Professor Zilka Spahić Šiljak spoke at the Krister Stendahl Memorial Lecture in the Great Church Hall in the Old Town of Stockhom, November 14, 2024. The Annual lecture was about feminist interfaith approaches in peacebuilding in the Balkans region.

Professor Spahić Šiljak elaborated about the intersection of peace, interreligious encounters, and feminism. She show edhow important it was to mobilize all resources, both secular and religious in order to achieve peace. There can be no peace if religion is excluded. Feminists from different religious backgrounds have been building peace in the Balkan region, together with secular feminists, and their work deserves recognition and appreciation.

What began as grassroots activism in the Balkans, says Zilka Spahić Šiljak, has today been acknowledged as academically relevant programs. And when women engage in peacebuilding from the ground up, without formal theoretical knowledge, they often contribute a unique and valuable perspective rooted in their own experiences. In a complex world, all voices and many different approaches are needed, she argues. Women in conflict situations often use tacit knowledge, drawn from generations of social roles, caregiving, and community leadership, to navigate the complexities of peacebuilding. Even if their strategies are not initially theorized, they can later contribute to or refine the existing theoretical frameworks.