Interreligious dialogue in the public sphere: Challenges for socioeducational actors in catalonia

Abstract

This article examines the concept and the elements that encourage intercultural and interreligious dialogue, from the point of view of experts involved in the management of religious diversity in the public space: policy-makers, associations and academics in Cata-lonia. It responds to a comprehensive-descriptive study with a qualitative approach and an hermeneutic-interpretative rationale as the most appropriate methodology to examine the accounts of the three aforementioned groups. Eleven individual semi-structured interviews have been conducted with representatives of each group. The results reveal different but complementary definitions of interreligious dialogue: the relationship between culture and religion, dialogue as a first step of mutual recognition and the benefits of it. The participants contribute elements that facilitate this dialogue. It concludes with a management model of religious diversity in the public space with community and educational proposals to guide future prevention, mediation and social cohesion policies in Catalonia.