UCSIA Summer School 2024

From 25 until 30 August 2024, 14 promising PhD and postdoctoral researchers gathered at the University of Antwerp for the UCSIA Summer School on religion, culture and society.

This year’s cohort included scholars from the fields of history, theology, philosophy, social anthropology, literature and political science, with a research interest in the entanglement of theological narratives with discourses of nationalism, populism and conservatism.

Throughout the week, they presented and discussed their own research extensively with their peers and tutors Jayeel Cornelio (Professor of Development Studies, Ateneo de Manila University), Jennifer Eggert (Senior Research & Programme Associate, Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities) and Vlad Naumescu (Associate Professor of Social Anthropology, Central European University).

Furthermore, during the plenary lectures, the faculty members provided insights into the different ways of studying theopolitics by drawing on their own research. For example, discussions covered topics such as the secular-religious divide and the politics of ‘schisms’, the concept of ‘theological nationalism’ and the analytical lens of ‘gender’.

Jayeel Serrano Cornelio is Associate Professor and Director of the Development Studies Program at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Jennifer Philippa Eggert is a social, political and cultural scientist with a background in research and practice. She is senior Programme and Research Associate at the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities