News Archive 2018

As part of its interdisciplinary and international collaboration strategy, the Center for Religion and Modernity (CRM) welcomes Dr. Giulia Marotta, to further develop her research in the areas of Roman Catholic historiography, doctrinal development, and their relationship to modernity.

Hellenistic Commagene is the subject of an international conference of the Asia Minor Research Centre and the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” of Münster University from 29 November until 1 December 2018.

A conference of the Cluster of Excellence will examine new research perspectives on the relationship between religion and politics in National Socialism. In a public evening lecture on Thursday, contemporary historian Prof. Dr. Hans-Ulrich Thamer will talk about the contradictory relationship between the National Socialist “Volksgemeinschaft” and Christian faith communities.

How do Muslim citizens across the globe perceive the European Union? And what factors influence their EU attitudes? This book offers the first systematic theoretical and empirical analysis of Muslim citizens’ EU attitudes in and outside the European Union.

The general volume "Religionspolitik heute" brings together for the first time in this form positions and analyses on religious policy from the academic world, from politics, as well as from religious communities and other groups with a particular worldview, and provides an overview of the long-neglected political field of religious policy in Germany.

For their book “Religion and Modernity. An International Comparison”, the sociologists of religion Prof. Dr. Detlef Pollack and Prof. Dr. Gergely Rosta were awarded the Karl Polányi Prize of the Hungarian Society of Sociology (MSZT).

Classical scholars from the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” have explored a rare bathing facility in southeastern Turkey from the time of the Roman Empire, and a magnificent basilica from Christian late antiquity. “Our excavations in the ancient town of Doliche clearly show how a town flourished across epochs and religions in what was then northern Syria”, says excavation director Engelbert Winter.

The conference “Understandings of the Qur`an – Muslim researchers in dialogue” will be held from 02.-04. November 2018 in Münster, organized by the Cluster of Excellence "Religion and Politics" and the Centre for Islamic Theology Münster.

Prof. Dr. Joseph Carens, Professor of Political Theory at the University of Toronto, Canada, will speak on migration ethics on 5 November. The evening lecture in English entitled “Immigration, Political Realities, and Philosophy” will take place at 6 pm in lecture theatre JO 1, Johannisstraße 4, as part of the 22nd Münster Lecture in Philosophy.

The Islamic theologian Mouhanad Khorchide of the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” has published the first volume in the series “Herder’s Theological Commentary on the Quran”. The project combines for the first time the findings of historical-critical and literary analysis practised by Arabic and Islamic studies with the Islamic tradition of text commentary.

A decision has been reached in the first funding line, “Cluster of Excellence”, in the Excellence Strategy being pursued by the national and state governments in Germany. In the competition, the University of Münster was successful with two of the three Cluster applications it submitted. The announcement was made today, September 27, by the Excellence Commission in Bonn. The following Clusters of Excellence will receive funding for a period of seven years, with effect from 1 January 2019: “Religion and Politics. Dynamics of Tradition and Innovation” and “Mathematics Münster. Dynamics – Geometry – Structure”.

In his latest publication entitled “Warum es kein islamisches Mittelalter gab” (Why There Were No Islamic Middle Ages), the scholar of Arabic studies Prof. Dr. Thomas Bauer questions historical epochal boundaries and widespread stereotypes about Islamic history. He shows by means of numerous examples how antiquity lived on in the Islamic world until the 11th century.

According to historians, the Peaace of Westphalia 1648 also had its dark side. At Historians’ Convention in Münster historians discuss global historical dimensions, such as an intensive phase of colonization as a result of peace in Europe and debate whether the successful negotiations in Münster and Osnabrück can serve as a model for today’s peace processes in the Middle East.

Catholics then, Muslims today: at the 52nd Meeting of German Historians at the end of September in Münster, historians will put the concept of the religious “parallel society” to the test. “With the term ‘parallel society’, the German majority society has for decades been expressing the foreignness it feels towards migrants and also its ideas of the ‘right’ society,” says contemporary historian Thomas Großbölting.

According to scholars in Arabic studies, contemporary Arabic literature is increasingly experimenting with new formats such as autofictional Internet blogs, graphic novels and science fiction. “The new genres and their authors have barely been noticed or published in the West,” says literary scholar Barbara Winckler from the Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies.

Researchers from philosophy and the social sciences wish to come together to scrutinize whether the measures taken in European refugee policy are admissible ethically. “Beyond the cases where states clearly fail in moral terms, there are many measures to do with border policy that have not yet been scrutinized from the point of view of the academic discipline of ethics”, explains the philosopher Matthias Hoesch.

