笔者应邀于10月2-6日在瑞典的Sigtuna参加中欧论坛宗教议题的工作坊。此次会议得到中欧双方的高度重视，并且有瑞典皇家人文，历史和考古学院和法国眉耶基金会的经济支持。我们邀请了大陆北大，人大，及社科院的近10位在宗教研究方面的学者参与本次论坛。

详情见如下：

Religion and Society: the challenge of multiple identities

– a workshop for further understanding between Europe and China and for our common challenges –

Theme – Religion and Society: the challenge of multiple identities

The theme reflects the important issues of religion and identities in contemporary society, and how these questions relate to each other. The rapidly changing societies of China and Europe face similar challenges with multiple identities and the role of religious faith for social involvement, and only through inter-religious and –cultural dialogue can we learn from each other.

Challenges arise from the tensions between our basic identities defined by ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, and religious faith. What does it mean to belong to a religious minority in a dominantly Christian Europe? What does it mean in a dominantly non-religious state like China? There is also the issue of immigrants from outside Europe and the many ethnic minorities in China. How can they participate in civil life in Europe and in China respectively? Another basic question to be discussed is whether there is a kind of hierarchy of identities. Who decides what goes first? Here we need to take into the account the role of the government and its control of or interference with religious groups.

In Europe public universities arrange for religious (theological) training and in that way draws the religious (theological) discourse into the wider academic discourse. This is at least partly in contrast to the US model. Would this be possible in China? How can we make sure that the authenticity and legitimacy of the faith-based voices? How can religious groups introduce their services and their critical insights into the wider community without themselves claiming superiority? These and many other issues can be derived from the overall theme of multiple identities.

Background and Objectives:

The idea of this workshop has grown out of another workshop with the theme “The Place and Role of Religion in a Harmonious Society” held during the China-Europa Forum (www.china-europa-forum.net) in Brussels in October 2007. Some participants in that workshop felt the need for a deepened discussion on certain issues that came up during the meeting in Brussels.

The workshop aims to bring together religious scholars and religious practitioners from different religious traditions in Europe and China, to discuss the main topics of the theme. The idea is to find explanations and start to explore solutions to the difficult issue of multiple identities in relation to religious faith and a modern changing society in China and Europe. We also see a possible future continuation of such workshops to continue the dialogue on religious matters between China and Europe.

Format:

The workshop will gather 20-25 people, scholars and religious practitioners from Europe and China to a four-day workshop taking place in Sweden in October 2008. Each participant will be asked to prepare a paper of relevance to the theme, bearing in mind the inter-cultural and inter-religious aspects of the theme. During the workshop there will be presentations of papers and arguments, but also time for in-depth discussion on core themes. Papers presented will be revised after the workshop to be published together with synthesis and common conclusions from the workshop.