Beyond confessional clarity
A new episode of the video series “Religion and Politics – Research Projects in Focus“
What does it mean for people to adopt a certain faith under the pressure of authorities? Early modern historian Prof. Dr. Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger examines the 16th century when confessional churches were formed and the people had to adopt their ruler's faith. Micro-historical research of the project, which takes the level of the individual into the fore, shows that this did not always succeed and confessional unambiguity failed to materialize: if people are forced to take over certain views, they often react to it with opposition and violence or with pretence and dissimulation, as the historian reports in a new episode of the video series Research projects in Focus. The film gives insight into her research project “Beyond confessional clarity” at the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” of Münster University. (maz/vvm)