It is all about God? Religious Identity, Bullying and Wellbeing at School

Added: 2026-05-07

[00:00:00]back to our I still don't have microphone.

[00:00:13]>> Is there anybody else who come?

[00:00:20]>> I have a great pleasure now to introduce you our second our second guest speaker. Professor Zo Kubri. Professor Kubri is a full professor of sociology of religion and sociology of education at the faculty of philosophy university of noisadia.

[00:00:40]She is the founding president of the center for empirical research of religion religion in Novisad.

[00:00:48]uh her work of more than three decades has shaped the empirical study of religion in this region with a particular focus on religious tolerance, religious distance, religious education and well-being of young people. She's authored more than 10 books and over 150 scientific articles in the field. And before I proceed with the introduction about the professor, I'm not sure whether you know, but you have copies of professor's books on the first floor, which is free of charge. You can take them for free, but they are usually for sale, but professor is offering them now for free in honor of this meeting. Thank you, professor, for that.

[00:01:32]>> Thank you. It's really a generous gesture of yours. Thank you. We are very grateful for that. So please uh feel free to take a look. Uh there are uh books in English and there are books in Serbian which all exusian will of course understand.

[00:01:52]Uh in addition um to professor's academic work I would like to briefly mention two upcoming events. First a book promotion in niche which is south Serbia which is also my hometown. So you're welcome to attend that presentation.

[00:02:11]uh that is uh presentation of dialogue based project developed during the co pandemic and second an international international interdisiplinary conference in Belgrade which is held uh from May 16 to May 18 on the team called beyond fear cynicism and despair.

[00:02:35]Uh professor karich we are very honored to have you with us today please.

[00:02:49]I'm very glad I'm here.

[00:02:52]It is really great two days and I am glad I'm part from this project now.

[00:03:16]working group five.

[00:03:24]>> I prepare a presentation. I prepare also to read something. But yesterday Emily said it is better to talk about uh my experience living with this part world. So I will be free to talk about my experience and why I am in this field, why I research and what's inspire me. So I'll start with my new book. It is about one movement within the it's God worshiper movement.

[00:04:07]It is within Serbian Orthodox Church between first and second world war and I'm writing everything I find but I start from my family my grandfather because my father find uh and take care about everything my grandfather read and write and know about this monument. And my father with a child be uh willing that and he remember and he say to me and I understand something that I have tradition and that is not widely known and I start to write that in the end of my career in the end of my working as sociology of religion.

[00:05:08]And because of that I talk about uh not about this movement. It is something also in the same nation serves in the same religion savian Orthodox Church happened something like proticatization of church traditional church but it's happened through the villages through the ordinary people uh in the time when holy scripture are translated in the Serbian language and people buy the book, people read the Bible and they uh saw that the priest don't believe and don't preach what is right in scripture and because of that they try to live to practice religion not just to belonging and it is not popular in the church and uh only 4% of the priests accept them and be the part of this group. In every village there is people who read together in the home because please don't teach them anything and they go at home and be together eat together read together pray together in the Sunday all the day they be together and go in the different monastery and church and it is something what's happened in the all part of villages not in the town very rarely in the town and people uh become really authentic believers.

[00:07:02]Um only one man was Bishop Nikolai Mirich. accept them and write don't reject that maybe you can uh throw stone at Jesus Christ and 20 years of his life from 40 to 60 he was leader of that movement and help them to stay within the church not be separate but they have registration like NGO organization like they are together register every village and they are missionary worker and go through village and accept the groups who like to read the Bible and when second war start they forbidden to be together to be at home together no Tito said there is no god anymore and companion uh play people be together, but they still try to work and to um read and to pray and to be together and many of them go to monastery. uh my grandfather and his brother. My grandfather was a leader of one group in this village near the pushets and his brother go to monastery and this my uh cousin is in the same time with with this monastery with used in poor it is great name in the Serbian Orthodox church. So I have all this and I write the book and I remember what my father sing to me in period of communist and I as a child was so exciting to read the Bible but it happened something uh when I was in first grade or u in the school uh grammar school uh now in primary world. Uh I remember one girl all of us were Serbian and Orthodox as belonging but there was one girl who is Adventist and she has so many problem in the schools because she don't come in school in Sabbath in Saturday and uh it was really bullying of that child. Nobody can help her to know what they learn in Friday to have homework and to Monday know what to do. uh the teacher say to all children don't help her they uh feel the pressure it is the better to come in a common group but it is very difficult for children and uh many of us are distancing but only two uh of boys one boy and I were friendly with her and uh she stay six years with us but after that she go in France with family because it is not possible to stay longer.

