Pluriel

University platform for research on Islam

Initiated by
the Federation
of European
Catholic
Universities

Supported by
the International
Federation
of Catholic
Universities

Research Group

See all Research Groups

Theological perception of the other and cross-views in a plural religious context (Beirut)

Respect for the other in his or her own religious identity depends largely on the way we look at him or her and on the perception we construct of his or her faith and convictions. This perception of the other who is different in terms of his or her religion results, among other things, from the training followed in institutions of religious studies in Lebanon, which future religious leaders receive during their university career; these institutions inevitably address the issue of religious otherness. The way in which one speaks of the other, according to the diversity of his or her allegiances, reveals something of oneself and one’s own perception of truth, of one’s religion, of history in its finality and of the world in its religious diversity. Moreover, talking about the other invites us to analyse the posture of the person talking about him, his training, his practical knowledge, the prism through which he approaches him. Inevitably, this approach raises several questions: Is the other described as he sees himself? What terms are used? To what theological, philosophical or sociological schemes does this description respond? What are its presuppositions?

Method of approach

Qualitative method then content analysis

Data collection and management method

Direct and participant observation (courses, events) Open interviews (management, teachers, students, graduates) Discourse analysis. Definition of the study population and sampling method: The number of institutions in question does not exceed 15 so they will all be studied. Descriptive analysis: Analysis of sites, programmes, teacher profiles.

Group members

Souraya Bechealany

Lecturer - Researcher at the Faculty of Religious Sciences - USJ

Florence Javel

Doctoral student at the Catholic University of Lyon

Saria Khabsa

PhD candidate in fundamental theology at Paris Catholic Institute

Pierre Lacoste

Former pastor of the French Protestant Church of Beirut. Member of the CEDRIC-PLURIEL research group.

Roula Talhouk

Director of the Institute for the study of Muslim--Christian relations. Professor of theology and religious anthropology

Michel Younès

Professor of Theology and Islam Studies, Deputy Director of the Research Unit "CONFLUENCE Sciences & Humanités", Director of the Centre for the Study of Cultures and Religions (CECR) - UCLy

Related news