Modelling Topics and Structures of Religious Online Communication

relNet—Project Site

The project addresses two main questions: What are the structures of religious communication in online contexts, and how do religious topics spread across these structures? The study is based on computer mediated communication (online forums, social media) of neo-conservative Christian and Muslim groups, e.g. Evangelical and Salafi communities. The team of this digital humanities project includes scholars of religion and computer scientists. From a religious studies perspective, the project builds on current research on religion and religious authority and the Internet. Its special focus lies on processes of authorization, and hence on the relational and procedural nature of authority. Computer scientists, on the other hand, are interested in the formal modelling of these processes and further development of methods from the area of behaviour informatics.

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Project leaders

Project coordinator

Affiliated Persons

Photograph of Prof. Dr. Volkhard Krech

Prof. Dr. Volkhard Krech

Project Leader

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 3.12
+49 234 32-22395
volkhard.krech@rub.de
KM

Prof. Dr. Katharina Morik

Project Leader

Photograph of Prof. Dr. Frederik Elwert

Prof. Dr. Frederik Elwert

Project Management

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 2.06
+49 234 32-23024
frederik.elwert@rub.de
LP

Lukas Pfahler M.Sc.

Research Associate

Photograph of Samira Tabti

Samira Tabti

Research Associate

samira.tabti@rub.de
Photograph of Dennis Mathie

Dennis Mathie

Research Assistant

Universitätsstr. 90a
44789  Bochum
Office 2.07
+49 234 32-21975
dennis.mathie@rub.de