The mission of the Religious Studies Research Group is to advance the understanding of religion’s role in both premodern and modern societies through rigorous academic research and interdisciplinary scholarship. We aim to explore the complexities of religious beliefs and practices across historical and contemporary contexts, bridging traditional religious thought with the challenges of postmodern realities.
EVENTS
NEWS
PUBLICATIONS
Između vere i nacije: Pokret Mladi muslimani 1939–1990 (2025)
Sabornost in 20th Century Serbian Theology (2025)
Conceptualizing Psychedelic Pure Consciousness (2025)
Goldschmidt and Yiddish Anarchism (2024)
Roma in Central and Southeastern Europe: Navigating Muslim Identities, Challenges and Activism (2024)
The Religious Studies Research Group, housed within the Institute of Philosophy and Social Theory at the University of Belgrade, positions itself at the forefront of interdisciplinary academic inquiry into religion’s multifaceted role across different cultures and historical periods. This group adopts a holistic approach to exploring the complexities of religious phenomena. With a broad scope that spans from the traditions of the premodern period to contemporary times, the group’s research encompasses the critical analysis of religious texts, rituals, and institutions and the exploration of religion’s impact on society, politics, culture, and economy. By engaging in the comparative study of various religious traditions within their cultural contexts and employing diverse analytical frameworks, the group fosters a deeper understanding of religion, its ubiquitous presence in human culture, and its historical significance. The group is committed to nurturing critical thinking and developing analytical skills in fostering debates and addressing the pressing challenges of religious and cultural diversity in the premodern and modern world. Additionally, the group actively seeks to contribute to reconciliation in the Balkans, particularly within societies torn by the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. Through focused academic research and interdisciplinary dialogue, it offers analyses that elucidate the complex relationship between religion and post-conflict societal rebuilding and foster a foundation for lasting peace and shared futures in the region.
Coordinators:
Members:
External associates:
Aleksandar Đakovac (Faculty of Orthodox Theology, University of Belgrade)
Rastko Jović (Faculty of Orthodox Theology, University of Belgrade)
Seid Halilović (Center for Religious Sciences “Kom”)
Muamer Halilović (Center for Religious Sciences “Kom”)
Romilo Aleksandar Knežević (Innovation Center, University of Niš)
Ahmet Alibašić (Faculty of Islamic Sciences, University of Sarajevo)
Selma Muhič Dizdarevič (Faculty of Hummanities, Charles University, Prague)
Aleksandra Đurić Milovanović (Institute for Balkans Studies of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts)
Jelena Jorgačević-Kisić (Nedeljnik Vreme)
Aleksandra Pavićević (The Institute of Ethnography of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts)
Milesa Stefanović Banović (The Institute of Ethnography of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts)
Mikonja Knežević (The Institute of Ethnography of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts)
- Bojanić, Petar, (2018). Violence and Messianism: Jewish Philosophy and the Great Conflicts of the 20th Century. London & New York: Routledge.
- Bojanić, Petar, (2021). “What Is ʻVictoryʼ in the Orthodox Christian Ethics of War?” Labyrinth, Vienna, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 137–152.
- Bojanić, Petar, (2022). “ʻUnjust Enemyʼ or ʻMonster Dilemmaʼ Revisited: On the Conditions and the Paradox of a Theological Fiction.” Philosophy and Society, Belgrade, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 949–960.
- Bojanić, Petar, & Perunović, Andrea, (2024). “Derrida’s Counter-Institution and Its Ethics of Promise and Responsibility”. Angelaki: Journal of the Theoretical Humanities, vol. 29, nos. 1–2, pp. 169–180.
- Karlović, Roman, & Bojanić, Peter. (2024). “Goldschmidt and Yiddish Anarchism”. Philosophy Today, vol. 68, no. 2 (Spring 2024), pp. 415–424.
- Cvetković, Vladimir. (2025). Circle and Sphere Metaphors for God’s Nature and Providence in Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy and Dionysius’ On Divine Names. In Michael O’Wiitala (ed.), Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy: A Critical Guide, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 186–201.
