02/07/2026 09:00 - 11:10

HALL: Pola - A104

Contact: Johrendt L.

Chair: Forster D., Johrendt L., Tretter M.

Our world is shaped by institutions that claim to secure order and justice but often inflict harm and exclude marginalized groups: courts, prisons, and policing frequently turn social vulnerability into punishment, while militaries reinforce global power asymmetries. Abolitionist movements respond with a radical imagination: they argue that systems built on coercion and punitive control should be dismantled and replaced by community-based, nonviolent, and more justice-oriented alternatives.
For theology and ethics, abolitionism poses a profound challenge. While the call to dismantle central institutions may seem destabilizing, its imaginations resonate with and traditions of liberation and reconciliation. This panel brings theological perspectives into conversation with contemporary abolitionism, directly addressing the EuARe 2026 theme Religion and (In)equalities. We explore the legitimacy of state force, the distribution of vulnerability, and the conditions for just coexistence.
From a theological standpoint, abolitionism raises questions such as: How do religious narratives of judgment and community engage the idea of a world without punitive control? Where do traditions resist or support abolitionist demands? And how do religious actors contribute to or critique these movements?
We invite interdisciplinary contributions, including:
• Prison abolitionism and theological critiques of punitive order;
• Police abolitionism and religious concepts of non-repressive security;
• Military abolitionism and the resources of peace ethics;
• Intersectional analyses linking abolitionism with racism and social inequality;
• Practical/pastoral initiatives of religious communities in abolitionist contexts.
The panel aims to identify normative resources for alternative social life and examine where theology remains implicated in justifying violence. By fostering this dialogue, we seek to advance research on the role of religion in contesting contemporary (in)equalities.