The research group brings together mainly philosophers and scholars of religion who collaboratively explore the interdisciplinary potential of their respective fields. At its core is a strong interest in bringing European and non-European materials and traditions into productive dialogue. 

The group pursues a decidedly transcultural perspective, closely aligned with postcolonial approaches inspired by Edward Said, with a rooting in Michel Foucault and further developed through thinkers like Homi Bhabha, Gayatri Spivak, Dipesh Chakrabarty and within the the fields of Entangled History and Global History. Key concepts such as philosophy, religion, and ethics are critically recognized as categories embedded in European social and intellectual history and thus heuristically problematic. Nevertheless, from the vantage point of European epistemology, these terms remain the conventional categories delineating the group’s focused area of study. Based on these theoretical considerations, the group refers to its work as a “rediscovery” of philosophy, religion, and culture.

Cross-cultural comparison is a central object of methodological reflection: the group is acutely aware of the epistemological challenges inherent in comparative work—especially the tendency to subordinate research subjects to the conceptual and linguistic preconceptions of the originating culture, thereby reproducing epistemic dominance. This dynamic not only risks obscuring the autonomy and specificity of the cultures under study but also impedes genuine intercultural understanding. Developing a methodology “beyond comparison” is therefore a key academic goal of the group.

The thematic focus of the group evolves organically from the competencies and interests of its members. Through ongoing collaboration, specific topics and areas of interest will crystallize as focal points for joint research and publications.

The working language of the group is English, for reasons including:

• expected participation of international members (affiliated PhD students, collaboration partners),
• predominance of English-language literature,
• international orientation of the group’s outputs.

Research, teaching and outreach activities can, of course, be done in Norwegian or other languages adopted to the respective audience or target readership.

The group is open to new members and welcomes interested scholars from other academic disciplines. Its organizational structure is deliberately flat, with the initiator, Sven Bretfeld, responsible for ensuring continuity and regularity in the group’s activities.

Activities and Aims

Regular meetings (physical, exceptionally online) primarily take the form of a reading and discussion group. The literature selection oscillates between primary and secondary sources (where this distinction is meaningful) to ensure a rich, dialogical interplay between theoretical and empirical perspectives. These discussions serve as a bottom-up platform for the development of projects. Projects are group activities of the whole group or sub-groups with a concrete goal or product. They fall into three categories:

• research projects: co-authored publications, joint conference organization or participation, collaborative research proposals.
• teaching activities: single lectures, presentations at special events (MA-dagen, semester opening, etc.), spesialemner, common supervision of BA, MA, PhD theses.
• knowledge transfer/dissemination of scientific knowledge: various possibilities from co-authored feuilleton articles, podcast series, public lecture series, etc.

The group stresses the importance of its research for academic teaching and public outreach. Encounters with the Other, expanding cultural horizons, and culture-historically informed self-reflection are seen as central competencies to be conveyed to students and the broader public. The group seeks to contribute meaningfully to socially relevant topics such as diversity, intercultural competence, integration, and globalization management.

Additionally, it pursues science-policy goals like broadening the philosophical canon to include intercultural perspectives and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration among Philosophy, Ethics, and Religious Studies, with a long-term plan to involve further disciplines.

Demarcation

The group acknowledges a relationship to the ‘Feminist and Decolonial Philosophy’ research group, since Postcolonial Theory forms one of its points of departure. This relationship is more research-genealogical than thematic or methodological. Despite shared historical roots—both can be viewed as offsprings of Critical Theory and Post-Orientalism—the thematic focus, research interests, and goals of the two groups differ fundamentally. Our group’s emphasis lies primarily on shared transcultural interests within Philosophy and Religious Studies, employing comparative perspectives with a particular focus on postcolonial and global historical approaches.