correligaties

Correligaties is a term used in religious studies, particularly in Dutch-language scholarship, to describe the coexistence or overlap of religious identities, affiliations, and practices within individuals, families, or communities. It refers to situations in which a person or group maintains more than one religious tradition, either simultaneously or across different life stages. This may involve dual membership in congregations, participation in rituals from different religions, or the symbolic identification with multiple religious communities.

Correligaties differ from syncretism, where elements of different religions are blended into a new system, by preserving distinct traditions side by side. They also differ from general pluralism as a social stance, which accepts multiple religions, because correligaties focuses on the lived practice and organizational ties of individuals or groups who maintain multiple affiliations rather than a mere attitude of tolerance.

In research, correligaties can be observed in interfaith families, migrant or diasporic communities, and individuals who retain ties to more than one religious community, even when personal belief or daily practice may emphasize one tradition. The phenomenon raises methodological questions about how to define and measure religious belonging, affiliation, and practice, and about where boundaries lie between personal conviction and communal identity.

Correligaties is a relatively specialized term and not universally used outside certain linguistic or regional scholarly contexts. It is often discussed alongside concepts such as multi-religiosity, interfaith practice, and syncretism in debates about contemporary religious identity. See also: multi-religiosity, interfaith, syncretism.