“Ambivalence of the Sacred”: Cultural Dynamics of Religion and Peace

In the extensive existing literature, religion has often been ambivalently associated with both conflict and peace. Arguably, such an “ambivalence of the scared” can significantly be studied at the functional, rather than essential, dimension of religion. Drawing mainly on Hardenberg's theories of socio-cosmic field, value, and resources, as well as Ninian Smart’s dimensional anatomy of religion, this study aims to interpret cultural dynamics in a systematic correlation between religion and peacebuilding. Based on the description and analysis of data collected from a qualitative research in Paderborn (Germany) and Mashhad (Iran), and with a thematic focus on interreligiosity in the two settings, this article approaches religion as a ResourceCulture for peacebuilding and suggests that the “ambivalence” can be interpreted in light of a discernible contingency in resources, meanings, and values, as well as the role of human agency in their production, interpretation, and consumption.