Lecture series “On the Question of a Religious-Political Constitution of Modernity”
In summer semester 2018, the renowned sociologist Prof. Dr Jóhann Árnason, emeritus of La Trobe University in Melbourne, will address various approaches to a religious-political constitution of modernity, both in a public lecture series and in his research as Hans Blumenberg Visiting Professor in Münster: What role does religion play in the process of modernisation? Did the transition from pre-modern to modern societies become possible because the importance of religion decreased, or was the examination of religion the precise prerequisite for the path to modernity? The series will focus on various theories about the emergence of modernity, including approaches by Hans Blumenberg, after whom the Visiting Professorship is named, Max Weber, Shmuel Eisenstadt , Marcel Gauchet and Hans Joas.
The public lecture series is entitled “Säkularisation, Entzauberung, Autonomie: Zur Frage einer religiös-politischen Konstitution der Moderne” (Secularisation, Disenchantment, Autonomy: On the Question of a Religious-Political Constitution of Modernity). On May 8, Jóhann Árnason will open the series by talking about “Hans Blumenberg and Carl Schmitt: Backgrounds and Horizons of a Dialogue”. The lecture will be held at 10.15 am in the Cluster of Excellence’s lecture theatre building, room JO 101, Johannisstraße 4 in Münster. On 14 May, an evening lecture at 6.15 pm in the same location is entitled “From Weber to Eisenstadt: Comparing Religion and Politics in Civilisation”. Two more lectures on 29 May and 5 June, respectively, both at 10.15 am, will discuss “Marcel Gauchet: Religion, Modernity and Democracy” and “Metamorphoses of the Sacred: Prolegomena Regarding an Analysis of Hans Joas”. During his stay, Jóhann Árnason and members of the Cluster of Excellence will host the workshop “The Unity and Diversity of Modernity: Clarifying the Idea of ‘Multiple Modernities’”. Sociologist Prof. Dr Wolfgang Knöbl, director of the Hamburg Institute for Social Research, will also participate in the workshop. The lectures and workshop will be in German.
Jóhann Páll Árnason
Jóhann Páll Árnason, born in Dalvík , Iceland in 1940, is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. After his doctorate with Jürgen Habermas in Frankfurt, his habilitation at Bielefeld University and his examination of the critical theory of the Frankfurt School, Árnason turned to macrosociological issues and developed a theory of modernity. He became a leading proponent of the comparative analysis of civilisations . After moving to Australia in 1975, Árnason stayed connected to European research through stays at renowned European research institutions. He has published widely-acclaimed works, including “Civilizations in Dispute” (2003) and, together with Shmuel N. Eisenstadt and Björn Wittrock, “Axial Civilizations and World History” (2004). Focusing on East Asia and Japan, Árnason addresses the comparability of civilisations and their different paths to modernity. The sociologist is a major representative of the theory of “multiple modernities”. (maz/vvm)