INTERCULTURAL KNOWLEDGE
A study by the University of Bern and the University of Leipzig shows that religious belief can “immunize” against right-wing extremist attitudes.
Religious belief is not usually compatible with right-wing extremist attitudes in Eastern Germany, but superstition often goes hand in hand with them throughout Germany. While the church can promote openness to the world and tolerance, superstition is associated with a simplistic worldview, ethnocentrism and xenophobia.
Right-wing extremists often subscribe to conspiracy theories, says Stefan Huber, Head of the Institute of Empirical Religious Research at the University of Bern and co-author of the study. A conspiracy mentality goes hand in hand with simply dividing an increasingly complex world into good and evil and blaming strangers for grievances. This kind of world of thought is also reflected in superstition, which is closely related to the tendency toward conspiracy theories.
Stefan Huber carried out the study together with religion sociologist and right-wing extremism researcher Alexander Yendell from the Competence Center for the Study on Right-Wing Extremism and Democracy at the University of Leipzig.
The IER was founded in 2017 at the University of Bern and deals with contemporary religious issues. We focus on religious pluralization, religious fundamentalism and new forms of spirituality. Our research is interdisciplinary and we integrate sociological, psychological, religious studies and theological perspectives.