[00:10:36]My father work work with her father in the factory and my father have a possibility he is higher position and protect her father because they must go in the to work in Sabbath but he don't want and my father say okay you are a good man you can work in Sunday and it's work sometimes but they still uh decide to go from Serbia and in France and then in America and I remember that as a child that and I have question how he can be how she can be happy with this society where she's feeling rejected and it's a time early childhood but when I come in grammar school uh I have go to the church and um I start to read the Bible and my teacher in second grade call my father and say do you know that she is going to church my father say yes I prefer that but uh if she can't u do what she want she make pressure to me and say uh you must decide will you go to church or you will go to school and I decide During the summer time, I go to Zagreb. My uncle lived there and I finish my grammar school in the Catholic country or republic in Croatia. After that, my way was still in the religion and I still study religion. But um I understand that I'm u female that is not for me and I study psychology after that in Belgrade but there I met my husband and I moved to S. So I used to live in Sago and this my early period of life.

[00:12:51]We I had born the children there and I I'm so happy because in that faculty we have teacher from Zagre, we have teachers from Belgrade and also from uh SO and it is Muslim, Catholic, Orthodox and I feel very nice in that surroundings and I love that people always was also uh Bosnia is friendly and there is tradition of tolerance, religious tolerance.

[00:13:30]After that I decide to do my research also in Zagre with social psychiatry and then I move to Belgrade and I do my PhD.

[00:13:41]I try to find uh answers on my questions. Are those people happy?

[00:13:48]And in Serbia I find 5,000 of Adventist children adolescent and preacher and uh it's a Serbia Montenegro and it was still Yugoslavia and I do my PhD by my money but my interest and finish that and published the book religion family and youth how it is happened with selfimage with self-concept with the mental health of children with very best offer scale for uh research. Many of you are psychologist and you know that and I was very happy that I uh compare Adventist Orthodox mixed family because it's after common period and aist is there differences in youth from this family this book is translate in English so you can find it in internet it was 1995 when I uh finished my PhD dissertation and because religion is uh you know in this period not popular and I'm just one who researching field of religion they was very happy to give me the job in novisad and I employed there as a professor of sociology of religion because in Serbia we have not psychology of religion just sociology of religion because of that my PhD is from sociology and as you know there is period very very difficult for all of this country uh it's happened maybe we can now see what's happened just I ask is it all about religion and you know is it all about God what's happened to us in period of there is no god. We come back all to try to find our uh tradition and many of people uh know that they are belonging but they don't know nothing about religion. It is happened that uh second and third generation don't know uh we don't know really uh who is who who is Muslim who we don't care about that because it is um view world by a tasty position and scientific position and we suppress that and I think that um after that it is higher what's can't be uh suppressed anymore and everybody like to have identity a religious identity in our field there uh it is national and religious identity and we can see now uh what's happened with that I have a research with gallop Europe in balcon monitor and it is great to have 10,000 of uh pupil who be involved in that research and in Boston we have in every country we have uh one it's eight country of ban Bulgaria Serbia and everything in this film uh 1,000 of respondent but in Bosnia we have 2,000 because also uh new Yugoslavia and you see uh after second world war you can see that teacher can't be who believe in God can be teacher in any subject not mathematics because of that I I have teacher whose father was priest orthodox priest and he will study philosophy and teach us Marxism Marxistic view world and um I I after theology I have a good reputation as I'm good student but I don't like Marxism and he give me a less than I want and I go to speak with him and see he tell me that his father is preacher that We believe in God but it is situation he must uh teach us what it is popular and I was so so um disappointed I don't like him I think it's he is liar he don'tth what he believe and think he speech what is prescribed to him and u after that I um don't go in this uh class anymore and go to psychology and that I'm still doing with soul and religion. In theology it is God but in psychology it is so so it is the similar next um Za talked about religious education yesterday. I just want to say that at the same time religious education was started when the war started. So we have impression that it is connected and that maybe religion is a cause of war. You understand that it's really slow maybe but I think with you see first is Catholic Islam then Serbian Orthodox and from 1995 that is a year when I do my PhD when it's time and after that I deal with religious education many times in research um I think that is as I Say after years of atheism there was the lack of knowledge of own religion and religious education in schools is to give respect to religion in public life and come back to family tradition. It's happened and I think it is good. I write the um book about methodics of religious education in Serbia for seven churches and seven kind of tradition religion and it's still 25 years we have oh how many in Serbia 10 years after 194 we start with in Serbia but in Bosnia, and Croatia also Serbs are not so familiar with education. It's really religion who is just rituals, not too much learning about and have knowledge about that. Next >> uh it you talk about that and I appreciate real that inclusive strategies advocate acceptance but strategy of rejecting the religious other is brief that they are better than other. I call it natistic. We are better we are older. We are younger and we know we know the truth other is not and that position is not good for real uh inclusive strategy is better. I I prefer that and I do in that way to accept all of them because I have this experience how it is to be rejected rejected other and rejected myself because I am believer I don't hate my teacher I understand that she like me to be good to help me to be like other children but I I go to find my way and I am very happy for and I can say thank you very much because you help me to be what I want to be to be free because religion is something uh what's give freedom to people and you every time choose will or not will to do to think everything and the class we are free to think and if somebody forbid me to think what I want there is slavery and next and now it is empirical research you you have in this book I have I show to you research also about religion in different project and uh one is here in Bosnia and going after the walk how to make peace again and to live together.

