About IN//RCSD

The International Network on Religious Communities and Sustainable Development (IN//RCSD) was originally established by the core partners

  • Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
  • University of Lagos, Nigeria
  • Trinity Theological Seminary Legon, Ghana
  • University of Pretoria, South Africa, and
  • University of the Western Cape, South Africa

along with over 40 academic as well as policy and practice partners. The network is the central frame for various collaborative initiatives such as the Journal Religion & Development, the Summer School Tensions of Transdisciplinarity: A Master Class on Religious Communities and Sustainable Development and the International Conference Religious Communities and Sustainable Development: Points of Departure for a Post-2030 Development Agenda.

Philipp Öhlmann, Head of the Research Programme on Religious Communities and Sustainable Development at HU Berlin, on the rationale of the network:

"The world seems to be in increasing disarray. The Corona crisis has fundamentally impacted on all our lives. Racism and inequality challenge the core values of our societies. Climate change and environmental destruction threaten the basis of our existence.
As scholars, we seek to actively contribute to finding solutions to the fundamental challenges of our time. The IN//RCSD does so with a focus on religious communities in different contexts – investigating their potential to foster development, equality, social cohesion and ecological sustainability, but also analyzing their role as possible sources of exclusion and marginalization. We aim to continuously intensify our international collaboration in a partnership transcending academia, policy and practice. We engage in in-depth collaborative research in the field of religion and sustainable development and thereby contribute to solving the global challenges of our time."