The relationship between religion and capitalism in contemporary society was at the centre of an international academic conference that brought together 36 research papers and topics across eight thematic sessions.
The conference addressed the profound social, economic and cultural changes shaping contemporary life, with particular attention to capitalism as the dominant economic system permeating different spheres of human existence, and to religion, which, despite ongoing processes of secularization, continues to play a significant role in shaping value frameworks, moral orientations and collective identities.
The participants explored the complex and dynamic relationship between religion and capitalism, from classical theoretical perspectives – including Max Weber’s understanding of the Protestant ethic as one of the foundations of the capitalist spirit – to contemporary research examining the influence of market logic on the transformation of religious institutions and practices. Discussions also focused on the ways in which religious institutions adopt elements of corporate organisation, market-oriented communication and branding in order to maintain their presence and influence in the public sphere.
A significant part of the conference addressed the relationship between religion and politics, particularly the role of religious institutions in legitimising existing structures of power or challenging them. Particular attention was paid to the close links between religious and political actors, as well as to the possibility that efforts to strengthen their position in the political sphere may come at the expense of certain spiritual and ethical values.
The conference programme covered a broad range of themes, including theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of religion and capitalism; consumer culture and the commodification of religion; and the economic and moral dimensions of social justice. The participants also examined the relationship between religion, legitimation, resistance and structural violence under capitalism; the specific characteristics of religion and capitalism in post-socialist societies; individual and collective religiosity under conditions of late capitalism and post-socialism; and questions of religion, ethics and values in neoliberal societies.
The conference provided an opportunity for researchers from different academic disciplines to exchange contemporary theoretical and empirical insights and contributed to advancing an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the relationship between religion, politics, economics and social change. Its broader social significance lies in the effort to deepen our understanding of the causes of the contemporary crisis of values, growing inequalities and social tensions, while also encouraging the search for sustainable responses to these global challenges.
Alongside participants from Serbian academic institutions, particularly the Institute of Social Sciences, the conference brought together researchers from Russia, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Malta.