"Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society"
brings together research on religion at the University of Vienna and makes it internationally visible. The centre currently involves around 70 researchers from 8 faculties and 14 disciplines (Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and Islamic theology, Jewish Studies, Islamic Studies and Religious Studies, Social Sciences, Law and Cultural Studies, History, Philosophy and Education, Evolutionary Biology).
Since our founding in 2010, we explore the reciprocal relationship between religion, religiosity and transformation processes in contemporary global contexts. The RaT research centre considers itself an academic contribution to a dialogue between the large religious traditions on the one hand and religion and the secular world on the other.
News
Success for JRAT: Journal edited by the research centre RaT reaches Q1 in the SCImago ranking
Success for JRAT: Journal edited by the research centre RaT reaches Q1 in the SCImago ranking
We are pleased to announce that the "Journal for Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society", published by RaT in open access, has risen to the top quarter of the best cited journals in the new SCImago ranking in the field of Religious Studies.
This means that our journal has significantly improved on its previous, already very respectable, position in Q2.
This is a great success for our center and makes an important contribution to increasing the international visibility of theology and religious studies at the University of Vienna. The high level of performance in these subjects at our university was recently confirmed by the new QS ranking, in which the University of Vienna was ranked 21st in the field of "Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies". This represents an improvement of 7 compared to the previous year, which means that Theology and Religious Studies once again occupies the second-best position among all subjects represented at the University of Vienna!
Upcoming Events
23.-24.05.: Conference: Religion, Secular Reason and Politics today
Martin Eleven: Über das Böse. Gnostische Elemente bei Simone Weil. Vortrag im Rahmen des "Forums Religionsphilosophie"
04.-05.06.: 20. "Maimonides Lectures. Bridging the Gap. Der Beitrag von religiösen Glaubens- und Lebensformen zur Gesundheit"
Conference: Tierethik und Religionen (Tagung der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Religionswissenschaft (ÖGRW))
13.-15.06.: 9th Workshop "Liberating Contextual Theologies": BODY & CORPOREALITY. locus theologicus – territory – reality of life
Sandra Lehmann: Götzen: Simone Weil und die politische Theologie der Moderne. Vortrag im Rahmen des "Forums Religionsphilosophie"
Publications
Here you can find an overview of the latest scientific publications of the research centre. This includes our journal JRAT, the Supplementa belonging to the journal and the RaT book series:
New Issue: RaT Series Volume 33,
Blicklichter und Grenzgänge. Interdisziplinäre Perspektiven auf Religion, Gender und das Lebensende
edited by Lukas K. Pokorny, Leona Mörth-Nicola, and Kerstin Tretina
New Issue: RaT Series Volume 35,
Die Hyperbolé der Wirklichkeit. Metaphysik nach dem Ende der Metaphysik
New Issue: RaT Series Volume 32, Das Böse in Gott? Ontologie des Bösen und des Leidens in der Philosophie Luigi Pareysons
by Mattia Coser
Most recent open access articles published "in advance":
- Abdessamad Belhaj: Fear without Power: The Awe of the Contemporary Sunni Scholars (haybat al-ʿulamāʾ)
- Vedran Obućina: A Charisma for the Interreligious Dialogue: Case Study of Chiara Lubich
- Benoît Vermander: De « L’École du Mystère (xuanxue) » à Michel de Certeau : l’art de commenter les textes mystiques
- Marion Rastelli: Rāmānuja As a Charismatic Person. A Glimpse Into a Medieval South-Indian Hindu Tradition
- Joaquín Serrano del Pozo: The labarum of Constantine as a Charismatic Object
- Alar Kilp und Jerry G. Pankhurst: State, Church and Values during the Ukraine Crisis: the Dynamics of Charisma in Russia and Estonia
To access more articles currently published "in advance", click here.
RaT Features
In this category, we present a selection of recent books and projects by our members. Currently:
Rüdiger Lohlker: Geschichte des islamischen Denkens über Herrschaft. Facultas 2025
Carmelo Meazza, Carla Canullo, Emmanuel Falque, José Daniel López, Eduard Prenga, "Fenomenologia e Rivelazione". Edizioni Città Nuova: 2025.
Marco Fiorletta: Hölderlin e l’immagine socchiusa. Riflessioni sul frammento «Und der Himmel wird…» dello Homburger Folioheft tra materialità, divino e segno, in: Studia theodisca – Hölderliniana IV (2025): 291–315