Bio

My name is Jan Van Wiele. I studied Modern History, Religious Sciences,  Theology and Social and Cultural Anthropology. I obtained a PhD in Theology and Religious Sciences at the K.U.Leuven and a PhD in Educational Sciences at the same University. I worked as a research assistant for the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders and later on as a postdoctoral Researcher for the K,U,Leuven’s Research Council, with several research stays abroad in Germany, Canada, the U,S,A . and France (1997-2004). Since 2005, I have been teaching at Tilburg University, first at the Faculty of Humanities, and since 2011 at the Faculty of Theology. Until now, the focus of my appointment has been on teaching and education.

Expertise

I am specialized in the study of religions and interreligious dialogue, both from a historical and actual perspective. Most of my courses deal with comparative religion and the relationship between Christianity and the non-Christian religions, with attention to the theological and societal dimensions of the dialogue. My research mainly focusses on the confrontation and interaction of Christianity with the other religions and cultures, especially in Christian European and American education from the Modern Period up to now. Another research topic is nationalistic identity formation in Europe, especially in the context of Belgian Catholic and public school education in the 19th and 20th century. Currently, I am the vice president of the International Society for Research on Textbooks and Educational Media.

Courses

Recent publications

  1. Bildungsmedien für Erwachsenen

    Van Wiele, J. (Ed.) (2024). Bildungsmedien für Erwachsenen. Verlag Julius Klinkhardt.
  2. How the Catholic Church Responded to 'Enlightenment' and 'Modernism' …

    Van Wiele, J. (2024). How the Catholic Church Responded to 'Enlightenment' and 'Modernism' in Belgian Catholic Religion Education before Vatican II (1880–1950). In D. Wrobel, C. Ott, E. Matthes, & S. Schütze (Eds.), Kontinuität und Wandel von Wissen in Bildungsmedien Continuity and Change of Knowledge in Educational Media: Continuity and Change of Knowledge Stocks in Educational Media (pp. 271-280). Verlag Julius Klinkhardt.
  3. From Biographical History to History of Civilisation - Leopold I in B…

    Van Wiele, J. (2023). From Biographical History to History of Civilisation: Leopold I in Belgian National History Textbooks for Secondary Education (1910-1960). Abstract from ISCHE 44.
  4. Neo-Scholastische Theologie der Religionen in der französisch-kanadis…

    Van Wiele, J. (2023). Neo-Scholastische Theologie der Religionen in der französisch-kanadischen apologetischen Erwachsenenbildung im neunzehnten Jahrhundert bis zum Zweiten Vatikanischen Konzil im Lichte der zeitgenössischen katholischen Theologie des interreligiösen Dialogs.. Abstract from IGSBI Conference 2023, Gdansk, Poland. https://www.uni-augsburg.de/en/fakultaet/philsoz/fakultat/pedagogy/news/annual-conferences/
  5. Die Reaktion der katholischen Kirche auf 'Aufklärung' und 'Modernität…

    Van Wiele, J. (2022). Die Reaktion der katholischen Kirche auf 'Aufklärung' und 'Modernität' im katholischen Religionsunterricht in Belgien vor dem Zweiten Vatikanischen Konzil (1880-1950). Abstract from IGSBI Conference 2022, Würzburg, Germany.

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