News for KHKhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/2023-09-14T12:49:06.403279+00:00New CERES publication: Stepping Back and Looking Ahead: Twelve Years of Studying Religious Contact at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg Bochum2023-09-13T10:53:13+00:002023-09-14T12:49:06.403279+00:00Lara Baerhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/new-ceres-publication-stepping-back-and-looking-ahead-twelve-years-of-studying-religious-contact-at-the-kate-hamburger-kolleg-bochum/<p>The anthology Stepping Back and Looking Ahead: Twelve Years of Studying Religious Contact at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg Bochum unites a broad range of contributions that emerged out of the 2021 final conference of the Bochum Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions Between Asia and Europe" (KHK). Edited by CERES scholars Maren Freudenberg, Frederik Elwert, Tim Karis, Martin Radermacher, and Jens Schlamelcher, it casts a look both backwards to the work within the KHK and forward to the future of the field, bringing together contributions by scholars formerly involved in the KHK as well as scholars joining the discussion with “fresh” perspectives.</p>
<p>Over the past 12+ years, the KHK turned Bochum into a significant place to engage in the study of religious contact. The KHK has focused on the formation and expansion of religions, the mutual permeation of religious traditions, and their consolidation into the complex figurations often problematically called “world religions.” This volume gathers contributions from the final conference of the KHK. Instead of simply taking stock of the research done at the KHK, it has a twofold aim. The first is to reflect on the theoretical paradigms and methodological approaches that have informed the research in the framework of the KHK since its beginnings in 2008. In an opening chapter, KHK founding director Volkhard Krech elaborates on the KHK’s academic goal to establish and test a typology of contacts of religions and an overarching theory regarding the transfer of religions between Europe and Asia from Antiquity until the present day, thereby presenting its potential as well as the challenges it brought to the work of the KHK. In the following contribution, Max Deeg, former KHK fellow, applies the approach to his own empirical material.<br />
<br />
The volume’s second aim is to look beyond the specific work of the KHK and consider how its approaches and paradigms resonate with the study of religion and related disciplines more generally. Will they continue to shape the field in the future, and in what ways? What other promising avenues of researching religions are on the horizon in 2022? The contributions are structured in accordance with a fourfold distinction of religious dimensions, which has also informed the work of the KHK: knowledge, experience, action, and materiality. In the knowledge section, contributions focus on scholarly approaches primarily related to issues of religious doctrine and semantics (James L. Cox, Darlene Juschka). In the experience section, Jens Schlieter and Ophira Gamliel focus on the sensory and perceptional dimension of religion.</p>
<p>Heidi Campbell and Tim Weitzel, in the section on the dimension of action, discuss issues related to religious practice, including the growing importance of digital religion. In the materiality section, Birgit Meyer and Ruth Tsuria discuss prospects for research on the role of material objects and the body in religion. The volume closes with three contributions by Katerine Baunvig, Eviatar Shulman, and Luther H. Martin that reflect on computational methods and other methodologies that played a role in the KHK but can be expected to become ever more important moving forward.</p>
<p>To download the publication click <a href="https://brill.com/display/title/62358" target="_blank">https://brill.com/display/title/62358</a>.</p>Rundgang per Computer: Religionskundliche Sammlung ist nun (teilweise) digital zugänglich2022-06-01T13:21:18+00:002022-06-01T16:03:18.830563+00:00Sabrina Finkehttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/religionskundliche-sammlung-ist-nun-teilweise-digital-zugaenglich/<p>In einem Pilotprojekt haben der Kunsthistoriker Dr. Patrick Felix Krüger und der Religionswissenschaftler Dr. Martin Radermacher vom Centrum für Religionswissenschaftliche Studien (CERES) der Ruhr-Uni Bochum eine Sammlung religionskundlicher Objekte teilweise digitalisiert, um sie einer breiteren Öffentlichkeit zugänglich zu machen.</p>
<p>Mithilfe der Maus kann man sich durch die <a href="https://www.sms-dmp.de/Clients/CERES/" target="_blank" title="Link zur virtuellen Ausstellung">virtuelle Ausstellung</a> bewegen und einen 360°-Blick auf die verschiedenen Objekte werfen. Anklickbare Exponate färben sich rot, wenn man mit der Maus darüberfährt, und die Bezeichnung des Objekts wird eingeblendet. Klickt man das Objekt an, erscheinen eine Großaufnahme sowie ein kurzer Text. Ein Exponat ist darüber hinaus mit einer erklärenden Tonspur versehen. Das Pilotprojekt zeigt somit auf, was im Rahmen von virtuellen Ausstellungen möglich ist: Schwer zugängliche Sammlungen können zum einen für Interessierte innerhalb und außerhalb der Universitäten geöffnet und zum anderen durch die Möglichkeiten des barrierefreien Zugangs auch für Menschen mit Behinderungen erfahrbar gemacht werden. Zudem ergibt sich großes Potenzial für Forschung und Lehre.</p>
<p>Die Idee zu dem Projekt entstand im Rahmen der Transferphase des Käte Hamburger Kollegs (KHK) „Dynamiken der Religionsgeschichte zwischen Asien und Europa“ in der das Kolleg seine Arbeit in zahlreichen Projekten einem breiteren Publikum vorstellt – u.a. in Form eines <a href="https://ceres.rub.de/de/aktuelles/kinderbuch-wie-die-sterne-den-himmel-kamen/" target="_blank" title="Kinderbuch "Wie die Sterne an den Himmel kamen"">Kinderbuchs</a> und einer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkopYBaGtu8GEBGUli4Jac5ZmmxOx0io9" target="_blank" title="Kurzfilmreihe "The KHK on Film" bei YouTube">Kurzfilmreihe</a>. Das KHK widmet sich der Dynamik und Verbreitung religiöser Traditionen und somit insbesondere den Kontaktpunkten, an denen die unterschiedlichen Traditionen einander begegnen. Religions- und missionskundliche Sammlungen sind Orte, an denen dieser Kultur- und Religionskontakt nicht nur sichtbar, sondern regelrecht greifbar wird. Gerade kleinere Sammlungen sind jedoch oftmals wenig bekannt und nicht öffentlich zugänglich. Wie das Pilotprojekt zeigt, sind virtuelle Rundgänge eine ideale und attraktive Möglichkeit, mit diesem Problem umzugehen.</p>
<p>Besonderer Dank gilt dem <a href="https://www.uni-muenster.de/FB2/religionswissenschaft/index.shtml" target="_blank" title="Institut für Religionswissenschaftliche Studien der WWU Münster">Institut für Religionswissenschaften</a> an der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität (WWU) Münster für die Kooperation bei diesem Pilotprojekt. Die hier exemplarisch digitalisierte <a href="https://www.uni-muenster.de/FB2/religionswissenschaft/forschen/sammlung.html" target="_blank" title="Religionskundliche Sammlung der WWU">Religionskundliche Sammlung der WWU</a> wurde in den 1950er-Jahren von dem katholischen Theologen, Religionsphilosophen und Religionswissenschaftler Prof. Dr. Anton Antweiler gegründet und umfasst unter anderem Bestände aus der Pallottiner-Mission in Australien sowie aus dem Kunsthandel. Den Grundstein für die Sammlung legte Antweiler mit dem Erwerb einer Buddhafigur aus der Sammlung Exner in Frankenau (Hessen) im Januar 1957. Wenige Jahre später wurde die Sammlung erstmals der Öffentlichkeit präsentiert; sie umfasste zu diesem Zeitpunkt bereits etwa 150 Exponate. Bis heute ist die Sammlung auf beinahe 200 Objekte mit vorwiegend asiatischem Schwerpunkt angewachsen.</p>Football as it's always been: Going to the VfL Stadium with Christian Frevel2022-04-27T14:38:03+00:002022-04-29T09:43:32.868973+00:00Sabrina Finkehttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/khk-on-film-going-vfl-stadium-christian-frevel/<p>In <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh4MnUBW4B0" target="_blank" title="Go to YouTube">the seventh episode</a> of the video series “The KHK on Film,” we accompany the Old Testament scholar Christian Frevel to the home of VfL Bochum, the Vonovia Ruhrstadion.</p>
<p>We talk about theologians in the fan block and religious scholars flying over the stadium in drones, about the origin of the God of the Israelites and the football gods of our day. Above all, we talk about tradition, that dazzling term that football fans and religious representatives alike frequently use, thereby setting themselves apart from others on the one hand and connecting with their peers on the other, while creating their own history in this way.</p>
<p>The video series “The KHK on Film” of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg (KHK) Dynamics in the History of Religion between Asia and Europe accompanies researchers to unusual places. In the German Mining Museum, in the zoo, or in the stadium, scholars present their research topics and results and thus show that questions of religious studies can not only be asked everywhere but also be related directly to the environment and everyday life.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkopYBaGtu8GEBGUli4Jac5ZmmxOx0io9" target="_blank" title="Go to Youtube">All videos of the series</a> “The KHK on film” can be found on YouTube.</p>
<p> </p>The sky above Korea: Going to the Planetarium with Marion Eggert2022-03-22T14:18:48+00:002022-03-22T14:33:36.435545+00:00Sabrina Finkehttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/sky-above-korea-going-planetarium-marion-eggert/<p>In <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuNICI38-58" target="_blank" title="Go to Youtube">the sixth episode</a> of the video series “The KHK on Film,” we follow Koreanist Marion Eggert to the stars at the Bochum Planetarium.<br />
The contact with China and Japan as well as with the West has had a lasting influence on the different religious currents of the Korean peninsula. Confucianism, which is difficult to describe with the Western concept of religion, plays a special role. With a view to the stars, the “immanent transcendence” of Confucianism can be better understood and its religious layer becomes more tangible.</p>
<p>The video series “The KHK on Film” of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg (KHK) <em>Dynamics in the History of Religion between Asia and Europe</em> accompanies researchers to unusual places. In the German Mining Museum, in the zoo, or in the planetarium, scholars present their research topics and results and thus show that questions of religious studies can not only be asked everywhere, but also be related directly to the environment and everyday life.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkopYBaGtu8GEBGUli4Jac5ZmmxOx0io9" target="_blank" title="Go to Youtube">All videos of the series</a> “The KHK on film” can be found on YouTube.</p>
<p> </p>Of animals and hybrid creatures: Going to the zoo with Rosel Pientka-Hinz2022-03-10T10:41:25+00:002022-03-22T14:33:57.550580+00:00Sabrina Finkehttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/khk-on-film-episode5-zoo-with-rosel-pientka-hinz/<p>In the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULeirvDbqfg" target="_blank" title="Go to YouTube">fifth episode</a> of the video series “The KHK on Film” we accompany Assyriologist Rosel Pientka-Hinz to the zoo. Taking bears, snakes, and lions as examples, she explains the role animals played in the religion of the Ancient Near East and the different meanings the individual animals had, e.g., in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Iran. In ritual practice, the people of the Ancient Near East tried to symbolically appropriate the abilities of the respective animals and thus make them fruitful.</p>
<p>The video series “The KHK on Film” of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg (KHK) <em>Dynamics in the History of Religions Between Asia and Europe </em>accompanies researchers to unusual places. In the Deutsches Bergbau-Museum, on a tour through the Ruhr area, or at the zoo, the researchers present their research topics and results and thus show that questions about religion cannot only be asked everywhere but also be related directly to the environment and everyday life.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkopYBaGtu8GEBGUli4Jac5ZmmxOx0io9" target="_blank" title="All videos of the "KHK on film" series">All videos of the series</a> “The KHK on film” can be found on YouTube.</p>
<p> </p>Weit weg von Wellness: Letzter Vortrag am Käte Hamburger Kolleg widmet sich Tantra2022-02-11T18:44:36+00:002022-02-11T19:06:54.793259+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/weit-weg-von-wellness-letzter-vortrag-am-kate-hamburger-kolleg-widmet-sich-tantra/<p>Am Montag, den 14. Februar 2022 ist es soweit: Nach fast 14 Jahren Forschungstätigkeit wird es den letzten Vortrag am Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamiken der Religionsgeschichte zwischen Asien und Europa</em> geben. Der Vortrag schließt damit auch die Online-Ringvorlesung "Eine Religion kommt selten allein: Streifzüge durch die Religionsgeschichte" ab. Grund genug zum Schluss ein pikantes religionaffines Thema zu wählen, das gerne mit vielen Mißverständnissen einhergeht: Tantra.</p>
<p>Carmen Meinert ist Professorin für die Religionen Zentralasiens am CERES und war in der ersten Förderphase auch Visiting Research Fellow am KHK tätig. In ihrem Vortrag "Weit weg von Wellness: Tantrisch-buddhistische Rituale an der Seidenstraße" räumt sie mit langläufigen und zahlreichen Irrtümern auf, die sich hinter all jenen Phänomenen, die in der westlichen Populärkultur mit dem Label Tantra versehen werden, verbergen. Mit Angeboten wie rituellen Massagen und Einführungen in spirituelle sexuelle Praktiken lässt sich sicherlich viel Geld verdienen. Aber Tantra wurde im buddhistischen Kontext entwickelt, um das Heilsziel, die Buddhaschaft, zu erlangen.</p>
<p>Wie sah die tantrisch-buddhistische Ritualpraxis im 12. Jahrhundert aus? Wo wurde sie praktiziert? Und was haben die Höhlen des zentralasiatischen Oasenstädtchens Dunhuang damit zu tun? Carmen Meinert nimmt das Publikum auf eine Zeitreise mit, um einen anschaulichen Eindruck von buddhistischer Lebenswirklichkeit und religiöser Erfahrung zu geben. Um diese Erörterung wissenschaftlich zu rahmen, wird sie dabei auf das im Bochumer Käte Hamburger Kolleg erarbeitete Konzept der Transzendenz-Immanenz-Unterscheidung auf historisches Bild- und Textmaterial aus Zentralasien anwenden.</p>
<p>Der Vortrag von Carmen Meinert ist ganz bequem online über den <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpxNjfeCALDro4v10DrYyUA/live" target="_blank">CERES-YouTube-Kanal</a> zu sehen. Er wird aufgezeichnet und ist auch nach der Live-Übertragung abspielbar.</p>Psssst, streng geheim! Das Geheimnis in der Religionsgeschichte2022-01-29T10:53:55+00:002022-01-29T12:39:18.417423+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/psssst-streng-geheim-das-geheimnis-der-religionsgeschichte/<p>Am Montag, den 31.01.2022 gibt es einen entlarvenden Vortrag: In der Reihe "Eine Religion kommt selten allein: Streifzüge durch die Religionsgeschichte" führt der Philosoph PD Dr. Knut Martin Stünkel im Rahmen seines Online-Vortrages in die Funktion des Geheimnises in der Religionsgeschichte ein.</p>
<p>Sicher ist: Geheimnisse sind spannend und recht attraktiv. Sie bewirken Neugier und motivieren so, sich mit ihnen näher zu beschäftigen. Zwar sind sie soziale Errungenschaften, doch schotten sie Individuen von einander ab. Ein Geheimnis zu teilen ist ein großer Vertrauensbeweis. In religiösen Traditionen sind die eigenen Geheimnisse Gegenstand besonderer Sorgfalt. Geheimnisse werden besonders behütet. Warum brauchen religiöse Traditionen Geheimnisse? Wie lassen sich aus dem Umgang mit Geheimnissen Religionen vergleichen? Wie können Geheimnisse dann aber eine besondere Rolle im Religionskontakt spielen? Im Vortrag soll diesenr Fragen nachgegangen und dabei so manch Geheimnis gelüftet werden.</p>
<p>Der Vortrag von Knut Martin Stünkel ist ganz bequem online über den <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpxNjfeCALDro4v10DrYyUA/live" target="_blank">CERES-YouTube-Kanal</a> zu sehen. Er wird aufgezeichnet und ist auch nach der Live-Übertragung abspielbar.</p>Äthiopien, Kaukasus, Südindien: Dokumentation zu mittelalterlichen Religionskontakten zwischen Juden und Christen erschienen2022-01-26T10:21:09+00:002022-01-26T11:07:15.799751+00:00Stefanie Kramerhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/athiopien-kaukasus-sudindien-dokumentation-zu-mittelalterlichen-religionskontakten-zwischen-juden-und-christen-erschienen/<p>Die Kontakte zwischen christlicher Mehrheitsgesellschaft und jüdischer Minderheit gilt für das europäische Mittelalter als gut erforscht. Sie pendelten zwischen friedlichem Zusammenleben bis hin zu den blutigen Pestpogromen bei denen das jüdische Leben und die Kultur von Christen zerstört wurden. Aber wie sahen die Kontakte zwischen Juden und Christen außerhalb Europas aus? Welche Geheimnisse jüdischer Gemeinden gibt es in Asien und Nordafrika zu lüften? Das CERES-Forschungsprojekt JewsEast erforschte diese und weitere Fragen in den letzten sechs Jahren. Nun ist eine kurzweilige Dokumentation zum Forschungsprojekt auf YouTube erschienen.</p>
<p>Das <a href="https://www.jewseast.org/" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">ERC geförderte Forschungsprojekt JewsEast</a> ist am Centrum für Religionswissenschaftliche Studien (CERES) angesiedelt. Es zeigt, dass es neben dem westlich geprägten mittelalterlichen Judentum in Mitteleuropa noch ein ganz anderes Judentum östlich von Europa gab, das seine eigenen Traditionen pflegte und anderen religiösen Traditionen, wie etwa das Christentum und der Islam, anders als in Europa begegnete. Die Idee für dieses Forschungsprojekt, das von der Judaistin Alexandra Cuffel geleitetet wird, ist am Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamiken der Religionsgeschichte zwischen Asien und Europa" entstanden.</p>
<p>Der Dokumentarfilm "JewsEast: The Documentary" zeigt eindrücklich, wie das internationale Forschungsteam des Projektes Äthiopien, den Kaukasus und Südindien bereiste und verschiedene Quellen wie etwa archäologische Überreste vor Ort erforschte. So fanden sie beispielsweise in Äthiopien Ruinen von Klöstern und weitere Zeugnisse von historischen Mönchen, die als religiöse Führer der äthiopischen Juden handelten. In Armenien wurden einzigartige jüdische Gräber untersucht, auch wenn es kaum schriftliche Zeugnisse in armenischer Sprache gibt, in denen eine jüdische Gemeinde bezeugt ist. Und in Südwestindien stoß das Team auf mittelalterliche Texte, die von Juden, Christen, Muslimen und Hindus verfasst wurden. Das dabei entstandene Filmmaterial floss in die Dokumentation ein und zeigt nicht nur den faszinierenden Forschungsalltag, sondern überrascht auch mit zahlreichen neuen Funden und interessanten persönlichen Geschichten.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcTp3u7pWb0" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">Den ganzen Film zum Nachsehen gibt es hier im CERES-YouTube-Kanal.</a></p>Philosophie oder Religion? Das ist hier die Frage2022-01-21T12:36:19+00:002022-01-21T13:25:51.824329+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/philosophie-oder-religion-das-ist-hier-die-frage/<p>Gerade im 19. Jahrhundert waren sich europäische Forscher nicht einig, ob sie chinesische Vorstellungswelten wie etwa den Konfuzianismus oder den Daoismus als Religion einordnen sollen oder als eine eigenständige Philosophie. Die KHK-Ringvorlesung "Eine Religion kommt selten allein: Streifzüge durch die Religionsgeschichte" knüpft in einem neuen Vortrag an diese Frage an.</p>
<p>Am Montag, den 24. Januar 2022 widmet sich die Sinolgin Licia Di Giacinto in ihrem Vortrag V<em>on der Kommunikation zur Religion: Die Entstehung des Daoismus im frühen China </em>den Anfängen des Daoismus.</p>
<p>Daoismus — die Lehre des Weges oder daojiao 道教 — ist heute eine der fünf offiziell anerkannten Religionen der Volksrepublik Chinas und bildet eine starke religiöse Gemeinde in Taiwan. Auch im Westen (vor allem in den USA) findet man Zentren und Hallen, die dieser Religion gewidmet sind. Der Daoismus blickt auf eine lange Geschichte zurück, eine Geschichte die, die chinesische Kultur massiv geprägt hat und die Imagination des Westens fasziniert hat.</p>
<p>Die Rekonstruktion dieser Geschichte stellt auf mehreren Ebenen eine Herausforderung dar: Bereits im 19. Jahrhundert, als Friederich Max Müller (1823-1900) sein Projekt Sacred Books of the East startete begann und James Legge (1815-1897) die Übersetzungen von den Grundtexten des Daoismus — vor allem das Laozi — anfertigte, wurde die frühe Geschichte des Daoismus als eine Umwandlung von Philosophie zu Religion gelesen. Dieser Ansatz ist allerdings in der letzten Zeit immer wieder problematisiert worden. In der Auseinandersetzung mit Themen wie Mystik oder frühe religiöse Praktiken des Daoismus wird deutlich, dass es mehr Kontinuitäten zwischen der postulierten Zeit der "Philosophie" (die letzten Jahrhunderte v. u. Z.) und der Epoche der Religion (ab dem 2. Jh.) gab.</p>
<p>Die zentrale Frage, wie der Daoismus enstanden ist, kann mit Hilfe der Religionssoziologie und einem Blick auf Kommunikation als Leitkategorie neu beantwortet werden. Wenn Religion religionssoziologisch gedacht als Sphäre der Gesellschaft, die durch Kommunikation entsteht und operiert, zu verstehen ist, dann ist die Entstehung des Daoismus auch als Bildung und Entwicklung von religiösen Inhalten (als Kommunikationsbausteine) nachvollziehbar. Und wenn die religiösen Inhalte als grundlegend gelten, dann ist die Geschichte des Daoismus eine äußerst verflochtene Geschichte, eine Geschichte die nicht ohne den Blick auf interreligiöse Kontakte zwischen Daoismus, Konfuzianismus und Buddhismus rekonstruierbar ist.</p>
<p>Der Vortrag versucht anhand dieses religionssoziologischen Ansatzes die Entstehung des Daoismus neu zu bewerten und zwischen jenen, die eine Zäsur zwischen der philosophischen Frühphase und der Religion sehen, und jenen, die allein die Kontinuitätslinie unterstreichen, zu vermitteln. <>Der Vortrag von Kianoosh Rezania ist ganz bequem online über den <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpxNjfeCALDro4v10DrYyUA/live" target="_blank">CERES-YouTube-Kanal</a> zu sehen. Er wird aufgezeichnet und ist auch nach der Live-Übertragung abspielbar.</p>Colourful is the new Black: Discovering the Religious Diversity of the Ruhr Area with Volkhard Krech2022-01-18T16:41:03+00:002022-01-21T11:22:33.088763+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/colourful-new-black-discovering-religious-diversity-ruhr-area-volkhard-krech/<p><span class="mx_EventTile_body" dir="auto">In the video clips of the web series THE KHK ON FILM, Bochum's Käte Hamburger Kolleg (KHK) <em>Dynamics in the History of Religions Between Asia and Europe</em> presents its researchers, topics, and findings. All episodes are filmed in a rather unusual </span>setting. Whether in a cellar, in front of a deer fence or in a reconstructed mining facility: The results and key questions of religious research can be addressed anywhere and often even have a direct connection to the environment shown.</p>
<p><span class="mx_EventTile_body" dir="auto">In the fourth episode, the KHK's founding director and scholar of religion, Volkhard Krech, talks about religious contact as the guiding concept of the KHK’s work. </span>He provides insights into where and why the idea of placing religious contact in particular at the center of research came into being. His safari to various temples, a mosque, a synagogue and church buildings around Bochum is also an ode to the impressive religious diversity of our home region, the Ruhr area. And this is served even with the local dish, Curry wurst...</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jskq-R-qXA">The clip (with English subtitles) can be watched on the CERES YouTube channel here</a>.</p>Eine untote Idee vom Tod: Vortrag widmet sich der 3000jährigen Geschichte einer Seelenvorstellung2022-01-14T11:34:07+00:002022-01-14T11:44:36.999077+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/eine-untote-idee-vom-tod-ringvorlesung-widmet-sich-der-3000jahrigen-geschichte-einer-seelenvorstellung/<p>Nach dem Blick auf die Tiersymbolik der altorientalischen Welt und der religiös superbunten Landschaft des Ruhrgebiets wird der nächste Vortrag in der KHK-Ringvorlesung "Eine Religion kommt selten allein: Streifzüge durch die Religionsgeschichte" ziemlich morbide.</p>
<p>Kianoosh Rezania ist Professor für Westasiatische Religionsgeschichte und widmet sich einer postmortalen Vorstellung, die einfach unsterblich zu sein scheint. Am Montag, den 17. Januar 2022 ab 18 Uhr zeigt er die unglaubliche Geschichte einer religiösen Idee, die vor ca. 3000 Jahren im Zoroastrismus ihren Ausgangspunkt nahm - und bis heute in Spuren z. B. im schiitischen Volksislam exisitiert. In dieser religiösen Vorstellung vom Tode, begegnet die Seele der Verstorbenen ihren tugendhaften Taten in Gestalt einer wunderbaren Jungfrau, der sogenannten Schauseele Daēnā.</p>
<p>Diese Vorstellung überlebte - freilich mit Veränderungen - mehrere tausend Jahre und hielt Einzug in andere religiöse Traditionen wie der spätantiken Weltreligion des Manichäismus, aber auch den frühen Islam, der nach Persien kam.</p>
<p>Der Vortrag von Kianoosh Rezania ist ganz bequem online über den <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpxNjfeCALDro4v10DrYyUA/live" target="_blank">CERES-YouTube-Kanal</a> zu sehen. Er wird aufgezeichnet und ist auch nach der Live-Übertragung abspielbar.</p>
<p> </p>Vom Ruhrpott zur Seidenstraße: Neue Online Ringvorlesung zu Religionskontakten2021-12-13T10:42:33+00:002021-12-13T10:55:39.813107+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/vom-ruhrpott-zur-seidenstrasse-neue-online-ringvorlesung-zu-religionskontakten/<p>Am Montag, den 20. Dezember 2021, geht es los mit der neuen Ringvorlesung des Käte Hamburger Kollegs <em>Dynamiken der Religionsgeschichte zwischen Asien und Europa</em> – und das ganz bequem online über Youtube-Livestream. </p>