A new volume of the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”, edited by Old Testament scholar Prof. Dr. Reinhard Achenbach, addresses sacred places of antiquity. Under the title “Heilige Orte der Antike” (Holy places of antiquity), the publication brings together contributions from the lecture series of the same name.

Political debates in ancient Rome were conducted with great harshness and personal attacks, which were in no way inferior to some of the hate speech on the Internet, explains ancient historian Prof. Dr. Martin Jehne of Technische Universität Dresden. At the 52nd Meeting of German Historians in Münster in September, in a section on abuses from antiquity to the present day, he will speak about the culture of conflict in ancient Rome.

Societies have repeatedly experienced deep divisions in history, not just since the current refugee crisis. At the 52nd Meeting of German Historians, some 3,500 scholars from Germany and abroad will deal with social, economic, religious or ethnic divisions in all epochs and regions of the world.

“Religionspolitik heute” is a new overview volume on religious policy today in Germany from the Cluster of Excellence “Religion und Politik”. It combines religious political analyses and positions from academics, politics and religious and philosophical communities for the first time.

Issues of migration policy have gained in importance in Europe and around the globe. Against this background, the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics“ of Münster University, the Forum Internationale Wissenschaft (FIW), and the Center of Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF Bielefeld) will hold a conference taking place 10-12 September 2018 in Bielefeld entitled "Studying Migration Policies at the Interface between Empirical Research and Normative Analysis", organised by philosopher Dr. Matthias Hoesch, Cluster of Excellence, and sociologist Dr. Lena Laube (FIW).

On the occasion of the 75th birthday of the medieval historian Prof. Dr. Gerd Althoff of the Cluster of Excellence, the Munich historian Prof. Dr. Knut Görich will give a lecture on how the medieval writer Hugo Falcandus described the Kingdom of Sicily (1130-1861).

The Islamic theologian Prof. Dr Mouhanad Khorchide of the University of Münster’s Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” has published two new Islam books for the general public.

On 3 July, the literary scholar, writer and Kleist Prize winner Prof. Dr Dirk von Petersdorff will speak about the religious aspects of the poetry of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe at the University of Münster’s Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”.

“Music has always been a central medium of the artistic engagement with the subject of ‘peace’,” explains musicologist Dr Dominik Höink, who invites to the conference “Religiöse Friedensmusik von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart” (Religious Peace Music from Antiquity to the Present Day) from 28 to 30 June.

The early modern historian Prof. Dr. Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger, Deputy Speaker of the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”, will be awarded this year’s Bielefeld Science Prize, as was announced by Bielefeld University.

Researchers from all over the world will meet from June 27th – 29th in Washington for the third session of the first theological trialogue ever between Buddhists, Muslims and Christians. At Georgetown University they will discuss concepts of salvific action, as the theologian and religious studies scholar Prof. Dr. Perry Schmidt-Leukel of the Cluster of Excellence explains.

In June, the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” will welcome two proven experts of the Orthodox Churches as visiting fellows: Orthodox theologian Prof. Dr Cyril Hovorun and historian and religious scholar Dr Irina Paert.

In a public book launch hosted by the University of Münster’s Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” and the Center for Religion and Modernity (CRM), social ethicists Prof. Dr Karl Gabriel and Prof. Dr Hans-Richard Reuter will present research results regarding the denominational influence on welfare-state key concepts in Germany.

In the face of international conflicts, the philosopher and ethicist Prof. Dr Michael Quante warns against state warfare drifting into “state terrorism”. “In view of modern weapon systems, we need a social debate on the ethically and legally justifiable options of warfare that states have.”

According to researchers, artists from ancient times to the present day have kept using the same symbols and metaphors to depict peace. “Dove or rainbow, kiss or embrace, peace banquet, horrors of war or the victory of love over violence – artistic depictions of peace have a long history," says art historian Prof. Dr. Eva-Bettina Krems from the University of Münster’s Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”.

At the conference of the Cluster of Excellence "The transmission of religion across generations: transfer, loss and re-formation of religion", which will be held from 17 to 18 May 2018 in Münster, internationally renowned researchers will address the question of the decline of religion.

In the summer semester, the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” will again welcome a great number of international visiting fellows who have been invited by one or several of the members of the research association to conduct research and give public lectures in Münster.

