Press Releases

January - March 2021

January

• [26.01.2021] Jan Assmann is new Hans Blumenberg Visiting Professor. Renowned cultural scientist and Egyptologist working at University of Münster’s Cluster of Excellence on cultural memory in times of digital change – Public evening lecture on 2 February on religion and culture from Ancient Egypt to the modern period

February

• [03.02.2021] Jan Assmann: Nationalisms and religion fuse in authoritarian regimes. Cultural scientist and Blumenberg professor Assmann sheds light at the Cluster of Excellence in Münster on the changing relationships between religion, culture, and politics from Ancient Egypt to the modern age – Achievements of Ancient Egypt have long been forgotten – “With the EU, primordial religious themes such as peace are returning” – “Authoritarian regimes such as Putin’s Russia, Netanyahu’s Israel, and Duda’s Poland are seeking fusion with traditional religions”.
• [04.02.2021] “Society doesn’t really care about people like me”. Survey: People who feel disadvantaged feel threatened by migrants and are more likely than others to vote AfD – Cluster of Excellence investigates what drives societal cleavages

 

March

• [11.03.2021] Corona survey: people ready to show solidarity and togetherness. “Despite Corona and restrictions on contact, people are sticking together more” – according to survey, pandemic is strengthening religiosity of believers – faith of people who do not belong to any religious community is tending to weaken – first episode of the “Religion and Politics” podcast.
• “Mount Olympus: populated by gods, but devoid of humans”. Archaeologist Achim Lichtenberger presents first major scientific study of celebrated mountain in a century – How the mountain massif became a site for the projection of religious, political, and pop-cultural imaginings – Adaptation in Christianity – Second episode of the “Religion and Politics” podcast.