The URPP «Digital Religion(s)» was established in 2021 and, over its twelve-year funding period extending to 2032, systematically investigates the diverse digital transformations and socio-technical developments that shape contemporary religious life. As a University Research Priority Program of the University of Zurich, it brings together scholars from theology, religious studies, media and communication studies, computer science, law, anthropology, and related disciplines to examine how religious practices, norms, institutions, and forms of meaning-making are being reconfigured within increasingly digital and mediatized environments.
The program is characterized by its strong interdisciplinary orientation, which enables multiple methodological and theoretical approaches to the study of Digital Religion(s). In addition to providing a multifaceted analytical framework, the URPP fosters sustained scholarly exchange, institutional collaboration, and the development of long-term research infrastructures. Its activities include interdisciplinary research projects, public dialogue formats, and partnerships with both academic and non-academic stakeholders.
Prof. Dr. Thomas Schlag, Director of the URPP «Digital Religion(s)», will open the panel by introducing the program's origins, its conceptual architecture, and its overarching research aims. Particular emphasis will be placed on the four subprojects within the cluster dedicated to post-digital religious education, which examine how educational practices respond to digital transformation processes and how young people can be supported in developing critical, reflective, and ethically grounded media literacy.