This webinar is part of the lead-up to the UCSIA Summer School on Religion and Politics. PhD students and early-career postdocs can apply until 20 April 2026.
The UCSIA Summer School
From 23 – 28 August 2026, the last UCSIA Summer School of the thematic cycle Religion & Politics: (Dis)Entanglements in Communities & Societies will take place in Antwerp.
Over the past two years, the UCSIA Summer School has brought together promising junior scholars and renowned experts in the field to explore the intersection between religion and politics, the communities in which they emerge and function, and the injustices they entail or critique.
The webinar
Two alumni talk about their research
In light of this occasion, we are honoured to welcome Daniel Nilsson DeHanas, reader in Politics and Religion at King’s College London, and Marko Veković, Associate Professor of Religion and Politics at the University of Belgrade.
Dr. Nilsson DeHanas and prof. Veković are both alumni of the UCSIA Summer School (in 2008 and 2015, respectively) and have since made important contributions to the research field of religion and politics.
Missed the webinar?
Christianity and nationalism in the US and Russia
During the webinar, they will share their insights on the intersection between Christianity, populism and nationalism in the US and Russia. They will do so on the basis of two case studies.
Dr. Nilsson DeHanas will discuss his recent research on the veneration of Donald Trump through memes on Truth Social. His chapter on the subject will be published this summer in the book Media and the Spirit of Populism, edited by Johanna Sumiala, Katja Valaskivi, Kaisa Tiusanen, and Helmi Halonen.
Prof. dr. Veković will unpack the functioning of the Russian Orthodox Church in relation to the Russian state and nationalist ideology. In doing so, he will draw on his recently published chapter Religion and Nationalism in Russia in the Routledge Handbook of Religion and Nationalism, edited by Jeffrey Haynes.
Participating in the summer school
Are you a junior scholar at doctoral or postdoctoral level with a research interest in the digital and online experiences of religion in relation to politics?
Applications for the upcoming UCSIA Summer School From Disciples to Followers: Questioning the Digital Experience of Religions Online are now open.
The UCSIA Summer School is fully funded and welcomes junior researchers from all relevant academic disciplines. Read more on the topic, the programme, the faculty and the application procedure on the UCSIA Summer School website.
Interested in the work of the UCSIA Summer School alumni? Browse through their professional news and subscribe to the newsletter.
Programme
1:00 pm
Welcome and introduction by UCSIA
Erik De Bom and Gilke Gunst welcome you to the webinar.
Dr. Erik De Bom is acting director at UCSIA.
Gilke Gunst coordinates the UCSIA projects on Culture, Religion & Society.
1:10 pm
Religion and Nationalism in Russia – Marko Veković
Historically, the connection between the Russian state and the Russian Orthodox Church dates back to the formation of the Russian Empire. Imperial ideologies such as “Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and Nationality” fused political authority with religious legitimacy, helping to shape a distinctive form of imperial nationalism.
Even during the Soviet period – despite official atheism – religion was occasionally mobilized by the state, most notably under Joseph Stalin during World War II to strengthen patriotic mobilization.
The talk argues that this historical pattern has re-emerged in contemporary Russia. Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, the Russian Orthodox Church has increasingly been integrated into state narratives about national identity, cultural unity, and geopolitical mission.
This dynamic can be understood through the concept of “instrumental pious nationalism” where political leaders strategically use religious institutions and symbols to legitimize power and mobilize society.
A key contemporary manifestation of this process is the ideology of the “Russian World” (Russkii mir), which presents a civilizational vision linking Orthodoxy, Russian culture, and political influence beyond Russia’s borders.
The talk will conclude by examining how such ideas have expanded into other contexts–such as the notion of a “Serbian world” demonstrating how religious narratives can reinforce broader nationalist and geopolitical projects.
Want to know more? Read his recently published article Religion and Nationalism in Russia in the Routledge Handbook of Religion and Nationalism (2026), edited by Jeffrey Haynes.
About Marko Veković
Marko Veković is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Belgrade. He participated in the UCSIA Summer School in 2015.
He was appointed as a Visiting Scholar at Temple University (2014) and at Columbia University (2016), and he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Erfurt (Germany).
His research examines religion and politics, with a particular focus on Orthodox Christianity and post-communist societies.
1:30 pm
The Second Coming of Donald Trump: Charismatic and Apocalyptic Populism on Truth Social – Daniel Nilsson DeHanas
This presentation will explore how spiritual memes on the social media platform Truth Social galvanized support for Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
Although Truth Social has only about one percent the number of users of rival platform X, it remains important as Donald Trump’s own platform where he posts frequently.
The presentation will provide an overview of key categories in Trump’s “spiritual” support base who are active on the platform, ranging from prophecy-oriented charismatic Christians to conspiracy believers.
It will provide results from a content analysis of 100 spiritual image posts on Truth Social from the height of the presidential campaign, exploring their wider memetic significance. Many of these image posts portray Trump as an awe-inspiring divinely anointed leader.
The main argument put forward is that Truth Social is a “charisma factory” in which Trump supporters perpetually work to renew his charismatic authority. Trump’s charismatic status then grants him moral license in the eyes of these supporters to act as an apocalyptic figure who seeks vengeance.
This paper, therefore, serves as an explanation for the particular roles Truth Social played in Trump’s electoral success and in the legitimation of his apocalyptic populism.
Want to know more? His article on this subject will be published this summer in the book Media and the Spirit of Populism (Routledge, 2026), edited by Johanna Sumiala, Katja Valaskivi, Kaisa Tiusanen and Helmi Halonen.
About Daniel Nilsson DeHanas
Daniel Nilsson DeHanas is Reader in Politics and Religion at King’s College London. He participated in the UCSIA Summer School in 2008.
He has published research on a variety of themes that relate to Muslims and politics, ranging from populist opposition to mosque construction to the ‘Muslim Atlantic’ as a transnational space of creativity and solidarity.
In recent years, DeHanas’ research has increasingly attended to the global rise of populism. In this body of work, he argues that all populism builds from a notion of a ‘sacred’ people and thus the study of religion is core to understanding any populism.
DeHanas is co-editor of the international academic journal Religion, State and Society (Routledge).
1:50 pm
Q & A
Submit your question to the speakers!
2:00 pm
End
More on the UCSIA Summer School
During the annual summer school on religion, culture and society, doctoral students and postdoctoral researcher attend classes taught by international experts and present their own research.
The summer school is unique because it brings together promising researchers from different fields and disciplines with a common interest in religion. In this way the programme breaks academic silos and leads to interesting cross-pollinations.
