Initiatives interreligieuses et gouvernance locale: les cas de Barcelone et de Turin

Many European local governments are seeking out ways to encourage interreligious initiatives. This article focuses on the cases of Barcelona and Turin. Both cities are pioneering new forms of governance of the religious field in Southern Europe, while also being a source of inspiration for other cities. The article traces the genealogy of the institutional collaboration between interreligious actors and local governments, and develops a typology to examine how interreligious groups intervene in both cities’ public sphere. The article shows the crucial role of Catholic intellectuals and also of the celebration of the Olympic Games in fostering local dynamics of cooperation between municipalities and religious actors. The article concludes by arguing that the increasing securitarization of the religious domain in both cities have transformed the active involvement of interreligious groups in local governance into a process of domestication of the religious field.