220018 The Secularization of Europe, 1848-1968 (GST+Ü) (SoSe 2011)

During the first half of the nineteenth century, liberals throughout Europe increasingly criticized the alliance of Throne and Altar that had inspired Restoration politics. As advocates of individual liberty and religious parity, they favoured a stricter separation between political and civil society (with religion being limited to the latter). After 1848, the liberal State progressively gained precedence over the Churches. Yet this process was never linear. Whereas the political culture of France and Italy was characterized by laicism and aggressive anticlericalism, countries such as Germany and The Netherlands actually witnessed a revival of religious culture. Exactly this apparent contradiction shows how problematic the concept ‘secularization’ is.

In the seminar, we will study the political, scientific and cultural origins of secular ideas. We will probe the political realization of these dreams, study programmatic differences between laicism and anticlericalism, and review the impact that the Church-State conflict had on cultural representations and artistic life. Additionally, we will look at how Christians increasingly came into conflict with e.g. liberals, socialists, communists, and Jews. Possible topics include the fall of the Papal States; the German Kulturkampf; religiously inspired anti-Semitism; the separation of Church and State in France; pillarization (‘Versäulung’) in The Netherlands; Christmas during World War I; the Churches and the Holocaust.

Although the course will be in English, you are welcome to submit any written material in German.

Requirements for participation, required level

Good command of English.

Bibliography

No previous reading is necessary.