<p>Unter dem Titel "Eine Religion kommt selten allein: Streifzüge durch die Religionsgeschichte" werden an sechs verschiedenen Montagsterminen zwischen Dezember 2021 und Februar 2021 ungewöhnliche Einblicke in die facettenreiche Religionsgeschichte unternommen. Dabei steht der Religionskontakt zwischen verschiedenen religiösen Traditionen im Mittelpunkt. Religionen existieren nicht im luftleeren Raum, sondern stehen im ständigen Kontakt miteinander: Sie tauschen sich aus, übernehmen Glaubensvorstellungen, Riten und Symbole voneinander – oder sie grenzen sich ab, streiten sich rhetorisch und bekämpfen sich zuweilen auch tätlich. Aber was bedeuten Religionskontakte konkret? Forscher:innen des Käte Hamburger Kollegs richten ihre Blicke auf Kontaktsituationen von ganz verschiedenen Religionen. Ob postmortale Seelenvorstellungen oder mythische Wesen, ob Rituale für Eingeweihte oder das Leben von Religionsgemeinschaften Tür an Tür – Religionskontakte lassen sich in Geschichte und Gegenwart überall aufspüren und zeichnen ein lebendiges Bild des gesellschaftlichen Zusammenlebens.</p>
<p>Den Auftakt macht die Altorientalistin Rosel Pientka-Hinz am Montag, den 20. Dezember 2021 um 18 Uhr, mit einem Vortrag zur Bedeutung von Schlange in den Religionen Mesopotamiens und wie durch Religionskontakte ein Bedeutungswechsel ausgelöst wurde.</p>
<p>Die Vortragsreihe wird <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpxNjfeCALDro4v10DrYyUA/live" target="_blank">live auf YouTube auf dem CERES-Kanal (CERES_RUB) </a>gestreamt unter dem Link . <a href="http://www.ceres.rub.de/de/live" target="_self">Weitere Informationen zur Live-Übertragung sind auf der CERES Website aufgeführt</a>.</p>New Collaborative Research Center sees the Light of the Day2021-11-25T10:12:29+00:002021-11-25T10:44:57.281587+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/new-collaborative-research-center-sees-light-day/<p>Yesterday evening the time had come: The new Collaborative Research Center "Metaphors of Religion: Religious Meaning-Making in Language Use" saw - to put it quite metaphorically - the light of day. The DFG General Assembly approved the SFB 1475, so that after the turn of the year the research work at the Center for Studies in Religious Studies (CERES) and the cooperation partners at the RUB and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, respectively, can start.</p>
<p>Religious meaning-making takes place in and through metaphors. Religion, which can never literally articulate its ultimate object - the transcendent - depends on it. The SFB wants to understand this process theoretically more precisely and to grasp it methodically in order to be able to investigate the semantic formations of religion empirically and comparatively alike. In this way, the researchers want to better understand the formation of religion as a socio-cultural phenomenon and to more precisely grasp central developments within specific religious traditions.</p>
<p>While there is already extensive research on individual metaphors in religious texts, the innovative aspect of this Collaborative Research Center lies in its focus on metaphoricity as a central principle of religious meaning formation. Moreover, the multidisciplinary composition of the Center enables comparative studies on a unique scale. The subprojects deal with Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Jainism, Buddhism and Daoism with sources from Europe, the Near and Middle East as well as South, Central and East Asia. The time span ranges from 3000 B.C. to the present day. "In the first funding phase, the SFB will focus on texts," clarifies Prof. Dr. Volkhard Krech, spokesperson of the newly created research institution. "However, a working group will explore the relationship between metaphors and material objects and develop methodological approaches."</p>
<p>Together with another approved Collaborative Research Center on cosmic matter, the number of such institution coordinated at RUB thus rises to ten. "I heartily congratulate our successful colleagues on this achievement," said RUB Rector Prof. Dr. Martin Paul. "The Collaborative Research Centers highlight the wide range of research being carried out here at a top international level and underpin the strengths of a comprehensive university. They are also evidence of the importance of networking between researchers, both on campus and with partners beyond."</p>
<pre>
[part of the text in German by Meike Drießen, RUB; translation by Ulf Plessentin]</pre>Former KHK Fellow visits BuddhistRoad Project2021-11-15T09:32:17+00:002021-11-15T09:52:56.170678+00:00Ben Müllerhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/former-khk-fellow-visits-buddhistroad-project/<p>Johan Elverskog is a professor of Religious Studies at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and an internationally renowned expert for Buddhist history in Central Asia. He was a visiting research fellow at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg Dynamics of the History of Religions in 2013 where he conducted his research on the history of religions of the Mongol Empire.</p>
<p>Since he is currently Nina Maria Gorrissen Fellow in History of the American Academy in Berlin he came back to Bochum for strengthening ties and present his current research. His lecture on how the Uyghurs became Buddhists was the first on-site event of the BuddhistRoad team since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Usually, BuddhistRoad lectures are held online due to the regulations to combat the pandemic.</p>
<p>In his presentation, he started with a focus on Bügü Khan (b. 759, d. 779), the ruler of the East Uyghur Khanate (ca. 744–840, also known as Uyghur Steppe Empire), who converted to Manichaeism. The Uyghur after him continued to embrace this tradition even when their empire on the Mongolian Plateau collapsed and they fled to present-day northwest China. But around the year 1000, the Uyghurs converted to Buddhism, the dominant religion among their subject peoples—the Chinese, Sogdians, and Tocharians—and would remain Buddhist until their conversion to Islam centuries later.</p>
<p>During his talk, Johan Elverskog assessed the conversion of the Uyghurs in the wider context of Eurasian geopolitics at its time, bringing together both social and economic motivations.</p>Academic Unboxings: A Missionary Collection unwrapped2021-11-10T08:10:10+00:002021-11-10T15:09:33.087649+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/academic-unboxings-missionary-collection-unwrapped/<p>Wide eyes, amazed faces, quick comments: For years, the genre of unboxing video clips has enjoyed great popularity on various social media channels. In front of a running camera, boxes are opened and the items packed in them are removed and commented on. These can be the latest smartphone, the latest sneakers or the latest cosmetic product.</p>
<p>The Center for Religious Studies (CERES) now adds a new facet to this genre: academic unboxing. For this, however, not just any boxes and packages are opened, but the packed collection of the Africa missionaries of the "White Fathers".</p>
<p>The Roman Catholic missionary order of the White Fathers handed over large parts of its Cologne collection as well as archival holdings to CERES this summer for research purposes. The objects, documents and media show the diverse missionary activities of the order in different regions of the African continent. But what do the objects still tell us today about the religious contacts between indigenous religious traditions and Roman Catholic Christianity? What picture did members of the missionary order get of various African religions? Which media played a role in this?</p>
<p>These are just some of the questions to be explored. Curiosity, however, is reason enough to take the objects out of their packaging and have scholars and scientists comment on them. Whether anthropologists, art historians, scholars of religious studies, sociologists or cultural scientists - each discipline has its own perspective on the collected objects.</p>
<p>The first unboxing video starts with the religious studies scholar Martin Radermacher and the art historian Patrick F. Krüger. Both have been conducting research at CERES for several years on collections assembled by missionaries, among others. They are opening the first boxes.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmPlFba8TSs" target="_blank">What objects they discover is shown in the Academic Unboxing Video # 1 here</a>.</p>
<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="372" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/vmPlFba8TSs" title="YouTube video player" width="660"></iframe></p>In Colour and on Screen: KHK started Series of Video Clips2021-08-02T14:01:44+00:002023-02-07T10:12:03.760717+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/colour-and-screen-khk-started-series-video-clips/<p>Admittedly, it started pouring down while shooting the first video clip for the new series "The KHK on Film". Not exactly an ideal situation for any outdoor filming with Knut Martin Stünkel, but the weather was spontaneously adapted to the topic, and an umbrella became the hidden starlet. Since the clip dealt with "Secrecy," a central research topic of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions" for years, the central part of the clip was shot in what is probably the most mysterious location the CERES building has to offer: the basements.</p>
<p>Thus, Knut Martin Stünkel sheds not only light on his work as a philosopher of religions but also on the hidden architectonic rooms underneath the ground. Rarely has the gap between image and text been smaller. However, the quality of the sound with all its limits and instability remains a technical secret.</p>
<p>This video clip inaugurates the own YouTube channel of CERES. On this channel, more clips will be following. They will take a closer look at the research conducted at the Käre Hamburger Kolleg and bring an audiovisual appearance of the CERES study programs on-screen - hopefully, all with improved acoustics and beyond the cellars.</p>Children's Book: How the Stars got into the Sky2021-06-25T09:27:45+00:002021-06-28T11:17:09.228230+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/childrens-book-how-stars-got-sky/<p>How was world created? Many religious traditions have their own answers to this question, and they are told in this book for children. </p>
<p>Even in kindergarten little children already ask themselves the bigger questions: How did this world emerge? And why is it, as it is? Children’s books in the German hemisphere mainly answer these questions with retelling the Biblical creation myth or introducting the history of evolution. To improve the awareness of religious and cultural diversity, scholars of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg at the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum have retold eleven different myths of how the world was createdy accoring to various religions for children from six years of age. The book "Wie die Sterne an den Himmel kamen: Elf Geschichten aus der Zeit unserer Vorfahren" has now been published by Leipzig publisher Edition Hamouda in German.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="https://static.ceres.rub.de/media/uploads/2021/06/25/20210625_n_kinderbuch_2.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; margin: 10px; float: left; width: 200px; height: 133px;" /></p>
<p><strong>Preventing prejudices by showing diversity </strong></p>
<p>“The transfer of knowledge about religious and cultural diversity is important in a religiously plural society to improve sensibility and understanding for different cultures and religions and to prevent prejudices”, argue the editors of this children’s book. It is beautifully illustrated with splendid watercolour drawings by the Italian illustrator Claudia Piras. Until today, no such book in has been available for children at primary school age/young age on such topic and with that multifold focus. Eleven scholars from different disciplines wrote stories for this project that aims to convey various creation myths of different religions from different times and civilisation in a child friendly way and with a perspective free of religious claims.</p>
<p>The reader follows the two siblings Dina and Mika, who one evening ask themselves the big questions: How did the stars got into the sky? Why exist day and night? How did humans and animals came into being? To find answers to these questions, the two siblings and their father go on a magical journey to various civilisations and religions. Eleven stories of creation tell their own perspective about the origins of the world. They origin in Japan, China, India, Iran, Ancient Mesopotamia, and Ancient Egypt, as well as in Greek and German Mythology, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. A book with fascinating myths for young children, that invites to explore and wonder, and that opens a broader perspective.</p>
<div class="special_container"><strong>Publication: </strong>Kianoosh Rezania, Judith Stander-Dulisch und Franziska Burstyn (ed.): <em>Wie die Sterne an den Himmel kamen. Elf Geschichten aus der Zeit unserer Vorfahren</em>, <a href="https://edition.hamouda.de" target="_blank">Edition Hamouda</a>, Leipzig 2021, 102 pages, ISBN 9783958170568</div>
<p>Follow the book at Instagram here: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ceres_kinderbuch/" target="_blank">@ceres_kinderbuch</a></p>
<p>All pictures: © RUB, K. Marquard</p>Ruhr-Universität Bochum interviews Volkhard Krech2021-06-22T09:12:55+00:002021-06-28T10:45:22.354972+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/ruhr-universitat-bochum-interview-volkhard-krech/<p><em>Anything but out of date: Under the title “Mehr als dicke Bücher” (More than voluminous books) the Ruhr-Universität Bochum portrays scholars of humanities in brief interviews. How do RUB-researchers in the humanities are currently working? How do they envision the future of their own discipline? Today, the interview is with Volkhard Krech, professor for Religious Studies and director of CERES. </em></p>
<p><strong>My everyday research is shaped by: </strong></p>
<p>Just as usual for the humanities, my day-to-day work in Religious Studies is dominated by reading, thinking, and writing. Additionally, methods of digital humanities are increasing in terms of importance. Even in the humanities the opportunities computers provide are not limited to writing anymore but can be expanded to methods for analysing empirical material. For a few years now, I am promoting the introduction of techniques of Digital Humanities into Religious Studies. The latest example is an initiative application for a Collaborative Research Centre addressing the subject of “Metaphors of Religion”.</p>
<p><strong>What it is good for: </strong></p>
<p>The value of the humanities as a whole and of Religious Studies in particular arises primarily from their existence. They reflect on and preserve the cultural heritage of humanity while at the same time, make it available for renewing present day’s self-conceptions and for future social trends. Consequently, the social transfer of knowledge constitutes an important task, besides the basic research. At CERES we have a particular branch for this — the knowledge transfer — and we intend to generate similar initiatives for the planned research centre.</p>
<p><strong>The most annoying prejudice about scholars in the humanities… </strong></p>
<p>…is, that they simply babble. I have to admit, often they talk and write in an overblown way. But that is mainly an expression for their searching for new insights, similar to trials and errors in the sciences.</p>
<p><strong>Fifteen years from now, the humanities … </strong></p>
<p>… will be integrated more strongly than today, due to collaborative research and thematic focus. In addition, the combination of hermeneutical approaches and standardized techniques of Digital Humanities will become normal. With our application for the Collaborative Research Centre “Metaphors of Religion” we want to contribute to this very development.</p>
<p><em>(The interview was led by Meike Drießen, RUB. <a href="https://news.rub.de/leute/2021-06-22-interview-das-kulturelle-erbe-der-menschheit-bewahren" target="_blank">The interview was first published in German here</a>. Translation by Alina Krentz & Ulf Plessentin)</em></p>KHK in the Final: Last Conference of the Research Project held online2021-06-16T12:27:59+00:002021-06-21T12:55:34.924168+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/khk-final-last-conference-research-project-held-online/<p>After over twelve years of research, more than 150 invited international research fellows and over 200 events that were organised, the work at Bochum’s Käte Hamburger Kolleg Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe is finally coming to an end. An important keystone is the final international conference “Twelve Years of Studying Religious Contacts at the KHK: Stepping Back and Looking Ahead” that is held online from July 16th to July 18th, 2021.</p>
<p>The conference had originally been planned to take place in Bochum at the beginning of March 2020. However, due to the rising pandemic at this time the event was postponed in order to ensure the safety of all participants. There was hope that it might be possible to held the conference together with our international fellows in person in Bochum at later point in time. But given the ongoing pandemic situation, the directorate decided to design the final conference purely as a virtual event.</p>
<p>The online event is joined by attendees from the USA, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Israel, Canada, and Germany. For three days they discuss the research work of the Kolleg and its importance for the global research of religious contacts and the transformation of religious traditions. Furthermore, some central questions are subject of discussion, e. g. the directions religious research may take in the years to come. Within the conference participants are encouraged to step back and reflect on a more distant perspective on the major lines in the current research of religions to be found worldwide. What theories and methods will be relevant in the future? What promising approaches in research can already be spotted? How are they consistent with the objects of research?</p>
<p>During the next months, the Käte Hamburger Kolleg will mainly focus on transfer projects for different target groups, to make its research work public beyond the academic boarders. “Everything in this world ends, even the Käte Hamburger Kolleg ‘Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe’ — but something new is emerging, too”, says the founding director of the research institution, Professor Volkhard Krech.</p>Religion and Pandemic: Entangled Religions publishes Open Peer Reviewed Special Issue2021-06-11T07:32:59+00:002021-06-11T08:20:09.545173+00:00Thomas Jurczykhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/religion-and-pandemic-entangled-religions-publishes-open-peer-reviewed-special-issue/<p>Religions worldwide have been strongly affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The very fact of the pandemic, its emotional perception, as well as its medical, social, and political implications, required instant reactions from religious institutions and individual believers. These reactions related to changes in rituals, daily practices, and forms of communication; they caused the emergence of new myths, phobias, and protective strategies, and generated theological interpretations as well as new ethical choices.</p>
<p><strong>International Perspectives on Religion(s) and Pandemic</strong></p>
<p>In this special issue, the authors, using methods of various disciplines, address both intra-confessional and inter-religious dynamics in different regions (from South-America to Russia) with a special focus on interconnected, “entangled” responses to the crisis, in line with the focus of Entangled Religions.</p>
<div class="special_container"><a href="https://er.ceres.rub.de/index.php/ER/issue/archive" target="_blank">For <em>Entangled Religions </em>special issue "Religion and Pandemic: Shifts in Interpretation, Popular Lore, and Practices" click here</a></div>
<p>Alexander Agadjanian (Center of Religious Studies, Russian State University of the Humanities) und Konrad Siekierski (Department of Theology and Religious Studies, King’s College London) are the guest editors of this special issue.</p>
<p><strong>Open Review Articles</strong></p>
<p>In contrast to our usual procedure that includes a double-blind peer review as well as copyediting before publication, this volume will undergo an open peer review process, meaning that each contribution is first published as a preprint alongside its two peer reviews. Both the preprint article and the reviews will later be replaced with the final, revised version of the article. During the open peer review process, readers are also encouraged to send their comments to the managing editor at <a href="mailto: er-contact@rub.de">er-contact@rub.de</a>. The comments will then be forwarded to the author and considered in his or her revision. We are also still accepting reviews for individual articles published in this special issue.</p>
<p><strong>Your Review</strong></p>
<p>In case you are interested in writing a longer review that will be published alongside the article, please send an e-mail to <a href="mailto: er-contact@rub.de">er-contact@rub.de</a>. Please note that the special issue is not yet complete. The missing articles will be added soon, which is why it is worth taking a look at the website from time to time to be aware of any new releases. You are also welcome to follow us on Twitter under <a href="https://twitter.com/ER_journal" target="_blank">@ER_journal</a> to stay informed about the latest developments and publications.</p>Stellenausschreibung: Wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft Registererstellung Buchprojekte2021-03-18T14:12:11+00:002021-03-18T14:18:37.774148+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/stellenausschreibung-wissenschaftliche-hilfskraft-registererstellung-buchprojekte/<p>Das Bochumer Käte Hamburger Kolleg erforscht die Dynamiken der Entstehung und Verbreitung von Religionen, die wechselseitigen Durchdringungen religiöser Traditionen und deren Verdichtungen in den komplexen Gebilden der sogenannten „Weltreligionen“ im euro-asiatischen Raum.</p>
<p>Zu diesem Themenkomplex ist die Veröffentlichung von mehreren Büchern geplant. Das Käte Hamburger Kolleg sucht zum frühestmöglichen Einstellungstermin eine wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft mit Bachelor (WHB) für die Registererstellung zu den im Rahmen des KHK entstehenden Büchern. Die Stelle ist befristet bis zum 31. März 2022. Der Stellenumfang beträgt 8 Stunden pro Woche, die Zeiteinteilung erfolgt nach Absprache.</p>
<p><strong>Aufgaben: </strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Mithilfe bei der Erstellung des Registers / der Registereinträge</li>
<li>Indexierung von Buchinhalten</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Anforderungen: </strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Erfahrung in Lektoratstätigkeiten</li>
<li>Bereitschaft, sich in die Registererstellung einzuarbeiten</li>
<li>sehr gute Englischkenntnisse</li>
<li>sicherer Umgang mit der gängigen MS-Office Software</li>
<li>Flexibilität, Zuverlässigkeit, Teamfähigkeit und gute Kommunikationsfähigkeit</li>
</ul>
<p>Arbeitsort: CERES, Universitätsstraße 90a, 44789 Bochum</p>
<p>Bei Interesse an der Tätigkeit senden bitte aussagekräftige Bewerbungsunterlagen zusammengefasst in einer einzigen PDF-Datei unter dem Stichwort „WHB-KHK-Register“ bis zum 29. März 2021 an <a href="mailto:susanne.goehre@rub.de?subject=WHB-KHK-Register">Susanne Göhre </a>schicken. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.stellenwerk-bochum.de/jobboerse/wiss-hilfskraft-mit-bachelor-whb-registererstellung-buchprojekte-khk-210312-460011" target="_blank">Die offizielle Stellenausschreibung im Stellenwerk der RUB.</a></p>Die Evolution der Religion zwischen Ideenhimmel und Bewusstsein2021-03-16T17:22:27+00:002021-03-18T11:11:25.010765+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/die-evolution-der-religion-zwischen-ideenhimmel-und-bewusstsein/<p>CERES-Direktor Volkhard Krech wagt einen ganz neuen Blick auf die Entstehung von Religion als einem gesellschaftlichen Teilsystem.</p>
<p>Wie lässt sich Religion erklären? Und vor allem: Wie lässt sich die Entstehung von Religion erklären? Unbestritten lassen sich in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart weltweit Phänomene finden, die als Religion verstanden werden. Der Religionswissenschaftler Prof. Dr. Volkhard Krech von der Ruhr-Universität Bochum hat sich in seinem jüngst erschienenen Werk „Die Evolution der Religion. Ein soziologischer Grundriss“ diesem Thema detailliert gewidmet. Darin bündelt er seine Forschung aus dem Reinhart Koselleck-Projekt „THERE – Theorie und Empirie religiöser Evolution“.</p>
<p><strong>Ein neuer Blick </strong></p>
<p>Die Freiräume, die von der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft finanzierte Reinhart Koselleck-Projekte bieten, hat Volkhard Krech bewusst genutzt: Er folgt nicht den üblichen Pfaden, die Entstehung von Religion zu beschreiben. Während derzeit die meisten Ansätze zu einer Theorie religiöser Evolution psychologisch-kognitionswissenschaftlich gehalten sind, versteht er Religion konsequent als sozio-kulturellen Sachverhalt. In dieser innovativen Perspektive entsteht Religion aus gesellschaftlichen Prozessen heraus, wird zu einem gesellschaftlichen Teilsystem und grenzt sich darin von der gesellschaftlichen Umwelt, von psychischen Systemen sowie von organischen und physischen Gegebenheiten ab.</p>
<p>Um die Ausdifferenzierung des Religiösen darzustellen, nimmt er Bezug auf die allgemeine Evolutionstheorie, die Systemtheorie sowie eine semiotisch informierte Kommunikationstheorie und schwenkt seinen Fokus zirkulär von der Gegenwart auf Geschichte und zurück.</p>
<p><strong>Eine Alternative zu gegensätzlichen Ansätzen </strong></p>
<p>Mit seinem Buch präsentiert Krech eine Alternative gegenüber zwei gegensätzlichen Ansätzen, die Evolution von Religion zu verstehen: Während ältere, phänomenologische Entwürfe mehr oder weniger der religiösen Selbstbeschreibung folgen, tendieren viele sozialwissenschaftliche Arbeiten dazu, Religion wegzuerklären und sie vollständig in außerreligiöse Faktoren aufzulösen, etwa in politische und wirtschaftliche Faktoren. Krech arbeitet dagegen Religion als ein gesellschaftliches Subsystem heraus, das ganz eigene Strukturen und Semantiken besitzt und zugleich als eine gesellschaftliche Funktion verstanden werden kann, ohne dass beides in eins fällt.</p>
