14 February 2006

This site hosts an international academic exchange in the field of Balkan religious studies, to allow a network of scholars based in or otherwise concerned with the region to discuss and showcase their work.

The site was initiated (and is currently administered) by a group of researchers participating in the "Religion and Nationalism in the Western Balkans" project at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages at the University of Oslo (Norway). The project receives funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The aim is to assist the building of international scholarly cooperation in and about the region. In particular, there was interest in helping regionally based researchers reach a wider audience and integrate into international academic life.

As a first step, a small seminar on "Religious Pluralism" was held in Kotor in March 2004, gathering some 20 scholars from Albania, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Macedonia, Serbia-Montenegro, and Norway. It has been followed by network conferences on "Religion and Pluralism in Education" (2005) and "Images of the Religious Other" (2006).

This site is primarily intended to assist the 'Kotor network' in developing its further cooperation, which may include, inter alia:

• Translation of relevant works on religion and society by Balkan scholars
• On-line publication of papers by network members
• Joint research projects
• Follow-up conferences
• Expanding the network to take in new members

The project has focused on the 'Western Balkans', in particular Albania, Bosnia, Macedonia, and Serbia-Montenegro/Kosovo. The role of religion as an ingredient in the region's recent conflicts, and as a possible resource in conflict resolution, has been an important concern.

The project manager is Professor Anne Stensvold, and the network co-ordinator is Christian Moe, both from the University of Oslo. The names of the other participants in the network can be found under 'affiliates'.

This site is maintained by Christian Moe.