Research at the Cluster of Excellence "Religion and Politics"
In the video series "Research at the Cluster of Excellence 'Religion and Politics'", researchers discuss their work at the Cluster of Excellence "Religion and Politics".
"Religion and Politics" Cluster of Excellence at the University of Münster Established in 2007, the Cluster of Excellence ‘Religion and Politics’ will continue to study the complex relationship between religion and politics across epochs and cultures until 2027. The approximately 150 researchers from 20 disciplines in the humanities and social Sciences focus on Europe and the Mediterranean region, and their interconnections with the Middle East, Africa, North America and Latin America. The Cluster is the largest of its kind in Germany and the only Cluster of Excellence to focus on religion. Since its inception the Cluster addresses a wide range of historical and contemporary issues. continue Slider Bockholt © exc/Istanbul, Süleymaniye-Bibliothek “Those commissioning the work, as well as scribes, owners and readers – these all shaped the translations and turned the transcripts into a ‘living’ work”
The research project led by Islamic studies scholar Philip Bockholt at the Cluster of Excellence ‘Religion and Politics’ focuses on Arabic-Ottoman translations of works of Quranic exegesis (Arabic: tafsīr). In this interview, he discusses why translations from Arabic into Turkish were so significant, what adaptations can be observed in the texts during the process of translation, and what role these translations played in disseminating religious knowledge. Read more
Interview with Historian Hans Beck: “Research into Laconia is really taking off at the moment“
How did forms of belonging develop in ancient Greece, and which role did Amyklaion play as a central hub in Laconia? Historian Hans Beck's Research project, “Belonging in/to Laconia. An archaeohistorical study on the Sanctuary of Apollo at Amyklai and its surroundings”, at the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” explores this question. The subject of the study is the hill of Agia Kyriaki, 5 km south of Sparta, which has long been associated with the ancient cult center of Apollo Amyklaios. The research complements excavations that have been taking place on site for more than 20 years. Read more
Interview with political Philosopher Franziska Dübgen: Between fluid identities and political learning potential
In her research at the Cluster of Excellence, political philosopher Franziska Dübgen, head of the project “Articulations of the ‘political’ in contemporary postcolonial contexts of north and sub-Saharan Africa”, deals with innovative concepts of the political, her focus here being primarily on concepts that political philosophy and political theory have developed in recent decades in and with regard to Africa. In this interview, she talks about her project at the Cluster of Excellence, the potential for learning between North and South when it comes to dealing with global challenges, and the debate on postcolonialism. Read more
Coptologist Gesa Schenke on her research into the two oldest known manuscripts of the “Testament of Abraham”
In the video series "Research at the Cluster of Excellence 'Religion and Politics'", Coptologist Gesa Schenke talks about her academic work on the two oldest known manuscripts of the Jewish-Christian Testament of Abraham, which date from the 4th and 10th centuries AD. In it, Abraham recounts his journey to heaven and provides insights into what awaits people after their death.
In her research project, Gesa Schenke is working on the edition of these two manuscripts, which are preserved in the Coptic language. Read more
Icons – a symbol of Russian identity between tradition, religion and politics
In the video series "Research at the Cluster of Excellence 'Religion and Politics'", Slavic scholar Irina Wutsdorff talks about her academic work on references to traditional icon painting in 19th and 20th century Russian art and literature. Icons were originally cult and saint images of the Eastern Churches. However, they were elevated to symbols of this very tradition by the so-called Slavophiles, followers of a Russian philosophical-political ideology in the 19th century that emphasised Russia's independence from Western Europe. Thus, icons differed from the Western European and Western Church pictorial tradition.
In their research project "Between Religious Tradition and Aesthetic Innovation: The A-Mimetic Nature of Icons in Russian Art and Literature of the 19th and 20th Centuries" Slavic scholars Irina Wutsdorff and Daniela Amodio examine the tension surrounding references to the icon tradition. Read more
Cultural memories of pre-Christian Nordic paganism from the Middle Ages to the present day
Scandinavian scholars Roland Scheel and Simon Hauke discuss their academic work in the video series “Research at the Cluster of Excellence ‘Religion and Politics’”. In the research project “Paganisations: Remembered Paganism as an Element of Scandinavian and European Identities”, they examine how today's image of the “pagan Viking Age” emerged in the Middle Ages and developed over time. Read more
Mountain settlements in Edom – New perspectives on an Iron Age tribal kingdom
In the video series "Research at the Cluster of Excellence 'Religion and Politics'", archaeologist Katharina Schmidt talks about her scientific work on the mountain settlements in the Iron Age kingdom of Edom (ca. 700–500 BC), which was located in what is now southern Jordan. Due to their remote location and poor water supply, the mountain settlements of Edom are now mostly interpreted as temporary refuges for pastoral peoples. However, recent investigations as part of a survey project that examined twelve of these settlements in more detail suggest that they were permanent, agriculturally self-sufficient settlements that were sustainably farmed over generations. In the project "Mountain-top sites in Edom: Disentangling politics, religion and economy in an Iron Age tribal kingdom", Katharina Schmidt examines the religious, political and economic entanglements and disentanglements that the mountain settlements had with the rest of Edom. Read more