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Dr. Philipp Öhlmann

wittenberg.cas@uni-halle.de

Collegienstraße 62
06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg

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Sprache: English
Schrift: größer , kleiner

Wittenberg Center for Advanced Studies

Welcome to the website of the Wittenberg Center for Advanced Studies!

The Wittenberg Center for Advanced Studies is MLU's hub for international academic collaboration in the city of Wittenberg. Jointly with international collaborators, we foster innovation in research and teaching. The Wittenberg CAS is open to scholars across disciplines with an interest in transformation, religion and civil society – thereby linking the complex historical legacy of the Reformation with contemporary processes of social transformation in global perspectives.

International Colloquium "Decolonizing Ecumenical Hermeneutics" // 25–26 June 2026

Decolonizing Ecumenical Hermeneutics

We are delighted to host the international colloquium “Decolonizing Ecumenical Hermeneutics” jointly with the Secretariat and Commissioners of the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches, Bossey Ecumenical Institute and the Faculty of Theology at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.

The aim is to contextualize the work of the WCC Faith and Order Commission and its Sixth World Conference “Where now for visible unity?”, Wadi El Natrun, Egypt, from 24 to 28 October 2025.

We will particularly focus on core insights of the World Conference on the decolonialization of ecumenical hermeneutics. Historically, ecumenical discourses have often privileged eurocentric frameworks, marginalizing theologies and hermeneutics of communities shaped by colonial histories and indigenous worldviews. We thus invite participants to critically review and challenge the hermeneutical presuppositions of ecumenical theological discourses.

As we gather from diverse ecclesial and cultural contexts, the international colloquium seeks to offers a space to reimagine ecumenical theological thinking through the lens of decolonial reasoning. We particularly invite students and young theologians to participate and to contribute their perspectives on the ongoing process of decolonizing the ecumenical movement and ecumenical theology.

The colloquium will take place in-person in Wittenberg + online. We kindly invite invite you to participate. For more information see the attached Call for Participation. To register kindly send an email to: wittenberg.cas@uni-halle.de by 7 June 2026.

For students, early career scholars and young ecumenical leaders, we offer a limited number of scholarships, covering travel, accommodation and meals. To apply for a scholarship kindly enclose a short letter of motivation to your registration email.

Call for participation
20260423_Intl Colloquium June_Call for Participation.pdf (600,6 KB) vom 18.05.2026

Programme
20260521_Intl Colloquium Decolonizing Ecumenical Hermeneutics_Programme.pdf (534 KB) vom 21.05.2026

International Workshop "Religion, Gender and Sustainability: Intersectional Perspectives" // 22 May 2026

On 22 May 2026, the international workshop “Religion, Gender and Sustainability: Intersectional Perspectives” took place at Leucorea in Wittenberg. Presenters from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Maseno University, Zimbabwe Open University, University of Zambia, and the Center for Dialogue and Change in Cottbus jointly explored the complex question of how religion, gender, and sustainability shape and intersect with one another.

In the presentation “Identity Formation at the Intersection of Religion, Gender and Sustainability,” Doris Günther-Kriegel examined questions of identity construction within the tensions of intersectional representations, using the example of images used in German fair trade promotion.

In “Sacred Earth, Sacred Women: Sources Shaping African Women’s Engagement in Ecotheology,” Loreen Maseno (Maseno University; currently Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Award holder at the University of Bamberg) highlighted different religious and cultural resources of African women in the field of ecotheology.

In their joint presentation, “Towards a Religion, Gender and Food Security Responsive Approach to Climate Change,” Molly Manyonganise (Zimbabwe Open University; currently Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at Humboldt University Berlin) and Nelly Mwale (University of Zambia; currently Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at Humboldt University Berlin) presented a holistic approach to climate change and food security. Their presentation addressed the importance of traditional religious and cultural institutions led by women for the social legitimacy of climate protection measures, as well as the frequent marginalization of gender and religious issues in global climate discourses.

Finally, in the presentation “Lost in Transformation? Re-orienting Religion in Rural Areas of Eastern Germany,” Vanessa Rau (Center for Dialogue and Change, Cottbus / Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity) discussed religious orientations in regions undergoing transformation in eastern Germany, using the rural areas of Lusatia as an example of broader social and religious processes of change.

In the unique atmosphere of the Leucorea, the workshop provided space for intensive conversations and lively discussions among researchers and students from a variety of international contexts.