Three Arenas of Public Faith

The fellowship of the Unit works across the following arenas of public faith.

Social Action and Communities

Faith Groups form an important part of civil society and are often at the centre of communities, providing both a physical presence and social support. Their traditional role of care and concern for the poor and excluded has expanded as they are increasingly acting as partners in service provision in health, childcare, community safety and regeneration.

Their potential for capacity building and stimulating community leadership is recognised by government which regards faith groups as key partners in “civil renewal”.

The focus of our research is faith in communities and social action. See the ‘Projects’ page for further details.

Participatory Governance

Faith groups are increasingly being seen by UK government as important civil society participants in urban governance. At regional, city and neighbourhood levels, faith groups are becoming involved in forms of cogovernance, both formally and informally, alongside elected politicians, community representatives and commercial interests. Faith involvement is seen as helping to diversify community representation, particularly in localities with high concentrations of minority faiths.

Social Cohesion and Prevention of Violent Extremism

In the wake of the 2001 disturbances in the north of England, faith groups have increasingly been seen by government as key agents in building ‘community cohesion’. Post 9/11 and the London bombings in 2005 (7/7), government concern about radicalization within minority communities has added new urgency to the strategy. Faith bodies, and particularly inter-faith networks, are identified as important brokers in building better relationships between different communities and social groups, whether on the basis of ethnicity, generation or social class. Faiths are regarded as arenas for the formation and mobilisation of bonding, bridging and linking social capital.