Research

Babylon research domains

Babylon follows a paradigmatic research programme, which examines multilingualism, multiculturalism, and religious pluralism in the context of contemporary globalisation processes. These new and intense processes of flow, mobility and change prompt theoretical and methodological innovation and the reformulation of critical social issues. In particular, they compel researchers to work across disciplinary boundaries in order to address the highly complex and multifaceted nature of such processes, in which we see a continuous interaction between 'hard' globalisation (economic and political) and 'soft' globalisation (cultural, linguistic, religious, educational). Babylon researchers have been at the forefront of such innovations and reformulations and will continue to do so. With the recruitment of prof. Jan Blommaert, Babylon's profile as a centre for the study of such globalisation processes will acquire even greater scope and depth. At this stage, Babylon concentrates research efforts in four key domains. Each research programme is headed by one or two research coordinators. The programme at large is coordinated by the scientific board of Babylon.

School of Humanities Department of Culture Studies
Language and Globalization Research coordinator: prof. Jan Blommaert Literature and visual art in the European public sphere Research coordinator: prof. Odile Heynders Religious interaction and image construction in pluralistic societies Research coordinator: prof. Herman Beck Diversity at work in organisations Research coordinator: dr. Hans Siebers
School of Social and Behavioural Sciences Department of Crosscultural Psychology
Dealing with cultural diversity at micro-, meso-, and macro-level Research coordinator: prof. Fons van de Vijver