Dialogue and Diplomacy: A Study of the Vatican's and World Council of Churches' Involvement in Hindu-Christian Relations

本项目以印度教与基督教对话为例，探讨两个主要宗教组织如何在其官方沟通中解决宗教与政治因素之间的桥梁问题。“对话与外交”将对梵蒂冈和世界教会协会（WCC）在印度-基督教对话中的参与进行话语分析，包括对涉及印度-基督教关系的官方天主教和普世文件的混合方法内容分析。在全球化、移民和暴力原教旨主义复苏的背景下，高层宗教间对话日益被认为是公共话语和全球治理的重要活动。然而，对高层关系机制的研究仍然很少，将这种交流形式概念化的理论尝试也很少。《对话与外交》借鉴卢曼、布迪厄等人的洞见，认真对待宗教/政治分歧的后殖民批评，将深入分析高层对话如何在神学对话和公共外交之间协调利益的多元性。《对话与外交》将对世界最大宗教（基督教）的两个主要高层与世界第三大宗教（印度教）的信徒之间的官方关系进行话语分析，包括软件支持的文本分析。案例研究将考察印度教与基督教高层对话的两个非常不同的角色：具有等级结构的梵蒂冈和具有世界上最大的基督教组织之一的内部多元化的世界教会理事会（WCC）。《对话与外交》将研究印度教与基督教高层对话所借鉴的宗教和政治因素，以发展宗教间互动和行动主义的共同语言。之所以选择基督教徒和印度教徒之间的对话，是因为这两种传统在历史上是交织在一起的，特别是通过殖民经历，但也彼此非常不同，因此必须积极寻求合适的结构和共同的语言。通过研究梵蒂冈和WCC与印度教徒对话的官方文件，“对话与外交”旨在更好地理解“高级别宗教间对话文件”及其在印度教与基督教关系中的用途、优势和局限性。该项目询问如何在社会和宗教高度多样化的情况下，以及在各自社区内，在体制框架内促进和组织实质性的宗教间对话。研究成果旨在为学术界和参与高级别对话的行动者服务。

Drawing on examples from Hindu-Christian dialogue, this project asks how two major religious organizations negotiate the challenge of bridging religious and political elements in their official communication. 'Dialogue and Diplomacy' will produce a discourse analysis of the involvement of the Vatican and the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Hindu-Christian dialogue, including a mixed-method content analysis of the official Catholic and ecumenical documents that refer to Hindu-Christian relations.In the context of globalization, migration, and resurgent violent fundamentalism, high-level interreligious dialogue is increasingly recognized as an important activity of public discourse and global governance. Research on the mechanisms of high-level relations are, however, still rare, as are theoretical attempts to conceptualise this form of communication. Drawing on the insights of Luhmann, Bourdieu and others but taking the postcolonial criticism of the religion/politics divide seriously, 'Dialogue and Diplomacy' will provide an in-depth analysis of how high-level dialogue negotiates the plurality of interests between theological dialogue and public diplomacy. Dialogue and Diplomacy will produce a discourse analysis, including a software-supported textual analysis, of the official relations of two major high-level actors of the world's largest religion (Christianity), with the adherents of the world's third largest religion (Hinduism). The case studies will examine two very different actors of high-level Hindu-Christian dialogue: the Vatican with its hierarchical structure and the World Council of Churches (WCC) with the internal plurality of one of the world's largest ecumenical organizations. Dialogue and Diplomacy will examine both the religious and political elements that high-level Hindu-Christian dialogue draws on for developing a common language of interreligious interaction and activism. The dialogue between Christians and Hindus has been chosen because these two traditions are historically intertwined, particularly through the colonial experience, but also very different from each other so that suitable structures and a common language have to be actively sought. By examining the official documents of Vatican and WCC in their dialogue with Hindus, 'Dialogue and Diplomacy' seeks to gain a better understanding of the genre 'high-level interreligious dialogue document' and its uses, strengths and limitations in Hindu-Christian relations. The project asks how in cases of strong social and religious diversity, also within the respective communities, substantive interreligious dialogue can be facilitated and organized in an institutional framework. The research output seeks to serve both the academic community and the actors engaged in high-level dialogue.