The Donner Institute
The Donner Institute for Research into Religion and Culture is a private research institute connected to the Åbo Akademi University Foundation. We gather researchers, students and cultural agents and provide a meeting point for research on religion and culture in Finland and in the Nordic countries. We work to strengthen the visibility of research and create spaces where new knowledge can be born.
News
See all
Research & publications
See all
Approaching Religion Vol. 12/2: “Nordic Fundamentalism”
The current issue of Approaching Religion (Vol. 12, Issue 2) approaches the complex and much-debated concept of ‘fundamentalism’ from a variety of angles. The guest editors, Prof. Susanne Olsson of Stockholm University and Prof. Simon Sorgenfrei of Södertörn University, take their starting point in the insights gained from a research project on Wahhabi mission in Sweden, namely that a fundamentalist approach to sources and teaching in this movement may take form in expressions and practices that are not necessarily associated with ‘fundamentalist Islam.’ As a consequence, in this issue they ask: How might changing environments or circumstances influence fundamentalist interpretations...
Our donors Olly and Uno Donner were forerunners of their time.
The endowment made by Olly and Uno Donner in 1956 was one of the largest donations received by Åbo Akademi University to date. In addition to supporting research on religion and culture, the couple shared an interest in languages and anthroposophy.