Cultural Diversity and Performance of Cameroonian Companies

The objective of this study is to highlight the effects of ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity on business sustainability in Cameroon. To achieve this objective, the authors used data from a survey conducted in the cities of Douala and Yaoundé by the Laboratory for Research in Fundamental and Applied Economics (LAREFA) of the University of Dschang. Using a censored Tobit model, the following results were obtained: (1) Ethnic diversity and linguistic diversity each have a positive effect on the sustainability of Cameroonian companies. However, when the linguistic diversity index is too high, its effect becomes significantly negative. (2) Whatever its level, religious diversity has a negative effect on the sustainability of Cameroonian companies.

Challenges Related to the Increase of Religious Diversity in the Light of the Judicial Decisions of the European Court of Human Rights

European states responded in different ways to tensions related to the increase in religious diversity, and the restrictions introduced were considered appropriate when they resulted from public security and the need to protect others, especially if the state presented a credible justification. On this occasion, the case-law of the ECHR developed two key concepts for the determination of the presence of religious symbols in public places: a powerful external symbol and an essentially passive symbol. An important achievement of the Tribunal is also the introduction of the concept of “improper proselytism.” Certainly, a further increase in religious diversity in Europe may lead to new areas of controversy, which will then be assessed by the ECHR. However, the existing instruments used by the Court, such as the idea of the Convention as a living document, the theory of the margin of appreciation or the analysis of the existence of the European consensus, enable it to develop its interpretation in this regard.

The Incorporation of Cultural and Religious Diversity in LGBT Policies: Experiences of Queer Migrants from Muslim Backgrounds in Catalonia, Spain

This article reflects on the biases in sexual and gender diversity policies in relation to the axis of cultural and religious diversity in Catalonia (Spain), where these policies have experienced an enormous boost since 2014. The paper aims to analyse the articulation between the experiences of queer migrants from Muslim backgrounds living in Catalonia and the LGBT and intercultural policies. Based on interviews both with queer migrants and people involved in developing public policies, we analyse how these two axes intersect. The approach of policies is mainly monofocal and assimilationist, failing to acknowledge the hybridity of queer migrant experiences. However, we also find examples of policy programmes that adopt an intersectional perspective and embrace hybridity by advancing more inclusive LGBT equality policies. The conclusions highlight two axes of tensions that have emerged in the analysis of the policies: the construction of the figure of the queer person from a Muslim background and the role of the state regarding sexual and gender diversity.

Invisible Traces of Islam in the Urban Space of Rustavi: Interpreting the Religious Diversity in Post-Soviet Georgia

The article discusses the revelation of the religiosity of the Azerbaijani community in the postSocialist city of Rustavi and their visibility in the urban space. The subject of research is how their religiosity is expressed in the city space. The article pinpoints the attempt by the Muslim community to build a mosque in the city. This unsuccessful try is forgotten by both members of the community- the Azerbaijani and the Christian population. Everyone has forgotten about it, and the topic has become a subject of taboo. In the article, the search for the invisible traces of Islam in the urban space of the city can be linked to two pasts of the city; one is the experience of the Soviet multi-ethnicity and the more distant, historical past of the city interpreted by the Communists. It is also influenced by the peculiarities of the region, the ethno-confessional composition, and the state's attempt to control religious groups and their activities, which has a corresponding impact on the self-perception and self-representation of the Azerbaijani community in the city. Findings presenting in the article based on the ethnographical research done in Rustavi 2019-2020.

Training Spiritual Caregivers

This chapter explores graduate theological education as a field that produces both discourses of spirituality and the professionals who provide what is increasingly called “spiritual care.” As taught in chaplaincy programs, the case of spiritual care illustrates how “spirituality” is produced by religious institutions in a pragmatic effort to train chaplains for work in the secular institutions that employ them. The chapter shows how, based on the history of chaplaincy graduate education programs and their students’ religious backgrounds, programs adapt the content of their curricula and their approaches to religious diversity to prepare their students for work with a wide range of religious and nonreligious people across secular institutions. It concludes by outlining what this case contributes to broader scholarly conversations about the institutional production of “spirituality” in the current American context and the role of theological education in that production.

World Christianity and Religions 2022: A Complicated Relationship

This article marks the thirty-eighth year of including statistical information on World Christianity and mission in the International Bulletin of Mission Research. This year it includes details on the growth of world religions, increasing religious diversity, and personal contact between Christians and people of other religions. The world is becoming more religious, and the world’s countries have become more religiously diverse, yet Christians have inadequate personal contact with members of other religions. Solidarity, including friendship, love, and hospitality, is posited as the way forward in addressing these trends.