- Cvetković, Vladimir. (2025). Sabornost in 20th Century Serbian Theology. In Irina Peart, Andrei Shishkov, and Alison Ruth Kolosova (eds.), The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Conciliarity in Modern Orthodox Christianity, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 270–281.
- Cvetković, Vladimir. (2025). Saint-Savahood (Svetosavlje) between Political Theology and Ideology of Nationalism. In Mihai-D. Grigore and Vasilios N. Makrides (eds.), Orthodoxy in the Agora: Orthodox Christian Political Theologies Across History, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht / Brill, pp. 203–219.
- Leonas, Alex; Cvetković, Vladimir (eds.). (2025). Ambiguum 10 of St. Maximus the Confessor in Modern Study. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. —.
- Cvetković, Vladimir; Nišavić, Ivan. (2025). Wisdom in Maximus the Confessor’s Ambiguum 10.19. In Alex Leonas and Vladimir Cvetković (eds.), Ambiguum 10 of St. Maximus the Confessor in Modern Study, Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 317–340.
- Heide, Daniel. (2024). Cosmic Incarnation: Maximus’ Retrieval of Origen’s Logos-Theology as Christian Formal Principle, Adamantia Series (Aschendorff).
- Heide, Daniel. (2026). Freedom as Mediation: The Synergy of Wills According to St Maximus Confessor, Subsidia Maximiana.
- Heide, Daniel. (2025). Maximus Confessor’s Threefold Doctrine of Creation Ex Nihilo, Subsidia Maximiana.
- Heide, Daniel. (2024). The Human as Cosmic Hierarch: The Theocentric Anthropology of Maximus Confessor, Studia Patristica.
- Heide, Daniel. (2026). The World as Sacrament: The Eucharistic Cosmology of Maximus Confessor. Leiden: Brill.
- Kostić, Ivan Ejub. (2025). Između vere i nacije: Pokret Mladi muslimani 1939–1990. Novi Sad: Akademska knjiga.
- Kostić, Ivan Ejub, & Muhič Dizdarevič, Selma (eds.). (2024). Roma in Central and Southeastern Europe: Navigating Muslim Identities, Challenges and Activism. Prague & Belgrade: Faculty of Humanities, Charles University / Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade.
- Kostić, Ivan Ejub. (2024). Beyond Islamophobia: A Critical Analysis of the Religious, Ethnic, and Racial Othering of Roma Muslims within the Muslim Community in Serbia. In Ivan Ejub Kostić & Selma Muhič Dizdarevič (eds.), Roma in Central and Southeastern Europe: Navigating Muslim Identities, Challenges and Activism, Prague & Belgrade: Faculty of Humanities, Charles University / Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, pp. 51–92.
- Kostić, Ivan Ejub. (2024). Political Empowerment: The Role of Party Politics in the Future of European Muslims. Philosophy and Society, 35 (3), pp. 607–624.
- Kostić, Ivan Ejub. (2024). Serbia. In Ahmet Alibašić, Samim Akgönül, Stephanie Müssig, Jørgen S. Nielsen & Egdūnas Račius (eds.), Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, Vol. 15, Leiden & Boston: Brill, pp. 538–554.
- Lošonc, Mark; Marković, Vukan; Marošan, Bence Peter. (2025). The Concept of Ecstasy in Schelling’s Philosophy and its Contemporary Implications. Theoria: časopis Filozofskog društva Srbije, vol. 68, no. 3, pp. 17–40.
- Losoncz, Mark. (2025). Conceptualizing Psychedelic Pure Consciousness. Religions, vol. 16, no. 8, pp. 1079–1079.
- Losoncz, Mark. (2024). Critical Remarks About Posthumanism. In Ivan Nišavić, Nevena Mitranić Marinković, and Predrag Krstić (eds.), Posthumanism and Education: Transgression or Interdependence, London: Transnational Press London, pp. 109–128.
