Conference Report: Religion, Tradition and the Popular in Asia and Europe
The conference was held at the University of Freiburg, 8-10 November 2012.
Conference report written by Regine Nohejl, Slavisches Seminar, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg:
From November 8th to November 10th, 2012 the conference „Religion, Tradition and the Popular“ was held at Freiburg University. The conference was organized by the anthropologist Judith Schlehe and other members of the Freiburg DFG research group 875 „History in Popular Cultures of Knowledge“ dealing with the „popularization of history“, a contemporary development to be observed in different cultures all over the world. In the conference papers the emphasis was placed on Western Europe and Southeast and East Asia. Amongst the conference’s aims was a deconstruction of the old dichotomy of East and West and the application of a transnational, interdisciplinary approach.
Nowadays the dichotomous construct of a „modern, secularized“ West and a „premodern, religious“ South or East cannot be maintained. On a global scale one can observe a return of both the religious, as well as the „popular“ and „paranormal“. This is deeply connected to people’s longing for the vernacular, more personal integration, more concrete experience and participation in response (...)
You may download the full report here.
Further information on the conference program can be accessed here.
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