Shaping Modern Germany: A Cultural History of Religions in Germany

Cuius regio, eius religio: In 2017, the Protestant world is celebrating 500 years of Martin Luther’s revolutionary act of “Reformation”, a watershed moment that has influenced the German religious map to this very day. Christianity and its various denominations—the Roman Catholic church, Protestantism (Lutheranism as well as Reformed Protestantism)—but also Judaism and other religious faiths have helped to shape a complex religious diversity, and they have enriched Germany’s cultural life. However, this religious diversity is also responsible for deep rifts and sectarianism in German society, visible in practices of inclusion and exclusion. This course offers a thorough survey of 500 years of Germany’s diverse religious history. From the days of Martin Luther to this day, religion plays an integral role in German society despite an ongoing increasing secularization of life in Germany—it can indeed be considered key in understanding German politics, culture, and society.

Required texts: A course reader will be made available electronically.