The programme has been established in 2014 as part of the Excellence Initiative – an initiative for German universities which encourages and rewards academic excellence. Five institutes across three faculties of the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin – Faculty of Theology, Institute for European Ethnology, Social Sciences and Asian and African Studies – have come together to offer an inter- and transdisciplinary structured doctoral program for outstanding PhD candidates.

The programme aims to facilitate an enriching inter- and transdisciplinary research environment. Research proposals should be aimed at an investigation of communicative and discursive processes, within which the categories “Religion” and “Knowledge” become constructed and conventionalised. The relationship between discourses relating to religion and knowledge should be critically analysed with reference to specific contexts.

The programme especially encourages a broad geographical spread of topics, as well as inter- and transdisciplinary approaches. Focus may be placed either on current academic issues or on the period of the late 18th century till present day.

The structured doctoral programme “Religion – Knowledge – Discourse” is a member programme of the Humboldt Graduate School (HGS) of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.