By Cathrien de Pater and Rick Hovens (translation), Centre for Sustainable Management of Resources, Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen
Introduction
On 28 September 2007 the Centre for Sustainable Management of Resources (CSRM) and the Faculty of Religion Studies of the Radboud University Nijmegen (RU) organised an international seminar titled “Religious Studies and Theology Exploring Sustainable Development: Challenges for Higher Education”. The meeting took place in the Holthurnsche Hof in Berg en Dal near Nijmegen and was attended by over 60 theologists, religious scholars, scientists, education specialists and students from Belgium, Ghana, India, Malaysia and the Netherlands. All of you who took the trouble to travel so far to present and share your ideas: many thanks for your contributions!
The seminar was sponsored by the Netherlands Committee for Sustainable Development (NCDO), Fontys Hogescholen, the Sormani Fund of Radboud University and the ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment. Valuable advice and assistance for the preparation of the seminar was provided by experts from the University of Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam, OIKOS foundation / Knowledge Centre for Religion and Development, and the International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture (ISSRNC). The CSMR gratefully acknowledges the indispensable contributions of all these organisations and persons, without whom this event would not have materialised.
Main Question
The seminar was centered around the following main question: How can higher education in theology and religion studies (of all religions worldwide) incorporate principles of sustainability development in its education and research? This question was approached from different perspectives.
Keynote Addresses
Jean-Pierre Wils, Dean of the RU Faculty of Religion Studies chaired the morning session. In his welcome speech he emphasized the apocalyptical world view which characterises many environmental organisations. Subsequently, three keynote speakers approached the main question and the rift between principles and practice which they all experienced from their perspective.
Azizan Baharuddin, Director of the Centre of Civilisational Dialogue, University of Malaya (Kuala Lumpur) introduced the theme from an Islamic perspective. She described the islamic principles ibada (obedience to God), amana (trust), and fitrra (natural state, balance) as providing spiritual inspiration for people to achieve sustainability. In addition, she emphasized the diversity in traditions within the Islam and the importance of an open dialogue within and between religions.
David Millar, Director of the Centre for Cosmovision and Indigenous Knowledge, University of Development Studies (Bolgatana, Ghana) described the African cosmovision in which nature, people and the metaphysical are connected in an organic way. Based on this he presented the model of ‘endogenous development’, in which indigenous knowledge is prime, and the dialogue with mainstream science can lead to a more complete concept of development than is common thus far.
Wil Derkse, Director of the Soeterbeeck Programme (RU Faculty of Theology) subsequently presented his disciplinary review (’Vakreview’), Religion and Sustainable Development; a Concise Review from a Christian Perspective. In this book he describes the Christian theological vision on sustainability, the inspiration for sustainability throughout Christian spiritual traditions, as well as many practical examples from the field of higher education and research in religion. He also highlighted sustainability aspects of Christian inspired communities in Western Europe and Northern America. He concluded by formally handing over a copy of this publication to the Dean, Jean-Pierre Wils.
Parallel Sessions: conclusions
In the afternoon, current themes were explored in four parallel sessions from the perspectives of Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Hinduist, modern and indigenous spiritual traditions. In addition, one session was focused on three of the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations: ‘gender equity’, poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation. All sessions gave rise to a rich exchange of opinions, perspectives and experiences. The main conclusion was that on the one hand, religious traditions indeed offer a wide range of elements that might inspire sustainable action, but on the other hand, they may also inspire to the contrary. Neither is there a direct link between thought and action of individuals and communities. This is a complex issue with many nuances which cannot always be discussed without falling into the trap of generalisation. To avoid this, knowledge of this complexity is important for workers on sustainable development, a fact which is increasingly realised. Knowledge is becoming more and more ‘cross cultural’ in our globalising society and for that reason, dialogue is vital. Here lies a task for higher (and lower) education; they should: 1) equip their students with competences for such a dialogue, and 2) develop their own educational institutions as sustainable communities.
Closure Session
The seminar was concluded by former senator Jos van Gennip, chairman of the NCDO Board. He argued that religion and religious organisations are inherently involved with processes of sustainable development, and called for better communication between the scientific world and development cooperation up to the highest (multilateral) level. In this way there would be more space available for ethical political leadership in which sustainable development is intrinsically engrained.
Where do we go from here?
It is our intention to publish the proceedings of this seminar in hard copy thought a peer-reviewed academic journal. Consultations are presently going on. Of course we shall keep speakers informed through mail. In addition, we intend to develop this weblog on the basis of the seminar outcomes into a network to further study the ‘tripod’ of religion – sustainability – higher education.
Thanks again – Please consult this website regularly for updates.
Weblog of the Religion and Sustainable Development Conference 