{"id":6079,"date":"2026-03-24T09:09:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T08:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/?page_id=6079"},"modified":"2026-04-14T12:49:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T10:49:04","slug":"working-paper-series","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/en\/research-topics\/research-center-for-religious-diversity\/working-paper-series\/","title":{"rendered":"RelVie Working Paper Series"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"is-style-intro-text wp-block-paragraph\">The <em>RelVie Working Paper Series <\/em>serves as the publication outlet of the Research Center for Religious Diversity. It includes results from ongoing research in both English and German. Its thematic focus is the analysis of the multifaceted interplay between religion, politics, and society. The publications are open-access, available via Friedrich-Alexander-Universit\u00e4t Erlangen-N\u00fcrnberg\u2019s online publication system: <a href=\"https:\/\/open.fau.de\/home\">OPEN FAU<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignfull is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:21% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/files\/2026\/03\/Cover-WP_Volume1-724x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6132 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/files\/2026\/03\/Cover-WP_Volume1-724x1024.jpg 724w, https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/files\/2026\/03\/Cover-WP_Volume1-212x300.jpg 212w, https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/files\/2026\/03\/Cover-WP_Volume1-768x1086.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/files\/2026\/03\/Cover-WP_Volume1-1086x1536.jpg 1086w, https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/files\/2026\/03\/Cover-WP_Volume1-1448x2048.jpg 1448w, https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/files\/2026\/03\/Cover-WP_Volume1-42x60.jpg 42w, https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/files\/2026\/03\/Cover-WP_Volume1-scaled.jpg 1811w\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">RelVie Working Paper Series \u2013 Volume 1<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.25593\/issn.3054-6788\/vol1\">Ghassan El Masri: A \u2018Zone\u2019 for the EU and the GCC\u2019s Inter-religious and Inter-cultural Engagement<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ISSN 3054-6788<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">URN &nbsp;urn:nbn:de:101:1-2603261114503.155666862911<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DOI &nbsp;10.25593\/issn.3054-6788\/vol1<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rrze-elements-collapsibles \"><div class=\"accordion\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-rrze-elements-collapse \"><div class=\"accordion-group rw\"><h2 class=\"accordion-heading\"><button class=\"accordion-toggle\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" data-name=\"panel_77a02edc\" data-href=\"#panel_77a02edc\" type=\"button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"panel_77a02edc-section\" id=\"panel_77a02edc\" data-media-accordion-image-id=\"0\" data-media-accordion-image-url=\"\" data-media-accordion-image-alt=\"\">Abstract<\/button><\/h2><div id=\"panel_77a02edc-section\" class=\"accordion-body \" aria-labelledby=\"panel_77a02edc\" role=\"region\" name=\"panel_77a02edc\"><div class=\"accordion-inner clearfix\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This article argues that the resurgence of religion in international relations and the parallel rise of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) has create a new form of structured inter-religious and inter-cultural engagement in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). This new form of &#8216;extrastatecraft&#8217; can be an opportunity for the EU to restart its stalled cultural relations with the GCC. While both, the EU and the GCC are institutionally committed to secular international relations, they both confront theo-political pressures along their respective borders\u2014ranging from political Islam and regional instability in the Middle East and the Mediterranean to civilizational narratives emanating from Russia, Turkey, China, and the United States. Against this backdrop, the article proposes the institutionalization of Inter-Religious Engagement (IRE) as a normative and strategic instrument of foreign policy. SEZs, which are multiplying quickly in the MENA Region, and particularly Saudi Arabia\u2019s NEOM project\u2014 are infrastructural \u201cstages\u201d upon which EU-GCC cultural and religious diplomacy may be enacted. Tracing the historical rise of SEZs from Shannon to contemporary global networks, the study interprets the resurgence of city-states and transnational economic hubs as heralding a neo-Hanseatic order and a new form of globalization. In this context, Gulf and MENA region SEZs are conceptualized as extra-national platforms that will inevitably host novel forms of cultural cohabitation, economic integration, and faith-based engagement beyond the orders of traditional nation-state politics. The article concludes that a coordinated EU\u2013GCC partnership on SEZs and IRE (emanating from Jordan) could catalyse a new Mediterranean order grounded in sustainable development, cultural pluralism, and strategic cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The appendix \u201c<strong>Cultural Diplomacy at the Heart of Europe\u2019s New Global Strategy<\/strong>\u201d examines the evolution of culture, diplomacy and foreign relations within the European Union\u2019s external relations, particularly in the Mediterranean and Middle East regions. It traces the gradual incorporation of culture into EU policy from the 1995 <em>Barcelona Declaration<\/em> of the <em>Euro-Mediterranean Partnership<\/em> through the post-9\/11 security paradigm and into the transformative period of EU foreign policy following the Arab Spring. While early EU engagement with its southern neighbourhood prioritized normative commitments to democracy and human rights, cultural and religious dimensions were initially underemphasized. The rise of Islamist militancy, regional upheavals after 2011, and growing instability within and beyond Europe prompted a strategic recalibration. The 2016 EU Global Strategy and the Strategy on International Cultural Relations marked a decisive shift, positioning culture\u2014alongside energy and economic diplomacy\u2014as a central pillar of EU foreign policy. The article underscores the Mediterranean as the principal arena for this strategy, with the GCC emerging as a key partner and Jordan maintaining privileged status within the European Neighbourhood framework. Ultimately, the article contends that the EU seeks to advance a \u201cconvergence of civilizations\u201d through cultural diplomacy, though the practical mechanisms for achieving this remain underdeveloped and open to further inquiry.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The RelVie Working Paper Series serves as the publication outlet of the Research Center for Religious Diversity. It includes results from ongoing research in both English and German. Its thematic focus is the analysis of the multifaceted interplay between religion, politics, and society. The publications are open-access, available via Friedrich-Alexander-Universit\u00e4t Erlangen-N\u00fcrnberg\u2019s online publication system: OPEN [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2205,"featured_media":0,"parent":4815,"menu_order":30,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_rrze_cache":"enabled","_rrze_multilang_single_locale":"en_US","_rrze_multilang_single_source":"https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/?page_id=6078","_faue_teaser_image_id":0,"footnotes":""},"page_category":[],"page_tag":[],"class_list":["post-6079","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","en-US"],"faue_teaser_image_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2205"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6079"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6079\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6388,"href":"https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6079\/revisions\/6388"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"page_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/page_category?post=6079"},{"taxonomy":"page_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zr2.rw.fau.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/page_tag?post=6079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}