Fight for justice: ESWTR annual conference in Marburg!

Fight for justice: ESWTR annual conference in Marburg!

The annual conference of the European Society for Women's Theological Research (ESWTR) will take place from August 20th to 24th, 2025 at the Department of Protestant Theology at the Philipps University of Marburg. Around 100 scientists from all over Europe come together to address the topic “How can sustainable justice be achieved?” to deal with. The ESWTR was founded in 1986 and has since established itself as the largest European association of researchers from different religious and scientific traditions, such as uni-marburg.de reported.

The hosts of this year's conference are Prof. Dr. Christl Maier and Prof. Dr. Angela Standhartinger. A special highlight of the event are two public evening lectures. The first lecture comes from Prof. Dr. Maren Niehoff, who will speak on Wednesday, August 20th at 6:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Old University on the topic "Equality in Rabbinic Literature? Different Perspectives on Women's Obligations and Rights". On Thursday, August 21st, at 6:00 p.m. Prof. Dr. Christine Helmer from Evanston/USA enriched the program with her lecture “Justice and the Freedom to Think. How does Theology Relate to Politics”. Both lectures will be offered in German and Spanish translation, and the subsequent discussion will be translated simultaneously.

Focus on equity and sustainability

The conference aims to design fair and sustainable structures in the face of global economic and political inequality. Panels will address topics such as “Justice in the Scriptures” and “Ecotheologies in Dialogue,” with speakers from Buddhist, Christian, Jewish and Muslim perspectives. This interdisciplinary approach promotes a fruitful exchange about social challenges at the international level, as well eswtr.org emphasized.

In addition, the exchange between experienced scientists and young scientists is activated. The latter have the opportunity to present their current research projects in short lectures. This not only deepens knowledge, but also promotes interreligious and intergenerational dialogue.

Support and publications

The conference is financed by the German Research Foundation, various religious foundations and the churches. The ESWTR itself annually publishes the yearbook of the European Society for Women's Theological Research and the series “ESWTR Studies in Religion”. These publications help to further strengthen the interreligious orientation of the society, as decided at the general meetings in Crete in 2015 and in Vienna in 2017.

For interested participants, program, accommodation and registration information is available on the conference website. The conference will be offered in English, German and Spanish, offering broad accessibility for scientists from different regions and disciplines.