Conceptualizing Agency, Religion and Digitalization (CARD)

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Ilona Nord
• Subject Area: Protestant Theology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 564002997

The CARD (Conceptualizing Agency, Religion, and Digitalization) network aims to develop a conceptual framework for religion-related agency in times of digitalization based on international and interdisciplinary cooperation. The increasing datafication of society raises the question of the extent to which agency can be attributed to non-human entities (e.g. algorithms, AIs) and how the now massively differentiating hybrid human-technology relation(ships) should be interpreted and evaluated. On the one hand, religion-related research has its own resources for this. On the other hand, religion-related research is dependent on disciplines whose primary object is technological developments and their reflection: in CARD, these are communication and media studies, human-computer interaction (HCI) and computer science. Their findings have hardly been applied to the interface of religion, agency and digitalization. There are fragmented research clusters (religion and agency unconnected with digitalization and agency). Initially CARD addresses these disconnections by collecting, documenting and discussing disciplinary knowledge on agency, religion and digitalization in an interdisciplinary manner. The concept of the network's work was elaborated from the perspective of practical theology in cooperation with systematic theology and specifically with science of religion. They will share, discuss and broaden it with Jewish and Islamic studies, anthropology, philosophy, sociology, educational science, media and communication science, psychology, human-computer interaction and computer science. In a second phase, central religion-related topics such as authority, community, freedom, identity, responsibility, ritual and truth will be reflected upon using the method of interdisciplinary dialogues and this time elaborated cooperatively. In a third phase, on the basis of the discussions in the group as a whole, results for a framework conception of religion-related agency in times of digitalization will be raised. In turn, contributions written in teams are expected on understanding for example the relation(ships) between “actors and actants”, “practices and interactions” and “power and empowerment” in religion related contexts in times of digitization. CARD will document the network's research results in a jointly developed English-language handbook. During this process, the establishment of a follow-up project (international and interdisciplinary research group) is also being initiated. So far, digital religion research has mainly taken place in English-speaking contexts. German-language research is only marginally known. Therefore, another central goal of the network is to increase the visibility of German research areas through international cooperation in CARD and a follow-up project.

• DFG Programme: Scientific Networks
• Participating Person: Professorin Dr. Kerstin Radde-Antweiler