<p><strong>Kontakt mit Vorfahren aus der Steinzeit </strong></p>
<p>„Am liebsten möchte ich den im Buch verfolgten Ansatz mit Evolutionsbiologinnen und -biologen diskutieren, weil sie die allgemeinen Prinzipien der Evolution bislang am besten erforscht haben“, so Volkhard Krech. „Auch wenn es unmöglich ist, wäre der Kontakt mit unseren Vorfahren aus der Steinzeit hilfreich, weil wir so wenig darüber wissen, wie sie sich gesellschaftlich organisieren und die sie umgebende Welt deuten – und das in einer Zeit, in der die Grundlagen für heutige Prozesse religiöser Kommunikation zwischen den Menschen gesetzt wurden.“</p>
<p>Krech macht in seinem Buch deutlich, dass, auch wenn anhand des Frühstadiums von Religion nachvollzogen werden kann, wie sie sich aus gesellschaftlichen Zuständen heraus entwickelt, die Anfänge von Religion nicht nur in der Vergangenheit liegen, sondern immer auch in der Gegenwart. Anhand der religiösen Evolution lassen sich so neben historischen Verläufen auch systematische Aspekte von Religion ergründen. Dabei wird Religion als Sinnform zur Bearbeitung unbestimmbarer Kontingenz begreifbar. „Religion ist in wissenschaftlicher Hinsicht ein sozialer Tatbestand, der sich aus gesellschaftlichen Strukturen heraus entfaltet. Sie ist weder Menschenwerk, noch fällt sie vom Himmel.“</p>
<p> </p>
<div class="special_container"><strong>Originalveröffentlichung </strong><br />
Volkhard Krech: <em><strong>Die Evolution der Religion. Ein soziologischer Grundriss</strong></em>, Transcript Verlag, Bielefeld, 2021, 472 Seiten, ISBN 9783839457856 - <a href="https://www.transcript-verlag.de/978-3-8376-5785-2/die-evolution-der-religion/?c=313000000" target="_blank">Zur kostenlosen Open-Access-Version des Buches hier</a>.</div>Stellenausschreibung: Wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft für Online-Publishing und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit2021-02-19T08:51:40+00:002021-02-19T09:00:46.042794+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/stellenausschreibung-wissenschaftliche-hilfskraft-fur-online-publishing-und-offentlichkeitsarbeit/<p>Das vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung geförderte Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamiken der Religionsgeschichte zwischen Asien und Europa</em> (KHK) ist eingebettet in die Strukturen der übergeordneten Zentralen Wissenschaftlichen Einrichtung CERES und bildet dessen Forschungsschwerpunkt.</p>
<p>Das Bochumer Käte Hamburger Kolleg erforscht die Dynamiken der Entstehung und Verbreitung von Religionen, die wechselseitigen Durchdringungen religiöser Traditionen und deren Verdichtungen in den komplexen Gebilden der sogenannten „Weltreligionen“ im euro-asiatischen Raum. Fallstudien zu diesem Themenkomplex werden in der englischsprachigen Online-Zeitschrift<em> </em><a href="http://er.ceres.rub.de" target="_blank"><em>Entangled Religions</em> </a>veröffentlicht.</p>
<p>Das Käte Hamburger Kolleg sucht schnellstmöglich eine wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft (WHB) für die Bereiche Öffentlichkeitsarbeit und Online Publishing, befristet bis zum 31.03.2022. Der Stellenumfang beträgt 8 Stunden pro Woche, die Zeiteinteilung erfolgt nach Absprache.</p>
<p><strong>Aufgaben: </strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Zuarbeit beim Erstellen von Texten für die Öffentlichkeitsarbeit</li>
<li>Zuarbeit bei der Pflege der Webseiten Formale</li>
<li>Zuarbeit beim Korrektorat wissenschaftlicher Artikel für<em> Entangled Religions</em></li>
<li>Unterstützung bei der Durchführung von Veranstaltungen</li>
</ul>
<p>Die Arbeitszeiten können individuell vereinbart werden. Beginn der Beschäftigung ist der 01.04.2021.</p>
<p>Arbeitsort ist das Käte Hamburger Kolleg im CERES-Gebäude, Universitätsstraße 90a, 44789 Bochum.</p>
<p><strong>Anforderungen: </strong></p>
<ul>
<li>sehr gute Kenntnisse der deutschen und englischen Sprache (z. B. UNIcert II)</li>
<li>Flexibilität, Zuverlässigkeit, Teamfähigkeit und gute Kommunikationsfähigkeit</li>
<li>Kenntnisse im Umgang mit Content Management Systemen sowie Grafikprogrammen (Corel, Adobe) von Vorteil</li>
</ul>
<p>Bitte alle erforderlichen Bewerbungsunterlagen mit einem tabellarischen Lebenslauf und Zeugnissen (in einer pdf-Datei) bis zum 14.03.2021 per E-Mail an <a href="mailto:susanne.goehre@rub.de">susanne.goehre@rub.de</a> senden. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.stellenwerk-bochum.de/jobboerse/wiss-hilfskraft-mit-bachelor-whb-online-publishing-und-oeffentlichkeitsarbeit-210219" target="_blank">Die offizielle Stellenausschreibung im Stellenwerk der RUB. </a></p>International Collaboration on Missionary Collections started2021-02-10T14:20:00+00:002021-02-10T14:27:58.970703+00:00Martin Radermacherhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/international-collaboration-missionary-collections-started/<p>The German Research Foundation (DFG) supports the initiation of an international cooperation with the Institute for the Study of Religions at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, for a period of two years starting in January 2021. The participating scholars will conduct research on the material dimension of cultural and religious contact using the example of selected missionary collections in Germany and Poland in a long-term collaboration. In addition to scholars from the universities in Bochum and Krakow, representatives of mission museums and collections in Germany and Poland are involved in this project. The funding now obtained will be used to establish contacts, build networks and prepare further research.</p>
<p>The exhibits in these collections are testimonies and agents of religious and cultural contact. In addition to the focus on selected regions and missionary activities in Asia, which derives directly from the <a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de/en" target="_blank">Käte Hamburger Kolleg “Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe”</a> (BMBF), selected aspects of missionary contact between Europe and Africa will also be examined. The Institute for the Study of Religions at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow is the ideal partner for this project due to its connections with missionary collections in Poland and its expertise in African regions. At CERES the focus on <a href="https://ceres.rub.de/de/forschung/projekte/missionssammlungen/" target="_blank">missionary collections has been established as own research topic</a> within the last years. </p>
<p>Over the next two years, the participating partners will hold a joint workshop at CERES, invite external experts, and undertake research trips to Poland and Germany, respectively, to visit the participating mission collections and build networks.</p>Mittelpersische Texte als Ideenquellen2021-01-19T08:47:49+00:002021-01-19T08:54:00.356190+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/mittelpersische-texte-als-ideenquellen/<p>Zwischen Sprach- und Religionsforschung ist das Langzeitprojekt des Centrums für Religionswissenschaftliche Studien angesiedelt. Es schließt Lücken der Grundlagenforschung.</p>
<p>Das Mittelpersische war Amtssprache des Sasanidenreiches und Schriftsprache von Religionen, wie dem Zoroastrismus und dem Manichäismus. Trotzdem gelten mittelpersische Texte bisher nur als bruchstückhaft erschlossen. Ein neues Langzeitprojekt am Centrum für Religionswissenschaftliche Studien (Ceres) schließt jetzt diese Lücke in der Grundlagenforschung.</p>
<p><strong>Von Ägypten bis Zentralasien </strong></p>
<p>Das Mittelpersische war als Amts- und Verkehrssprache des Sasanidenreiches nicht nur von überkultureller, sondern auch von religionsübergreifender Bedeutung. Das Sasanidenreich reichte zur Zeit seiner größten Ausdehnung um 600 unserer Zeitrechnung von Ägypten bis Zentralasien. Das Mittelpersische verband über die Sasanidenzeit hinaus bis in die frühislamische Zeit die verschiedenen Teile Westasiens. Gleich für mehrere Religionen war die Sprache enorm wichtig: So wurden zentrale religiöse Schriften des Zoroastrismus und des Manichäismus in Mittelpersisch verfasst. Aber auch Psalmen des Alten Testaments wurden in diese mitteliranische Sprache übersetzt und gelangten so schon in der Spätantike nach Zentralasien.</p>
<p>Obwohl das Korpus mittelpersischer Texte die umfangreichste aller älteren iranischen Textsammlungen ist, wurde es bis heute lediglich bruchstückhaft erschlossen. Ein neues Langzeitforschungsprojekt am Ceres füllt diese Lücke in der Grundlagenforschung und widmet sich der lexikografischen und digitalen Erschließung des mittelpersischen Textkorpus und seiner Bedeutung für Kultur und Religion.</p>
<p><strong>54 Texte aufbereiten und untersuchen </strong></p>
<p>Unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. Kianoosh Rezania (Direktor Käte Hamburger Kolleg) wird ein internationales Team aus unterschiedlichen Disziplinen in den nächsten neun Jahren im Projekt „Zoroastrian Middle Persian: Digital Corpus and Dictionary“ forschen. Mit beteiligt sind Fachleute der Freien Universität Berlin, des Cologne Center for E-Humanities und der Hebrew University Jerusalem. Sie werden rund 54 Texte der vormals reichhaltigen mittelpersischen Literatur der sasanidischen und der frühislamischen Zeit, die heute weitestgehend verloren ist, eingehend für die Forschung aufbereiten und untersuchen.</p>
<p>Zunächst gilt es die Texte, die in unterschiedlichen Schriften niedergeschrieben wurden, buchstabengetreu ins lateinische Alphabet zu übertragen. In einem nächsten Schritt werden die übertragenen Texte grammatikalisch annotiert. Diese Aufbereitung der Texte ist nötig, um sie nicht nur linguistisch, sondern auch ideengeschichtlich eingehend untersuchen zu können. Erst die Untersuchung des komplexen Gewebes der mittelpersischen Texte mit ihren zahlreichen internen und externen Bezügen bildet die Grundlage für kulturgeschichtliche und religionshistorische Forschungen. Dabei kann die detaillierte Aufbereitung und Analyse der Texte Antworten geben auf zentrale Fragen in der Religionsgeschichte des spätantiken Westasiens: Welche zoroastrischen Weltvorstellungen wurden aus dem Mittelpersischen in andere Sprachen wortwörtlich übernommen? Wie beeinflusste das Mittelpersische den Manichäismus als Sakralsprache? Und welche Ideen sind noch heute im iranischen Schiismus durch das Mittelpersische präsent?</p>
<p>Ein zentrales Ziel des Projektes ist es, ein Mittelpersisch-Englisch-Wörterbuch mit über 7.000 Einträgen für die Forschung zu erstellen. Darüber hinaus soll als Teil der Digital Humanities eine online Open-Access-Plattform für das mittelpersische Textkorpus aufgebaut werden. Sie ermöglicht Fachleuten aus aller Welt Zugang zu den Texten für eigene Forschungsvorhaben. Die Plattform ist auch ein Angebot für bereits abgeschlossene oder derzeit laufende Projekte in der Iranistik, sich zu vernetzen und die Datenbank zu erweitern.</p>
<p><strong>Förderung </strong></p>
<p>Das Projekt <em>Zoroastrian Middle Persian: Digital Corpus and Dictionary</em> (MPCD) wird von der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft im Rahmen der Langzeitprojektförderung finanziert. Es ist gegenwärtig das einzige geisteswissenschaftliche Langfristvorhaben an der RUB.</p>Season's Greetings and Wishes for 20212020-12-24T09:55:03+00:002020-12-24T10:08:34.356271+00:00CERES Teamhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/seasons-greetings-and-wishes-2021/<p>The year 2020 was extraordinary in many respects and will long be remembered. Given the global pandemic we have experienced situations in our daily life and family life, in our neighborhoods and society, locally as well as on the international level, which were totally novel to us and which we would had never imagined of before. </p>
<p>We wish all students, alumni, colleagues, partners and collaborators, and friends of CERES a merry Holiday Season and a Happy New Year 2021. Stay healthy and happy! </p>Neue Online-Vortragsreihe zu Religion und Metaphern startet2020-12-11T13:36:58+00:002020-12-11T13:57:40.835610+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/neue-online-vortragsreihe-zu-religion-und-metaphern-startet/<p>Am Montag, den 14. Dezember 2020 ist es soweit: Die neue CERES-Vortragsreihe "Religion und Metapher" startet. Ab 16.15 Uhr können sich Interessierte aus Studium und Forschung online zuschalten, wenn Prof. Dr. James W. Watts von der Syracuse University den Auftaktvortrag präsentiert. </p>
<p>Die Vortragsreihe knüpft an Themen an, die in mehreren CERES-Forschungsprojekten in den letzten Jahren entwickelt wurden, wie z. B. dem Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamiken in der Religionsgeschichte zwischen Asien und Europa" und dem Reinhart-Koselleck-Projekt von Prof. Dr. Volkhard Krech "Theorie und Empirie religiöser Evolution". </p>
<p>In seinem Vortrag wird der Religionswissenschaftler James W. Watts den Gebrauch von Metaphern als Bindeglieder zwischen Kosmologien und Reinigungsritualen herausarbeiten. Weitere Vorträge in der Reihe werden meistens montags zur gleichen Zeit angeboten. So wird der Marburger Religionswissenschaftler Gerrit Lange anhand einer Betrachtung von hinduistischen Göttinnen herausarbeiten, welche Metaphern für <em>śakti </em>–die weibliche Urkraft des Universums – angewendet werden. In einem weiteren Vortrag blickt der britische Forscher Stephen Pihlaja auf religiöse YouTube-Videos und wie dort Metaphern dramaturgisch benenutzt werden. </p>
<p>Die Vortragenden kommen aber keineswegs nur aus der Religionswissenschaft oder anverwandter Disziplinen. Auch Vortragende anderer Fachrichtungen stellen ihre Forschungsthemen vor: So wird es neben einem kommunikationswissenschaftlichen Impuls auch einen Vortrag aus der Linguistik geben. </p>
<p>Alle Vorträge werden auf den <a href="https://ceres.rub.de/de/veranstaltungen/" target="_blank">Veranstaltungsseiten</a> angezeigt und sind hochschulöffentlich konzipiert. Um die Einwahldaten zu erhalten, bitte <a href="mailto:ceres-coordination-office@rub.de">ceres-coordination-office@rub.de</a> kontaktieren.</p>
<p> </p>Medieval Armenia as a Space of Cultural Entanglements2020-11-17T11:01:57+00:002020-11-24T07:56:06.067569+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/medieval-armenia-space-cultural-entanglements/<p>The project explores the complex medieval history of the Armenian plateau and its adjacent areas.</p>
<p>Between the 9th and 14th centuries, the different ethnic groups living at the Armenian plateau and in the wider area from the south of the Caucasus mountain range to Anatolia and northern Mesopotamia region were closely entangled in cultural, religious, political, and economic terms. They are considered to be largely unexplored. Headed by Professor Zaroui Pogossian of the University of Florence, Professor Alexandra Cuffel and Dr. Barbara Roggema of the Center for Religious Studies (CERES), are studying the various contacts in this region at the intersection between Asia and Europe and how they affected local cultural products as texts and material artefacts.</p>
<p>To this end, the <a href="https://ceres.rub.de/en/research/projects/armen/" target="_blank">Armenia Entangled project</a> analyses not only Armenian but also Arabic, Georgian, Greek, Persian, Syriac and Turkish sources. The researchers aim at reconstructing the diverse cultural entanglements between Muslim Arabs, Christian Arabs, subjects of the Byzantine Empire, Syrian Christians, Georgians, Caucasian Albanians, a number of Turko-Muslim dynasties, Kurds, Iranians, Western Europeans, and Mongols, that inhabited, conquered, or passed through and produced cultural goods in the region.</p>
<p>In order to achieve this research goal, the project spans from area studies to various disciplines such as philology, literature, history of religions, art history, numismatics, and archaeology.</p>
<p>The ERC Consolidator Grant amounts to 2 million Euros in total.</p>CERES cooperates with Shiraz University2020-11-04T10:40:38+00:002020-11-05T13:37:01.803675+00:00Martin Radermacherhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/ceres-cooperates-shiraz-university/<p>The Center for Religious Studies (CERES) of the Ruhr Universität Bochum recently signed a cooperation agreement with the Departement of Islamic Studies at Shiraz University. The renowned university is located in the province of Fars in southern Iran. It is ranked as one of the top three universities for research in Iran.</p>
<p>The cooperation agreement has been signed as part of the EU programme Erasmus+ and enables the exchange of lecturers as well as students. The programme provides special grants for students to finance a five-month student exchange to the partner university.</p>
<p>The cooperation roots in a CERES delegation's visit of Iran in early 2019. Both partner institutions complement each other's studies and research areas thematically well. Especially the field of West Asian History of Religions at CERES benefits through this cooperation.</p>Call for Papers: Entangled Religions Special Issue on Religions and Pandemics2020-06-23T14:25:13+00:002020-06-23T14:44:54.435143+00:00Julia Heinighttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/call-papers-entangled-religions-special-issue-religions-and-pandemics/<p>Given the global COVID-19 pandemic, online journal <em><a href="http://er.ceres.rub.de" target="_blank">Entangled Religions</a> </em>is planning a special issue under the title<em> </em>"Religion and Practices: Shifts in Interpretations, Populare Lore, and Practices". </p>
<p>Entangled Religions special issue seeks new ways to address the notions of religious contact and transfer in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will look both at intra- and inter-religious dynamics with a prospect of their future comparison.</p>
<p>The guest editors are Alexander Agadjanian (Center of Religious Studies, Russian State University of the Humanities) and Konrad Siekierski (Department of Theology and Religious Studies, King’s College London)</p>
<p><a href="https://static.ceres.rub.de/media/uploads/2020/06/23/call-for-papers_entangled-religions_covid-19.pdf" target="_blank">Find more informationen in the Call for Papers here</a>. </p>Malfunctioning IT Infrastructure due to Cyber Attack on RUB2020-05-14T16:20:39+00:002020-05-14T16:35:13.633615+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/malfunctioning-it-infrastructure-due-cyber-attack-rub/<p>Due to a cyber attack on the Ruhr Universität Bochum the CERES IT infrastructure only works deficiently. Thsi becomes especially noticeable in the e-mail based communication: Several incoming e-mails to CERES staff never reached their recipients, while out doing e-mails failed to delivered. </p>
<p>In order to minimize the damage, the head of university urgently requests all users of the RUB e-mail services to change their password(s). </p>
<p>Find more recent information on the <a href="https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/en" target="_blank">university's news sites </a>or more technical recommondation offered by the <a href="https://www.it-services.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/sd/change_pw.html.de" target="_blank">IT.Services devision</a>. </p>
<p> </p>New Tasks for the KHK2020-04-02T09:18:52+00:002020-04-02T12:44:36.058345+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/new-tasks-khk/<p>Yesterday, a new stage of work begun at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe</em>. In the next two years, both scholarly communication and public outreach will be the central tasks to be performed. Thus, this upcoming phase will be dedicated to the transfer in many respects. </p>
<p>By the end of March 2020 the Kolleg completed its research phase to a large extend. The Kolleg begun its work in spring 2008 under the direction of sociologists of religion Prof Dr Volkhard Krech. Since then,<a href="https://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/_fellows/" target="_blank"> more than 150 visiting research fellows from all over the world</a> had come to Bochum to execute their own research on religious contact situations and religious transfer. During their engagements, the external researchers were thoroughly supported by scholars of Ruhr Universität Bochum from a wide range of academic disciplines such as religious studies, Classics, Protestant and Catholic theologies, Islamic studies, Japanese studies, Korean studies, Sinology, Indology, Jewish studies, history, and philosophy.</p>
<p>Given this, the <a href="https://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/projects/_past-projects/" target="_blank">spectre of research projects</a> dealing with religious contact situations was extremly broad and covering many ages, numerous religious traditions, and vast regions of the Eurasian continent. It ranged from exploring the imaginations of Ancient Near Eastern dieties to discovering the multitude of alien religious impacts on the Buddhist visual language to analysing apps for mobile phones dealing with religion.</p>
<p>The overall aim of these individual research projects was to explore the forces behind the formation and the expansion of religions as well as the mutual permeation of religious traditions. Not without reason was the research programme focussing on Europe and Asia only: All religions, which are today widely labeled by the term 'world religion' originate in the lands between the Mediterranean Sea in the west and the Pacific Ocean in the east. Even religious traditions, which in parts do not exist anymore, came into being in these vast areas.</p>
<p>Overall, the academic goal of the Kolleg is to establish and test a typology of contacts of religions and an overarching theory regarding the transfer of religions. All basic research works of the last twelve years will be correlated to each other in next months in order to be refined for academic publishing, as for example in the <a href="https://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/publications/dynamics-history-religions/" target="_blank">Brill series <em>Dynamics in the History of Religions</em></a>.</p>
<p>Special attention is drawn to the <a href="http://er.ceres.rub.de" target="_blank">online journal <em>Entangled Religions</em></a>: Former research fellows will keep on publishing their research findings with <em>Entangled Religions</em>. Additionally a selection of proceedings of the more than 200 workshops of the Kolleg will be published as well. To expand its reach, further plans include a redesign of the journal towards an innovative online publication platform. For this purpose, visual search elements and user-friendly display tools shall be integrated in the journal’s website.</p>
<p>Besides these scholarly communication activites the Kolleg also made first arrangements to edit research findings for a broader non-academic audience. For example, it is considered to present different historical case studies of religious contact in a public lecture series. Moreover, the Kolleg also prepares to show an exhibition of objects, possibly from collections of German missionary societies, on which religious contacts can be made visible in a material way.</p>
<p>The Bochum Käte Hamburger Kolleg is the only one out of ten such institutions in Germany that is explicitely dedicated to the study of religions. It is financed directly by the German government and one of the biggest research project within the humanities and social sciences of Ruhr Universität Bochum.</p>KHK Fellow Interview: "Nietzsche's 'Joyfull Wisdom' in Bochum"2020-03-24T17:00:41+00:002020-03-24T17:25:11.906172+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/khk-fellow-interview-nietzsches-joyfull-wisdom-bochum/<p><em>End of March 2020, the research phase of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe" will come to an end. This research project undoubtlessly has have an impact on the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) for almost twelve years since it has been the biggest project with an international reach. It is time to look both back- and forward and to give word to the visiting fellows of the Kolleg. The eigth and last interview in this series is with Helmut Zander. Since 2011, he is full professor of the Comparative History of Religions and Interreligious Dialogue at the Swiss university of Fribourg. The expert of anthroposophy and esoteric ideas was visiting research fellow at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg between May 2010 and April 2011. His project in Bochum was to write a comparative history of religions in Europe. In the interview he tells more about the project and how it ended. </em></p>
<p><em>---</em></p>
<p><strong>What attracted you to become a visiting researcher at the KHK Bochum? </strong></p>
<p>Even before the existence of the KHK, I had been aware of the fact that rather in Nietzscheian terms a ‘gay science’ or ‘joyful wisdom’ is practiced in Bochum with the necessary linking between the reference of material and theory and with the willingness to destroy knowledge and to test new assumptions about the connection of things. Additionally, it was the subject, the dynamics of religio-historical exchange processes: This global history perspective was in the air after the break down of the world order that consisted of political blocks in 1989. And an institution, which provided the freedom of research to refocus entanglement-processes, was a stroke of luck. In Bochum, there was openly a feeling for time-diagnostic relevant historical research—and the courage to deal with a subject in a ‘big’ way.</p>
<p><strong>How was your research stay in Bochum? And what were you focusing on in your research? </strong></p>
<p>The most important thing about the KHK for me was the mixture of great, truly great freedom and structured offerings in the focus groups and workshops. Looking back, I feel sorry for not taking up the offer to organize my own conferences (with the help of highly committed colleagues).</p>
<p>I came to Bochum with the question, whether one could identify characteristics of an “European history of religions”, an intensively discussed approach within German academic circles for a revision of an histography of religions that is merely focused on Church history. It happened already in the first weeks that my submitted concept went the way of all flesh and received a first-class burial in Bochum. Debates with my colleagues made clear that my hypotheses had been undercomplex and not durable in this way. Nonetheless the main chapters that had been stated in the application, have survived as side stages of case studies. Then, I produced much less in Bochum than I had planned and hoped, and instead I discussed and I wrote and discussed and wrote and discussed.</p>
