Department of Elementary School Teacher Education, Faculty of Education, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia.
Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia.
Department of Elementary School Teacher Education, Faculty of Education, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia.
Department of Elementary School Teacher Education, Faculty of Education, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia.
Although the concept of religious moderation has received increasing scholarly attention in recent years, comprehensive and globally integrative syntheses remain limited. In many Western scholarly traditions, similar ideas are often articulated through related concepts such as religious tolerance, pluralism, liberal pluralism, or collaborative secularism, resulting in fragmented conceptual discussions across disciplines and regions. This study therefore aims to map the development, intellectual structure, and thematic evolution of research on religious moderation within global academic discourse. This study employs a hybrid approach combining Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and bibliometric analysis. Data were retrieved from the Scopus database, where the keyword “religious moderation” was searched in article titles, abstracts, and keywords. The search identified 901 publications (2009–2026). After applying the PRISMA screening procedure, 235 articles met the inclusion criteria and were selected for analysis. Bibliometric mapping was conducted using VOSviewer to examine publication trends, collaboration networks, institutional affiliations, and thematic patterns within the field. The findings indicate that research on religious moderation has experienced gradual growth and increasing global visibility. However, the distribution of scholarly contributions remains highly concentrated in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia, suggesting that the concept has not yet diffused widely across Western, Middle Eastern, and African academic traditions. This geographical concentration reveals significant opportunities for comparative, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary research. The analysis identifies four recurring attributes that characterize religious moderation in the literature: balance (tawazun), tolerance (tasamuh), anti-violence, and national commitment. These principles function as normative foundations for promoting social harmony, pluralism, and peaceful coexistence in diverse societies. In addition, the study proposes a multidimensional conceptual framework linking religious moderation to broader domains including social cohesion, conflict resolution, interfaith relations, family dynamics, and education, highlighting its relevance for sustaining inclusive and resilient communities.

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