- Losoncz, Mark. (2024). Rethinking Love as Union: “As if our boundaries were melting…” Problemos, vol. 105, pp. 143–155.
- Nišavić, Ivan, Sanja Iguman, (2024). „Ancient Polis as a Fertile Ground for Reimagining Contemporary Pleasurable Places“, Sociologija i prostor, 229 (1): 47-61.
- Nišavić, Ivan (2024). „Epikurov pokušaj utemeljenja slobode“, Theoria, 2 (67), 61–71.
Conferences, lectures, and research stays
- Bojanić, Petar. What ‘Victory’ Means Now in the Ethics of War?, presented at The European Graduate School, Saas-Fee (organized by C. Fynsk), July 12, 2023.
- Bojanić, Petar. What is Change?, a lecture at the Summer School Architecture / Philosophy, University of Rijeka, Moise Palace, Cres (organized by A. Armando & S. Vesnić), June 28, 2023.
- Cvetković, Vladimir. The 6th International Colloquium on St. Maximus the Confessor: “Maximus the Confessor and the Mystery of Divine Revelation.”, Institut za filozofiju i društvenu teoriju, Univerzitet u Beogradu, 27–30. april 2025.
- Cvetković, Vladimir. “Creed and Challenges of the Future.”, Filozofski fakultet i Fakultet religijskih studija, Univerzitet u Zagrebu, 10. septembar 2025.
- Cvetković, Vladimir. “Christian Philosophy and the Challenges of Artificial Intelligence and Superintelligence.” Department of Philosophy, University of Cape Town, 27. mart 2025.
- Cvetković, Vladimir. “Vizantijska književnost i srpsko rukopisno nasleđe.” Filozofski fakultet, Univerzitet u Nišu, 28. novembar 2024.
- Cvetković, Vladimir. 2025, gostujući istraživač, L’Institut de recherche et d’histoire des textes i CNRS, u okviru DEA programa Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (FMSH).
- Cvetković, Vladimir. 2025, gostujući profesor, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, u okviru OSUN mobility programa.
- Kostić, Ivan Ejub. (2025). “Islamic Liberation Theology in a European Perspective: Towards Socio-Political Liberation“. Referat predstavljen na Annual Conference of the British Association for Islamic Studies (BRAIS), Old Divinity School, St John’s College, University of Cambridge, 30. jun – 1. jul 2025.
- Kostić, Ivan Ejub. Western Balkans–Visegrad Fellowship 2024, istraživanje „Muslimanske zajednice Praga: identitet, organizacija i socijalne mreže“ i gostujući predavač na Fakultetu humanističkih nauka Karlovog Univerziteta u Pragu.
- Nišavić, Ivan 2025. “The Emotional Dimension of Scholé: Ancient Leisure as a Path to Education”, Pathos and Education. Rethinking emotions in the past and present, Department of Theory and History of Education of Pedagogical Thought, University of Barcelona.
- Nišavić, Ivan 2025. „Epikurova anti-teleologija“ izlaganje na međunarodnoj konferenciji „Objašnjenje i razumevanje u filozofiji i nauci“, Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, odeljenje za filozofiju, Filozofski fakultet, Univerzitet u Beogradu.
Media appearances and articles
- Ivan Ejub Kostić, “Unity in Diversity: Bosniak Students Join Serbian Fight for ‘Better Society’,” Balkan Insight.
- Ivan Ejub Kostić, “Istinska uspostava Palestine podrazumijeva pravo da imaju svoju armiju, priznanje pod ovakvim okolnostima je, najblaže rečeno, degutantno,” nedeljnik Stav.
- Ivan Ejub Kostić, فلسطین از نگاه یک اندیشمند صرب , The Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (Sāzmān-e Farhang va Ertibāṭāt-e Eslāmī), Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Iran.
- Ivan Ejub Kostić, “Konačan cilj je jasan – pretvoriti Iran u novu Libiju ili Siriju,” dnevni list Danas.