<p>My “’European’ History of Religions” was published by de Gruyter only in 2016 because I received a chair following my time in Bochum. But the ‘mother’ of this ‘offspring’ is clearly the KHK, where it came into the world, where it acted out its pubescent obstinacy. Basically my thesis is sociological but it is grounded in the history of ideas: Ancient Christianity accomplished a structure of belonging, which is conceptually not connected to birth but should be based on choice. It is self-evident that theory and practice are temporary far apart here. But in comparison to other religions (especially Judaism, Islam, Buddhism) it becomes clear, that the architecture of the religious systems is characterized by very specific elements (e.g. baptism, catechesis, conversions, mission) from this very starting point. Such a system is stabilized—and this is my accompanying thesis—with the help of a corpus of authoritative writings, in an extreme case by a canon.</p>
<p><strong>Why is your research topic central for the understanding of religious dynamics and religion contacts?</strong></p>
<p>I was interested and I am still interested to this day, how a particular religious culture stabilizes itself even though there is exchange, connection, hybridization, overlapping, compression etc., hence the whole range of 'inter-'processes, in which religious cultures emerge and develop their own characteristics. Why, asked briefly, do they not become similar or perhaps even equal?</p>
<p>If you investigate the main subject of the KHK, which is religious dynamics, not only through the eyes of their effects on change, but also with a regard to opposing processes, you have to focus on stabilization dynamics, too. This seems to be rather trivial, but it is not – presumably for one reason: In religious studies the reason for stabilization was often looked for in essentialist assumptions, classically in the ‘essence’ of one religion. Quod non. Instead, stabilization has to be looked for in the tension between exchange processes and religious contacts on the one hand and the entitlement to the determination of identity markers on the other hand. Stabilization is by far not ‘essential’ in this respect, but negotiated, also with regard to the meaning of elements, which, as a canon, are not up for disposal anymore.</p>
<p><strong>In comparison to other institutions, what characterizes the KHK Bochum?</strong></p>
<p>I have made my own experience as a fellow of the Zentrum für Religion, Wirtschaft und Politik (ZRWP) at the Swiss universities of Basle, Lucerne and Zurich, of the Institut for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton and at the University of Santa Barbara (California). Two dimensions made the KHK stand out:</p>
<p>Frist, the clear content program, which made it possible that fellows of extreme different research fields were brought together in scientific exchange by means of common questions (or sometimes just common perspectives).</p>
<p>Second, the situation in the Ruhr area that holds a virtually inexhaustible reservoir of stimulations, which are especially important by creating alienness to create that irritation in a bubble, which a research college unavoidable is and has to be, that is necessary for creative thinking. I remember the visits to Zeche Zollverein, the exhibitions in Haus Weitmar, a lecture by Günter Grass or the cooperation with the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI) in Essen.</p>
<p>And when you walk from your apartment and past a one-euro-each-product variety store to a lecture on Jesuits at the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar, you can be sure for your life that you are not drown in the academic quicksand.</p>
<p>To criticize is not easy for me—which is fairly rare. Maybe this: Some fellows made themselves scarce, but it is part of the freedom that is important at the KHK.</p>
<p><strong>What impact had your stay in at the KHK Bochum on your further research? </strong></p>
<p>A very pragmatic impact of my stay at the KHK in Bochum are the collaborations with academics, which have partly survived until today, after I left this <em>locus amoenus</em>. A second effect is a toolbox of analytical instruments that has been carried in my head since. There is a kind of Bochum path dependency in my own research. At the moment I am trying to develop theoretical elements for the comparison of different cultures, whose material references are more open than the one in the theoretical material I had used for my book “‘Europäische’ Religionsgeschichte“. These considerations turn on two axes, on the concept of a cultural ‘grammar’ and on the ‘probability’ of the development of cultural characteristics; especially the historical perceptual research is a research field that has hardly ever been explored. I am dealing with these theory pieces on a material level, concretely: Why do civilzations that are hegemonically Christian or Muslim shaped, develop different provisions on the relationship between religion and politics with a certain probability?</p>
<p><strong>A look into the future: Given the fact that the KHK Bochum is a temporary project, what and how should scholars deal with the history of religions in future? </strong></p>
<p>When it comes to structures, maintain the diversity of disciplines (rare disciplines) at the universities including the necessary language courses for it. Without these investments academies will become a henchmen of hegemonic structures. For Germany, I advocate an improved cooperation between the disciplines of religious studies (Religionswissenschaft) and the theologies. The lead of particular fields of theology (e.g. in exegesis) will probably not be equalized in the long-run, by analogy there is a lead for methodical and theoretical reflection on the subject “religion” within religious studies. Apart from this, there should be more cooperation between research institutes to enable longer working phases for academics, who work on larger projects.</p>
<p>When it comes to topics, I support an improved interlinking between the general historical and religious studies research on global history. By now, the interlocking or exchanges are often meagre in terms of institutions and content—some exceptions (Bayly, Conrad, Osterhammel) prove the rule here, if I am right. Another aspect is the establishment of a strong focus on Christianity within religious studies. And finally, we should focus more on religious innovations offered by non-hegemonic groups or belief systems, which is admittedly still my little ‘esoteric’ pet research. We still know very little about it even in small milieus, and—if I see it right—the topic remains globally a <em>terra incognita</em>.</p>
<p><small>Interview by Ulf Plessentin, translated by Adrian Neuser.</small></p>Käte Hamburger Kolleg bids Farewell to last Visiting Research Fellow2020-03-19T18:42:49+00:002020-03-19T19:26:38.338556+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/kate-hamburger-kolleg-bids-farewell-last-visiting-research-fellow/<p>End of March 2020 the research phase of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe </em>will come to an end. In the last 12 years of research more than 150 international researchers visited the Kolleg to spend their time there as visiting research fellows to study religious contacts and transfers. </p>
<p>Yesterday, the Käte Hamburger Kolleg said goodbye to last visiting research fellow, Iain Sinclair. The Australian expert on Buddhist civilisations of South East Asia had to depart promptly because of the international crisis caused by the spread of the Corona virus Sars-CoV-2.</p>
<p>Because of the current pandemia and massive cutbacks worldwide, the disbanding of the Kolleg and the farewell to all its visiting research fellows, colleagues and members of the advisory board happened to be all but planned. Already about two weeks ago the final conference of the Kolleg was postponed to later this year given the rising risk of the local spread of the Corona virus. The tightened measures in wordwide travelings, curfews in some European countries, the recent local pandemic situation and the shut-down of the Ruhr Universität Bochum did their bits: The international visiting research fellows who had been supposed to stay until end of March, had to leave Bochum immediately to their home countries. </p>
<p>Hence, the active research phase of the Kolleg came to an end under circumstances - which sadly enough caused harm in masses - which reflect the global interdependency and entanglement, and yet the dynamics between Asia and Europe in their own way. </p>Wichtige Hinweise: RUB und CERES stellen auf Notbetrieb um2020-03-15T20:56:50+00:002020-03-15T21:00:42.495678+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/wichtige-hinweise-rub-und-ceres-stellen-auf-notbetrieb-um/<p>Während des Wochenendes wurden die Sonderregelungen für Studieren und Arbeiten an der RUB noch einmal drastisch verschärft:</p>
<p>Auf Grund einer Verfügung des Gesundheitsamts der Stadt Bochum hat sich eine neue und zugespitzte Lage ergeben:<br />
<br />
Veranstaltungen aller Art dürfen ab sofort und bis auf weiteres nicht mehr stattfinden!<br />
<br />
Von Mittwoch, den 18. März 2020 an, wird daher der Betrieb auf dem Campus bis auf einen Notfallbetrieb eingestellt. Die beiden kommenden Tage sollen von den Beschäftigten in Wissenschaft, Technik und Verwaltung genutzt werden, um für diese Zeit Vorkehrungen zu treffen, also diesen Notfallbetrieb vorzubereiten. Das heißt Montag und Dienstag ist für alle Beschäftigten, die keine Kinder bis 12 Jahren betreuen müssen oder zur Gruppe der Personen mit erhöhtem Risiko gehören, normaler Dienst.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/de/haeufige-fragen-zum-coronavirus" target="_blank">Detaillierte Informationen dazu, was dies im Einzelnen für Studierende oder Beschäftigte bedeutet sowie Ansprechpartner*innen für Ihre verschiedenen Fragen finden Sie hier </a></p>
<p>Bitte Hinweise befolgen und gesund bleiben!</p>Wichtige Hinweise zum Studieren und Arbeiten in der Corona-Krise2020-03-13T18:19:54+00:002020-03-13T18:40:03.537951+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/wichtige-hinweise-zum-studieren-und-arbeiten-der-corona-krise/<p>Die Ruhr-Universität Bochum hat heute eine Liste an Hinweisen zum universitären Studieren und Arbeiten in Bezug auf die Coronavirus-Epidemie veröffentlicht. Es kommt zu Einschränkungen und zahlreichen Veränderungen: So wird beispielsweise der Start des Sommersemesters auf den 20. April 2020 verlegt.</p>
<p>Alle Studierende und Mitarbeiter/innen werden gebeten, sich bezüglich der Hinweise und Einschränkungen auf dem Laufenden zu halten und sich dementsprechend zu verhalten:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/de/haeufige-fragen-zum-coronavirus" target="_blank">Tagesaktuelle Informationen und Hinweise der RUB hier.</a></p>
<p>Schon letztes Wochenende bzw. Anfang der Woche wurde beschlossen, Konferenzen des Centrums für Religionswissenschaftliche Studien (CERES) aufgrund der epidemischen Entwicklungen und zum Schutz der Beteiligten nicht stattfinden zu lassen. Die Abschlußkonferenz des Käte Hamburger Kollegs (11.-13. März 2020) wurde einstweilen verschoben, die Abschlusskonferenz des Forschungskollegs RePliR (26. und 27. März 2020) wurde abgesagt. Weitere Veranstaltungen mit CERES-Beteiligung entfallen. Neueste Informationen im <a href="https://ceres.rub.de/de/veranstaltungen/" target="_blank">CERES-Veranstaltungskalender</a>.</p>
<p>Bleiben Sie gesund!</p>
<p> </p>KHK Conference postponed2020-03-09T14:46:33+00:002020-03-09T14:58:32.710903+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/khk-conference-postponed/<p>Given the current epidemic situation in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia cause by virus Corvid-19, the Käte Hamburger Kolleg postpones the conference "<a href="https://ceres.rub.de/de/veranstaltungen/step-back-and-look-beyond/" target="_blank">STEP BACK AND LOOK BEYOND: STUDYING RELIGION AFTER 2020</a>" to a later date. In so doing, it follows the recommendations of German Minister for Health, Mr. Jens Spahn, to avoid any unnecessary travelings to this region. </p>
<p>The alternative date of the conference will be announced soon.</p>Kontakt zwischen Religionen ist der Motor der Religionsgeschichte: Interview mit Volkhard Krech2020-03-05T17:12:27+00:002020-03-05T17:22:22.499614+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/kontakt-zwischen-religionen-ist-der-motor-der-religionsgeschichte-interview-mit-volkhard-krech/<p>Anlässlich der auslaufenden Forschungsphase am Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamiken der Religionsgeschichte zwischen Asien und Europa </em>veröffentlicht das Bundesforschungsministerium ein Interview mit dem Gründungsdirektor Volkhard Krech.</p>
<p>Das kurze Interview dreht sich um die Forschungsergebnisse und Effekte des Kollegs auf die Forschungsstruktur in Bochum. Aber auch die Frage, nachdem was bleibt wird thematisiert.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.geistes-und-sozialwissenschaften-bmbf.de/de/Interview-mit-Prof-Dr-Volkhard-Krech-Direktor-des-Kate-Hamburger-Kollegs-Dynamiken-der-1967.html" target="_blank">Zum Interview auf der Website </a></p>CERES kooperiert mit Tel Hai College2020-02-28T13:14:56+00:002020-02-28T13:43:16.598906+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/ceres-kooperiert-mit-tel-hai-college/<p>In den letzten beiden Tagen hatte das Centrum für Religionswissenschaftliche Studien (CERES) Besuch aus Israel: Die Sinologin Sophia Katz vom Tel Hai College kam im Rahmen einer kürzlich besiegelten Kooperation nach Bochum. Vor zwei Wochen wurde das Memorandum of Understanding zwischen beiden Institutionen unterzeichnet.</p>
<p>Das Tel-Hai College befindet sich in Obergaliläa in der Nähe des Kibbuz Kfar Giladi unweit der libanesischen Grenze. Neben den Natur- und Lebenswissenschaften liegt ein wesentlicher Schwerpunkt des Collegs auf der geistes- und sozialwissenschaftlichen Lehre und Forschung.</p>
<p>Zusammen mit Sophia Katz erörterten Wissenschaftler/innen des CERES in einem Workshop, wie die Kooperation zukünftig im Bereich Forschung ausgestaltet werden kann. Das Thema Pilgertum bietet dabei für beide Einrichtungen gute Anknüpfungspunkte, die Forschung thematisch miteinander auf erkenntnisfördernde Weise zu verknüpfen.</p>
<p>Doch der Blick ging nicht nur auf die Forschung: Ferner wurde ausgelotet wie ein Austausch von Studierenden und Forschenden ganz konkret umgesetzt werden kann. Dabei stimmten beide Seiten überein, gerade fortgeschrittenen Studierenden einen Besuch der Partnerinstitution passend zu den jeweiligen Studien- bzw. Forschungsinhalten hürdenlos zu ermöglichen.</p>Stellenanzeige: Wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft für Online Publishing & Öffentlichkeitsarbeit2020-02-25T09:36:41+00:002020-02-25T09:43:44.568769+00:00Julia Heinighttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/stellenanzeige-wissenschaftliche-hilfskraft-fur-online-publishing-offentlichkeitsarbeit/<p>Das vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung geförderte <a href="https://khk.ceres.rub.de/de/" target="_blank">Käte Hamburger Kolleg D<em>ynamiken der Religionsgeschichte zwischen Asien und Europa</em> (KHK)</a> ist eingebettet in das übergeordnete Forschungsprogramm "Relational Religion: Complex Resonances in and beyond the Religious Field" des Centrums für Religionswissenschaftliche Studien (CERES) und bildet dessen Forschungsschwerpunkt. Das Bochumer KHK erforscht die Dynamiken der Entstehung und Verbreitung von Religionen, die wechselseitigen Durchdringungen religiöser Traditionen und deren Verdichtungen in den komplexen Gebilden der sogenannten „Weltreligionen“ im euro-asiatischen Raum. Fallstudien zu diesem Themenkomplex werden in der englischsprachigen Online Zeitschrift <a href="https://er.ceres.rub.de/" target="_blank"><em>Entangled Religions</em></a> veröffentlicht.</p>
<p>Das Käte Hamburger Kolleg sucht schnellstmöglich eine wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft (WHB) für die Bereiche Öffentlichkeitsarbeit und Online Publishing, befristet auf 12 Monate. Der Stellenumfang beträgt 9 Stunden pro Woche, die Zeiteinteilung erfolgt nach Absprache,dabei wird auf zeitliche Anforderungen des Studiums Rücksicht genommen.</p>
<p><strong>Aufgaben: </strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Zuarbeit bei der Pflege der Webseite von Entangled Religions</li>
<li>formale Zuarbeit beim Korrektorat wissenschaftlicher Artikel für Entangled Religions</li>
<li>Zuarbeit beim Erstellen von Texten für die Öffentlichkeitsarbeit</li>
<li>Unterstützung bei der Durchführung von Veranstaltungen</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Anforderungen:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>sehr gute Kenntnisse der deutschen und englischen Sprache (z. B. UNIcert II)</li>
<li>Flexibilität, Zuverlässigkeit, Teamfähigkeit und gute Kommunikationsfähigkeit</li>
<li>Kenntnisse im Umgang mit Content Management Systemen (Wordpress),</li>
<li>Literaturverwaltungsprogrammen (Zotero, Citavi) sowie Grafikprogrammen (Corel, Adobe) von Vorteil</li>
</ul>
<p>Alle erforderlichen Bewerbungsunterlagen mit einem tabellarischen Lebenslauf (in einer pdf-Datei) bitte bis zum 13. März 2020 per E-Mail an <a href="mailto:julia.heinig@rub.de">julia.heinig@rub.de</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.stellenwerk-bochum.de/jobboerse/wissenschaftl-hilfskraft-whk-ba-fuer-online-publishing-und-oeffentlichkeitsarbeit-bo-2020-02-17-301805" target="_blank">Die offizielle Stellenausschreibung im Stellenwerk der RUB.</a></p>New Publication on Buddhism in Medieval Central Asia2020-01-23T15:41:19+00:002022-07-12T16:40:33.436693+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/new-publication-buddhism-medieval-central-asia/<p>Today, the 11th volume of the <a href="https://brill.com/view/serial/DHR" target="_blank">"Dynamics in the History of Religions" (Brill)</a> was published. Entitled "Buddhism in Central Asia 1 - Patronage, Legitimation, Sacred Space, and Pilgrimage" the volume edited by Carmen Meinert (CERES professor, principal investigator of BuddhistRoad, and member of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg Bochum), and Henrik H. Sørensen (Scientific Co-Ordinator BuddhistRoad) is based on the papers presented at the <a href="https://buddhistroad.ceres.rub.de/en/activities/organised-conferences/" target="_blank">start-up conference held on May 23rd–25th, 2018</a> at the Ruhr-Universität, Bochum.</p>
<p>The chapters revolve around the issues of religious legitimation, state and religion, patronage and donors, sacred space variously defined, and how pilgrims influenced the processes of transfer of religious ideas and knowledge. The chapters cover a wide range of Buddhist cultures in medieval Central Asia, including the Chinese, the Khotanese, the Tanguts, the Uyghurs and the Tibetans, and highlight how Buddhism through these various cultural expressions and languages represented defined a shared conceptual vision.</p>
<p>As part of the series "Dynamics in the History of Religions" the volume supports the primary thesis of the series that interconnections of self-perception and perception by the other, of adaptation and demarcation are crucial factors for historical dynamics within the religious field. As part of series future publications on the role of Buddhism in medieval Central Asia are planed.</p>
<p><strong>Bibliographical Information:</strong></p>
<p><em><strong>Buddhism in Central Asia I—Patronage, Legitimation, Sacred Space, and Pilgrimage</strong></em>, edited by Carmen Meinert and Henrik H. Sørensen. Leiden: Brill, 2020 - ISBN: 978-90-04-41562-1</p>
<p><a href="https://buddhistroad.ceres.rub.de/en/publications/books/" target="_blank">Please click here to download the entire volume or selected chapters.</a></p>
<p>Contributors are Max Deeg, Erika Forte, Yukiyo Kasai, Carmen Meinert, Simone-Christiane Raschmann, Kirill Solonin, Henrik H. Sørensen, Sem Vermeersch, Verena Widorn, and Jens Wilkens</p>KHK Fellow Interview: "Substantial Impact"2019-12-05T16:48:27+00:002019-12-05T17:01:40.936903+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/khk-fellow-interview-substantial-impact/<p><em>End of March 2020, the second funding phase of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe" will come to an end. This research project undoubtlessly has have an impact on the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) for almost ten years since it has been the biggest project with an international reach. It is time to look both back- and forward and to give word to the visiting fellows of the Kolleg. The seventh interview is with Stephen Berkwitz. He is full professor of Religious Studies with focus on Buddhism at Missouri State University. He is a passionate fan of Borussia Dortmund and was visiting research fellow in 2011 and 2017 at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg. While being in Bochum, he investigated among others the religious contact between the Buddhist and Portuguese seafarers and missionaries in Early Modern Times.</em></p>
<p><em>---</em></p>
<p><strong>How did the KHK Bochum draw your attention for the first time? How did you apply for it?</strong></p>
<p>I first learned of the KHK Bochum when I was invited to participate in the opening conference on “Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe” in 2008 at Ruhr University Bochum. A couple of years later, I was encouraged by a colleague to undertake research at the KHK, and I did so for the first time in 2011. Later, when the fellowship procedures changed, I applied for a second, shorter fellowship in 2017.</p>
<p><strong>How was your research stay in Bochum? And what was your research project about?</strong></p>
<p>My research stays in Bochum were wonderful! It is rare for Religious Studies scholars based in the USA to receive the opportunity to reside in Europe and pursue research with a group of like-minded international scholars. My first project was on the Portuguese discovery of Buddhism across Asia in the 16th and 17th centuries. My second project was on notions of divine kingship in medieval Sri Lankan Buddhism.</p>
<p><strong>Why are your research topic important for an understanding of religious dynamics and religious contacts?</strong></p>
<p>I think that my two research projects contributed to an understanding of religious dynamics and religious contacts, since they focused on encounters between different religious communities and the resultant cultural and ideological changes that occurred. Examining the process by which Portuguese missionaries and civil servants learned and wrote about Buddhism in different parts of Asia helped me to see how Europeans first developed a comparative, and often negative, understanding of an Asian religious tradition. This history provides a backdrop for efforts by Buddhism to defend and reform their traditions in the early modern and modern periods. And the investigation into a notion of divine kingship in Buddhism offers a fine case by which Buddhist authors incorporated Hindu notions of royalty into their own visions of kingship. My research led me to argue for the existence of a gap between political rhetoric and cultural expressions across religious traditions.</p>
<p><strong>Compared to other institutions of advanced research, what characterizes the KHK Bochum?</strong></p>
<p>The KHK Bochum is unique in its interdisciplinary and international make-up of researchers who come together to explore certain dynamic themes found across various religious cultures and traditions. Rather than being grounded in an area studies model, the KHK Bochum succeeded in offering a site for high-quality research and conversation between scholars working in different fields. Also, to its great credit, the KHK Bochum produced an active series of publications and workshops to disseminate the research being done there.<br />
<br />
<strong>What impact had your affiliation with the KHK Bochum on your own research process? </strong></p>
<p>The impact of the KHK Bochum on my own research has been substantial, and this is demonstrated by my interest in returning when possible to collaborate with colleagues there. It has broadened the scope of my research so that I now pay more attention to scholars based in Europe. It has also led to my participation in several conferences and volumes, which are opportunities that I never would have had if I wasn’t affiliated with the KHK Bochum. I am now more likely to explore thematic studies in religion, while emphasizing the truly dynamic nature of religious identity and the encounters between religious communities. And I now seek out smaller conferences and workshops that operate around the model of disseminating research in the KHK Bochum. Specifically, I prefer to participate in conferences or workshops that are organized around a particular theme, with a small number of presenters who are in the audience for each paper that is being given.</p>
<p><strong>A look into the future: Given the fact that the KHK Bochum is temporary, what and how should scholars deal with the history of religions in about ten years? </strong></p>
<p>I would like to see the future of Religious Studies grow in the direction of the path laid out by the KHK Bochum. Cooperative research in international settings can only be helpful for the development of the field. I believe that it is necessary for scholars in Religious Studies to continue to theorize about the dynamic natures of their subject of study. Subjects such as demarcation, inclusion, gender, metaphor, tradition, purity, etc. remain important for scholars in the field. It would be good for scholars to come up with new subjects that invite interdisciplinary and cross-cultural research. Subjects such as discourse, power, sexuality, and others that are not limited to religion but rather show how aspects of religion are interwoven with other forms of social phenomena and relationships will be useful to investigate.</p>
