Abstract
The complex interplay between religion and migration has been a persistent issue throughout history. This connection traces back to the modern era, when religious wars led to the persecution of various religious minorities, compelling them to migrate. In response, international regulations emerged to protect these minorities and were initially designed to preserve international peace and to promote trade. However, these norms also inadvertently supported the rights of migrating religious minorities from a modern human rights perspective (e.g. the 1555 Augsburg Treaty). In today's world, religion has resurfaced as a key identifier, resulting in renewed issues at the intersection of migration and religion. The academic focus has been either on religious freedom or on the broader human rights of migrants, lacking an intersectional perspective. While migration issues have received considerable attention in international law literature, freedom of religion, including its internal and external forums, has been mainly explored through the lens of international norms in the UN human rights system and regional human rights frameworks. These studies often overlook contributions from other disciplines that could enrich international law-based solutions. A new approach is therefore needed, one that bridges different aspects of the migration-religion relationship and engages with various disciplinary perspectives. The significance of examining the migration-religion nexus becomes evident in the context of international refugee law, particularly concerning religious persecution, and in the social inclusion of migrants of all faiths in countries of destination. Balancing States’ sovereignty in religious regulation with individual rights, especially within Europe in light of the broad range of migrants’ background, continues to challenge policymakers. The use of technology and AI has further complicated this scenario. Additionally, the intersection of migration and religion plays a role in violent extremism, radicalization and new forms of racism, such as Islamophobia. These considerations underscore the need for innovative solutions that address the interplay between States and the multicultural dynamics within societies experiencing increasing migratory flows. Achieving this task requires a comprehensive and systematic study of the migration-religion relationship within an international law framework, while also drawing on insights from other relevant disciplines. MiReIL aims to contribute to this challenge. To this end, the project will organise five Conferences (one in each participating University plus a final Conference reuniting all members of the project) and trainings to different stakeholders as well as an Open Access Special Issue in a well-known Journal.
Project details
Unibo Team Leader: Carmelo Danisi
Unibo involved Department/s:
Dipartimento di Scienze Politiche e Sociali
Coordinator:
Università degli Studi di TRIESTE(Italy)
Total Unibo Contribution: Euro (EUR) 61.056,00
Project Duration in months: 24
Start Date:
28/09/2023
End Date:
30/11/2025
