Interreligious and interfaith dialogue, as well as community action, are two areas of growing interest today, given that religious and cultural diversity is a worldwide reality that poses challenges to coexistence and social cohesion. Interreligious and interfaith dialogue refers to the process of communication and mutual understanding among individuals from different religious traditions and/or beliefs. On the other hand, community action refers to collaboration among community members to address challenges and improve the quality of community life.

From the review of academic literature, an underexplored relationship emerges between interreligious and interfaith dialogue and community action. This relationship is important because both initiatives aim to promote peace, justice, and harmony in society (Ibrahim et al., 2012; Orton, 2016). Through interreligious dialogue, prejudices and cultural barriers between different religions and communities can be reduced. This can help foster mutual cooperation and understanding, leading to increased community action and the resolution of common problems. Community action can also be a means to promote interreligious dialogue. When working together on community projects, people from different religions and cultures can learn about their similarities and differences, fostering greater understanding and mutual respect.

In many cases, interreligious and interfaith dialogue and community action have been used to address specific issues, such as poverty alleviation, promotion of education and training, or conflict resolution, both internationally and in Catalonia  ̶ the context of our research. Additionally, interreligious and interfaith dialogue and community action can also be a way to address broader social and political challenges. For example, in some countries, religious organizations have worked together to address climate change (Fedorova, 2016; Purnomo, 2020).

However, we cannot ignore the obstacles in promoting interreligious and interfaith dialogue and community actions, as highlighted by research. One of the major challenges is the lack of understanding and tolerance that may arise between communities belonging to different religions and cultures (Abu-Nimer, 2001; Edwards, 2018; Farell, 2014; Miller, 2017; Pallavicini, 2016; Vila-Baños et al., 2018). This can hinder collaboration and joint work on community projects. There may also be mistrust and references to historical conflicts between different religious groups during interaction, making cooperation and community action difficult (Helskog, 2015; Kuppinger, 2019). Additionally, there may be challenges such as linguistic and cultural barriers that make communication difficult (Kruja, 2020; Mitri 1997), as well as logistical and institutional challenges in organizing joint community projects.

Despite these challenges, academic literature provides data on initiatives worldwide to promote interreligious dialogue as community action. In Catalonia, too, there are emerging studies in this regard, from both a broader social perspective (Freixa-Niella et al., 2022) and a more educational and formative perspective (Vilà-Baños et al., 2022). AUDIR (2023) identified up to twelve practices of interreligious and interfaith dialogue in our country in which there is a community action component. The preliminary results of our research have expanded this collection up to 37 existing good practices currently.

Hence, for potential becoming a tangible reality, rather than a mere theoretical construct, it is necessary to delineate the conditions that make it possible, encompassing personal, geographical, cultural, social, economic, political, and, notably, religious dimensions. This forms the crux of the research we present, which sets the overarching goal: "To comprehensively grasp the conditions that mold interreligious and interfaith dialogue into a good practice of community action fostering coexistence in Catalonia."

The preliminary stages of the research took place from October 2023 to January 2024, and were dedicated to the update of the landscape of interreligious and interfaith dialogue practices within Catalonia, as well as the formulation and validation of an indicator system designed to facilitate the identification of good practices among them.

The research project, financed by the Catalan government, spans a duration of one year and is structured into four distinct phases. This paper delineates the methods and outcomes corresponding to the initial two phases, both of which concluded in January 2024. The methodology is qualitative. Each phase is guided by specific methods or methodologies. In Phase 1, the subject of research was addressed on an exploratory basis. The research team collaborated with AUDIR (UNESCO) to compile a map of interreligious and interfaith dialogue practices in Catalonia, resulting in a collection of 37 practices. Two research actions were conducted: documentary analysis and individual interviews. Documentary analysis was performed based on criteria of relevance and pertinence to the topic, involving the identification of at least ten sources from mixed origins (academic and institutional). The interviews were conducted with three key informants selected based on criteria of expertise and experience in the field, representing the administration, social entities, and academia. In Phase 2, the research team aimed to identify the subject of research, by identifying which of these practices promotes community action in specific local environments and the criteria that allows us to qualify them as good practices. The expert focal group technique was applied through a three-session seminar to build an indicator system for evaluating interreligious and interfaith dialogue practices as community action. The first session focused on conceptual clarification, the second on identifying success factors, and the third on building a proposal for indicators. The proposal was based on the international SMART model. The selection of participants also followed a mixed composition. The group consisted of 9 individuals: three representatives from administrations, three from entities, and three from the academia.

Following the completion of phases 1 and 2 in our research, we present two significant outputs. Firstly, an updated landscape has been elaborated, comprising nearly all prevailing interreligious and interfaith dialogue practices in Catalonia, including a comprehensive collection of 36 different practices. This compilation not only features detailed information about each practice, but also provides a thorough description of their primary activities and outcomes, along with an assessment of their effectiveness as good practices. At present, it is the most detailed and extensive compilation of interreligious and interfaith practices taking place in Catalonia. Parallel to phase 1, we conducted phase 2, which involved a series of three seminars featuring a group of 11 experts on the field of interreligious and interfaith dialogue and community action. These experts were chosen from academia, administration and organizations actively engaged in the field. Throughout the seminar, these experts collaborated with the research team to formulate an indicator system to assess the suitability of an interreligious and interfaith dialogue practice for community action. These indicators have been inspired by Hatry’s indicator system development (Hatry, 2014), employing key criteria such as relevance, clarity, consistency, precision, accessibility, pertinence, and flexibility. In addition to these two outputs, the research process has yielded other results. The process involves dynamic interactions between academic and institutional agents who typically operate independently, fostering reflective processes. Furthermore, it activates contact with other social institutions, promoting broader interreligious and interfaith dialogue. These collaborative efforts have strengthened relationships among diverse actors in the interreligious and interfaith dialogue field, has offered the administration a fresh perspective on community issues and facilitated direct communication between organizations on the ground and administration. Outcomes and findings from the preliminary phases of the research are being actively analyzed, and are expected to be presented in the ECER Conference.

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