<p> </p>KHK Fellow Interview: "New Ground to the Study of Religions"2019-10-23T12:55:29+00:002019-10-23T14:43:36.380367+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/khk-fellow-interview-new-ground-study-religions/<p><em>End of March 2020, the second funding phase of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe" will come to an end. This research project undoubtlessly has have an impact on the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) for almost ten years since it has been the biggest project with an international reach. It is time to look both back- and forward and to give word to the visiting fellows of the Kolleg. The sixth interview is with the Vasilios Makrides, professor at the University of Erfurt for Orthodox Christianity. As a scholar of religious studies, he is one among few in the German-speaking hemisphere who focuses on the cultural and religious history of Orthodox Christianity in Greece, the Balkans, and Russia. </em></p>
<p>---</p>
<p><em><strong>How did the KHK Bochum draw your attention for the first time? How did you apply for it? </strong></em></p>
<p>By living, working, teaching and researching in Germany, I always tried to be informed of developments pertaining to religious studies in general and to the neighboring disciplines and areas of research, especially if there was a major research program like the KHK at a German University. I also knew its director, Prof. Dr. Volkhard Krech, in advance, so I visited its website and became familiar with the overall contours of this research program. I had the chance not to apply for a fellowship, but to be invited by its director to join the KHK for one year (two semesters) in Bochum – in certain cases and for specific reasons, the director has namely the right to do so. His argument for inviting me was that the KHK needed a specialist in Orthodox Christianity, which had historically developed between Europe and Asia, and this is why he thought of me. Of course, I had no objections, and I accepted the offer without a second thought.</p>
<p><em><strong>How was your research stay in Bochum? And what was your research project about? </strong></em></p>
<p>My research stay in Bochum was a very rewarding one in many respects – and not only academically. The KHK was not isolated as an institution, but based at that time within the huge university complex, so I had opportunity to be somehow “in touch” with the entire academic community there and watch the everyday university routine, as well. I also lived nearby, so the distance to the KHK was quite short. The infrastructure of the KHK was all in all very good, so I received the support I needed without complications. All this made my integration into the new academic environment quite easy. Needless to say, I also had the opportunity to occasionally travel around by visiting Bochum and other places and cities in the greater area, something that I had not done before. As a whole, I have only good memories from my stay in Bochum. My research topic at the KHK concerned the closeness between Orthodox Christianity and Islam, both historically and at present, in facing the West and what was and is still perceived as “modern Western challenges”.</p>
<p><em><strong>Why are your research topic important for an understanding of religious dynamics and religious contacts?</strong></em></p>
<p>By studying the relations between Orthodox Christianity and Islam from this angle, one is necessarily confronted with issues of religious contacts and religious dynamics. First, multifaceted contacts between the two religious cultures were unavoidable because of historical and geographical reasons at the juncture of the two continents, Asia and Europe. Second, these contacts were characterized not only by problems, tensions and conflicts, but also by novel and unexpected moments, which revealed an unusual dynamic in their mutual relations. More specifically, both religions had historically and still have problems with the West, thus it is interesting to see how this opposition brought them somehow together in a variety of uncommon and unforeseen ways. It is about an unusual “alliance” with many facets and far-reaching consequences that need closer examination and evaluation.</p>
<p><em><strong>Compared to other institutions of advanced research, what characterizes the KHK Bochum?</strong></em></p>
<p>I am familiar to some extent with other institutions of advanced research in Germany and abroad, and I happened to know pretty well such an institution in my home university, namely the Max Weber Institute for Advanced Cultural and Social Sciences in Erfurt. They all have common and different features, also depending on the nature of the Institute, namely whether they are permanent or temporary. What I found particularly exciting at the KHK were the regular plenary sessions every Monday, which gave the opportunity only to meet other fellows, but also to engage in fruitful discussions, which were continued over dinner later on. In addition, the KHK gave fellows the opportunity to take initiatives and organize various activities (e.g., an international workshop), as well as enough freedom to do their research according to their specific needs.</p>
<p><em><strong>What impact had your affiliation with the KHK Bochum on your own research process? Did the research and theoretical work conducted on the KHK influenced your research? And if so how?</strong></em></p>
<p>Given the rich variety of scholars and opportunities, the KHK helped me to contextualize my research and take more into account interdisciplinary perspectives, especially in the context of a Euro-Asiatic history of religions. I already profited from the theoretical work developed at the KHK, especially by Volkhard Krech’s papers on religious dynamics and evolution, and I hope to delve more deeply in such issues in the future.</p>
<p><em><strong>A look into the future: Given the fact that the KHK Bochum is temporary, what and how should scholars deal with the history of religions in about ten years? </strong></em></p>
<p>In my view, the KHK broke new ground and made vital contributions to the study of religions from an interdisciplinary perspective. This is a trend that will be intensified even more in the years to come. My prediction is namely that the future study of religions will become even more interdisciplinary, especially through the stronger and decisive integration of perspectives from the natural sciences to the study of religions. This should not occasion any surprise. In fact, the entire academic and institutionalized study of religions since the 19th century went through various phases of theoretical and methodological development. Naturally, this is something that will happen in the future as well, so we have to remain open to new ideas, perspectives, methods and opportunities. This is the main and perennial challenge facing scholars of religions, because they have always come from different backgrounds and had usually problems of communication among them. We thus need to integrate all these different perspectives into a more meaningful frame that will hopefully help us to better grasp and understand religious phenomena.</p>Vielversprechender Austausch: KHK-Delegation besucht den Iran2019-07-03T12:58:16+00:002019-07-03T14:02:22.843515+00:00Tim Karishttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/vielversprechender-austausch-khk-delegation-besucht-den-iran/<p>Anfang Juni besuchte eine siebenköpfige Delegation des Käte Hamburger Kollegs den Iran. Neben Besuchen bei ausgewählten geisteswissenschaftlichen Forschungsinstituten in der iranischen Hauptstadt Teheran sowie der Universitätsstadt Schiras, stand auch der Besuch antiker Stätten und weiterer religionshistorisch relevanter Orte auf dem Programm.<br />
<br />
Unter der Leitung von KHK-Direktor Professor Kianoosh Rezania besuchte die Delegation an der Universität Schiras die Faculty of LiIterature and Humanities sowie die Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies. In dem gemeinsam organisierten zweitägigen Workshop „Cultural and Religious Exchanges in the Iranian Plateau“ wurden verschiedene Forschungsprojekte des Kollegs vorgestellt, die die vielfältigen Kultur- und Religionskontakte im iranischen Hochland in den Blick nehmen. Ohne die vielfältigen kulturellen Transferprozesse wären weder die Entstehung noch die Ausbreitung von religiösen Traditionen wie Zoroastrismus und Manichäismus möglich gewesen. Die zentrale Lage des Irans als Region zwischen der – in der Antike hellenistisch geprägten - östlichen Mittelmeerregion nebst Anatolien, Mesopotamien und der Kaukasusregion auf der einen Seite sowie Zentralasien und dem indischen Subkontinent auf der anderen Seite hat hierfür eine besondere Bedeutung. Im Rahmen des Workshops wurden zudem Leitlinien für die weitere Zusammenarbeit zwischen den Partnern in Bochum und Schiras erörtert. Möglich sind ein Studierendenaustausch, ein Austausch auf Dozentenebene sowie die Zusammenarbeit in gemeinsamen Forschungsprojekten.<br />
<br />
In Teheran informierte sich die KHK-Delegation am Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia und über den Stand des einzigartigen iranischen Publikationsprojektes, des <em>Dā'erat-ol-Ma'āref-e Bozorg-e Eslāmi</em>, das in leicht gekürzter Version als Encyclopedia Islamica auch in Englisch herausgegeben wird. Mit diesem Partner wird eine Kooperation in Form einer gemeinsamen Publikation angestrebt. Darüber hinaus fand in der iranischen Hauptstadt ein Austausch mit Vertretern des Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies zu gemeinsamen Forschungsthemen statt. Auch mit den Kolleginnen und Kollegen dieser Einrichtung sind gemeinsame Publikationsprojekte in Planung. Mit diesen beiden Teheraner Forschungsinstituten hat sich die Delegation über den Abschluss von Memoranda of Understandings geeinigt.<br />
</p>KHK Fellow Interview: "Coherence arising from Thematic Focus"2019-05-22T08:48:01+00:002019-05-22T10:30:36.833304+00:00Diana Marques Correiahttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/khk-fellow-interview-coherence-arising-thematic-focus/<p><em>End of March 2020, the second funding phase of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe" will come to an end. This research project undoubtlessly has have an impact on the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) for almost ten years since it has been the biggest project with an international reach. It is time to look both back- and forward and to give word to the visiting fellows of the Kolleg. The fifth interview is with the renowned historian and scholar of Islam Aziz Al-Ahmeh. As several of his co-fellows he was frequently guest in institutions of advanced studies around the world, as in the US, Sweden, France and Hungary. </em></p>
<p><em>---</em></p>
<p><em><strong>How did the KHK Bochum draw your attention for the first time? How did you apply for it?</strong></em></p>
<p>I joined KHK by invitiation.</p>
<p><em><strong>How was your research stay in Bochum? And what was your research project about?</strong></em></p>
<p>In all respects the stay was excellent. Good working conditions, and reasonable accommodation, with competent library services. Professor Krech is an extraordinary director and animator. While in Bochum I completed my book “The Emergence of Islam in Late Antiquity” since published by Cambridge University Press, and continued research towards the parallel project, still in process, on the history of freethinking and of criticism of religion.</p>
<p><em><strong>Why are your research topic important for an understanding of religious dynamics and religious contacts?</strong></em></p>
<p>I think this will be pretty obvious. What I would add is that, when approaching freethinking in the Abbasid era, one would need to note how the Orient and oriental religions, Hinduism and Buddhism especially, were used as symbolical supports and sources of inspiration, involving ideas, still abundantly available, about and ubiquitous and perennial oriental wisdom. When working on early modern Europa, one would need to be particularly attentive to the pathways of criticism of religion during the Abbasid period and the impulse and symbolism of Averroism.</p>
<p><em><strong>Compared to other institutions of advanced research, what characterizes the KHK Bochum?</strong></em></p>
<p>It has a special coherence arising from its thematic focus.</p>
<p><em><strong>What impact had your affiliation with the KHK Bochum on your own research process? Did the research and theoretical work conducted on the KHK influenced your research? And if so how?</strong></em></p>
<p>One of the most important things that stayed with me was a greater acquaintance, leading later to greater familiarity, to the history of religion in East Asia.</p>
<p><em><strong>A look into the future: Given the fact that the KHK Bochum is temporary, what and how should scholars deal with the history of religions in about ten years? </strong></em></p>
<p>Conceive similar institutions independent of disciplinary loyalties.</p>Vergessen und Erinnern im Alten Orient2019-04-30T14:43:05+00:002019-05-06T11:19:54.832151+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/vergessen-und-erinnern-im-alten-orient/<p>Welchen Stellenwert das Vergessen und sein Counterpart, das Erinnern, in den Kulturen des Alten Orient hatte, beleuchtet die CERES-Forscherin und Privatdozentin Dr. Rosel Pientka-Hinz in einem kurzen Beitrag für das neue Heft der Unizeitung "Rubin". Die Altorientalistin betont dabei besonders, dass selbst in schriftbasierten Kulturen, wie z. B. der babylonischen, einige Sachen auf keinen Fall vergessen werden durften.</p>
<p>Ihren Beitrag gibt es vorab online <a href="https://news.rub.de/wissenschaft/2019-04-30-religionswissenschaft-gegen-das-vergessen-im-alten-orient" target="_blank">hier</a> zu lesen - oder ab Ende der Woche im Rubin-Magazin, erhältlich überall auf dem RUB-Campus.</p>Digital Edition of al-Samarqandī’s ʿAyn al-Naẓar Published2019-04-05T11:00:00+00:002019-04-15T15:39:22.164138+00:00Frederik Elwerthttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/digital-edition-al-samarqandis-ayn-al-naar-published/<p>In close cooperation, Dr. Frederik Elwert, Digital Humanities Coordinator of CERES, and Dr. Walter Young, former Fellow of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg Dynamiken der Religionsgeschichte zwischen Europa und Asien, have produced a digital edition of the ʿAyn al-Naẓar. The <em>ʿAyn al-Naẓar</em> is a treatise by Shams al-Dīn al-Samarqandī (d. 722/1322) on certain logical elements of Islamic dialectical disputation theory.</p>
<p>The edition is an example of how digital methods can be integrated into humanities methodology. At the core of the work is a careful philological examination of the textual witnesses and their differences. In contrast to the classical print edition, however, the medium in which the results of the philological investigation are recorded differs. With the help of the established guidelines of the Text Encoding Initiative, the scholarly statements about the text are recorded in a formal structure in XML format. In a second step, this abstract form is converted into a usable version. The web as a medium allows experimentation with new forms of interaction and user guidance.</p>
<p><a class="more" href="https://dh.ceres.rub.de/en/projects/project/ayn-al-nazar/">Further Details</a></p>Stellenausschreibung: 1 Stelle (50%) im Event Mangement2019-03-05T10:41:51+00:002019-03-06T16:00:32.226476+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/stellenausschreibung-1-stelle-50-im-event-mangement/<p>Das Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamiken der Religionsgeschichte zwischen Asien und Europa</em> sucht zur Unterstützung der Geschäftsstelle zum nächstmöglichem Zeitpunkt eine/n Verwaltungsangestellte/n als Event Manager (m/w/d) in Teilzeit (50,00 % = 19,92 Std./Wo.). Die Stelle ist projektbedingt bis zum 31.03.2020 befristet.</p>
<p>Das Bochumer Käte Hamburger Kolleg ist ein vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung gefördertes interdisziplinäres Zentrum für geisteswissenschaftliche Forschung. Es erforscht die Dynamiken der Entstehung und Verbreitung von Religionen, die wechselseitigen Durchdringungen religiöser Traditionen und deren Verdichtungen in den komplexen Gebilden der sogenannten „Weltreligionen“ im euro-asiatischen Raum.</p>
<p><strong>Aufgaben:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Eigenverantwortliche, selbstständige, organisatorische Leitung der internen und externen Tagungen, Workshops, Symposien und Kongresse - deren Planung, Durchführung und Nachbereitung</li>
<li>Erstellen von Kostenkalkulationen, Ablauf-, Zeit- und Tätigkeitsplänen und Durchführung der Endkalkulation und Erfolgskontrolle, Rechnungsbearbeitung</li>
<li>Überwachung der Veranstaltungs- und Organisationsabläufe, Einsatz von Dienstleistern und Personal, Raumplanung, Sicherstellung eines erfolgreichen Ablaufs</li>
<li>Einladung und serviceorientierte Betreuung der nationalen und internationalen Gäste</li>
<li>Bekanntmachung der Veranstaltungen auf unserer Webpage und geeigneten Fachforen</li>
<li>Unterstützung im Fellow Management</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Profil:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Abgeschlossenes Hochschulstudium z. B. der Betriebswirtschaft mit Schwerpunkt Marketing, der Kommunikationswissenschaft oder Eventmanagement-Ökonom (FH oder BA-Universität) oder vergleichbar</li>
<li>Sehr gute Deutsch- und Englischkenntnisse in Wort und Schrift (C1), idealerweise eine zusätzliche Fremdsprache </li>
<li>Erste Berufserfahrung im Veranstaltungsmanagement</li>
<li>Hohe soziale und kommunikative Kompetenz sowie die Bereitschaft zu flexiblen Arbeitszeiten</li>
<li>Teamfähigkeit, Belastbarkeit und Organisationstalent</li>
<li>Serviceorientierter, sicherer und freundlicher Umgang mit nationalen und internationalen Gastwissenschaftler/innen</li>
<li>Gute EDV-Kenntnisse (MS Office)</li>
</ul>
<p>Das Beschäftigungsverhältnis richtet sich nach dem Tarifvertrag der Länder (TV-L). Die Eingruppierung erfolgt bei Vorliegen der persönlichen bzw. tariflichen Voraussetzungen in Entgeltgruppe 9 TV-L. Diese Ausschreibung richtet sich auch an befristet bzw. unbefristet beschäftigtes Personal (nach TV-L) der Ruhr-Universität Bochum.</p>
<p>Aussagekräftige Bewerbung, bitte per E-Mail (als eine pdf-Datei)<strong> </strong>bis zum 15.03.2019 unter dem Stichwort „Event Manager KHK“ an die administrative Geschäftsführerin <a href="mailto:brigitte.guthmann@rub.de" rel="nofollow">brigitte.guthmann@rub.de</a> senden. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.stellenwerk-bochum.de/jobboerse/verwaltungsangestellter-event-manager-mwd-teilzeit-5000-fuer-das-kaete-hamburger-kolleg-bo-2019-01-21-229596" target="_blank">Offizielle Stellenausschreibung im Stellenwerk Bochum. </a></p>Bochum delegation visits Syracuse2019-03-05T10:00:42+00:002019-03-06T15:57:19.450936+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/bochum-delegation-visits-syracuse/<p>A delegation of Bochum scholars of the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) and the Käte Hamburger Kolleg was welcomed by chilly temperatures and the lake-effect snow in Syracuse in Upstate New York. Since the day before yesterday, the team has been visiting the Syracuse University for several days. CERES and the Department of Religion have been cooperating together in the fields of research, studies and teaching since 2018.</p>
<p>The visit aims to deepen the cooperation and to enable a direct scholarly exchange. Given this, colleagues and postdocs of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg presented their research in a joint workshop. Apart from this, the exchange in teaching and of students shall be stimulated further. In order to pave the way abroad for students of both sides director of CERES Prof. Volkhard Krech and dean of students Dr. Jens Schlamelcher will meet with the partners of the Syracuse University. </p>
<p>The cornerstone of this broad exchange program was laid in the Bochumer Käte Hamburger Kolleg: Syracusan scholar of religion Jim Watts had been a visiting research fellow at the Kolleg in 2015. Subsequent to his affiliation he initiated together with CERES director Volkhard Krech the development of an exchange program between both institutions that includes not only research but also teaching and students.</p>
<p>Besides annual meetings in conferences and workshops, recently the student exchange program was filled with life: John Abercombie, PhD student in Syracuse came to Bochum as first exchange student in Winter term 2018-19. Currently Bochum's PhD candidate Lisa Wevelsiep is visiting the parter institution for her own research. The cooperation especially benefits students from both sides since the partner instiutions complement each other in terms of contents.</p>Job Offer: One Student Assistant for Online Publishing2019-02-28T11:58:31+00:002019-02-28T12:04:09.924690+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/job-offer-one-student-assistant-online-publishing/<p>The international research project Käte Hamburger Kolleg Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe invites applications for the position of a student assistant (wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft, WHB) with a working load of 9 hrs per week.</p>
<p><strong>Tasks:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>support in writing texts for the website and publication for PR</li>
<li>assisting with updating the websites</li>
<li>assisting with proofreading of scientific articles for Entangled Religions</li>
<li>support for organising events</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Requirements:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>detailed knowledge and firm usage of CMS as well as visual software (Corel, Adobe)</li>
<li>ability to work in a team, truthworthiness, flexibility</li>
<li>excellent English and German language skills (oral and written)</li>
</ul>
<p>Please send your application (including a tabular resume, a letter of motivation together as one pdf-file) to <a href="mailto:julia.reiker@rub.de">julia.reiker@rub.de</a> by 8th of March 2019.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.stellenwerk-bochum.de/jobboerse/wissenschaftl-hilfskraft-wiss-hilfskraft-mit-bachelor-bo-2019-02-13-234454" target="_blank">Please find the official job advertisement (in German only) here</a>.</p>KHK Fellow Interview: "Inspiring range of subjects"2019-02-27T12:17:47+00:002019-02-27T12:58:20.126801+00:00Diana Marques Correiahttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/khk-fellow-interview-inspiring-range-subjects/<p><em>End of March 2020, the second funding phase of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe" will come to an end. This research project undoubtlessly has have an impact on the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) for almost ten years since it has been the biggest project with an international reach. It is time to look both back- and forward and to give word to the visiting fellows of the Kolleg. The fourth interview is with the renowned Dutch scholar of ancient religions Jan Bremmer. He was frequently guest in institutions of advanced studies around the world. In his interview he gives insights into what makes the KHK Bochum special. </em></p>
<p><em><strong>How did the KHK Bochum draw your attention for the first time? And why did you apply for it?</strong></em></p>
<p>I first heard about the KHK and the fellowship from Andreas Bendlin and Mareille Haase. They arranged a lecture for me at the KHK, where I met again Volkhard Krech, with whom I had earlier contacts around 2000! Then I saw Volkhard again at the annual meeting of the International Association for the History of Religion (IAHR) in Erfurt 2015, and from there everything continued. I had seen and heard that the KHK is a very inspiring environment so that it seemed a nice place to work and meet new colleagues.</p>
<p><em><strong>How was your research stay in Bochum? And what was your research project about?</strong></em></p>
<p>My wife and I enjoyed living in Bochum, which gradually grows on you. At first it seems just a newish city, but in the course of the year we discovered many nice places. As always, I enjoyed the seminars and the informal contacts, but given my many obligations I worked on a number of things. Important for me was the completion of the first volume of my Collected Essays. I had less time for my proposed project on immanence and transcendence in antiquity, but the importance of the distinction increasingly gave me food for thought.</p>
<p><em><strong>Why is your research topic important for an understanding of religious dynamics and religious contacts?</strong></em></p>
<p>In the study of ancient religion the gods have long been neglected. My focus on the problems connected with their transcendence and immanence and the great difference between pagan and Christian religion in this respect helps to see the dynamics of religious developments in the first centuries of our era.</p>
<p><em><strong>Compared to other institutions of advanced research, what characterizes the KHK Bochum?</strong></em></p>
<p>The difference with other excellent research institutes, such as the Max-Weber-Kolleg in Erfurt is the range of subjects, from ancient China to today, at the inspiring seminars on Mondays. I was especially interested in the focus on media and contemporary religion.</p>
<p><em><strong>What impact did your affiliation with the KHK Bochum have on your own research process?</strong></em></p>
<p>I credit the KHK Bochum with helping me think about the problem of transcendence and immanence as well as acquainting me better with the fascinating worlds of ancient China and Israel.</p>
<p><em><strong>A short look into the future: Given the fact that the KHK Bochum is temporary, what and how should scholars deal with the history of religions in about ten years?</strong></em></p>
<p>Difficult to say, but I would agree with Ulf Plessentin, when he says: “ … thinking about religion across regions, traditions, race, ethnicity, historical periods, etc. in order to see how contact both highlights and forces religious traditions to change. They must be dynamic”. At the same time, I think there will be increasing attention to the material and emotional aspects of religion, as these prove to be increasingly important in our own times.<br />
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Annual Meeting of all Käte Hamburger Kollegs in Bochum2019-02-22T08:37:04+00:002019-02-25T09:13:30.687127+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/annual-meeting-all-kate-hamburger-kollegs-bochum/<p>End of last week, CERES hosted the annual meeting of all ten Käte Hamburger Kollegs. Each institution sent its directorate and managing directors to Bochum for the meeting. This event was organised by the Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe </em>for the second time.</p>
