About us

In the region of the Balkans, where almost 90 percent of people declare themselves to be believers, and where secular laws based on international norms of human rights and freedoms are in force, it is important, through the confrontation of feminist and religious perspectives, to open a space for dialogue, meeting, learning and questioning how new formulas for understanding rights and freedoms would be reached, especially for those who are a minority.

Noticing this need, v. prof. dr. Zilka Spahić Šiljak and scientific advisor Ph.D. Jadranka and Rebeka Anić created the program “Both believers and citizens”, which was implemented by the TPO Foundation in the period from 2008-2012. year, and the Ecumenical Women’s Initiative continued from 2015-2020. The great interest in this program as well as the lack of academic programs on issues of gender and religion in the entire region were the motivation for starting the FER school.

The goals of the FER school are:

• Deconstruction of the foundations of gender stereotypes and the construction of egalitarian gender models that are based on scientific and religious arguments.
• Critical questioning of religious traditions and scientific research on gender issues
• To encourage interfaith learning and understanding through the deconstruction of patriarchal gender models.
• Empowerment for changes within religious communities, churches and secular society in the direction of egalitarian gender models.
• More about TPO Foundation
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