The international conference “Religion, Migration and Conflict in Polarised Societies” will take place at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) in Kaunas from 30 June to 4 July 2025. The COST Action COREnet, the International Society for the Sociology of Religion (ISSR) and the VMU Vytautas Kavolis Transdisciplinary Research Institute are the joint organisers of this high-level academic event.
With over 300 participants from Europe and other continents, the conference will be an important forum for exploring relevant themes in an increasingly divided world. It will address the links between religion, migration and the polarisation of society. It will bring together sociologists of religion, migration scholars, political theorists, anthropologists, policy experts, and other scholars and practitioners from various disciplines.
Opening discussion on the Baltic Sea region
The conference will begin on 30 June with an official opening ceremony and a panel discussion on ‘Religion in the Region: The North-Eastern Coast of the Baltic Sea’. This discussion will bring together leading regional scholars and experts: Professor Milda Ališauskienė (Lithuania), Associate Professor Dorota Hall (Poland), Professor Titus Hjelm (Finland), Associate Professor Atko Remmel (Estonia) and Professor Rūta Žiliukaitė (Lithuania). The session will explore contemporary religious transformations, social tensions, and the resurgence of religion in the public sphere in the Baltic region.
Presentations on the sociology of conflict, political polarisation and religious diversity
The conference will feature lectures by three leading European sociologists of religion. They will discuss the links between their field and conflict sociology, as well as the relationship between religion and political polarisation in Europe. They will also address the diversification of religious diversity.
On 1 July, Dr Véronique Altglas of Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland will give a presentation entitled ‘The Sociology of Religion and Conflict: A Guide in Times of Crisis’. Dr Altglas will examine conflicts related to religion, using Northern Ireland as an emblematic example. She is the author of the widely acclaimed book “Religion and Conflict in Northern Ireland. What Does Religion Do?” (Palgrave, 2022).
On 2 July, Prof. Dr. Kristina Stoeckl (LUISS University, Rome, Italy) will give a lecture entitled “Religion and Political Polarisation in Europe: Actors, Claims, Places”. A prominent scholar in the sociology of religion and political sociology, K. Stoeckl will draw on her in-depth analysis of the social influence and political power of alliances formed by Christian groups across Europe, Russia, and the United States. Her book “The Global Fight Against LGBTI Rights” (NYU Press, 2024), co-authored with P. Ayoub, won the International Studies Association LGBTQA Council’s Best Book Award in 2025.
On 3 July, Prof. Dr. Tuomas Martikainen (University of Turku, Finland) will give a keynote address entitled “From Diversification of Religious Diversity to Re-Homogenisation?”, sharing insights on the links between religious diversity and migration. He has published extensively on the challenges of religion and migration. One of his publications is the recently released Routledge International Handbook of Religion in Global Society (2021), which he co-authored with J. Cornelio, F. Gauthier, and L. Woodhead.
Book exhibition and publishing opportunities
The conference will also feature representatives from two of the world’s leading academic publishers, Springer and Palgrave Macmillan. They will invite to purchase their books and discuss publishing opportunities for works on religion and society. These could cover topics such as religious freedom, paganism, new religious movements, mysticism, minority and indigenous religions, esotericism, non-belief, post-colonialism, and religion in popular culture.
International platform for transdisciplinary debate
This conference highlights the shared commitment of the organising institutions — the international COST Action COREnet, coordinated by VMU and headed by Prof. Dr. Milda Ališauskienė, the International Society for the Sociology of Religion (ISSR) and the VMU Vytautas Kavolis Transdisciplinary Research Institute — to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and international scientific exchange.
The programme includes 85 thematic sessions covering topics such as the rise of nationalism, the resurgence of religious conservatism, the challenges of integrating migrant communities, and the role of religion in peacebuilding.
Kaunas: historical and intellectual environment
The conference will take place at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania’s second largest city and the 2022 European Capital of Culture. The university is renowned for its arts liberales-based studies and special focus on internationalism. Kaunas will welcome conference participants with its rich religious heritage, diverse cultural environment, and dynamic academic community, providing an inspiring setting in which to discuss the intersection of religion and migration in contemporary society.
