University of Crete, Department of Primary Education, Lecturer in Social and Political Theology
University of Crete
Spyridoula Athanasopoulou-Kypriou
- 1 What is your research about?
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My research explores the relationship between religion and society, politics, education, and culture. I am particularly interested in how religious ideas and traditions influence the way we understand ourselves and others, as well as issues such as justice, equality, gender, human rights, and living together with difference.
- 2 Why is it important?
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Religion continues to shape people’s views, values, and relationships, often more than we realize. My research seeks to understand this influence and to contribute to a society in which we can discuss our differences with critical thinking, respect, and empathy, without exclusion or stereotypes.
- 3 What inspired you to pursue this path?
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From an early age, I was fascinated by existential questions that do not have easy answers: what gives meaning to our lives, how we relate to others, and what justice, freedom, or responsibility mean. This is why my path did not remain confined to theology; it led me to literature, philosophy, critical theory, education, and also psychotherapy. In different ways, all these fields helped me realize that, ultimately, human beings and their relationships with others lie at the heart of my research.
- 4 What do you like most about research?
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I like the fact that research can make you see something familiar in a completely different way. The research approach I mainly use in my field is interpretive: essentially, I try to look at an issue afresh and broaden our understanding of it. Very often, something I had taken for granted is overturned. This element of surprise is perhaps what I enjoy most about research.
- 5 What advice would you give to a child who loves science?
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Do not be afraid to ask “why?” — even when everyone around you thinks the answer is obvious. Read, observe, question, listen to people who think differently, and above all, do not believe that science is only for those who find the right answers. Very often, science begins with someone who dared to ask a different question.
- 6 Fun fact: Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.
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I have spent a large part of my life surrounded by books, but I also love cinema. Quite often, I start watching a film simply to relax and end up thinking… this could actually become a research project!
