The talk examines religious mobilisation in response to forced displacement in predominantly Orthodox countries in Eastern Europe. It highlights areas of cooperation and divergence between faith-based communities and state authorities, with a particular focus on Eastern Orthodoxy. It shows that religious communities have played a dual role. At times, they have been among the first to respond to violence; in other cases, the politicisation of religion has affected the ways in which church leaders and local communities have engaged with forcibly displaced populations.
The talk summarises the findings of the British Academy project ‘When States Fail: Forced Displacement, Religious Diplomacy and Human Security in the Eastern Orthodox World’.
📅 Wednesday, 24 June 2026
🕑 14:00 EEST
✅Register for free → https://forms.gle/tXqkwj7pbTZCkgjG8
💻 Join us online via Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/xvj-ogxd-woc
🎓 Free & open to all
Lucian N. Leustean is a Reader in Politics and International Relations at Aston University, Birmingham, United Kingdom. His recent publications include Religious Failure, Geopolitics, and Forced Displacement in Russia, Eastern Europe, and the South Caucasus (Central European University Press, forthcoming 2026) and The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Europe (co-edited with Grace Davie, Oxford University Press, 2021). He is the Founding Editor of the Routledge Book Series Religion, Society, and Government in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet States.
Sober Thought: A FERBOPO Forum represents a new series of free online talks exploring the intersections of state, religion, and body politics in Romania and Central and Eastern Europe. Over the coming months, leading scholars will present their work to an open international audience — followed by a live Q&A. Sessions run 60–75 minutes and are free to attend.
This event is part of the Sober Thought series — view all upcoming sessions