Multimedia dossiers from the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”

Interdisciplinary themes presented in reports, essays, graphics, audio and video

The multimedia dossiers of the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” discuss key themes from its interdisciplinary research. The news items, reports and essays, images and graphics, as well as social media, video and audio contributions, come from a wide range of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, and range from antiquity to the present.

Body. Cult. Religion. Perspectives from antiquity to the present

The body has always been part of the practices and ideas of religions across the world. The exhibition “Body. Cult. Religion. Perspectives from antiquity to the present” organized by the Cluster of Excellence illustrates this with a wide range of exhibits such as sculptures, paintings and coins, clothing and jewellery, photographs and films from numerous regions of the world. The exhibition can be seen at the Archaeological Museum and the Bible Museum of the University of Münster from 25 October 2024 to 26 February 2025, and is part of the Cluster of Excellence’s interdisciplinary annual theme for 2024/25 on “Body and Religion”. To the Dossier

Lecture series "Demons. Spirituality – Manifestation – Materiality"

The lecture series “Demons. Spirituality – Manifestation – Materiality” is dedicated to the subject of ‘demons’, elusive entities that have haunted people since antiquity and are still present even in the discourse of the modern period. In discussing theories and concepts of the demonic and focusing on the changing nature of demonic beings through history, scholars from literary studies, history and art history will shed light on the subject. To the dossier

Anniversary year “375 years of the Peace of Westphalia”

How stable is peace? How can it be kept after years of war? The Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” will discuss these core questions in panels and lectures as part of the City of Münster’s anniversary programme “375 years of the Peace of Westphalia”. The focus will be on how it was possible not only to achieve peace, but also to keep it in the long term. The Cluster of Excellence is organizing several events in the anniversary programme, which comprises around 300 events organized by 50 institutions and members of the public at 41 locations. To the dossier

Epidemics. Perspectives from cultural studies

Epidemics from antiquity to the present: researchers from the Cluster of Excellence explain how they have been represented in the arts and media. The short texts and images offer in the time of corona different disciplinary approaches to epidemics. To the dossier

Religion and conspiracy theories in the time of the corona epidemic

Hardly had people in Germany realized that their lives would be fundamentally changed by the outbreak of the corona crisis than virologists and epidemiologists were on hand to inform us about the new situation and its challenges. But conspiracy theories also sprang up, offering comprehensive explanations for the crisis, providing deeper insights into the connections that lay beneath the surface, and revealing for the uninitiated the true causes of the crisis. In contributions from various disciplines, the dossier explores the connection and difference between religion and conspiracy theories in the time of the pandemic.

Hagia Sophia – religious buildings and the history of their reconversion

The reconversion of religiously and politically charged buildings such as the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is a phenomenon that has occurred since antiquity. A large number of such cases can be found across epochs, religions and regions, as the dossier “Hagia Sophia – religious buildings and the history of their reconversion” shows with examples from antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the present. The dossier also traces the eventful history of the Hagia Sophia with its internal and external changes from the 6th to the 21st century.

“Small disciplines – great potential”

Jewish Studies and Islamic Studies, Sinology and Egyptology – these small disciplines in the humanities are unfamiliar to many. The exhibition “Small Disciplines – Great Potential” displays the astonishing research findings that they have yielded from all over the world, including in the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”: picture videos, stories and sharepics convey the diversity of research findings ranging from antiquity to the present day, and from China to the USA.  To the dossier [de]

Peace. From antiquity to the present

People have always longed for peace, and yet they have never been able to preserve it for long. Drawing on many historical examples from European history, researchers from the Cluster of Excellence use video statements and reports to show how people from antiquity to the present day have striven to establish and maintain peace. To the dossier

Divided societies

Societies have experienced deep divisions throughout history. In video statements and reports, researchers show social divisions in their historical depths – from “hate speech” in antiquity, the dark side to the Peace of Westphalia in the early-modern period, to parallel Catholic and Muslim societies in the 19th century and today. To the dossier [DE]

Research projects in focus

In the dossier “Research projects in focus”, researchers from the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” report in video interviews on their work in the interdisciplinary Cluster, and on what they find particularly fascinating about their field of research – the themes range from literature in the Mamluk empire, to Jewish medieval manuscripts and the compulsion to change beliefs in the confessional age, to the establishment of values and norms in the modern age. To the dossier