Online forum on ' Religion, Gender and Politics'

Debating prospects for equality and pluralism on opendemocracy.net

Religion is playing an increasing role in public life across the globe. Polarization and struggles over values seem to have come along. Pluralism Programme associates share their findings on the resurgence of religion in the public sphere and its effect on human rights with researchers and practitioners from AWID, UNRISD and the Heinrich Böll Foundation. Join the debate on openDemocracy.net!

The Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) as well as the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) and the Heinrich Böll Foundation (HBF) are engaged in research projects on the role of religion and religious fundamentalisms and gender equality. Just as the Pluralism Knowledge Programme, these initiatives are meant to go beyond the stage of publishing research results. To make our voices heard we have set up this online forum to debate among each other but also share our views with the readership of openDemocracy.

Why do women turn religious fundamentalists on? Read the column by Cassandra Balchin, associate of the AWID programme ' Resisting Fundamentalisms' .

'Soft law' and hard choices: a conversation between UNRISD associate Deniz Kandiyoti and Gita Sahgal, the suspended head of the Gender Unit of Amnesty International.

Why bridging the academic-activist gap is essential for promoting pluralism in practice. Pluralism Knowledge Programme associate Ute Seela on the experiences of this programme.