What is it about?
We studied student religious organizations in universities in Britain, including Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist and other spiritual groups. We interviewed 68 students at 6 universities to discover what role religious student groups play. Are they inward or outward focused, focused on creating community for their members or on building bridges to others? Using theories of social capital, we found that they excel at community building, providing vital support for students from minority religious groups, but they reach out to others too, through volunteering, interfaith work or faith-sharing.
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Why is it important?
At a time of religious conflict on campus, it is vital that colleges and universities support religious students and help them build peaceful, positive relationships with those with different beliefs. Student affairs and faculty have much to learn from student religious groups about how to support students to find friendship and community and build good relations with those who are different.
Perspectives
People sometimes stereotype student religious organizations, assuming they all think alike, or are uniformly conservative or progressive in outlook. In fact, they are diverse, and this article explores the many different roles they play on campus.
Kristin Aune
Coventry University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Building bridges or holy huddles? Student religious organizations in British universities., Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, June 2024, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/dhe0000595.
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