known scholars. The academic research carried out in this institute definitely
falls within the modern academic study of religions. Its focus on topics that
relate to local realities and regional political dynamics also brings an insight
into how to make the modern academic study of religions more relevant to
the primary context within which scholars practice their intellectual trade.
In Lebanonmost of the spectrum between theology (or its equivalent) and
the modern academic study of religions can be found. Most universities offer
theological or shar¥‘ahstudies programs that are strictly confessional. The Holy
Spirit University of Kaslik, a Roman Catholic university in Beirut, has a pro-
gram similar to the one found at Shar¥‘ah College in Jordan: the theological
program includes courses in psychology, sociology, and ‘the interreligious
context of the Middle East’, exposing theology students to various approaches
in the social sciences and the humanities. These courses may or may not expose
students to the modern academic study of religions. Further from the theological
end is the Faculty of Religious Sciences (Faculté des sciences religieuses) that
opened in 2001 at the Université St Joseph in Beirut. It brought together three
older institutions, each keeping its original objectives: the Higher Institute of
Religious Sciences (Institut Supérieur de Sciences Religieuses), the Institute of
Islamo-Christian Studies (Institut d’Études Islamo-Chrétiennes), and the Arab
Christian Documentation and Research Center (Centre de Documentation et
de Recherches Arabes Chrétiennes). All three directly reflect Christian
sensitivities and needs.
Around this synergy of expertise and resources, the Faculty was able to create
a Science of Religions department. It is interesting to note that the word ‘science’
remains in the singular in the name of this department as well as in the degrees
granted, when the word is used in the plural in the name of the Faculty. This
small point requires further investigation because it may point to a subtle
confessional adaptation of the terminology linked to the modern academic
study of religions within the larger scientific discourse in existence within the
normative university format in contemporary higher education. The depart-
ment’s mission statement demonstrates the self-conscious desire of this
university to work within and contribute towards a unique Lebanese pluralism.
It also argues for the place of religious dimensions in the culture of modern
societies in a way that prepares for a middle ground approach to the often
dichotomous language of religion and secularism, a position shared by many
Islamic institutions throughout NAWA. The department also sees itself as
promoting ‘the unique role of Lebanon in the dialogue of cultures and religions
in a post-modern context marked by globalization’. This vision is epitomized
by the creation in 2002 of a UNESCO Chair in the Comparative Study and
Dialogue of Religions in this Faculty. It is a member of UNITWIN, a network
that promotes interregional linkages in higher education.
Turkeypresents a unique hybrid case between theology and the modern
academic study of religions, reflecting both its geographical position and its
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