The project - Background and impact

Survey research conducted by the Department of Law & Anthropology in 2014 highlighted the need for a comprehensive platform that would offer rigorously researched information on how increasing cultural and religious diversity is addressed under state law in Europe.

Developed to meet this need, the database allows for several ways to access the information contained in the repository. It functions on the basis of different filters, such as country, domain of law, relevant case law, applicable legislation and/or regulations, jurisdiction, topic, and keyword. It also offers a fully updated anthropological bibliography with additional scientific information on the topics under discussion in the templates. With over 500 cases in development, the database looks to be a promising tool for the needs of research and legal practice in an increasingly diverse Europe.

Ultimately, the CUREDI database aims to impact, both directly and indirectly, the legal approach to diversity questions across Europe in three distinct but interconnected ways:

First, the database provides Europe-wide comparative insights into the increasing demands that cultural and religious diversity questions make on governments, legislatures, and the judiciary in contemporary European societies as well as the various ways these demands are handled. European scholars, judges, legal practitioners, policymakers, and citizens regularly grapple with the question of how they are to accommodate diversity. By diligently analyzing daily legal practice, CUREDI offers a detailed picture of how cultural and religious diversity impacts law in the fields of both public and private law. In the long run, it is hoped that the database will contribute to research and comparative studies and foster a better understanding of different models for resolving legal conflicts involving diversity and the question of how to accommodate it.

Second, CUREDI makes available in a systematized way various types of materials dealing with real-life legal disputes involving religious and cultural diversity that researchers, legal practitioners, judges, and policymakers can draw inspiration from: thematic and country reports, bibliographies, case law commentaries, etc.

Third, CUREDI's long-term aim is to enrich and enhance the knowledge needed for a nuanced assessment of the impact of religious and cultural diversity on domestic legal systems in Europe.