<p>Central to the discussions was the final stage of the Kollegs, which are all funded by the German Ministry of Research. This special funding line was launched by the German government as part of the national Year of Humanities in 2007. The selected Kollegs could apply for maximum two funding periods of six years each. Some of the Kollegs, such as the Bochumer Käte Hamburger Kolleg, will complete its work in 2020.</p>
<p>Besides several administrative topics, the meeting also discussed how the findings of the Kollegs' collaborative research work can be profilerated both inside the participating disciplines of humanities as well as beyond to a broader audience.</p>
<p> </p>Innovative Ways in Museum Communication: The Buddhism ABC2019-01-25T11:10:53+00:002019-01-29T14:22:27.626956+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/innovative-ways-museum-communication-buddhism-abc/<p>Museum Rietberg in Zurich is currently hosting a special exhibition on the rites, teachings, values, stories, and legends of Buddhism. In doing so the exhibition also shows the spread of Buddhist ideas and faith in Asia and beyond. Where did Buddhism arise? Why has it almost disappeared in the region of its origin? Why are Buddhists ideas so well-received in Europe and America of the 20th century? These and more questions are discussed by the exhibition "<a href="http://rietberg.ch/en-gb/exhibitions/naechster-halt-nirvana.aspx" target="_blank">Next Stop Nirvana - Approaches to Buddhism</a>"</p>
<p>Very innovative approaches are taken for the the visitor communication: Instead of a typical exhibition catalogue a "Buddhism ABC" was printed in order to give deeper insights into the world of Buddhism. The publication is a cooperation of the Museum Rietberg with researchers from CERES, as for example the experts on South Asian religions, Prof Jessie Pons and Dr Patrick Felix Krüger. Further fruitful impulses for this project came from Bochum's Käte Hamburger Kollegs working group "Buddhism in Motion" and the ERC-funded research project BuddhistRoad. The booklet gives visitors explanations on the key-terms of Buddhism in simple language and is published in German, French, and English. It further sheds light on the entanglements between the cultural history of this religion and the West.</p>
<p>The exhibition addresses the basic questions of a Western audience on Buddhism and in so doing to the visitors with a little previous knowledge.<br />
Often such thematic exhibitions are less accessible for a wider audience since the descriptions of the objects shown have to be restricted because of a lack of space. The "Buddhism ABC" however, offers help: Many terms, which appear on the description tables of the exhibition's objects but cannot be explain there any further, are made accessable in the booklet. Expecially those visitors, which are less familiar with Buddhism and its cultural enviroments, can find out more on this topic. This publication project of Museum Rietberg and CERES is a new way of public outreach, which gives typical and century proven forms such as exhibitions a new twist.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Job Offer: One Student Assistant for Event Management2019-01-21T17:27:24+00:002019-01-21T17:40:29.421349+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/job-offer-one-student-assistant-event-management/<p>The international research project Käte Hamburger Kolleg Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe invites applications for the position of a student assistant (wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft, WHB) with a working load of 9 hrs per week.</p>
<p><strong>Tasks:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>support for organising international events</li>
<li>assisting the Fellow Service</li>
<li>preparing records</li>
<li>preliminary work for accounting</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Requirements:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>ability to work in a team, truthworthiness, flexibility</li>
<li>excellent English and German language skills (oral and written)</li>
</ul>
<p>Please send your application (including a tabular resume, a letter of motivation together as one pdf-file) to <a href="mailto:ina.heisterkamp@rub.de">ina.heisterkamp@rub.de</a> by 31st of Jan 2019.</p>KHK Fellow Interview: "Amazing growth"2019-01-14T14:45:43+00:002019-01-14T15:04:15.113175+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/khk-fellow-interview-amazing-growth/<p><em>End of March 2020, the second funding phase of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe" will come to an end. This research project undoubtlessly has have an impact on the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) for almost ten years since it has been the biggest project with an international reach. It is time to look both back- and forward and to give word to the visiting fellows of the Kolleg. The third interview is with the Spanish historian of religion Ana María Echevarría. She was several times fellow at the KHK both in the first and second period of funding. Given this, she can draw the development of the institution. </em></p>
<p><em><strong>How did the KHK Bochum draw your attention for the first time? How did you apply for it?</strong></em></p>
<p>I was invited as a Visiting Fellow during year 2011-2012 as part of the <a href="https://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/research/research-fields/expansion/" target="_blank">Research Field "Expansion"</a> of religious traditions under the leadership of Profs. Nikolas Jaspert and Reinhold Glei. While I was there I joined the discussion groups about Missions and Exchanges between the Mediterranean and Central Asia. I also joined the meetings of the Focus Groups on "Inclusion and Demarcation" and "Transfer and Resistance". Since then, my contact with the KHK has been continuous: I have travelled to RUB for several research stays and workshops organized by the consortium members, I organized a conference for the research field in Spain in 2013, and worked together with some former fellows in joint research projects. When I learnt about the possibility to visit Bochum for short periods in order to contribute to <em>Entangled Religions</em>, I applied for another visit (too short this time due to family calendars).</p>
<p><em><strong>How was your research stay in Bochum? And what was your research project here?</strong></em></p>
<p>As I have been a fellow twice, I have submitted two different projects, related to my focus on religious minorities in Medieval Iberia. The first, “<a href="https://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/projects/muslims-as-heretics/" target="_blank">Muslims as Heretics in Spanish Medieval Sources</a>”, focused on the reception of Islam and the explanation of the religious encounter with a new faith in the Iberian Peninsula from the earliest times of the Muslim conquest to the 11th century. It addressed the acculturation of Iberian Christians after the Islamic conquest, processes of demarcation from Muslims and Jews, and theological debates across the Mediterranean. The second project (2018), entitled “<a href="https://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/projects/dhimma/" target="_blank">Dhimma: The Status of Protection in a Mediterranean and Asian Context</a>”, analyses a particular process of inter-religious contact that took place in the broad lands of Islam, from the Mediterranean basin through Africa to Asia, and involved a number of religious groups described as “people of the Book” (<em>ahl al-kitab</em>), who later became known as the “protected people” (<em>ahl al-dhimma</em>). This led to a number of adaptations in Islamic law in order to reorder the place of these alien communities in the social and religious order of their world, following Byzantine and Zoroastrian views. Likewise, the statute of dhimma was transferred to other cultural contexts and transformed into new forms of religious interaction, which I am studying at the moment.</p>
<p><em><strong>Why are your research topic for an understanding of religious dynamics and religious contacts?</strong></em></p>
<p>My topics belong to the different fields of research conducted at the KHK in several ways, as they address religious interaction in contexts of multi-religious and multicultural medieval societies. I also try to relate the Western Mediterranean to exchanges happening in the Middle East and Central Asia, and tracing the different chronologies in distinct geographical areas.</p>
<p><em><strong>Compared to other institutions of advanced research, what characterizes the KHK Bochum?</strong></em></p>
<p>Work at the KHK involves Fellows from different disciplines, countries, chronological periods and cultures but with a very determined hermeneutical agenda –as opposed to other fellowships, that leave the researcher to his/her own topic-, therefore providing new research tools for our disciplines. Involvement in all the activities proposed was almost impossible, but the atmosphere created at KHK-RUB was full of inputs, interesting discussions and flows of ideas, and the relative freedom to attend conferences and workshops there and elsewhere has contributed greatly to creating huge networks of scholars across the world, that other German institutions fail to create, being more national or European-based.</p>
<p><em><strong>What impact had your affiliation with the KHK Bochum on your own research process? Did the research and theoretical work conducted on the KHK influenced your research? And if so how?</strong></em></p>
<p>Absolutely. It changed my way of reading my sources and interpreting them, it provided intellectual exchanges I would never have dreamed of in Spain, it developed my skills as lecturer and discussant of papers in a foreign language. Looking at problems in a global way has changed my understanding of particular histories. Anthropological, semantic and religious dimensions have increased in my methodology. I have also learnt German so that now I can read a whole new world of academic tradition, and participate in thesis, Erasmus and other exchanges in Germany –which I have already done.</p>
<p><em><strong>Why did you visit the KHK several times as researcher?</strong></em><br />
The atmosphere is just inspiring, all the time. Time to read, colleagues to exchange with, ideas for new research groups, books and exhibitions being produced… always energy and new challenges.</p>
<p><em><strong>How did the KHK change in the meantime of your stays over the years?</strong></em></p>
<p>Structurally there have been a number of changes; participants come and go, which makes it a bit difficult to follow sometimes, too many new people each time. The changes of buildings and the development of CERES as a research and teaching endeavor… everything was much smaller when I first arrived in Bochum, but the growth of the whole project is amazing. I think the biggest challenge is still to get the researchers into the German system and the KHK way of working, which are difficult to grasp in a short time for overseas academics.</p>
<p><em><strong>A look into the future: Given the fact that the KHK Bochum is temporary, what and how should scholars deal with the history of religions in about ten years? </strong></em></p>
<p>Fortunately, the need of big consortiums for multidisciplinary research has been acknowledged by other funding bodies, so my hope will be that efforts such as the KHK will continue, and the networks established there will survive in the next years, involving younger scholars.<br />
The topic of the History of religions is huge, and the topics will vary very much depending on the world political and social agenda. The comparative perspective should be enhanced: Greece and Rome should be more contrasted with India and China, and Mesopotamia should come into the discussion as a background also for Judaism and Christianity. Islam needs to be approached in comparative ways that were not contemplated during my stays.</p>
<p>I think Africa and America should also be introduced at some point, because the developments of several faiths cannot be understood without them. We have addressed the topic of religious minorities in a subsequent year at the Konstanz Institute for Advanced Study, where more meetings, discussions and collective articles have developed work already started in Bochum. The topic of violence and religious interaction is being dealt with by some of the Former Fellows and may give important results… the list would be too long.</p>
<p> </p>KHK Fellow Interview: "Generous and engaged research collaboration"2018-12-17T14:28:57+00:002018-12-17T15:42:11.228024+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/khk-fellow-interview-generous-and-engaged-research-collaboration/<p><em>End of March 2020, the second funding phase of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe" will come to an end. This research project undoubtlessly has have an impact on the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) for almost ten years since it has been the biggest project with an international reach. It is time to look both back- and forward and to give word to the visiting fellows of the Kolleg. The second interview is taken with Professor James Watts of Syracuse University. His research stay at the KHK proved to be enormously productive and fruitful for the international relations of CERES: The Department of Religion of Syracuse University and the CERES agreed on a deeper collaboration including and exchange not only of researchers but also students. The first American PhD student came to Bochum to study in winter term 2018/19. </em></p>
<p><em>---</em></p>
<p><strong><em>How did the KHK Bochum draw your attention for the first time? And why did you apply for it?</em></strong></p>
<p>Professor Christian Frevel sent me the call for applications, with the strong recommendation that I apply.</p>
<p><strong><em>How was your research stay in Bochum? And what was your research project about?</em></strong></p>
<p>My research stay in Bochum was very nice, and very productive. I was researching the role of sensation in the ritualization of iconic books. The output was a symposium on the subject which then led to the publication of the collection of essays, <a href="https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/sensing-sacred/" target="_blank"><em>Sensing Sacred Texts</em></a>. I also wrote another book while in Bochum: <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Understanding+the+Pentateuch+as+a+Scripture-p-9781405196390" target="_blank"><em>Understanding the Pentateuch as a Scripture</em></a>.</p>
<p><strong><em>Why is your research topic important for an understanding of religious dynamics and religious contacts?</em></strong></p>
<p>As the <a href="https://static.ceres.rub.de/legacy/uploads/khk/workshop_sensing_sacred.pdf" target="_blank"><em>Sensing Sacred Texts</em></a> conference and book illustrated, many religious traditions ritualize sacred texts in similar ways, while also exhibiting distinctive variations by tradition, location, and time period. It is also the case that one tradition’s customs for ritualizing books influence other traditions that become aware of them, especially in this age of world-wide media information.</p>
<p><strong><em>Compared to other institutions of advanced research, what characterizes the KHK Bochum?</em></strong></p>
<p>KHK Bochum was, in my experience, characterized by an exceptionally committed and congenial group of long-term researchers at CERES. They provided the KHK not only with research direction, but also - and even more importantly - with a culture of generous and engaged research collaboration that influenced the visiting fellows as well.</p>
<p><strong><em>What impact did your affiliation with the KHK Bochum have on your own research process?</em></strong></p>
<p>The collaborative research of the KHK directly influenced my own research, as evidenced by the following articles and book chapters: “Scripture’s Indexical Touch” in <em><a href="https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/sensing-sacred/" target="_blank">Sensing Sacred Texts</a></em> (2018), “Books as Sacred Beings” submitted to <em><a href="https://journals.equinoxpub.com/index.php/POST" target="_blank">Postscripts</a></em>, and “Sensation and Metaphor in Ritual Performance: the Example of Sacred Texts,” submitted to <a href="http://er.ceres.rub.de" target="_blank"><em>Entangled Religions</em></a>. It will continue to exert influence on my future publications as well.</p>
<p><strong><em>A short look into the future: Given the fact that the KHK Bochum is temporary, what and how should scholars deal with the history of religions in about ten years?</em></strong></p>
<p>The structure of the KHK Bochum proved to be very conductive for generating creative and significant research by visiting fellows and also CERES staff. The first lesson, then, is that this kind of research structure should be replicated again. And I believe that research topics are best generated organically from the work of individual researchers and their encounters with each other. In this, the KHK Bochum excelled. I hope that CERES will find ways to continue such productive encounters into the future.</p>
<p> </p>KHK Gastwissenschaftler besuchen Kunstausstellung2018-11-29T17:31:41+00:002018-11-29T17:48:30.639536+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/khk-gastwissenschaftler-besuchen-kunstausstellung/<p>Beuys, Warhol, Kippenberger: Werke von diesen drei für das letzte Drittel des 20. Jahrhunderts so einflussreichen Künstler, aber auch historische Jaina-Statuen und christliche Kunst zeigt die Ausstellung <a href="http://www.kunstmuseumbochum.de/ausstellung-veranstaltung/details/bild-macht-religion-kunst-zwischen-verehrung-verbot-und-vernichtung/" target="_blank">BILD MACHT RELIGION - Kunst zwischen Verehrung, Verbot und Vernichtung</a> derzeit im Kunstmuseum Bochum. Die Ausstellung ist ein Gemeinschaftsprojekt mit dem Centrum für Religionswissenschafliche Studien (CERES).</p>
<p>Gestern besuchte eine Gruppe von Gastwissenschaftler/innen des Käte Hamburger Kollegs Dynamiken der Religionsgeschichte diese Ausstellung. Die internationalen Besucher trafen auf Kunstwerke, denen sie sich teilweise schon in ihren Forschungsarbeiten gewidmet haben. So sind für die tschechische Tibetologin Anna Sehnalova die Arbeiten des aus Tibet stammenden Künstlers <span class="irc_su" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Tsherin Sherpa</span> keine Neuheit. Die Gegenüberstellung mit christlichen und anderen religiösen Motiven aber stellt eine Innovation dar. Durch diese Gegenüberstellung wird der Umgang mit dem Bild religionsübergreifend sichtbar.</p>
<p>Das Team der Gastwissenschaftler/innen wurde fachkundig von Vertr.-Prof. Dr. Martin Radermacher durch die Ausstellung geführt. Zusammen mit anderen Fachleuten des CERES hat er an der Konzeption und Realisierung der Ausstellung mitgewirkt und konnte dementsprechend Hintergrundinformation zur Auswahl der gezeigten Kunstobjekte anbieten.</p>
<p>Die Ausstellung wird noch bis zum 24. Februar 2019 im Kunstmuseum Bochum gezeigt.</p>Job Offer: One Student Assistant for Public Relations and Online Publishing2018-11-26T11:14:22+00:002018-11-26T11:26:55.414287+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/job-offer-one-student-assistant-public-relations-and-online-publishing/<p>The international research project Käte Hamburger Kolleg Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe invites applications for the position of a student assistant (wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft, WHB) with a working load of 9 hrs per week.</p>
<p><strong>Tasks:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>support in writing texts for the website and publication for PR</li>
<li>assisting with updating the websites</li>
<li>assisting with proofreading of scientific articles for Entangled Religions</li>
<li>support for organising events</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Requirements:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>detailed knowledge and firm usage of CMS as well as visual software (Corel, Adobe)</li>
<li>ability to work in a team, truthworthiness, flexibility</li>
<li>excellent English and German language skills (oral and written)</li>
</ul>
<p>Please send your application ((including a tabular resume, a letter of motivation together as one pdf-file) to <a href="mailto:ulf.plessentin@rub.de, julia.reiker@rub.de">ulf.plessentin@rub.de and julia.reiker@rub.de</a> by 30th of November 2018.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.stellenwerk-bochum.de/jobboerse/wissenschaftl-hilfskraft-wiss-hilfskraft-fuer-oeffentlichkeitsarbeit-und-online-publishing-bo-2018-11-08-217905" target="_blank">Please find the official job advertisement (in German only) here. </a></p>KHK Fellow Interview: "The most rewarding year"2018-11-20T18:48:26+00:002018-12-17T15:42:21.940273+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/khk-fellow-interview-most-rewarding-year/<p><em>End of March 2020, the second funding phase of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe" will come to an end. This research project undoubtlessly has have an impact on the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) for almost ten years since it has been the biggest project with an international reach. It is time to look both back- and forward and to give word to the visiting fellows of the Kolleg. As a start, the first interview is given by the 100th fellow of the KHK, who is Caleb Simmons, currently Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Arizona. He spent his year at the Kolleg from October 2016 to September 2017.</em></p>
<p>---</p>
<p><em><strong>How did the KHK Bochum draw your attention for the first time? And why did you apply for it?</strong></em></p>
<p>I first heard about the KHK and the fellowship at the International Association for the History of Religion (IAHR) in Erfurt. I approached the table to speak with the managing editor of the KHK’s journal Entangled Religions, who told be all about the Kolleg and the fellowship. I knew immediately that this would be the perfect place for me to be. So, I started working on my application immediately (even though I wasn’t supposed to go on sabbatical for two more years). The application process was easy, particularly because the topic for the year that I was applying (transcendence and immanence) so closely aligned with my own interests (theories of sovereignty in India).</p>
<p><em><strong>How was your research stay in Bochum? And what was your research project about?</strong></em></p>
<p>My research stay in Bochum was one of the most rewarding years of my life. Bochum is a wonderful little city that is well-connected to other larger metropolitan and university cities throughout the region. My partner and I thoroughly enjoyed living in Bochum, and we both miss it horribly. Additionally, the KHK has such a vibrant academic culture with lectures and research workshops and conferences happening almost daily; I found my own research steadily becoming more interesting and rigorous through the constant flow of high-level discussion taking place at every turn. Through these interactions my research project evolved into a study of the ways that Indian sovereignty was articulated through religious idioms during the incipient years of British colonialism.</p>
<p><em><strong>Why is your research topic important for an understanding of religious dynamics and religious contacts?</strong></em></p>
<p>My research closely examines how religion serves as a dynamic site through which meaning is constructed and negotiated. This is particularly true in moments of change and contact with outside worldviews, beliefs, and practices. My work focuses on the intersection of these moments and how the dynamic (though often perceived and evoked as unchanging or eternal) nature of religion provides an idiom through Indian kings and their courts employed religious language and history to ground their precarious sovereignty in the face of burgeoning British colonial hegemony.</p>
<p><em><strong>Compared to other institutions of advanced research, what characterizes the KHK Bochum?</strong></em></p>
<p>The most striking characteristic of the KHK Bochum is the intellectual ferment. This is fostered at the many events, but most importantly in the Monday meetings. It is an absolutely brilliant model to have all fellows and faculty meet for a continued and sustained discussion of one larger theoretical topic. Those discussions set the tone for the entire year. This, however, is complemented by an immense about of freedom to travel, conduct research, and write. It is a perfect balance of structured group work and individual free-space. The model is extremely effective and led all of the fellows from my cohort to produce great quality work.</p>
<p><em><strong>What impact did your affiliation with the KHK Bochum have on your own research process?</strong></em></p>
<p>I credit the KHK Bochum with helping me think about my topic more broadly. It is a difficult process to move from writing for a doctoral dissertation or thesis to engaging a wider audience through theoretical connections. KHK Bochum forces scholars to “translate” their work into language that Religious Studies scholars from other fields can find intelligible. The process is extremely beneficial for everyone involved.</p>
<p><em><strong>A short look into the future: Given the fact that the KHK Bochum is temporary, what and how should scholars deal with the history of religions in about ten years? </strong></em></p>
<p>Wow. This is a hard one to answer, but, to be perfectly honest, I think that the KHK Bochum was ahead of the curve and that in about ten years scholarship will be tending toward the broader goal of the KHK, that is, thinking beyond borders. By this, I don’t just mean national borders but thinking about religion across regions, traditions, race, ethnicity, historical periods, etc. in order to see how contact both highlights and forces religious traditions to change. They must be dynamic. With this, the study of religion must continue to be more inter/multi-disciplinary, and scholarship will continue to place different media in conversation with one another to get a fuller picture of how religion functions and how it is articulated by practitioners.</p>
