By engaging the reflexive process by which state authorities and actors in civil society format religion as benign or suspect, the project – with a particular emphasis on Norway – explores what sources and methods are employed in this formatting, the role of the media, political debates and legal discourse, the influence of research and government commissions, and the organization of religious communities and their influence on surrounding society.
Drawing on theoretical and methodological approaches from theology, religious studies and political science, GOBA compares the formatting of religion in the Norwegian state/civil society nexus with similar issues in Canada, Germany and beyond.