- Ivan Ejub Kostić, “Proteste in Serbien, Das Volk geht gegen Vučić auf die Straße, Deutschlandradio, nemački javni servisni radio.
- EVENTS
EVENTS
No event found!NEWS
PUBLICATIONS
Između vere i nacije: Pokret Mladi muslimani 1939–1990 (2025)
Sabornost in 20th Century Serbian Theology (2025)
Conceptualizing Psychedelic Pure Consciousness (2025)
Goldschmidt and Yiddish Anarchism (2024)
Roma in Central and Southeastern Europe: Navigating Muslim Identities, Challenges and Activism (2024)
- ABOUT
The Religious Studies Research Group, housed within the Institute of Philosophy and Social Theory at the University of Belgrade, positions itself at the forefront of interdisciplinary academic inquiry into religion’s multifaceted role across different cultures and historical periods. This group adopts a holistic approach to exploring the complexities of religious phenomena. With a broad scope that spans from the traditions of the premodern period to contemporary times, the group’s research encompasses the critical analysis of religious texts, rituals, and institutions and the exploration of religion’s impact on society, politics, culture, and economy. By engaging in the comparative study of various religious traditions within their cultural contexts and employing diverse analytical frameworks, the group fosters a deeper understanding of religion, its ubiquitous presence in human culture, and its historical significance. The group is committed to nurturing critical thinking and developing analytical skills in fostering debates and addressing the pressing challenges of religious and cultural diversity in the premodern and modern world. Additionally, the group actively seeks to contribute to reconciliation in the Balkans, particularly within societies torn by the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. Through focused academic research and interdisciplinary dialogue, it offers analyses that elucidate the complex relationship between religion and post-conflict societal rebuilding and foster a foundation for lasting peace and shared futures in the region.
- MEMBERS
Coordinators:
Members:
External associates:
Aleksandar Đakovac (Faculty of Orthodox Theology, University of Belgrade)
Rastko Jović (Faculty of Orthodox Theology, University of Belgrade)
Seid Halilović (Center for Religious Sciences “Kom”)
Muamer Halilović (Center for Religious Sciences “Kom”)
Romilo Aleksandar Knežević (Innovation Center, University of Niš)
Ahmet Alibašić (Faculty of Islamic Sciences, University of Sarajevo)
Selma Muhič Dizdarevič (Faculty of Hummanities, Charles University, Prague)
Aleksandra Đurić Milovanović (Institute for Balkans Studies of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts)
Jelena Jorgačević-Kisić (Nedeljnik Vreme)
Aleksandra Pavićević (The Institute of Ethnography of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts)
Milesa Stefanović Banović (The Institute of Ethnography of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts)
Mikonja Knežević (The Institute of Ethnography of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts)- PUBLICATIONS
- Bojanić, Petar, (2018). Violence and Messianism: Jewish Philosophy and the Great Conflicts of the 20th Century. London & New York: Routledge.
- Bojanić, Petar, (2021). “What Is ʻVictoryʼ in the Orthodox Christian Ethics of War?” Labyrinth, Vienna, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 137–152.
- Bojanić, Petar, (2022). “ʻUnjust Enemyʼ or ʻMonster Dilemmaʼ Revisited: On the Conditions and the Paradox of a Theological Fiction.” Philosophy and Society, Belgrade, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 949–960.
- Bojanić, Petar, & Perunović, Andrea, (2024). “Derrida’s Counter-Institution and Its Ethics of Promise and Responsibility”. Angelaki: Journal of the Theoretical Humanities, vol. 29, nos. 1–2, pp. 169–180.
- Karlović, Roman, & Bojanić, Peter. (2024). “Goldschmidt and Yiddish Anarchism”. Philosophy Today, vol. 68, no. 2 (Spring 2024), pp. 415–424.
- Cvetković, Vladimir. (2025). Circle and Sphere Metaphors for God’s Nature and Providence in Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy and Dionysius’ On Divine Names. In Michael O’Wiitala (ed.), Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy: A Critical Guide, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 186–201.
