Conference Program

Even though societies are increasingly interconnected and religious and ethnic diversities should be constitutive elements of plural democracies, persistent social representations, stereotypes, and hate speech towards specific ethnic and religious groups continue to fuel specific forms of racism, often resurfacing throughout history. The study of religious pluralism finds in the works of Émile Durkheim, Max Weber, Peter L. Berger, and Niklas Luhmann four fundamental theoretical frameworks for understanding the relationship between religion, society, and education. For Durkheim, religion functions as a source of social cohesion through shared symbolic representations; in pluralistic contexts, however, education can no longer reproduce a single collective conscience, but it must foster integrative values capable of sustaining social solidarity amid diversity. Weber interprets pluralism as a consequence of rationalization and the differentiation of value spheres: education thus becomes a space for cultivating reflexive individuals able to navigate competing worldviews.Berger emphasizes that modernity transforms religion into one option among many within a competitive “market of meanings”: in this context, education plays a crucial role in developing awareness of the socially constructed character of belief systems and encouraging dialogical engagement. Luhmann conceptualizes religion and education as autonomous subsystems within a functionally differentiated society; in this framework religious pluralism is a structural outcome of social complexity and education provides individuals with communicative competencies necessary to manage diversity in systems of meaning. By integrating these perspectives, intercultural and interreligious education emerges not merely as diversity management, but as a formative process that prepares individuals to live in structurally plural societies and share civic values, enabling coexistence across religious differences in contemporary societies.

In the broader context of the Academy's Third Mission and the paths for cross-cutting skills and guidance, the synergy between schools and universities can play a pivotal role in shaping the identities of students and in developing a sense of global citizenship. This paper will analyze two cases studies: the "At School for Dialogue and Peace" project for high school students to provide them with counter-narrative tools against anti-Semitism, anti-Gypsyism, and Islamophobia, by combining a historical exploration of ethnic and religious diversities with immersive experiences such as visits to places of worship, personal accounts of discrimination, and insights on the artistic means employed by second generations to fight prejudices and advocate for religious freedom and recognition of themselves as Italian citizens; opportunities for university students, ordinary citizens, and religious communities to meet and exchange ideas as part of the Third Mission project “Dialogues of Peace.”