239792 Religious Forms of Coping with Fundamental Social Change (S) (SoSe 2014)

The period of industrialization was one of fundamental social change. To many people, the revolutionary character of industrialization lay in the deep-reaching transformation of an established way of life, leaving them quite disoriented. Many felt pulled up by the roots when migrating from the countryside to the industrial districts in search of an income. For others disorientation had more of a spiritual quality. Yet others were concerned, beyond their own emotional state, about the stability of society. Whatever form the widespread feeling of insecurity assumed, it was made sense of by religion and thus became manageable. This course will consider a variety of religious ways of coping with industrialization, engaged in by different of groups of people, highlighting what each of them saw as the most disquieting aspect of change.

Bibliography

The relevant literature will be made available at the start of the semester.