UNESCO Chair in Intercultural and Inter-religious Relations for the Asia Pacific region

 

The UNESCO Chair in Intercultural and Inter-religious Relations for the Asia Pacific region has been established within the School of Political and Social Inquiry at Monash. School head Professor Gary Bouma, who won this chair for Monash, has taking up the position in November.

The Chair should facilitate the academic study of intercultural and inter-religious relations in the Asia Pacific region with a view to influencing social policy.

The objectives of the Chair are to conduct and collect scholarly research on the management of intercultural and inter-religious diversity in the Asia-Pacific, particularly as it relates to the contribution religious actors and institutions to peacemaking, productive cooperation and the building of social and cultural capital in the region, to conduct and collect scholarly research on the role of religion and religious actors in conflicts within the region, to publish the findings of this research in ways that promote both the scholarly understanding of intercultural and inter-religious relations and that shape dialogue and policy development in the area of the management of religious diversity and religiously associated conflict and to maintain an active and current data-base on the role of religion and religious actors in promoting conflict and peace in the Asia-Pacific.
All these objectives will be achieved through training post-graduates, original research, and the development of a network of scholars in the region who conduct research and reflect on existing research to identify the issues and potential solutions.

Chair activities have centred on conducting and reporting research in the area of religious diversity, religious resurgence, and religion and terror in the Asia-Pacific region; establishing academic networks, building bridges between religious communities in Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia. Academic networks are being developed with colleagues in New Zealand, through the Monash Asia Institute with colleagues through out the Asia Pacific, through universities in Malaysia, Indonesia and beyond. Links are also being forged with other UNESCO chairs in Australia in order to strengthen their impact.

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