- Cvetković, Vladimir. (2025). Sabornost in 20th Century Serbian Theology. In Irina Peart, Andrei Shishkov, and Alison Ruth Kolosova (eds.), The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Conciliarity in Modern Orthodox Christianity, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 270–281.
- Cvetković, Vladimir. (2025). Saint-Savahood (Svetosavlje) between Political Theology and Ideology of Nationalism. In Mihai-D. Grigore and Vasilios N. Makrides (eds.), Orthodoxy in the Agora: Orthodox Christian Political Theologies Across History, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht / Brill, pp. 203–219.
- Leonas, Alex; Cvetković, Vladimir (eds.). (2025). Ambiguum 10 of St. Maximus the Confessor in Modern Study. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. —.
- Cvetković, Vladimir; Nišavić, Ivan. (2025). Wisdom in Maximus the Confessor’s Ambiguum 10.19. In Alex Leonas and Vladimir Cvetković (eds.), Ambiguum 10 of St. Maximus the Confessor in Modern Study, Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 317–340.
- Heide, Daniel. (2024). Cosmic Incarnation: Maximus’ Retrieval of Origen’s Logos-Theology as Christian Formal Principle, Adamantia Series (Aschendorff).
- Heide, Daniel. (2026). Freedom as Mediation: The Synergy of Wills According to St Maximus Confessor, Subsidia Maximiana.
- Heide, Daniel. (2025). Maximus Confessor’s Threefold Doctrine of Creation Ex Nihilo, Subsidia Maximiana.
- Heide, Daniel. (2024). The Human as Cosmic Hierarch: The Theocentric Anthropology of Maximus Confessor, Studia Patristica.
- Heide, Daniel. (2026). The World as Sacrament: The Eucharistic Cosmology of Maximus Confessor. Leiden: Brill.
- Kostić, Ivan Ejub. (2025). Između vere i nacije: Pokret Mladi muslimani 1939–1990. Novi Sad: Akademska knjiga.
- Kostić, Ivan Ejub, & Muhič Dizdarevič, Selma (eds.). (2024). Roma in Central and Southeastern Europe: Navigating Muslim Identities, Challenges and Activism. Prague & Belgrade: Faculty of Humanities, Charles University / Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade.
- Kostić, Ivan Ejub. (2024). Beyond Islamophobia: A Critical Analysis of the Religious, Ethnic, and Racial Othering of Roma Muslims within the Muslim Community in Serbia. In Ivan Ejub Kostić & Selma Muhič Dizdarevič (eds.), Roma in Central and Southeastern Europe: Navigating Muslim Identities, Challenges and Activism, Prague & Belgrade: Faculty of Humanities, Charles University / Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, pp. 51–92.
- Kostić, Ivan Ejub. (2024). Political Empowerment: The Role of Party Politics in the Future of European Muslims. Philosophy and Society, 35 (3), pp. 607–624.
- Kostić, Ivan Ejub. (2024). Serbia. In Ahmet Alibašić, Samim Akgönül, Stephanie Müssig, Jørgen S. Nielsen & Egdūnas Račius (eds.), Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, Vol. 15, Leiden & Boston: Brill, pp. 538–554.
- Lošonc, Mark; Marković, Vukan; Marošan, Bence Peter. (2025). The Concept of Ecstasy in Schelling’s Philosophy and its Contemporary Implications. Theoria: časopis Filozofskog društva Srbije, vol. 68, no. 3, pp. 17–40.
- Losoncz, Mark. (2025). Conceptualizing Psychedelic Pure Consciousness. Religions, vol. 16, no. 8, pp. 1079–1079.
- Losoncz, Mark. (2024). Critical Remarks About Posthumanism. In Ivan Nišavić, Nevena Mitranić Marinković, and Predrag Krstić (eds.), Posthumanism and Education: Transgression or Interdependence, London: Transnational Press London, pp. 109–128.
- Losoncz, Mark. (2024). Rethinking Love as Union: “As if our boundaries were melting…” Problemos, vol. 105, pp. 143–155.
