Instruments of Devotion The Practices and Objects of Religious Piety from the Late Middle Ages to the 20th Century. (original) (raw)

Abstract

The so-called ‘return of religion’ in world-affairs has by now become rather obvious. The secularisation process in Western culture has proven, if not a myth, at least grossly overrated, and the weberian claim of ‘die Entzauberung der Welt’ is perhaps nothing more than a wishful myth. Belief and religion are certainly returning as focal concerns in modern philosophical debate. Interestingly, this ‘religious turn’ is most clearly seen in so-called post-modern or post-structuralist thinking. Today we are witnessing the dissolution of philosophical theories such as positivist scientism and marxism that thought they had definitively liquidated religion. After modernity, there are no more strong philosophical reasons either to be an atheist refusing religion or to be a theist refuting science. This, or similar, attitudes form a common point of departure for all the contributors to this anthology, being the reason why we all feel that the studies of matters concerning religion in all aspects of life are of importance. Today’s situation in Europe illustrates the need for historical knowledge and perspective on culture and religion, particularly Christianity and all its denominational varieties. Christianity’s influence on and in European culture cannot be overestimated, particularly understood as a dynamic and multifaceted force. The purpose of this anthology is to present a variety of studies on devotion and its instruments and to give a presentation of the work of ENID and its individual members. The aim of our work is to shed light on what we believe to be central aspects of Christianity and its influence on and in European cultures, and it is our hope that this anthology can present some new insights into the histories and cultures of Europe. The European Network on the Instruments of Devotion or ENID, is an international research network coordinated from the University of Bergen, Norway. It focuses on the instrumentality of Christian piety and devotional practices, from 14th century devotio moderna to Vatican II in the 20th century. Scholars from aesthetics, history, art history, literature, musicology, philosophy and theology form a cross disciplinary group.

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