In his lecture at the Cluster of Excellence "Religion and Politics", Director of the Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Basel and Hans Blumenberg Professor for 2026 Alfred Bodenheimer discussed the justification of Contemporary Jewish actions through historical and, in part, biblical events or models of behaviour.
In his lecture entitled “ Forward into the Past: Contemporary Jewish Self-Definitions in the Grip of Historical Analogies,” he explored the question of how historical—and in parts biblical—events and models of behaviour shape Jewish self-identification and contemporary actions.  Read more

To mark the 2026 NRW Day in Münster, researchers from the University of Münster have jointly developed a quiz on interdisciplinary religious studies in Münster. Through nine questions covering Egyptology, the study of religion, Jewish Studies, Scandinavian Studies, Islamic Theology, medieval history and Catholic Theology, common perceptions of religious practices and historical contexts are examined to assess their scientific basis. How well do you know your way around research on religion? The interdisciplinary religious studies quiz challenges widespread clichés and shows you what the academic research says. Take the quiz (in german)

Disputes over symbols such as the cross or the headscarf, the protection of religious minorities, or sexual and reproductive autonomy – conflicts over religion often end up in court, and not just in Germany. At the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”, political scientists Svenja Ahlhaus and Iman Al Nassre are investigating so-called strategic litigation – legal proceedings intended to bring about political or societal changes beyond the individual case. In this interview, project leader Ahlhaus and PhD student Al Nassre explain whether, from the perspective of political theory, religious strategic litigation is democratically legitimate.  Read more