<p> </p>Zweitägige Tagung im Kunstmuseum Bochum zur Ambivalenz von Bildern in Kunst und Religion2018-11-07T10:42:08+00:002018-11-07T10:56:58.049151+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/zweitagige-tagung-im-kunstmuseum-bochum-zur-ambivalenz-von-bild-kunst-und-religion/<p>Wie stehen Religionen zu Bildern? Und wie bedient sich Kunst religiöser Bildsprache? Diese uns mehr Fragen werden auf der Tagung "Zur Ambivalenz der Bilder in Kunst und Religion" verhandelt. Sie beginnt heute Abend mit einem öffentlichen Podiumsgespräch im Kunstmuseum Bochum. Der Grünenpolitiker Volker Beck trifft dazu auf den Religionswissenschaftler Volkhard Krech. Sie erörtern gemeinsam die vielfältigen Verbindeung zwischen Bild, Macht, Religion - so wie die gleichnamige Ausstellung heißt, die derzeit im Kunstmuseum Bochum gezeigt wird.</p>
<p>Die zweitägige Tagung schließt daran an: Bei dem Kontakt zwischen verschiedenen Religion oder unterschiedlichen Traditionssträngen einer Religion gibt es nicht selten Konflikte, die zwar nicht gewalttätig sein müssen, aber durchaus die Grundlagen betreffen. So auch bei der "Bilderfrage" nach dem erlaubten oder richtigen Einsatz von bildlichen Darstellungen im religiösen Kontext.</p>
<p>In der europäischen Kunstgeschichte ist der byzantinische Ikonoklasmus und der nachreformatorische Bildersturm zentral. Aber auch außerhalb Europas ist der Umgang mit Bildern, Statuen und anderen visuellen Darstellungsformen im religiösen Bereich ambivalent und spannungsreich: Zum einen ermöglichen Bilder, etwas zu sehen, was anders nicht zu sehen ist. Sie machen das Abwesende anwesend und bearbeiten damit ein zentrales Grundproblem religiöser Kommunikation. Zum anderen zeigen Bilder etwas, was vielleicht nicht gezeigt werden und besser im Unsichtbaren bleiben möge; z. B. weil das Gezeigte mit dem Bild identifiziert werden könnte.</p>
<p>Auf diese Spannung reagieren Kunst und Religion in ihrer je eigner Weise: Während einige religiöse Positionen besonders bilderfreundlich sind und im Dargestellten die Präsenz des Göttlichen sehen, reagieren andere religiöse Strömungen mit Bilderverboten oder der Zerstörung von Bildern – manchmal bis hin zu gewalttätigen Auseinandersetzungen.</p>Tagung zu Religion und Kunst: Podiumsgespräch statt Abendvorträge2018-10-31T19:02:37+00:002018-11-07T10:42:04.283472+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/tagung-zu-religion-und-kunst-podiumsgesprach-statt-abendvortrage/<p>Vom 7. bis 9. November 2018 organisiert das <a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de" target="_blank">Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamiken der Religionsgeschichte zwischen Asien und Europa</em></a> eine interdisziplinäre Tagung unter der Titel "<a href="https://ceres.rub.de/de/veranstaltungen/fachtagung-ikonoklasmus/" target="_blank">Zur Ambivalenz der Bilder in Kunst und Religion</a>". Die Tagung findet im Kunstmuseum Bochum statt und ist Teil des Begleitprogrammes zur aktuellen Ausstellung <a href="http://www.kunstmuseumbochum.de/ausstellung-veranstaltung/details/bild-macht-religion-kunst-zwischen-verehrung-verbot-und-vernichtung/" target="_blank">BILD MACHT RELIGION</a>. Die Ausstellung wurde vom Kunstmuseum in Kooperation mit dem Centrum für Religionswissenschaftliche Studien (CERES) konzipiert.</p>
<p><strong>Statt Abendvorträge Podiumsdiskussion</strong></p>
<p>Als Teil der Tagung waren zwei öffentliche Abendvorträge geplant: Zum Auftakt sollte der Kunsthistoriker Hans Belting am 7. November 2018 sprechen. Einen Abend später sollte der diesjährige Gewinner des Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels, der Ägyptologe Jan Assmann, reden. Beide Abendvorträge müssen gesundheitsbedingt kurzfristig abgesagt werden.</p>
<p>Anstelle des Auftaktvortrages konnte ein Podiumsgespräch mit Volker Beck zum Thema Kunstfreiheit und Religionsfreiheit organisiert werden. Volker Beck studierte vor seiner politischen Karriere Kunstgeschichte und war in der der letzten Legislaturperiode religionspolitischer Sprecher der Bundestagsfraktion B'90/Grüne. Zusammen mit dem Religionswissenschaftler Volkhard Krech und dem Publikum wird er die vielfältigen Verquickungen und Ambivalenzen zwischen Bildern, Macht und Religionen erörtern. Das Podiumsgespräch beginnt am Mittwoch, den 7. November 2018 um 18 Uhr im Kunstmuseum Bochum.</p>
<p>Der Abendvortrag von Jan Assmann am 8. November 2018 muss entfallen. Das Käte Hamburger Kolleg bemüht sich, dass die ausgefallenen Abendvorträge von Jan Assmann und Hans Belting im Rahmen des Begleitprogrammes der Ausstellung BILD MACHT RELIGION zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt nachgeholt werden können.</p>New Publication: Religious Boundaries for Sex, Gender, and Corporeality2018-10-23T15:43:55+00:002018-10-23T16:24:26.744158+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/new-publication-religious-boundaries-sex-gender-and-corporeality/<p>Since haste makes waste, it was not until recently, a collection of CERES researchers and visiting researchers of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg Dynamics in the History of Religions published a book on the nexus of religious boundaries, gender, sex and the physical nature of the human body. The ideas to this volume came into being on a conference organised in the late first phase of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg with all contributers.</p>
<p>The book <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Religious-Boundaries-for-Sex-Gender-and-Corporeality/Cuffel-Echevarria-Halkias/p/book/9780815399506" target="_blank"><em>Religious Boundaries for Sex, Gender, and Corporeality</em> (Routledge, 2018)</a> is edited by Käte Hamburger Kollegs director Prof. Alexandra Cuffel with former visiting research fellows Ana Echevarria and Georgios T. Halkias.</p>
<p>The ambiguity concerning the interpretation of the ‘physical body’ in religious thought is not peculiar to any given religion, but is discernible in the scriptures, practices, and disciplines in most of the world’s major religious traditions. This book seeks to address the nuances of difference within and between religious traditions in the treatment and understanding of what constitutes the body as a carrier of religious meaning and/or vindication of doctrine.</p>
<p>Bringing together an international team of contributors from different disciplines, this collection addresses the intersection of religion, gender, corporeality and/or sexuality in various Western and Eastern cultures. The book analyses instances when religious meaning is attributed to the human body’s physicality and its mechanics in contrast to imagined or metaphorical bodies. In other cases, it is shown that the body may function either as a vehicle or a hindrance for mystical knowledge. The chapters are arranged chronologically and across religious orientations, to offer a differentiated view on the body from a global perspective.</p>
<p>This collection is an exciting exploration of religion and the human body. As such, it will be of great interest to scholars in religious studies, theology, Islamic studies, South Asian studies, history of religions and gender studies.</p>BILD MACHT RELIGION Austellungseröffnung 13. Oktober 20182018-10-12T15:23:52+00:002018-10-23T16:24:55.882122+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/bild-macht-religion-austellungseroffnung-13-oktober-2018/<p>Die Bilder hängen und die letzten Arbeiten sind in den Räumen des Kunstmuseums Bochum zu vernehmen, bevor morgen, am 13. Oktober 2018, die Ausstellung <a href="http://www.kunstmuseumbochum.de/ausstellung-veranstaltung/details/bild-macht-religion-kunst-zwischen-verehrung-verbot-und-vernichtung/" target="_blank">BILD MACHT RELIGION - Kunst zwischen Verehrung, Verbot und Vernichtung</a> feierlich eröffnet wird. </p>
<p>Der Umgang mit Bildern in Religion und Kunst ist ambivalent: Zum einen ermöglichen Bilder, etwas zu sehen, was anders nicht zu sehen ist – zum Beispiel Heilige, Götter oder transzendente Wesen. Bilder können dabei etwas Anziehendes haben; sie können faszinieren und begeistern. Zum anderen zeigen Bilder etwas, das vielleicht besser im Unsichtbaren bleiben möge – nicht nur, weil das Gezeigte furchterregend ist, sondern weil es mit dem Bild identifiziert werden und eine Macht entfalten kann, die sich der menschlichen Kontrolle entzieht.</p>
<p>Die Ausstellung „BILD MACHT RELIGION: Kunst zwischen Verehrung, Verbot und Vernichtung“ thematisiert diese zwiespältige Rolle von Bildern, Statuen und anderen Darstellungsformen. Gezeigt werden Arbeiten von Joseph Beuys, Berlinde De Bruyckere, Lalla Essaydi, Nicola Samorì, Michael Triegel, Andy Warhol, Ben Willikens und anderen internationalen Künstler/innen der Gegenwart. Dazu kommen historische Objekte aus verschiedenen religiösen Traditionen, die sich in verschiedenen Weisen mit der „Bilderfrage“ befassen.</p>
<p>Dabei wird deutlich, dass Religionen nicht pauschal als entweder „bilderfreundlich“ oder „bilderfeindlich“ zu verstehen sind, sondern dass die Ambivalenz im Umgang mit Bildern sich quer durch die Religionen zieht. Aber auch die Kunst der Gegenwart hat eine Sensibilität für die Anwesenheit des Abwesenden und die Abwesenheit des Anwesenden ausgebildet.</p>
<p>Die Ausstellung ist ein Gemeinschaftsprojekt des Kunstmuseums Bochum mit dem Centrum für Religionswissenschaftliche Studien (CERES) der Ruhr-Universität Bochum. Beide Institutionen haben im Winter 2016 einen gemeinsamen Kooperationsvertrag unterschrieben, um derartige Projekte realisieren zu können. Seit den ersten Vorbereitungen April 2016 wurden die Themen der Ausstellung, des Begleitprogrammes und der zugehörigen Publikation in einem intensiven Arbeitsprozess, in den weitere Kuratoren und Fachwissenschaftler/innen eingebunden sind, herausgearbeitet.</p>
<p>Die Ausstellungseröffnung beginnt um 17 Uhr.</p>Stellenanzeige: Verwaltungsangestellte/r in Sekretariat/Office Management2018-09-25T11:44:19+00:002018-10-23T16:25:14.094741+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/stellenanzeige-verwaltungsangestellter-sekretariatoffice-management/<p>Am Centrum für Religionswissenschaftliche Studien (CERES) ist zum nächstmöglichen Zeitpunkt eine Stelle zur Vertretung als Verwaltungsangestellte/r für das Sekretariat (m/w) in Vollzeit (39,83 Std./Wo. = 100,00%) zu besetzen. Es handelt sich hierbei um eine befristete Stelle bis zum 31.12.2020.</p>
<p><strong>Aufgaben:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>allgemeine Sekretariatsarbeiten,</li>
<li>stilsichere Erledigung sämtlicher allgemeiner Korrespondenz zu einem hohen Anteil in englischer Sprache,</li>
<li>administrative Abwicklung von allen Geschäftsvorgängen wie z.B. Bearbeitung von Posteingang/Postausgang, Bestellungen, Beschaffungsanträgen, Werk- und Honorarverträge, Inventarisierung, E-Mail Verteiler erstellen und verwalten, etc.,</li>
<li>optimale Reiseplanung bzgl. Reisezeit und Kosten, Erfragung von An- und Abreisedaten der ZWE CERES MitarbeiterInnen sowie der externen Gastwissenschaftler*innen</li>
<li>administrative Abwicklung von Dienstreisen wie Dienstreiseanträge, Buchung von Flügen, Bahn, Hotel etc.,</li>
<li>Budgetierung der geplanten Reisen und periodengerechter Ist-Kostenabgleich</li>
<li>selbstständige Haushalts- und Drittmittelverwaltung</li>
<li>Überprüfung aller Buchungsvorgänge</li>
<li>Rechnungsbearbeitung und Überwachung der Zahlungseingänge und ggf. Weiterleitung an Projektpartner</li>
<li>Führung der relevanten Beleglisten</li>
<li>Unterstützung und Vertretung von Event- und Fellow Service Management</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Anforderungen:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Bewerber*innen haben eine abgeschlossene kaufmännische Berufsausbildung oder eine vergleichbare Ausbildung im öffentlichen Dienst,</li>
<li>Berufserfahrung in den Bereichen Verwaltung/Sekretariat erwünscht,</li>
<li>sehr guter Umgang mit MS-Office-Produkten insbesondere Excel,</li>
<li>eigenverantwortliche Aufgabenwahrnehmung und Serviceorientierung,</li>
<li>sehr gute Deutschkenntnisse in Wort und Schrift,</li>
<li>gute Englischkenntnisse in Wort und Schrift sind wünschenswert.</li>
</ul>
<p>Aussagekräftige Bewerbungsunterlagen bitte per E-Mail (als eine pdf-Datei) bis zum 12.10.2018 an <a href="mailto:ina.heisterkamp@rub.de">ina.heisterkamp@rub.de</a> senden. Fahrtkosten, Übernachtungskosten und Verdienstausfall für Vorstellungsgespräche werden nicht erstattet.</p>
<p>Weitere Informationen in der offiziellen Stellenausschreibung im <a href="https://www.stellenwerk-bochum.de/jobboerse/verwaltungsangestellter-verwaltungsangestellter-sekretariatoffice-management-vertretung-bo-2018-07-24-197035" target="_blank">Stellenwerk Bochum</a>.</p>
<p> </p>New Publication: Buddhist Networks in East Asia2018-06-19T14:03:38+00:002018-06-21T08:31:18.775270+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/new-publication-buddhist-networks-east-asia/<p>Just days ago, the latest volume of the <a href="https://brill.com/view/serial/DHR" target="_blank">"Dynamics in the History of Religions"</a> (Brill) was published under the title <a href="https://brill.com/abstract/title/37937" target="_blank">"Buddhist Encounters and Identities Across East Asia"</a>. Edited by Ann Heirman, Carmen Meinert (CERES professor, principal investigator of <a href="https://buddhistroad.ceres.rub.de/en/" target="_blank">BuddhistRoad</a>, and member of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg Bochum), and Christoph Anderl, volume 10 in the series collects articles, which focus on the whole range of encounters, networks and identities that has formed Buddhism in East Asia since.</p>
<p>The history of Buddhism is formed by encounters, networks, identities and diversity. These key concepts are focused by the articles collected in this volume from different perspectives: While long-distance networks allowed Buddhist ideas to travel to all parts of East Asia, it was through local and trans-local networks and encounters, and a diversity of people and societies, that identities were made and negotiated. This book undertakes a detailed examination of discrete Buddhist identities rooted in unique cultural practices, beliefs and indigenous socio-political conditions. Moreover, it presents a fascinating picture of the intricacies of the regional and cross-regional networks that connected South and East Asia.</p>
<p>The series "Dynamics in the History of Religions" is edited by Volkhard Krech and Licia Di Giacinto, both Käte Hamburger Kolleg, Bochum. It focuses on the crucial role of mutual encounters in the origins, development, and internal differentiation of the major religious traditions. The primary thesis of the series consists in the assumption that interconnections of self-perception and perception by the other, of adaptation and demarcation are crucial factors for historical dynamics within the religious field.</p>
<p><strong>Bibliographical Information:</strong></p>
<p><em><strong>Buddhist Encounters and Identities Across East Asia</strong></em>, ed. by Ann Heirman, Carmen Meinert, and Christoph Anderl, in: <em>Dynamics in the History of Religions</em>, Brill, 2018 - ISBN: 978-90-04-36615-2</p>
<p>Contributors are: Christoph Anderl, Claudine Bautze-Picron, Megan Bryson, Max Deeg, Bart Dessein, Ann Heirman, Kaiqi Hua, Bryan Levman, Pei-ying Lin, Rob Linrothe, Carmen Meinert, Tansen Sen, Henrik H. Sørensen, Steven Trenson, and Sem Vermeersch</p>
<p> </p>A Fresh Start for a New Research Project on Religious Evolution2018-04-18T14:55:07+00:002018-04-18T16:13:41.751992+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/fresh-start-new-research-project-religious-evolution/<p>Earlier today, the new research project <em><a href="https://there.ceres.rub.de/en/" target="_blank">THERE - Theory and Empiricism of Religious Evolution</a></em> was launched at the Center for Religious Studies (CERES). The project is led by sociologist and historian of religion, Professor Volkhard Krech. It is funded by the Reinhart Koselleck funding line of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for the next five years.</p>
<p>The project aims to develope a theory of religious evolution that is deeply rooted in religious studies, or German "Religionswissenschaft". For this theory of religious evolution Volkhard Krech intends to combine approaches from the sciences, social sciences, and humanities alike. He builds up on his own research and the findings of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg ‘Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe’, which he has been directed for the last nine years. In doing so, he will focus the internal development of religion without segregating it from the contexts of societal, physical, organic and mental evolution.</p>
<p><strong>Request for Online-Exchange during the Research</strong></p>
<p>Since developing scientific theories would not been possible without the academic exchange with colleagues working on that topic, the project's website invokes different features to interact. Experts in this field are requested to discuss and comment Volkhard Krech's theoretical contributions online at the website <a href="https://there.ceres.rub.de/en/" target="_blank">there.ceres.rub.de/en/</a> before being published in order to stimulate an academic discussion. Furthermore, this feature enables the author to respond or even involve possible objections and arguments in the working process. Additionally literature suggestions and comments are welcome.</p>
<p>Besides that several international workshops are planned on a regular base to enable the fruitful exchange with researchers from different disciplines. Finally the results shall be published in a three volume publication both in German and English.</p>
<p><strong>More Information</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://there.ceres.rub.de/en/" target="_blank">Website of the THERE project: there.ceres.rub.de/en/</a><br />
<a href="http://book.there.ceres.rub.de/works/there/" target="_blank">Direct link to the research program: book.there.ceres.rub.de/works/there/</a></p>
Directorate of the KHK changed2018-04-17T08:27:13+00:002018-04-17T10:01:13.494480+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/directorate-khk-changed/<p><!--StartFragment-->At the beginning of the new term, founding director and long-time head of Käte Hamburger Kolleg, handed over his position to two directors.</p>
<p>For one decade, almost exact to the day <a href="https://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/" target="_blank">Käte Hamburger Kolleg </a><em><a href="https://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/" target="_blank">Dynamics in the History of Religions</a> between Asia and Europe</em> has been led by sociologist and scholar of religion Volker Krech. Together with scholars from Bochum it was him who shaped the focuses and developments of the biggest research project in humanties of the Ruhr Universität. At the beginning of summer term 2018, he handed over his leading role to the duo of directors, consisting of Alexandra Cuffel and Kianoosh Rezania. The reason for this change of heads is more than pleasant: In the upcoming five years, Volkhard Krech will dedicate his work to the project <em>Theory and Empiricism of Religious Evolution</em>, funded by the DFG line in the Reinhart Kosellek program. Part of the research done at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg will be incorporated in the theory of religious evolution to be developed.</p>
<p>The newly assigned duo of directors perfectly reflects the success story of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg. Both directors, mediavist and scholar of Jewish religion Alexandra Cuffel and scholar of Iranian studies Kianoosh Rezania first came to the Kolleg as visiting research fellows. Eventually they were appointed as professors at the Center for Religious Studies (CERES). Since then they have been actively engaged in the research work of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg and actively shaped its directions. Alexandra Cuffel is professor of Jewis Religion in Past and Present Times and principal invesigator of the research project <a href="https://www.jewseast.org/">JewsEast</a> funded by the European Research Counsil. Additionally to his position as professor of History of West Asian Religions Kianoosh Rezania holds also responsible for young researchers at the CERES helping young academic professionals on the early stages of their careers and PhD projects. </p>
5 Days, 2 Workshops, 29 Experts2018-03-13T15:40:04+00:002018-03-13T17:18:36.652283+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/5-days-2-workshops-29-experts/<p>Almost at the end of winter term, Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions" invited renowned experts from all over the world for two workshops. Even if the focus of the two events differed in time and geografical space, both dealt with religious contact and its effects. For that purpose, 29 experts of varying academic fields came to Bochum, from as far as Australia, Sibiria or the Mid West of the USA.</p>
<p>As a start, the workshop "<a href="https://ceres.rub.de/en/events/traditional-religions-secularisms-and-revivals/" target="_blank">Traditional Religions, Secularism, and Revivals</a>" was held last Friday and Saturday. Organised by current KHK Visiting Research Fellow Ivan Sablin, the workshop was dedicated to the contact between Buddhism, Schamanism and non-religious ideologies to be found in the vast areas between Tibet and Siberia. All participants, however, made clear in their presentations that both secularism as well as religion are concept that derived from a European background deply rooted within the Western history of ideas. Thus, they are only insufficient if not inadequate concepts for describing Buddhism and Shamanism alike. However, as history shows, both concepts were applied - or forcefully implemented e.g. by the Russian state - as selfdescriptions in the 20th and 21st centuries. This may haved effected a changing social structure of religious groups as well as the rise of newly shaped religious and homogeneous identities - tendencies especially used by Buddhist, while Shamanism became more and more societal marginialised.</p>
<p>The second workshop looked at the European history of ideas of early modern times. Entitled "<a href="https://ceres.rub.de/en/events/holy_affections/" target="_blank">Holy Affections and Religious Entanglements in Early Modern Europe</a>" it focused the role of religious emotions in different discourses of that era. The starting point for this special topic was the observation that despite their religious and confessional differences, religious scholars of various backgrounds attested religious emotions a special quality, morally outstanding in comparison to other kinds of feelings. The workshop was organised and headed by Knut Stünkel (KHK post-doc) and Giovanni Tarantino (KHK Visiting Research Fellow). The papers presented shed light on the religious contacts of the early period of colonialism, especially the case of New-France on the North American continent as well as of the Indonesian archipelago. Colonialist with differing religious confession encountered indigenous people with often unknown religious and ritual traditions. Additionally, the contact of theologians and the rising circles of early Enlightenment Freethinkers was also picked out as a topic. Given these inter- and extra-religious contacts, the presenters illustrated that religious emotions are part of a negotiation process and may form anew during new encounters.</p>
From Buddha Images to Prayer Apps: International Workshop on Religion and Media2018-01-17T16:57:09+00:002018-01-18T08:47:38.508574+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/buddha-images-prayer-apps-international-workshop-religion-and-media/<p>When it comes to media and religion, quite often the view is directed either towards televangelists, the presentation of religious groups in print and TV programmes or even the ways of how religious actors use, e. g. Salafis in the social media. This admittedly rather narrowed focus on recent media, however, shall be widened with the international workshop <a href="https://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/events/religion-media-and-materiality/" target="_blank">„Religion, Media, and Materiality: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Religious Authority“</a>. It takes place in the Käte Hamburger Kolleg with renowned academics from all over the world. </p>
<p>The organisers Jessie Pons, Junior Professor at CERES, and Giulia Evolvi, post-doc at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg, draw upon a wide conceptualizing of media that include among others artifacts, images, books, TV, the Internet as well as embodied practices, multi-sensory experiences and sacral spaces. In particular, the workshop assumes a material approach to investigate the following topics: Religion authorizing media, media authorizing religion, mediated representations of religion.</p>
<p>Religious practice necessarily involves the use of media to bridge the gap between immanence and transcendence. Scholarship has been increasingly interested in the relationship between religion and media on the one side and how material and immaterial objects become entangled in religious belief-systems and practices on the other. This workshop brings both often separated approaches together. In this respect, the issue of authority emerges as paramount.</p>
<p>The workshop includes scholars from different disciplines –religious studies, media studies, art history, philology – presenting a wide range of case studies from different geographical and historical contexts, focusing both on authority as discussed within specific religious communities and as negotiated between different religious groups.</p>
<p>During the workshop, three internationally renowned scholars present <a href="https://static.ceres.rub.de/media/uploads/2018/01/09/201803_w_media_religion_web-min.pdf" target="_blank">keynote speeches</a>. As a start, cultural anthropologist Birgit Meyer (Universität Utrecht) talks about the issue of materiality in religious plural constellations. Moreover, Robert DeCaroli (George Mason University, Virginia/USA) will focus on the iconographic orgins of Buddha images in South Asia, while on the third day, Stewart Hoover (University of Colorado, Boulder) delivers a keynote speech. As Professor of both media studies and religious studies, he is one of the internationally renowned academic key figures that conducted fundamental research work in the field of religion and media. </p>
