Doing Multidisciplinary Research on Religion: Methodological, Conceptual and Theoretical Challenges (International Studies in Religion and Society, 36)

Contents
Figures
Notes on Contributors
Part 1: Introduction
1 Introducing the Book and Its Contributions
	1 Who Defines the Frames of Multidisciplinary Research? - Research Ethical Dilemmas and Expectations
	References
Part 2: How to Gather Knowledge – Multidisciplinarity in Theory and Practice
2 Organising Across Disciplinary Boundaries – Experiences of Challenges and Success Factors
	1 Introduction
	2 A Cumulative Research Process
	3 Research on the Public Sector with the State-Church Project
	4 In-depth European Comparative Research
	5 Internationally Competitive Research Through Linnaeus Grants
	6 Challenges and Success Factors
	7 Building Multidisciplinarity over Time
	References
3 Complex Accounts: Reflexions on Defining and Measuring Religious Belonging
	1 Introduction
	2 How to Count Believers?
	3 Belonging
	4 A Fragile Relation
	5 Variations of Intensity?
	6 Believing?
	7 Survey…
	8 …or Membership Declaration?
	9 From the Individual to the Group
	10 Why Does It Matter?
	11 Public Representation of Religions
	12 Conclusion and Opening to Other Issues
	References
4 Layers of Misunderstandings? Considerations
	1 Introduction
	2 Starting Points
	3 Common Decision-Making: Material, Methods and Theory
	4 Outcomes and Process
	5 Methodological Diversity – Challenge or Benefit?
	6 Summarising Reflections
	References
5 Same Questions Different Answers: Experiences from Multidisciplinary Work in Law
	1 Introduction
	2 What to Call It?
	3 Interdisciplinary Research in Practice
	4 Lessons and Suggestions
	5 Conclusion
	References
Part 3: Who Defines the Frames
6 Historical Perspectives for the Study of Religion
	1 Introduction
	2 Why Historical Perspective?
	3 Estonia’s Religious Situation in Historical Perspective
	4 Religious Tolerance Throughout History
	5 Conclusion
	References
7 Pros and Cons in Multidisciplinary Research on Religion
	1 Multidisciplinary Research on New Religions
	2 A Multidisciplinary Research Platform: Religion in the 21st Century
	3 The Aftermath of Religion in the 21th Century
	4 The Multidisciplinary Group of Four from Religion in the 21th Century
	5 Multidisciplinary Research in the Wake of Religion in the 21st Century
	6 What Money Can’t Buy
	7 A Multidisciplinary Cross-over between Sociology of Religion and Micro-Economics
	8 Conclusions from Experiences in Multidisciplinary Research on Religion
	References
8 Observations on the International Character of Research: a Reflective Approach to Management
	1 Cross-Cultural Management: Some Problematic Assumptions
	2 The International: an Added Value?
	3 The International: How Does It Enter the Scene?
	4 A Dialogical and Reflective Approach
	5 Concluding Remarks and a Way Forward
	References
9 Curiosity or Career and Finance Driven? Motivating Factors and Stumbling Blocks
	1 A Long-Term Research Agenda and Multidisciplinary Educational and Research Agenda
	2 Stumbling Blocks
		2.1 National Strike
		2.2 The Growth of Fixed Contracts
		2.3 The Travail of Applying for Grants and Funding
		2.4 Time-Consuming
		2.5 Celebrities and Loosers
		2.6 Health Issues
		2.7 Educational Grants
		2.8 Keeping All the Balls in the Air
		2.9 Alienation of Moral Responsibilities
		2.10 Meeting Expectations
	3 Motivating Factors
		3.1 Multidisciplinary Teamwork
		3.2 Meeting Expectations
		3.3 A Spirit of Cooperation
		3.4 Financial Alternatives
		3.5 Love and Passion
	4 Finalisation
	References
10 From Multidisciplinarity to Transdisciplinarity and Back Again...
	1 The Landscape Formed by Research Politics
	2 The National Landscape – the Swedish Case
	3 The Impact of Local Research Strategies and Governance
	4 Definitions
	5 Communication, Compromise and Clarity
	6 Building Trust
	7 Complementary Goals
	8 Participatory Transdisciplinarity – a Working Model
	9 Concluding Reflections
	References
11 Current Research Methodological
	1 Overview of the Situation in Mental Health and Public Mental Health
	2 Existential Meaning in Cultural Context- a Working Concept for Public Mental Health
	3 Existential Meaning and Meaning-Making Processes in the Development of Public Mental Health Promotion Frameworks and Methods
	4 Application of the ADAPT Model and Existential Meaning into a Research Method on Biographical Network Mapping
	5 Concluding Remarks
	References
12 Religion and Diversity: Multidisciplinarity, Transdisciplinarity and Complex Futures
	1 Defining the Terms of Engagement: What Is Multidisciplinarity?
	2 The Mechanics of Multidisciplinarity
		2.1 Choosing Collaborators and Advisors
		2.2 Difference as Opportunity
		2.3 The Difference between Guiding and Controlling
		2.4 Unexpected Gifts
		2.5 Deliverables
		2.6 Policy and Non-Academic Relevance
		2.7 Student Training
	3 Turning Our Multidisciplinary Energies to the Future—Bringing It Back to Religion
	References
Index