- Nišavić, Ivan, Sanja Iguman, (2024). „Ancient Polis as a Fertile Ground for Reimagining Contemporary Pleasurable Places“, Sociologija i prostor, 229 (1): 47-61.
- Nišavić, Ivan (2024). „Epikurov pokušaj utemeljenja slobode“, Theoria, 2 (67), 61–71.
- PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
Conferences, lectures, and research stays
- Bojanić, Petar. What ‘Victory’ Means Now in the Ethics of War?, presented at The European Graduate School, Saas-Fee (organized by C. Fynsk), July 12, 2023.
- Bojanić, Petar. What is Change?, a lecture at the Summer School Architecture / Philosophy, University of Rijeka, Moise Palace, Cres (organized by A. Armando & S. Vesnić), June 28, 2023.
- Cvetković, Vladimir. The 6th International Colloquium on St. Maximus the Confessor: “Maximus the Confessor and the Mystery of Divine Revelation.”, Institut za filozofiju i društvenu teoriju, Univerzitet u Beogradu, 27–30. april 2025.
- Cvetković, Vladimir. “Creed and Challenges of the Future.”, Filozofski fakultet i Fakultet religijskih studija, Univerzitet u Zagrebu, 10. septembar 2025.
- Cvetković, Vladimir. “Christian Philosophy and the Challenges of Artificial Intelligence and Superintelligence.” Department of Philosophy, University of Cape Town, 27. mart 2025.
- Cvetković, Vladimir. “Vizantijska književnost i srpsko rukopisno nasleđe.” Filozofski fakultet, Univerzitet u Nišu, 28. novembar 2024.
- Cvetković, Vladimir. 2025, gostujući istraživač, L’Institut de recherche et d’histoire des textes i CNRS, u okviru DEA programa Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (FMSH).
- Cvetković, Vladimir. 2025, gostujući profesor, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, u okviru OSUN mobility programa.
- Kostić, Ivan Ejub. (2025). “Islamic Liberation Theology in a European Perspective: Towards Socio-Political Liberation“. Referat predstavljen na Annual Conference of the British Association for Islamic Studies (BRAIS), Old Divinity School, St John’s College, University of Cambridge, 30. jun – 1. jul 2025.
- Kostić, Ivan Ejub. Western Balkans–Visegrad Fellowship 2024, istraživanje „Muslimanske zajednice Praga: identitet, organizacija i socijalne mreže“ i gostujući predavač na Fakultetu humanističkih nauka Karlovog Univerziteta u Pragu.
- Nišavić, Ivan 2025. “The Emotional Dimension of Scholé: Ancient Leisure as a Path to Education”, Pathos and Education. Rethinking emotions in the past and present, Department of Theory and History of Education of Pedagogical Thought, University of Barcelona.
- Nišavić, Ivan 2025. „Epikurova anti-teleologija“ izlaganje na međunarodnoj konferenciji „Objašnjenje i razumevanje u filozofiji i nauci“, Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, odeljenje za filozofiju, Filozofski fakultet, Univerzitet u Beogradu.
Media appearances and articles
- Ivan Ejub Kostić, “Unity in Diversity: Bosniak Students Join Serbian Fight for ‘Better Society’,” Balkan Insight.
- Ivan Ejub Kostić, “Istinska uspostava Palestine podrazumijeva pravo da imaju svoju armiju, priznanje pod ovakvim okolnostima je, najblaže rečeno, degutantno,” nedeljnik Stav.
- Ivan Ejub Kostić, فلسطین از نگاه یک اندیشمند صرب , The Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (Sāzmān-e Farhang va Ertibāṭāt-e Eslāmī), Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Iran.
- Ivan Ejub Kostić, “Konačan cilj je jasan – pretvoriti Iran u novu Libiju ili Siriju,” dnevni list Danas.
- Ivan Ejub Kostić, “Proteste in Serbien, Das Volk geht gegen Vučić auf die Straße, Deutschlandradio, nemački javni servisni radio.
- Projects

