Religion in the European Refugee Crisis

Ulrich Schmiedel is Lecturer in Theology, Politics and Ethics at the School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh, where he also serves as Deputy Director of the Centre for Theology and Public Issues. He specializes in political and public theology.Graeme Smith is Professor of Public Theology and Head of the Department of Theology, Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Chichester, UK. He writes on social, public and political theology, including two books, Oxford 1937: The Universal Christian Council for Life and Work and A Short History of Secularism.

“The [book] examined here can serve as a source for understanding the various roles played by civil societies and religion in a migration crisis.” (Insight Turkey, Vol. 23 (1), 2021)“The editors’ aim for this timely compilation of essays is to show how Europeans have rediscovered religion in order to call for the fortification or defortification of Europe. … This rich collection of essays will be valued by all who wish to reflect on the role of religion in Europe’s current refugee crisis.” (Fleur Houston, Reform, March, 2019)​

• 1. Introduction: Charting a Crisis.- 2.  Perceptions of Plurality: The Impact of the Refugee Crisis on the Interpretation of Religious Pluralization in Europe.- 3.Infiltrators, Imposters or Human Beings? The Slovenian Socio-Political Imaginary, Christianity, and the Responses to the 2015-2016 Migrant Crisis.- 4. Between Traditionalism, Fundamentalism, and Populism: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Media Coverage of the Migration Crisis in Poland.- 5. Confronting the Current Refugee Crisis: The Importance of Islamic Citizens’ Initiatives in Germany.- 6. Fearing the Faith of Others? Government, Religion, and Integration in Norway.- 7. Christianity in a Post-Christian Context: Immigration, Church Identity, and the Role of Religion in Public Debates.- 8. “Refugees” and the Problem of Identity in the UK.- 9. Against the Manichees: Immigration Detention and the Shaping of the Theo-Political Imagination.-10. None is Still Too Many: Holocaust Commemoration and Historical Anesthetization.- 11. "We Can Do This!”: Tackling the Political Theology of Populism.- 12. Who are the People? Towards a Theological Ethics of Citizenship and Community.- 13. Turning a Curse into a Blessing? Theological Contributions to a Resource-Orientated Narrative on Migration in Europe.- 14. Christ, the Stranger: The Theological Relevance of Migration.- 15. What Does It Mean to Be a Progressive Intellectual after the Refugee Crisis in Europe? A Dialogue with Tariq Ramadan.- 16. Conclusion: The Theological Takeover.