[00:23:35]And yesterday and today I talked with some people from Treb. They asked me what do you think is it possible to live together and to have this country anymore to live a normal life. And I think that it is possible because we find that this is very very good research for the 3,20 respondent Bosnia all kind of society and feel that really it is possible uh because people traditionally love each other and uh it's happened I think this war Because not only we like to be what we are because of um produce from politician and media fair.

[00:24:32]We are uh was like to protect own life and we think they will kill us and because that we try to protect our and it is what happened. Fear.

[00:24:46]>> Fear. It is fear. And still it is fear and hate reduced every time. And I think that people now is not so happy to listen what politician do. They divide all the country and they have more position in all little village. And uh you know how it is uh when they struggle to have a power and all always it is power in our uh homogeneous society and we feel now the next what's happened you see this is 13 uh towns we three times go through the Bosnia to have a research church. You see what is how we choose the town while in the border in all the kind of Bosnian in Republica and Federation and after that we can next slide.

[00:25:58]H in this town we go three times. Our team was from Jewish, Muslim, Serbianox, Catholic, uh agnostic and a taste. We are together uh as a leader of this research and we publish the books and first one is I and my daughter we are uh write about the role of religion, family education in the process of reconciliation in Bosnia and we focus in minority and majority everybody like to be in majority But there are this minority also. And now we can see uh the books where we in English and in Serbia find this. You you see this how we like to have homogeneous but everybody can live together not live separate in one field. The next we have half of male, half of female and next uh you will see how it is connect just one% maybe they are surf but not orthodox maybe they become protestant because of that uh and it's connect with Muslim bnik Croatia pro and Catholic and ser and the arts.

[00:27:44]The next and now uh who can be a person who can help to achieve the peace and the first is a favor of person who try to support the interest of all not only all religion all nation and they believe that they can help and in the Second is a teacher. So we find that the teacher is more important person for the future of uh this country very very important teacher because new generation they and every teacher but you see also uh who can helps there is a religious figure also and they try to have interreligious dialogue in Bosia and maybe in the end is politician. People don't believe anymore. They know that it is not in interest of uh people there.

[00:29:02]Uh Mr. conclusion that according to the survey citizens empas that respect for differences is more important for the reconciliation process.

[00:29:15]It is because of identity. We have our identity because we know we are not and uh toward others but uh in the same place we can see the similarities but nobody work in similarities and it is our problem.

[00:29:40]Next, this is complicated, but this is what I said that they the most important thing is that we must respect differences between our religion. The next and now you see that religion is very important in this field.

[00:30:13]This book is 37 say that religion is very important and do you believe that God exist?

[00:30:24]Nearly 80% believe in God.

[00:30:29]Yes.

[00:30:34]Now is how it is with mixed family. The most problem there is with mixed family and they must go from Mosia.

[00:30:46]Uh they go in Croatia who married in Croatia and in Serbia who is mixed with Serbian people. So it is 18% that are mixed families and the next we see uh who is feel how it is with majority and minority uh it is interesting them they live in homog homogan family but they still 80 80% feel as minority and you may ask why this happened because uh this is three three of constitutive uh people there Serbs Croatia and Bos and if they live in the town where is the majority Catholic all of other feel like majority minority so in it's every town is different position So uh it is not easy to be in minor majority. The next and this is also our conclusion that we who believe in God. They really believe that all people in this world in children of God and they improve process of reconciliation from all kind of marriage.

