University of Groningen appoints Gorazd Andrejč as Assistant Professor of Philosophy of Religion

Dr Gorazd Andrejč has been appointed Assistant Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the Faculty of Theology and Religio us Studies of the University of Groningen as of August 2019. He will be teaching Ethics and Secularity as well as Religion and Philosophy at the Bachelor’s level and is looking forward to developing new course units.

Research

Gorazd is also a part-time researcher at the Institute for Philosophical Studies of the Science and Research Centre of Koper, Slovenia, a Research Associate of St Edmund’s College at the University of Cambridge, and an Affiliated Lecturer at the Woolf Institute in Cambridge (which is recognized internationally for its expertise in researching and understanding relations between Jews, Christians and Muslims). His research focuses on the philosophy of religious language and interreligious communication, the phenomenological and epistemological aspects of liberal Protestantism, alternative theisms (including pantheism and deism) and non-theistic religiosities, such as animism and nature mysticism. His other interests are socio-epistemology, religion and politics, freedom of religion and belief and the philosophy of the mind – especially the role of emotions and feelings in religious forms of life.

Current work

Gorazd Andrejč: ‘I am currently working on two very different – both exciting – topics. One is the epistemological aspect of the principle of Freedom of Religion and Belief (FORB). I am examining the epistemological presuppositions and arguments behind this political principle, and not just the ethical, political and theological arguments for FORB. The other topic is about the challenges that the post-humanist vision of human–machine–animal relationships presents for different religious conceptions of human beings today.’

Looking forward to interdisciplinary synergies

‘I am looking forward to teaching ( Ethics and Secularity, and Religion and Philosophy) , developing new course units and collaborating with my new colleagues. I know that I will learn a lot from my colleagues and am looking forward to interdisciplinary synergies between my research and theirs, especially with the colleagues at the Centre for Religion and Heritage, Centre for Religion, Health and Wellbeing and Centre for Religion, Conflict and Globalization. I will continue to explore the relevance of philosophy for different aspects of Religious Studies – some of them new for me – while working here, and will look to push the research into the philosophy of religion further in relation to the topics of my expertise which, I am sure, will also broaden and develop.’

Groningen has a nice mix of internationalism and ‘Dutchness’

How does Gorazd Andrejč feel about his new working environment? ‘ So far, I have been extremely impressed with the inclusive culture and professional attitude displayed to me as a new staff member, both from the staff at the Faculty and the HR department of the University. I already knew about some of the research taking place at the Faculty previously, and that was an important reason why I applied for this job in the first place. And, while I have only been here for a couple of weeks now, I am enjoying the city of Groningen very much. The size and the feel of Groningen seem perfect. I play drums and enjoy jazz music in particular. So, I am looking forward to exploring Groningen’s music scene. I can already sense that the city has a very rich cultural life and a nice mix of internationalism and “Dutchness”.’