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The Role of Religious Actors in the COVID-19 Pandemic. a Theory-Based Empirical Analysis with Policy Recommendations for Action

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The Role of Religious Actors in the COVID-19 Pandemic. a Theory-Based Empirical Analysis with Policy Recommendations for Action www.ssoar.info The Role of Religious Actors in the COVID-19 Pandemic: a theory-based empirical analysis with policy recommendations for action Yendell, Alexander; Hidalgo, Oliver; Hillenbrand, Carolin Veröffentlichungsversion / Published Version Forschungsbericht / research report Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Yendell, A., Hidalgo, O., & Hillenbrand, C. (2021). The Role of Religious Actors in the COVID-19 Pandemic: a theory- based empirical analysis with policy recommendations for action. (ifa-Edition Kultur und Außenpolitik). Stuttgart: ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen). https://doi.org/10.17901/akbp1.10.2021 Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter einer CC BY-NC-ND Lizenz This document is made available under a CC BY-NC-ND Licence (Namensnennung-Nicht-kommerziell-Keine Bearbeitung) zur (Attribution-Non Comercial-NoDerivatives). For more Information Verfügung gestellt. Nähere Auskünfte zu den CC-Lizenzen finden see: Sie hier: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.de Diese Version ist zitierbar unter / This version is citable under: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-73685-7 ifa Edition Culture and Foreign Policy The Role of Religious Actors in the COVID-19 Pandemic A theory-based empirical analysis with policy recommendations for action Alexander Yendell, Oliver Hidalgo and Carolin Hillenbrand ifa Edition Culture and Foreign Policy The Role of Religious Actors in the COVID-19 Pandemic A theory-based empirical analysis with policy recommendations for action Alexander Yendell, Oliver Hidalgo, Carolin Hillenbrand Table of Contents Table of Contents Preface ...............................................................................................................................5 Summary ............................................................................................................................6 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................7 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 13 1.1 An outline of the problem: religious actors in the COVID-19 pandemic and their significance for foreign cultural and educational policies .......................................... 13 1.2 Objective and structure of the study ......................................................................... 19 1.3 Conceptual, theoretical and methodological preliminary remarks ............................ 20 2. Theoretical Concepts .................................................................................................. 24 2.1 Religion as a multi-level phenomenon: the macro-, meso- and micro-level .............. 24 2.2 Religion and the diagnosis of the COVID-19 crisis in the web of social (sub-) systems ...................................................................................................................... 26 2.3 Conspiracy theories, authoritarianism and religion ................................................... 34 2.4 Criteria for Best and Worst Practices ......................................................................... 37 3. Religious Actors as Part of the Solution or Part of the Problem? – Best and Worst Practices ..................................................................................................................... 41 3.1 Macro-level ................................................................................................................ 41 3.2 Meso-level .................................................................................................................. 60 3.3 Micro-level ................................................................................................................. 78 3.4 Summary of findings .................................................................................................. 95 4. Recommendations for Action for Political and Religious Actors ................................ 100 4.1 Involvement, dialogue and networking.................................................................... 101 4.2 Religious actors’ tasks and competencies in times of crises as well as the prerequisites and resources required for these ...................................................... 107 4.3 Information processes, conspiracy theories and vaccination hesitancy .................. 114 5. Conclusion and Outlook ............................................................................................ 121 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ 124 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 125 Appendix ........................................................................................................................ 141 About the Authors .......................................................................................................... 144 ifa Edition Culture and Foreign Policy The Role of Religious Actors in the COVID-19 Pandemic 4 Preface Preface The COVID 19 pandemic is a tectonic shock for almost all countries and societies on earth. The economic and socio-political consequences are not yet foreseeable, nor are the long- term psychological effects at the individual level. Within their societies, religious actors take on functions of contingency management and often also of social welfare. At the same time, they are often transnationally networked. Their structural, cultural and institu- tional characteristics vary among societies, which is why modernisation developments are not easily transferable. Nevertheless, characteristics can be identified that favour a con- structive approach to pandemic management. The following study explores this question by examining actors and communities whose activities and statements had a de-escalating or escalating effect. What recommendations for politics and religious actors can be de- rived from the analysis? I would like to sincerely thank the authors, Dr Alexander Yendell (Leipzig Univer- sity), Prof Dr Oliver Hidalgo (University of Münster) and Carolin Hillenbrand (Cluster of Excellence Religion and Politics at the University of Münster), for this excellent collabora- tion and their commitment to this research project. My thanks also go to my colleagues in the Research Programme “Culture and Foreign Policy”, Sarah Widmaier and Anja Schön, who supported the project by providing conceptual and editorial guidance. Religious actors have strong orientation functions within societies and can thus make an important contribution to crisis management and peacekeeping. This study is the fourth to be published by the ifa research programme on the topic of the peace potential of religions. The three previous studies analysed the peace potential of Abrahamic religions, Asian religious actors and free churches in Latin America and the USA. As part of ifa’s Research Programme "Culture and Foreign Policy", experts examine current issues in foreign cultural and educational policy and formulate recommendations for action for foreign cultural policy actors. International cultural relations must be sys- tematically studied in order to develop viable future strategies for transnational cultural exchange. Kind regards, Odila Triebel Head of the Dialogue and Research Unit “Culture and Foreign Policy” ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen) 5 ifa Edition Culture and Foreign Policy The Role of Religious Actors in the COVID-19 Pandemic Summary Summary The subject of religion and the behaviour of religious actors in the COVID-19 crisis appear at first glance to constitute either just marginal issues or factors which tend to be negative. On the other hand, there is far less public discussion on the key role played by religious communities as civil society partners of governments or the WHO, as agencies providing charitable and pastoral assistance, and as a resource for hope and contingency manage- ment so as to successfully cope with the pandemic. This study analyses the ambivalent role of actors in the COVID-19 pandemic within the framework of a theory-based empiri- cal analysis, presents the most important developments, learning effects and problem ar- eas yet to be addressed and finally, based on this, draws up policy recommendations for action. ifa Edition Culture and Foreign Policy The Role of Religious Actors in the COVID-19 Pandemic 6 Executive Summary Executive Summary The subject of religion and the behaviour of religious actors in the COVID-19 crisis appear at first glance to constitute either just marginal issues or factors which tend to be negative. Without doubt, many people remember that religious services, especially at the beginning of this global infection, often made the headlines as ‘super spreader events’, whether it was the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu, South Korea, the evangelical churches in the USA or Brazil, the Islamic missionary movement Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi and Kuala Lum- pur, or the Baptist communities in Frankfurt/Main, Germany. On the other hand, there is far less public discussion on the key role played by religious communities as civil society partners of governments or the WHO, as agencies providing charitable and pastoral assis- tance, and as a resource for hope and contingency management so as to successfully cope with the pandemic.
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