Post-doc: Christianity and Nationalism

Recent decades have seen an increased investment in Christian rhetoric, symbols and narratives among nationalist and populist actors in Europe and beyond. Examples range from apocalyptic tropes employed by far-right movements to references by established nationalist parties to Christianity as the backbone of Europe. In order to construct the identity of a nation or a ‘people’, such rhetoric regularly draws on a purported common Christian heritage, using it to demarcate those who belong from those who do not. Yet this is not just a matter of ill-intended populist movements ‘hijacking’ religion for political purposes. For one thing, Christianity itself contains an array of tropes and figures of thought that lend themselves to nationalist interpretations. Furthermore, Christian individuals, communities and denominations are themselves today deeply divided in questions pertaining to nationalism and European identity. As heated debates on immigration have shown, Christian symbols can be used to motivate liberal immigration politics as well as to stir up anti-immigration sentiments. In response to these complex political and cultural processes, there is today a rapidly growing international interdisciplinary field of research that seeks to address the interconnections between Christianity and nationalism. In the autumn of 2020, the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies (CTR) and the Department of Educational Sciences (DES) were granted funding for setting up a new research platform relating to these international developments. The platform was inaugurated in January 2021 and brings together scholars from various disciplines and various stages in their careers with the ultimate aim of making Lund University a profiled international research hub in this significant field. With this proposal, we would like to apply for funding for a two-year postdoc position
(approx. SEK 2.4 m)