Università Roma Tre

A historical perspective on religions must grasp the stratification of their presence on the territory and reconstruct their dynamics and strategies: since 2007, more than half of the world's population lives in urban areas and cities have become the privileged space of contestations, conflicts, negotiation of interests, creation of symbolic resources and capital concerning religion. Innovations and trends concerning religious beliefs and practices are created in cities. Theoretical knowledge will be provided on the concept of religious space/place, the results of empirical research on the presence of religious places in increasingly plural spaces also due to migration movements and diaspora processes.

The main case study will be that of shared religious places. In particular, places where religions coexist in public spaces and in urban and suburban contexts will be analysed. In particular, studies on the relationship between space and religion: from the geography of religion to the geographies of religions.

Theories, concepts, terminology, methods related to the study of religious places and the location of the sacred in space through materiality and planning relations will be exposed and discussed.

Attending Students

1. Course notes and readings indicated in the course (see online teaching materials and additional material to be distributed by the lecturer during lectures)

2. C. Russo, A. Saggioro, Roma città plurale, Bulzoni 2018 or
M.Giorda, M. Burchardt, Materializzare la tolleranza: luoghi multireligiosi tra conflitto e adattamento. “Annali di Studi Religiosi” 20, 2019 (open access - on line).
or D. Albera, M. Couroucli, I luoghi sacri comuni ai monoteismi. Tra cristianesimo, ebraismo e islam. Brescia, Morcelliana, 2013.
or M. Giorda, La Chiesa romena in Italia, Viella 2023

3. Sessione monografica di Humanitas 2021 su “Ecologia e religioni” (curato da B. Nuti)

Not attending students:
1. C. Russo, A. Saggioro, Roma città plurale, Bulzoni 2018 and
M.Giorda, M. Burchardt, Materializzare la tolleranza: luoghi multireligiosi tra conflitto e adattamento. “Annali di Studi Religiosi” 20, 2019 (open access - on line).

2. D. Albera, M. Couroucli, I luoghi sacri comuni ai monoteismi. Tra cristianesimo, ebraismo e islam. Brescia, Morcelliana, 2013.

3. Sessione monografica di Humanitas 2021 su “Ecologia e religioni” (ed B. Nuti)