Since its very beginning, the ecumenical movement was strictly associated with the struggle for peace: just a few years after its “official” birth in 1910 the World War I posed a serious challenge (and a serious threat) for the newborn movement and its leaders, first of all Nathan Söderblom. Since then, religious leaders and movements of different confessions often banded together to oppose new and diverse kind of challenges that new contexts of violence posed to them. This panel propose to examine a number of case studies from different continents, to understand the historical roots of religion-driven conflicts and how they are still, if at all, influencing the contemporary setting. Moreover, the panel is going to interrogate the efficacy, in those same settings, of ecumenical and inter-confessional initiatives to enforce and promote peace, both from a historical and theological perspective.

Topics for papers include (but are not limited to):

Historical roots of modern conflicts (i.e.: Northern Ireland, Ukraine, Balkans);
Religious aspects of modern conflicts;
Ecumenical and/or inter-confessional movements for peace;
Ecumenical and/or inter-confessional movements against dictatorship and political violence (i.e.: Europe, South America);
Ecumenical and/or inter-confessional movements against racism and segregation (i.e.: USA, South Africa).

Languages:
English

Speaking Time:
Approximately 30 minutes each. Panel is expected to have more than one session, corresponding to an all-day slot.

Please send an abstract of 250-300 words for a paper of 20-30 minutes, as well as brief biographical details, to ecumenism@fscire.it by 15th January, 2018.
Submissions will be reviewed by the Panel Convenors Prof. Alberto Melloni, Bruno Cherubini and Luca Ferracci, and successful panellists will be notified within a week of the deadline.