WaVE Objectives
This project aims to generate new and important insight into religious, minority and gendered values influencing social change in European society in the direction of cohesion and/or conflict between diverse communities.
WaVE is predicated on the assumption that the intangible concept of 'values' is understood best through the ways in which they are expressed and developed in practice. Accordingly, it aims to study values through the prism of welfare: the provision of basic needs, and its related notions of citizenship and belonging, comprise the most fundamental level at which coexistence between different cultures, values and religions can be effectively examined.
The study will entail in-depth qualitative research in medium-sized towns of twelve European countries. By grounding the study of values in fieldwork conducted in specific towns, WaVE will produce material which is both measurable and verifiable. The project focuses on conceptions of welfare amongst various social and religious groups (i.e. how different groups define well-being) and on practices on the ground. WaVE thus promises to shed light on elements of cooperation and social cohesion, where they exist between various groups, but also on the potential for tension and conflict.
The objectives of this project may be summarised as follows:
First, this project aims to assess the impact of religion in societies across Europe as a bearer of values of solidarity and social cohesion, or as source of tension and exclusion. WaVE will pursue this aim through an in-depth examination of the values expressed by majority religions in their interaction with minority communities in the domain of social welfare needs and provision.
The first stage of the fieldwork will be conducted in localities in twelve European countries and will include observation of the activities of majority religions in relation to minority communities, as well as in-depth interviews with representatives of majority religions.
Second, this project will study the values expressed by minority groups (religious minorities in particular), both in their use of welfare services (examining whether they have different demands on welfare systems), and in their search for alternatives (tracing trends in the establishment by minority groups of their own social welfare networks). WaVE will offer insight into the extent to which minorities are perceived to challenge the values, cultural identities, etc. of the local majorities. Special attention will be paid to the implications for gender, including the extent to which the values expressed by minority communities are gendered and the way in which such values are perceived by the majority community. This examination will yield a view of the fragmentation or the unity, within a given society, and will provide an outline of various models of integration of minorities, as these are realised in local communities.
The second stage in the fieldwork will focus on the minority groups present in the given localities, including expressions of their values and the extent to which these are perceived as different to, or in conflict with, those of the majority, as well as tendencies to establish their own networks for provision of their welfare-related needs. The expressions of minority group values, their search for alternative means of social care, the extent to which their welfare-related values are perceived as different to or in conflict with those of the majority, and the extent to which these values are particularly gendered, will be embedded in the analysis of the interview research.
Third, WaVE will seek to bring to light the gender-related values underpinning conceptions of welfare and practices in welfare provision in the localities under examination, focusing on whether there are particular elements of tension or cohesion embedded in values relating to gender, and to the rights and needs associated with women and with men. The relationship between religious values, minorities, and gender is a critical and relatively under explored field of research. The effects of and the transitions in this relationship in terms of social welfare, social cohesion, and conceptions of citizenship and belonging, form a key dimension of the WaVE project.
Throughout the observation and interview research indicated above, researchers will seek to glean insight into the gendered nature of rights and needs of men and women, in both majority and minority communities. Through observation note will be taken of the relative participation of women and men in both provision and receipt of welfare assistance, and through interview research information will be gathered about the extent to which these patterns are religiously motivated, and whether this leads to greater social cohesion or social exclusion.
In terms of its broader objectives, WaVE aims to make a significant contribution to the literature on religion and values in Europe, and to European Union policy-making. Against the background of the gradual retreat of the welfare state and the growth in religious activities in the domain of welfare, WaVE will glean insight into 1. secularisation and the role of religion in Europe, and 2. the role of the broader welfare provision systems in leading to social cohesion or social exclusion. By shedding light on the role given to religion in welfare provision within various models of church-state relations across twelve countries, and on the degree to which religion, on the one hand, and welfare, on the other, are viewed as public or private matters, WaVE will entail a critical re-examination of theories of secularisation and counter-secularisation in the European context. This theoretical contribution will enhance our insight into social change driven by globalisation.
Further, WaVE will produce a state of the art review of the experience of minorities in welfare systems historically influenced by majority religious institutions. It will examine whether minorities are perceived to challenge the values, cultural identities, etc. of the local majorities, and whether there are detectable differences between Muslim groups and other minority groups in relation to our three objectives.
Finally, WaVE will consider whether there are major detectable differences between Eastern and Western Europe in relation to our three objectives. It will also consider how the religious and ethnic diversification of European societies is affecting gender equality and the relative welfare of men and women, throughout Europe. WaVE will thus shed light on the challenges to the welfare system posed by religious, ethnic and cultural diversity and, in turn, on the challenges these entail to local political systems.
