A. OUR VISION

This institute is a research center that involves itself in research activities on conflicts between religions and cultures and on the ways of evolving conflict resolutions through dialogue and understanding. The University of Madras, Chennai, has recognized the institute as a postgraduate (doctoral) research center on comparative studies in religions and cultures. It can supervise doctoral theses on this theme.

The institute promotes and advocates dialogue between cultures and religions in India through initiatives of intervention, research, and publication on sociocultural and religious conflicts. We view dialogue as evolving conflict resolution that can bot only establish peaceful pro-existence between religious and cultural groups but also help celebrate the dignity of difference. This conflict resolution, we believe, can be achieved by the dialogue of life and philosophies, conversation and collaborative action between different religious, cultural and ideological groups. More sharply the institute tries to rally different secular forces to promote cultural liberty ad diversity by timely intervention during conflicts and proactive intervention and initiatives during peaceful times.

B. OUR PHILOSOPHY

The basic philosophy upon which the institute is founded is that human life, particularly in a country like India, is multi-culturally and multi-religiously textured and lived. The conflict between different faiths and cultures in born out of lack of proper understanding of mutuality of human existence. Therefore, serious research and involvement at the grass root level is called for by which we can evolve processes of conflict resolution that foster respect and proper understanding of the dignity of difference in a multi-cultural society.

The institute actualises its philosophical foundation in four ways: research, involvement, training, and publications. A conflict, be it religious or cultural, is taken up for serious research that demands involvement in the lives of the people had participant observation of the conflictual situations. The data that is gathered from the fieldwork are analysed and interpreted in order to suggest ways and means by which we can promote conflict resolution. The findings are published as books, articles and documents that help replicate conflict resolution elsewhere. From the year 2004 the institute has been doing research on religion and violence in Coimbatore City in Tamil Nadu where there was a series of killings and bomb blasts between Muslims and Hindus in 1992. From February 2006 onwards the data gathered form the city will be analysed by experts and later main findings will be published.

C. OUR OBJECTIVES:

a) To reach out different types of cultures and religious traditions.
b) To bring different cultural and religious groups together to participate in the secular initiatives of struggles for justice and peace.
c) To research into situations of cultural and religious conflicts in Tamil Nadu and India.
d) To evolve a network of a secular forces to counter religious fundamentalism.
e) To facilitate mutual enrichment between cultures and religions while giving due
    respect to their unique identities.

D. RESEARCH ACTIVITIES:

Action – Research – Publication is the triadic approach to communal harmony.

E. ACTION PLANS :
IDCR is now at the Loyola College Campus, in a new building. We already have some research students. We will be focusing on conflict resolution to socio-religious issues through research and action. For these programmers we will also be approaching both governmental and non-governmental organizations for mutual collaboration:

F. FACULTY:

The faculty are:
Rev. Dr. Michael Amaladoss, S.J., Ph.D.
Director (Religious Studies, Paris)

Rev. Dr. Joe Arun, S.J., Ph.D.
Executive Director & (Anthropology, Oxford) Lecturer, Guides Research

Rev. Fr. M. A. Joe Antony S.J.

Member, Programme Co-ordinator

Rev. Fr. V. M. Dasan S.J.
Senior Research Scholar – Documentation

Rev. Dr. A. Alangaram, S.J. Ph.D.
Lecturer & (Religious Studies, Innsbruck) Research Director

Rev. Dr. Maria Arul Raja, S.J. Ph.D.
Lecturer & (Bilblical Studies, Chennai) Guides Research

Associate Staff:
Rev. Dr. S. Arokiasamy, Ph.D. (Ethics, Rome)

Rev. Dr. Leonard Fernando, Ph.D. (History, Innsbruck)
Rev. Dr. Vincent Sekhar, Ph.D. ( Indian Religions, Chennai)