| PURPOSE
Background
The
emergence of the Internet has provided a new context for interaction
between religious groupings and individuals in modern society. Religious
encounters can now take place in digital settings that apparently
transcend a number of conventional boundaries such as organisational
structures, time zones, geographic borders, religious traditions,
cultural divisions, and ethnical identities.
Focus
This Conference seeks
a deeper understanding of the expanding field of religious communication
on the Internet. Particularly, the Conference deals with the religious
usage of conversational and interactive services on the Internet such as news groups,
chat rooms, email, and interactive web applications.
Interdisciplinary
Research
The
scientific study of religious communication and cross-cultural
interaction on the Internet is to a
great extent an interdisciplinary field of research. By arranging
“Religious Encounters in Digital Networks”, we seek to combine some
of these interdisciplinary efforts in a joint project.
Publication
Selected
and edited papers will be published in English after the
Conference.
Dialogue
We
anticipate that the Conference as well as this subsequent publication
can stimulate both international dialogue and interdisciplinary research
on the
relations between religion and computer-mediated communication.
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