Internationally renowned scholars will discuss the origins of modernity at a conference of the Cluster of Excellence in Berlin in May. The researchers will pay particular attention to the role of religion in the development of modernity.

Leading sociologists of religion have presented the first comprehensive handbook on the sociology of religion in German-speaking countries. It provides an overview of the state of research and expounds the field of research’s spectrum and relevance. In the handbook, they edit the basics of their subject for scholars and students of sociology, theology and religious studies as well as for those who are interested in politics and the media.

According to historians, the political goal of peace has never been as important as it is today. “For example, those who considered peace to be the most important political goal in 1913 belonged to a minority,” says historian Prof. Dr Hans-Ulrich Thamer of the University of Münster’s Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” before the 101st Katholikentag.

The renowned legal philosopher and former Hans Blumenberg Visiting Professor Prof. Dr. Horst Dreier has published a monograph on religion in secular modernity under the title “Staat ohne Gott” (State Without God). The first four chapters of the volume cover the topics of his lecture series “Herausforderungen des sekulären Verfassungsstaates” (Challenges of the secular constitutional state), which was part of the Hans Blumenberg Visiting Professorship at the Cluster of Excellence.

A new study from the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” presented by historian Dr Sara-Marie Demiriz deals with sacred elements in the early years of the Turkish Republic.

Under the title “Frieden. Von der Antike bis heute” (Peace. From Antiquity to the Present Day), an extraordinary exhibition, in which scientists of the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” are significantly involved, can be seen at five locations in Münster from 28 April to 2 September 2018.

The Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” is looking forward to welcoming two renowned Hans Blumenberg visiting professors in summer semester 2018: Iceland-born sociologist Jóhann Páll Árnason, who will give lectures “On the Question of a Religious-Political Constitution of Modernity” (in German), and American sociologist and religious scholar Mark Juergensmeyer, who will present “Religion and War” in Münster.

A new publication by the philosopher Prof. Dr. Kurt Bayertz from the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” addresses the philosophical roots of Karl Marx. 200 years after Karl Marx was born, not everything has been said about his thinking, the scholar underlines.

The Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” is looking forward to welcoming two Hans Blumenberg visiting professors in summer semester 2018: American sociologist and religious scholar Mark Juergensmeyer, who will present “Religion and War” in a public lecture series in Münster in June, and Iceland-born sociologist Jóhann Páll Árnason, who will give lectures, starting 8 May, on the role of religion in the process of modernisation.

According to archaeologists, the world’s oldest peace treaty disproves the widespread notion that in antiquity, peace was not brought about by negotiations, but always by humiliating those who had lost.

At the public conference “PEACE. Theories, Images and Strategies from Antiquity to the Present Day” of the Cluster of Excellence, which will be held from 22 to 25 May 2018 in Münster, internationally renowned researchers will address the question in 21 lectures of why people throughout the ages wanted peace, but never succeeded in securing it in the long term. Over the next few weeks, the Cluster of Excellence will present key topics of the conference on the Internet and in the media.

Gifts, peace banquets and reconciliation rituals: according to historians, peace agreements have historically been reached if, above all, specific trust could be established between opponents. “Confidence-building measures are not a patent remedy, but increase the probability of peace, according to studies covering different epochs,” says medieval historian Prof. Dr Gerd Althoff.

Scholar of Arabic studies Prof. Dr Thomas Bauer of the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” has published an essay on the tendency of contemporary Western societies to simplify the world.

At the 101st German Catholic Convention in Münster, the University of Münster’s Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” will present short lectures and discussions in an open-air lecture theatre. The morning programme will deal with the relationship of world religions and violence in the past and present, while the afternoon programme will deal with religious policy today.

The Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” introduces the wealth of its research in a new format: “Religion and Politics: The Magazine” presents in richly illustrated reports, interviews, portraits, and essays the research and the researchers connected over the past few years to the interdisciplinary network of the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (WWU).

At the public conference “PEACE. Theories, Images and Strategies from Antiquity to the Present Day” of the University of Münster’s Cluster of Excellence, which will be held from 22 to 25 May 2018 in Münster, internationally renowned researchers will address the question of why people throughout the ages wanted peace, but never succeeded in securing it in the long term.

In the context of the federal and state governments’ Excellence Strategy, the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” of the University of Münster has submitted to the German Research Foundation its application for a new funding period starting in 2019.

In the context of the federal and state governments’ Excellence Strategy, the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” of the University of Münster has submitted to the German Research Foundation its application for a new funding period starting in 2019.