The new issue of Approaching Religion deals with religion, memory and innovation

The new issue of Approaching Religion is based on a summer school and conference arranged in Åbo/Turku, Finland, in June 2023, with the theme “Religion: Memory and Innovation”. The event was organised jointly by the Polin Institute for Theological Research (Åbo Akademi University), the Centre for the Study of Christian Cultures (University of Turku), and the Donner Institute for Research in Religion and Culture. The aim was to bring together doctoral candidates and researchers from various academic fields that engage with the study of religion, such as theology, religious studies, history, philosophy, the arts, social and political sciences and other. This issue presents articles that engage with the theme of religion, memory and innovation from both historical and contemporary perspectives, also looking to the future where possible. In the current issue, hence, memory and innovation appear both as dramatic breaking points in history and as slowly evolving transformations. The articles address past, present and emerging trends and trajectories within culture, society and the scholarly community. The societal relevance and impact of research in this field also arise as central themes in the analyses.

Contributing authors are Ossi Korpi (University of Turku), Ilona Raunola (University of Eastern Finland), Sari Kuuva (University of Jyväskylä), Heidi Jokinen (Åbo Akademi University), Jakob Dahlbacka (Åbo Akademi University), Kari Syreeni (Åbo Akademi University) and Carl Johan Berglund (Åbo Akademi University). The thematic issue has been compiled by the guest editors Tuija Hovi, Centre for the Study of Christian Cultures, University of Turku, and Mika Vähäkangas, the Polin Institute, Åbo Akademi University.

Image: part of painting by Uno Donner