Across Europe, Jewish museums are housed in former synagogues, representing Jewish religious life through exhibits of ceremonial collections. Besides the absences of active communities of users and liturgical practices, the multi-layered meaning of these spaces and objects contribute to these narrative …

Strictly religious adolescents grow up in highly religious contexts with orthodox beliefs and practices that usually contrast with those of pluralist and secularized societies that can be perceived as promoting unhealthy religious identity development. For these adolescents, religious identity development …

The year 2018 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Turkish migrants settling in the Netherlands. A significant number of Turks, approximately 400,000, currently live in the Netherlands; many are born there, and know Turkey only from visiting it on holiday. Integration has been successful for the majority …

Since 2011, over 500 Belgian nationals have become radicalised and left Belgium for a Jihadist conflict zone. The Brussel bombings, on the 22nd of March 2016 were carried out by two Belgian nationals who were also returning Jihadists. This dissertation explores whether Belgium can improve its current …

The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001. Yet in 2012, it was estimated that around 87 Christian wedding officiants continued to refuse to marry gay couples due to their religious beliefs. Even though municipalities were allowed to hire these so-called …

In the hard-hit countries by HIV/AIDS, the epidemic has eroded the development gains made in past decades. The spread of HIV is heterogeneous in Sub-Saharan African courtiers, with different peaks which vary geographically and in terms of their distribution among social or economic groups. Thus, there …