Religion in Higher Education: The Politics of the Multi-faith Campus

The place of religion in universities and institutes of higher education has become increasingly topical and contested in recent years, largely due to the growth of religious diversity on campus. Issues such as shared worship spaces, equal opportunities, and the management of inter-religious conflict, concern university administrators and students alike. Based on primary empirical research, this book indicates the need for clear guidelines on these issues and provides the data to inform policy-making. Offering the first study of the practical and sociological implications of the multi-faith campus, this book provides a context for examining some of the dynamics of religious diversity in Britain more generally as well as providing a useful analysis for the wider international context. Key themes covered include: religion in institutions; inter-faith relations; the changing roles of religious professionals; secularisation and resacralisation; and religion, youth and identity. Exploring questions about why claims for the recognition of different religious identities are becoming so contested, to what extent religious activity should be regulated and monitored on campus, and how institutions are challenged in different ways by diversity, this book contributes both in method and conclusions to the debate about the provision of religious and spiritual care in public institutions in a multicultural society. Religion in Higher Education will be essential reading for all those responsible for the practical management of campus life, as well as those interested in the sociology of religion and, more broadly, in contemporary religion in Britain.