Science Communication for Religious Studies: Creating a New Researcher Profile by Laying the Foundation of a Laboratory. A Film Documentary Project Located in Central and Eastern Europe

Project Information

CROSS

Grant agreement ID: 101032467

DOI

10.3030/101032467

Project closed

EC signature date 18 March 2021

Start date 1 October 2021

End date 30 September 2023

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 156 980,64

EU contribution

€ 156 980,64

Coordinated by

UNIVERZITA PALACKEHO V OLOMOUCI
Czechia

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CROSS (Science Communication for Religious Studies: Creating a New Researcher Profile by Laying the Foundation of a Laboratory. A Film Documentary Project Located in Central and Eastern Europe)

Reporting period: 2021-10-01 to 2023-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

This project demonstrates CROSS's commitment to producing high-quality academic religious studies content in a format that is accessible and engaging for a wider audience. The CROSS project seeks to expand public knowledge and comprehension of the freedom to study religion through the creation of a documentary geared towards a non-specialist public. The acronym CROSS stands for Science Communication for ReligiOus StudieS.

The project contributes to the first article of the European Charter for Researcher, "Research Freedom." Furthermore, it addresses the complexities of Digital Humanities by utilizing digital tools, such as audiovisual materials and social media platforms, for disseminating and communicating scientific research. Finally, by exploring the freedom to study religion in Central and Eastern Europe, three decades after the era of Scientific Atheism in post-Communist countries, the documentary highlights the struggles of Ukrainian researchers amidst the ongoing Russian aggression that began in February 2022.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

CROSS produced a documentary showcasing interviews with 23 prominent scholars of religion from 9 countries and 12 cities in Central and Eastern Europe. The documentary, titled "Some Kind of Liberating Effect" (original English language, running time of 54 minutes), explores diverse perspectives on religion and its impact on society and science. It includes scholars from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, Ukraine, and the United States. Interviews were conducted in the cities of Olomouc, Prague, Budapest, Szeged, Warsaw, Krakow, Tartu, Vilnius, Riga, Bucharest, Chernivtsi, and Tuscaloosa.

The movie was released online on September 30th, 2023, and is now available for free on the new YouTube channel "Freedom to Study Religion". The channel is part of the CROSS project, which created a video collection of 715 minutes of footage from the 23 interviews conducted. New parts of the collection will be added to the channel over time.

CROSS has published scholarly articles that address key questions in the debate about academic freedom in religious studies research. They have also explored creative ways to use storytelling techniques to improve dissemination in this field.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

CROSS has established a research niche and an innovative academic profile in the field of Science Communication for Religious Studies, with a specific focus on science documentaries and social media.

The scholarship produced a documentary, which is the first of its kind, dedicated to the academic study of religion, marking a significant achievement in the field. This documentary is the core outcome of the innovation and serves as a pilot project to explore the potential for commercializing content related to Religious Studies within the film industry.

Official Poster