[00:32:23]And now how many of these um respondents was refugee. They change. You see what's his experience during the war?

[00:32:39]And most of them go and find better place for life.

[00:32:48]Next.

[00:32:49]And you see 40% of uh population go from Bosnia. 60% go uh uh they born in the one place and now they live in another place. Uh some of them go in near place you see 60 kilometers from the place go in a different town and in another place in country of Yugoslavia and go to European Union in America and in Austria and next you see 33% of onethird of the population was displayed to other parts of Bosnia.

[00:33:49]is depend of national religion and other go for and the new problems in Bosnia.

[00:34:04]You see 70 years it's like this old time in the chamita we see yesterday from 195 how many population are there you see uh median age it's mean 20 age is place when younger population half of population is younger and population is older and we can see depopulation and and urbanization of population in Bosnia and Bosnia now last year was the in the old world country with the smallest uh fertility why things happen and not only for migration it is for no new born in this country and it happened more in Serbian population uh than in other there is no newborn much and I don't now it will be nice to see different approaches from the interview and our research this is my daughter she Yes.

[00:35:46]That was it.

[00:35:55]Honor Foreign speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech.

[00:36:42]for Dr. Positive industry.

[00:37:19]Foreign speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech.

[00:37:41]A portion of the system.

[00:38:26]Yeah.

[00:38:46]They Foreign speech. Foreign speech.

[00:40:19]Foreign for us.

[00:41:19]Please I got something to see.

[00:42:14]business.

[00:42:25]I shall I don't know. I like that.

[00:43:01]I don't know.

[00:43:22]You should be able to know Of course.

[00:43:56]That's really Russia.

[00:44:34]That's York.

[00:45:11]How long do you have?

[00:45:16]>> How long would you like? What is the >> you need? How many time the the lecture?

[00:45:22]Because then you're finishing already.

[00:45:27]He's from >> Okay.

[00:46:01]something about it.

[00:46:21]Now Thank you.

[00:46:44]You can find that in internet in say YouTube channel and there is 77 different people who say something about reconciliation in Boston. So he is from Tabin this teacher of theology Orthodox and he used to work in Belgrade but now he is in European church council working and uh what to say then thank you for your attention.

[00:47:16]Uh I just need to say that we have a journal of scientific uh paper in religion and tolerance.

[00:47:27]25 years published twice at a year and it is in English and in Serbian and you can send if you like something to publish and also we have every year conference.

[00:47:46]One of them uh you can see it is in Bosnia in Medugor in Mos sociology and psychology who take care about religion publish and research and that is from one of the our conference.

[00:48:04]>> When is it held typically when is the conference in June in July?

[00:48:09]>> It is in May. Every year in the middle of the May we have international conference especially it is in Belgrade sometimes in novisa uh how we decide and uh we have no team for the next year. We decide in the May what it will be for the next year, but you can come and uh present your paper and your research and also uh we have a YouTube car you see and also theological discussion and if somebody from you like to talk with me what about you? It's a podcast actually and >> you can talk about these issues with Zorita and as I see this as a way to disseminate our findings and then it's published on her YouTube channel. It's it's a really good occasion for it and Zorita it's a is a good interviewer and asks questions curiously and this kind of podcast which is very nice.

[00:49:19]>> Yes, you are welcome.

[00:49:21]>> Thank you.

[00:49:29]And about the books, you will say that uh everyone can take the book for free.

[00:49:34]There are some English books as well.

[00:49:36]>> I uh took a copy of each of them to so that professor can show. So this is the books. Some of them are in English and some of them I think they are both in English or only uh only Serbian >> only. So sorry I guess you're more than >> we have only uh this one >> images of religious side.

[00:49:59]>> Yes.

[00:50:00]>> Okay. So you can take it from free of charge there upstairs or >> go upstairs to uh >> in front of the room where the lunch was during the Thank you very much for your presentation.

[00:50:24]Okay. Uh then I would like uh to invite Professor Emily Niha for the closing remarks of these meetings. Professor.

[00:50:40]So good afternoon, good evening and we have reached the end now of our two exciting, tiring but wonderful days together. and thank you for all of your contributions and your enthusiasm and your participation and just the lovely atmosphere that you have created here for the last two days. I think it'll stay in all our hearts. H a special thank you to our guest speakers Zarita today and Zilka yesterday.