julia Köbrich

    Dr. Eric Stollenwerk

    Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding | 09/2024

    Correlates of Peace: Religious Determinants of Interreligious Peace

    While the study of interreligious conflict is a growing field of research, interreligious peace lacks conceptualisation and empirical investigation. This article proposes a concept of interreligious peace that distinguishes between positive and negative elements as well as attitudinal and behavioural aspects.

    Dr. Lisa Hoffmann

    Julia Köbrich

    Dr. Eric Stollenwerk

    Prof. Dr. Matthias Basedau

    GIGA Focus Africa | 2/2024

    Peaceful or Contentious? How to Promote Interreligious Peace in Africa

    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?

    Hervé Akinocho

    Dr. Lisa Hoffmann

    Julia Köbrich

    Related Content

    Interreligious relations in Togo and Sierra Leone: Construals of the relationship status

    German Institute for Global and Area Studies | 05/09/2024

    Interreligious relations in Togo and Sierra Leone: Construals of the relationship status

    Organiser: German Institute for Global and Area Studies Julia Köbrich (Speaker)

    Declining interreligious peace and rising religiously motivated violence make it important to find ways to foster interreligious peace. Theoretical discussions suggest that construals of intergroup relations, that are people’s understanding of the status of intergroup relations, can sustain both violence and peace. Hence, research on peacebuilding should study construals of intergroup relations.

    Julia Köbrich

    Doctoral Researcher

    Preparing for contact: studying determinants of individual preferences for interreligious contact in Togo and Sierra Leone

    German Institute for Global and Area Studies | 17/06/2024

    Preparing for contact: studying determinants of individual preferences for interreligious contact in Togo and Sierra Leone

    Organiser: German Institute for Global and Area Studies Julia Köbrich (Speaker)

    Facilitating contact between different groups to reduce prejudice and build trust is key in peacebuilding. Research shows intergroup contact benefits relations, but individual preferences for similar others (homophily) hinder this. Thus, studying what shapes these preferences is crucial for fostering peace.

    Julia Köbrich

    Doctoral Researcher

    Models of Interreligious Tolerance and Peace: Inspirations from Togo and Sierra Leone

    Exhibition | 13/07/2024

    Models of Interreligious Tolerance and Peace: Inspirations from Togo and Sierra Leone

    Ausstellungseröffnung 'Sharing Stories' IMBA Galerie, IMBA-Galerie, Hamburg Julia Köbrich (Consultant)

    Religion seems to both unite and divide people: There is an increase in religiously motivated discrimination and violence. Nevertheless, in many places, people of different religions live together peacefully. The lecture focused on Togo and Sierra Leone as positive examples of interreligious tolerance and peace, and posed the question of how peaceful coexistence of religions can be achieved.

    Julia Köbrich

    Doctoral Researcher

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