<p>But even if the concept of media is stretched far beyond its current every day use, the participants use rather young online media during the workshop as well: Find their comments and impression under <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RMM18?src=hash&lang=de" target="_blank">#RMM18</a> at twitter. <br />
</p>
Buddhism in the Museum: Finding Innovative Ways for Exhibitions2017-12-07T11:11:45+00:002018-01-08T12:39:59.314950+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/buddhism-museum-finding-innovative-ways-exhibitions/<p><!--StartFragment-->The art of showing religions in museums is one of its own. Is it enough to exhibit mere historical artefacts to get religious beliefs, myths and rituals across to a broad audience? How can highly diffirentiated religions such as Buddhism be presentend in all its historical and recent diversity within an exhibition? The questions marks the centre of professional exchange between the Center of Religious Studies (CERES) and the <a href="http://www.rietberg.ch/de-ch/home.aspx" target="_blank">Museum Rietberg in Zurich</a> which have just been established by an Memorandum of Understanding.</p>
<p>In order to swap the broad range of experiences made in museum educational service, art education and religious studies, a first workshop will be held bringing together both partners in March 2018 in Zurich. It is dedicated to the question on how Buddhism and its different schools and forms can be displaxed adequately in museums for a broad audience. On behalf of the CERES, participants are besides the director, Prof. Dr. Volkhard Krech the two experts for Buddhism, Prof. Dr. Carmen Meinert (<a href="https://buddhistroad.ceres.rub.de/en/">BuddhistRoad</a>) and Prof. Dr. Jessie Pons (<a href="https://ceres.rub.de/de/forschung/projekte/diga/" target="_blank">DiGA</a>). The workshop is organised by Anna Hagdorn (Museum Rietberg) as well as Dr. Patrick Felix Krüger and Dr. Martin Radermacher (both CERES). </p>
<p>In medium-term both partners seek to cooperate on a scientific level in the field of museums education especially for exhibitions that deal with art history and religions. The internationally renowned Museum Rietberg is an art museum of the city of Zurich. Its top-class collections contains works from Asia, Africa and other non-European territories. In particular the collections of exhibits from Asia link to those research projects of CERES, which address the history of religions in Central, South and East Asia. </p>
<p>With "Nächster Halt Nirvana – Annährungen an den Buddhismus" Museum Rietberg will present an exhibition that highlight the historical Buddha and Buddhism in past and present times for a broad audience. Experts of CERES provide advises for the exhibition's conception and realisation. It will take place between 14th of December 2018 and 31st of March 2019. </p>
<p><!--EndFragment--></p>
This Year's KHK Annual Conference on the Transcendence/Immanenz Distinction2017-09-05T15:31:37+00:002017-09-05T16:03:54.733885+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/years-khk-annual-conference-transcendenceimmanenz-distinction/<p>From the 6th to the 8th of September 2017, Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamics in the History of Religions</em> organises its annual conference. Recent and former visiting research fellows meet the KHK colleagues and post-docs to discuss the<em> Transcendce/Immanence Distinction. </em>The Käte Hamburger Kolleg devoted the last twelve months to the scrutiny of the role of the transcendence/immanence distinction in cases of interreligious, intrareligious, and intersocietal contacts. All focus groups have worked on this overarching topic while focussing their objects of research and repsective methods and perspectives. Now its time to bring the findings together and to discuss them together. <!--EndFragment--></p>
<p><a href="https://ceres.rub.de/en/events/khk-septemberkonferenz-2017/" target="_blank">Find more detailed information on the conference here</a>.</p>
Toronto, Marburg, Leuven - Summer Time is Conference Time2017-08-24T10:00:00+00:002017-08-28T11:55:05.541827+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/toronto-marburg-leuven-summer-time-conference-time/<p><!--StartFragment-->Only days after the lecture and examining period finished, researchers of CERES prepare to attend conferences worldwide. Due to different schedules at the universities around the globe, most international conferences take place in the month of August. While German universities just finished their lectures, classes of US institutions of higher education normally start in the second half of August.</p>
<p>In these days a team of the novel CERES research project <em>BuddhistRoad</em> is attending the annual conference of the <a href="http://www.iabs2017-uoft.ca/" target="_blank"><!--StartFragment-->International Association of Buddhist Studies (IABS)</a> in Toronto. It will introduce to their upcoming research within the project. <!--EndFragment--></p>
<p>The show goes on in September: CERES Researchers from the wide range of research projects as well as colleagues from the teaching unit will present their work at the annual meeting of the German Association for Religious Studies, the <a href="http://dvrw2017.relwiss-marburg.de/" target="_blank">Deutsche Vereinigung für Religionswissenschaft (DVRW),</a> in Marburg. This year, CERES will have an own booth on this national conference to not only inform on its research project but also to introduce the revised online journal <em>Entangled Religions</em>.</p>
<p>Only one week later, CERES again will have an information booth at the <a href="https://kuleuvencongres.be/easr2017/articles" target="_blank">conference of the European Association for the Study of Religion</a>, which takes place in Leuven, Belgium. The colleagues of the booth will be joined by CERES researchers, who will present their papers an Eureopean scholarly audience, as well as revive existing contacts to or establish ties with other research institutions in this field.</p>
Fifth ERiC Summer School 2017-08-02T07:00:00+00:002017-08-01T11:54:56.304051+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/fifth-eric-summer-school/<p><!--StartFragment-->Even if the weather is somehow undecided: It is truly summer and time for the Käte Hamburger Kolleg to host the international ERiC Summer School, as it had done so in the last four years. The shortcut "ERiC" stands for "Eurasian Religions in Contact" and pinpoints to the contents of the course.</p>
<p>All eight participants of this year's course are young academics, which have own research project on themes of the Eurasian history of religions. They study or rather doing PhD projects on universities worldwide, including Sydney and Kiev, Almaty and Bochum.</p>
<p><!--StartFragment-->The past seven days of the Summer School offered the young researchers the possibility to present their own works to prestigious international scholars and to in-depth discuss topics of the history of religion, sociology of religion and related fields. Organised by Prof Adam Knobler and Prof Kianoosh Rezania for the Käte Hamburger Kolleg, the ERiC Summer School was funded by the German Ministry for Education.</p>
New ERC-Project launched: BuddhistRoad starts Research2017-08-01T09:31:06+00:002017-08-01T10:02:46.205566+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/buddhistroad-starts-research/<p>On 1st of August 2017, a new research project starts at the Center for Religious Studies (CERES). For the next five years, the project "BuddhistRoad" will investigate how Buddhist localisations were shaped in premodern Central Asian cultures on a regional level.</p>
<p><!--StartFragment-->How did Buddhism spread in multi-cultural, multi-linguistic and multi-religious Central Asia? Which local cultures were influenced by Buddhist ideas? And how did Buddhist beliefs change following the foray into those vast regions of deserts and steppes?<!--StartFragment-->–To answer these and further questions, scriptures will be analysed and compared that are written in more than five languages used on the silk roads and which are partly even extinct. But also artefacts, archaelogical remnants and architectures will be included in the research. </p>
<p>In order to conduct the research, principal investigator Prof. Dr. Carmen Meinert, Professor for Central Asian Religions at the CERES, assembled an international highly skilled team. Former director of the Center for Buddhist Studies of the University of Copenhagen, <!--StartFragment-->Dr. Henrik Hjort Sørensen, will be the research coordinator of the project. Dr. Yukiyo Kasai, until recently researcher at the Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences, will bring in her expertise in Uyghur history. They will be supported by Dr. Erika Forte, who is trained in art history and archaelogy of the western regions of China. Finally, the internationally renowned expert on Tangut Buddhism, Prof. Dr. Kirill Solonin of Beijing's Renmin University will joint the team as an visting researcher.</p>
<p><!--StartFragment--><!--StartFragment-->"BuddhistRoad" is the second ERC-financed project at the Center for Religious Studies. Since 2015, the team of the “JewsEast” project has been investigating the diverse historical interactions between Jews and Christians in the Middle East, the Caucasus, the Horn of Africa and Southern India.<!--EndFragment--><!--EndFragment--></p>
<div style="background:#eee; border:1px solid #ccc; padding:5px 10px"><strong>Click:</strong> More information on the project's <a href="http://buddhistroad.ceres.rub.de" target="_blank">website.</a></div>
Chinese Delegation of Scientists visits CERES. Joint Conference on 'Tradition' planned2017-07-25T07:44:57+00:002017-07-26T15:40:30.633283+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/chinese-delegation-scientists-visits-ceres/<p>On 24th July 2017, four Chinese researchers of the People's University Renmin visited the Center for Religious Studies (CERES). The guests from Beijing were welcomed by CERES director Prof. Dr. Volkhard Krech, debuty director Prof. Dr. Carmen Meinert and Dr. Licia Di Giacinto, sinologist and research associate of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg. They were accompanied by Dr. Gregory Forgues, assistant of the Chair for Central Asian Religions.</p>
<p>The delegations caught up on the research of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg and expecially on the ways of saving the research findings as for example the online journal Entangled Religions. Additionally, they learned something about the other research projects, which are explicitly dedicated to the research of religions in Asia. On example is the ERC funded project BuddhistRoad that focuses the spreading of Buddhism in Central Asia and will start in August 2017.</p>
<p>Both the Department of Religious Studies and the Research Institute for Historical and Philological Studies of China's Western Regions of the Renmin University have been research partners of the CERES' Käte Hamburger Kolleg since 2013. Both partners are organising a joint conference on <!--StartFragment-->„Asian Cultural and Religious Exchange: Aspects of Tradition Building Processes in Multi-Cultural Premodern Societies“<!--EndFragment--> that will take place in Bochum in spring 2018.</p>
Comparative Religion for the 21st Century: Collaboration between Syracuse and CERES agreed 2017-07-13T09:59:02+00:002017-07-13T10:04:46.042509+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/comparative-religion-21st-century/<p>What should Comparative Religion look like in the 21st century? Which research topics need more attention in the future? Which challenges will this area of studies face in upcoming decades?</p>
<p>These core questions were debated in a joint workshop of the Department of Religious Studies at Syracuse University and CERES in June 2017. Delegates from both institutions discussed what a curriculum of Comparative Religion should ideally look like in the 21st century. Both sides agreed that students should be offered more international experience. In order to implement this target, both institutions agreed to set up a student exchange program. Students will benefit from taking courses with the respective partner institution as this will broaden their perspectives in terms of both the subject and their learning environment.</p>
<p>The workshop made clear that a mere student exchange program is insufficient: Broadening one’s view is important for faculty members as well, both in teaching and research. Like students, faculty members shall be able to participate in exchange programs to learn more about their partner institution’s research approaches and methods and teach at the hosting institution. This type of exchange is especially important in the small field of Religious Studies. In contrast to the relative brevity and superficiality of annual conferences and other international meetings, for instance, faculty exchange offers opportunities of in-depth involvement and active participation in research programs and projects at the respective partner institution. Both institutions feature a number of similarities, but also complementary differences. Specifically, they differ in terms of theoretical approaches as well as regional and temporal foci. While Syracuse covers contemporary and indigenous religions, Bochum focuses on the history of religions and on training students for the non-academic job market.</p>
<p>In order to implement a mutual exchange program, a task force was set up consisting of members from both sides. It will determine how to connect both institutions, their respective traditions, as well as their systems of teaching and research fruitfully in order to set out details of the collaboration.</p>
New Series "Lunchbox Lectures": Talks for Lunch2017-06-14T15:32:05+00:002017-06-14T18:24:31.889094+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/new-series-lunchbox-lectures-talks-lunch/<p>Often the evenings are reservered for family, friends and leisure activities. Given this guest lectures at this late time often have no chance to be attended, even if the invited speaker is an internationally renowned researcher. To ease this kind of time rivalry Käte Hamburger Kolleg introduces a new series of lectures at the CERES, called "Lunchbox Lectures". From mid of June 2017, international researchers will give talks on selected Tuesdays at lunchtime. The Lunchbox Lectures are open for all Visiting Research Fellows, researchers, stuff and students of CERES and the Ruhr Universität Bochum, following Francis Bacon's much quoted line '<!--StartFragment-->If the mountain will not come to Mohammed, Mohammed will go to the mountain<!--EndFragment-->'.</p>
<p>As the name indicates: Filled lunchboxes are very welcome for the talks. The way to the human minds is through the people's stomaches. Eating while listing - this combination is almost unsurpassable. However, attendees may pay attention to eat their food siltently and scentlessly. </p>
<p>The first Lunchbox Lecture is presented by the Dutsch scholar of religion Pieter Nanninga (Groningen). He will talk about the rather untasty topic of <a href="http://ceres.rub.de/en/events/lunchbox-lecture-pieter-nanninga/" target="_blank">"Martyrdom Mythologies: How IS gives Meaning to Death"</a> on Tuesday, the 20th of June 2017, 12:15 pm. People interested in this topic are welcome with or without their own lunchbox in the CERES conference room Ruhrpott.</p>
Fragile Pluralism vs. German 'Leitkultur'. Entangled Religions' Article on a Ongoing Debate2017-06-13T10:07:04+00:002017-06-14T15:31:09.386089+00:00Karolin Sengebuschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/fragile-pluralism-vs-german-leitkultur-entangled-religions-article-ongoing-debate/<p>'German Leitkultur' recently became a matter of vivid public debate again. It seem's to be an evergreen of German public and political debate, flourishing each time more and more. Since it first evocation in the 1990s, many opinions have been prepetually aired on the pros and cons of that concept.</p>
<p>In our online journal <a href="http://er.ceres.rub.de/" target="_blank">Entangled Religions</a>, the renowned sociologist Hans-Georg Soeffner discusses the emergence of pluralism in an article last year. He directly refers to 'Leitkultur' in his line of argument and points out how the call for it may be opposed to legal equality:</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;"><small>'Repeated attempts in Germany by a section of the political elite and those intellectuals who sympathise with them to find a "German Leitkultur" (defining culture) are based on a similar reflex. This reflex replaces the defence of legal equality, within the framework of a social contract as defined in a constitution, with the desire for a visibly shared ethos: instead of a culture defined by law there is one defined by attitude.' </small></p>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<p><a href="http://er.ceres.rub.de/index.php/ER/article/view/431/386" onclick="LinkshimAsyncLink.referrer_log(this, "http:\/\/er.ceres.rub.de\/index.php\/ER\/article\/view\/431\/386", "\/si\/ajax\/l\/render_linkshim_log\/?u=http\u00253A\u00252F\u00252Fer.ceres.rub.de\u00252Findex.php\u00252FER\u00252Farticle\u00252Fview\u00252F431\u00252F386&h=ATMo_9gQMOu2yqM48MfZFCkMXohed0k-Vqcf7wHoFdPPloYG9UlGSoU1WKbE9xi0MIGv5Fua1A95gBsOaKZsZ2B13oo59jf1is6wWh605Nfs7Wl3aJZICb5DiPEGLRwK4JqIi8Fv2HSwXkoWnRrjYg&enc=AZMsmLA3YU9ApzTX2Y91xutAaLuT6vxgStE1tySSROlwN5z95WFPMiuDts_IT9xHfig6kcPhLKq1ZqtDKPAz6K8fQ4a9H4kMXgfyALF8d6zJBfUu9c6RsXI5HYZd_xkffoWYSEL-ZDZzaNzMkjUf96Xc0idLpM15f3FV6pfedgb52_pSUcMciD5BTEyHuj9pMuvjovpQYrf7qMwEGPC7hrrC&d");" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Find the entire article at our Entangled Religions website.</a> The article arose out of the public talk given by Hans-Georg Söffner on the occassion of celebrating the second term of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamics of the History of Religions between Asia and Europe </em>in February 2015.</p>
</div>
Job Offer: One Student Assistant for Public Relations2017-06-02T14:12:05+00:002017-06-11T09:25:25.229614+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/job-offer-one-student-assistant-public-relations/<p><u><span class="marker">### Extended deadline for applications 23 June 2017 ###</span></u><br />
The international research project <a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/" target="_blank">Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe</em></a> invites applications for the position of a student assistant (<em>wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft, WHB</em>) with a working load of 9,5 hrs per week.</p>
<p><strong>Tasks:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>support in writing texts for the website and publication for PR</li>
<li>assisting with updating the websites</li>
<li>support for organising events</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Requirements:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>detailed knowledge and firm usage of CMS, in webdesign (HTML und CSS, JavaScript-Frameworks such as jQuery), as well as visual software (Corel, Adobe) </li>
<li>ability to work in a team, truthworthiness, flexibility</li>
<li>excellent English and German language skills (oral and written)</li>
</ul>
<p>Please send your application ((including a tabular resume, a letter of motivation together as one pdf-file) to <a href="mailto:ulf.plessentin@rub.de">ulf.plessentin@rub.de</a> until <s>12 June 2017</s> <span class="marker">23 June 2017.</span> </p>
<p>Please find the official job advertisement (in German only) <a href="https://www.stellenwerk-bochum.de/jobboerse/wissenschaftl-hilfskraft-whb-bo-2017-05-18-118603" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
Call for KHK Fellowship Applications 2018/20192017-06-01T11:37:25+00:002017-06-01T11:47:57.379105+00:00Tim Karishttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/call-khk-fellowship-applications-20182019/<p>Bochum's Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe </em>is pleased to invite appplications for its new research fellowships for the academic year 2018/19.</p>
<p>Please visit our <a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/fellowships-2018-2019/" target="_blank">website</a> for more detailed information on the fellowship and possible topics.</p>
<p>For further inquiry on the fellowships, please contact <a href="mailto:Fellowship Application 2018-2019">ceres-khk-fellowapplication@rub.de</a></p>
Exploring Tradition and Religion. Deepening an International Cooperation2017-05-17T15:57:37+00:002017-05-18T13:39:42.649390+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/exploring-tradition-and-religion-first-steps-towards-international-cooperation/<p>For the first time the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) of the Ruhr Universität Bochum organises a joint workshop with Hebrew University Jerusalem. Researchers from both institutions sound the different layers of the concepts 'tradition' in regard to religion for two days. The<a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/events/self-reflective-traditions/" target="_blank"> joint workshop "Self-Reflective Traditions"</a> takes place in Bochum, the 18th and 19th of May 2017. Prior to this, CERES research project <a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/" target="_blank">Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamics of the History of Religions</em></a> has cooperated with the Israeli university fruitfully.</p>
<p>Tradition is a central concept with respect to religion. At the same time, it occupies a uniquely vague space between the life of religion as it is experienced from within (the “emic”), on the one hand, and the more objectively-inclined scholarly study of religion from without (the “etic”). From within, ‘tradition’ is a concept that helps express historical continuity and to explain practices that do not seem to be commanded by the religion’s main structures of authority (“it’s a tradition”). From without, ‘tradition’ is a term used to replace the perplexing and elusive ‘religion.’</p>
<p>Being at the intersection of diverse points of view, ‘tradition’ is therefore a valuable concept in order to bridge the gap between the real life of religion and the theoretical account. It leads toward the questions of religious identity that is intend to be at the heart of the workshop's discussion. Traditions, or religions, somehow know who they are, in spite of the drastic historical changes they go through. Religions have many ways in which they look at and reflect upon themselves, and the process of self-reflection forms an important aspect of their identity and of the process behind their development. The workshop thus asks how traditions know who they are? How do they define themselves? How do they speak of continuity in face of change, acknowledging their identity along the way?</p>
<p>The workshop on “Self-Reflective Traditions” is the first major step in a cooperation between the two institutions of CERES and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Both institutions have a rich tradition of studying religious traditions historically. While scholars at Bochum have emphasized historical and material contexts in a developmental model of religious dissemination on the ground, scholars at Jerusalem have inclined toward more textual and phenomenological perspectives. The encounter between the two schools thus seems most promising. This future cooperation ties up to the previous cooperation of Hebrew University with the Käte Hamburger Kolleg, which will run out within two years.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
Traditional Buddhist Center for Education2017-05-11T12:28:50+00:002017-05-11T13:24:20.318532+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/traditional-buddhist-center-education/<p><!--StartFragment-->Buddhism had not only had its beginning on the Indian sub-continent but also had an impact on its civilisations for centuries. Even in the 4th century AD, Buddhist sanctuaries dedicated for education existed in Nalanda, a place which is nowadays situated in the state of Bihar, in north-east India. These institutions were comparable to the European universities, which first founding period however was about 600 years later.</p>
<p>Max Deeg is currently Visiting Research Fellow at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamics of the History of Religion between Asia and Europe</em> and dedicated an article to the Nalanda university system in German popular science magazine "Spektrum der Wissenschaft". More than 3000 monks and layman from all over Asia were attracted by this institution of Buddhist teaching and enrolled for courses in Buddhist Philosophie, but also more non-religious subjects such as medicine or grammar. <!--StartFragment--><!--EndFragment--></p>
<p>The importance of Nalanda for the Buddhism in Asia and its fall into obscurity after the 13th century AD are impressively discussed by <a href="http://www.spektrum.de/news/die-aelteste-universitaet-der-welt/1455121" target="_blank">Max Deeg in his article</a> (German version only).</p>
Koselleck Project: Theorizing the Evolution of Religion2017-04-26T10:32:41+00:002018-03-01T13:08:31.550482+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/theorizing-evolution-religion/<p>Time and again, researchers within the sciences, social sciences, and humanities have focused on how religion emerged and developed in case studies. Approaches of different disciplines will now brought together to a theory of religious evolution by Prof Volkhard Krech of the Ruhr Universität Bochum. The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) has granted him a Reinhart Koselleck Project to fund his research for the next five years.</p>
<p><strong>Bringing together Research Findings</strong></p>
<p>In his project, Volkhard Krech builds up on his own research and the findings of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg ‘Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe’, which he has been directed for the last nine years. ‘It is time to bring the theories and empirical findings of the Kolleg’s research together in a more integral approach’, Mr Krech says.</p>
<p>For his theory of religious evolution he intends to combine approaches from the sciences, social sciences, and humanities alike. In order to reconstruct the historical development of religion without implying a progress, the concept of evolution is invoked. By relying on this concept and the differentiation between variation and selection, different forms of religion can be considered without abandoning a generic concept of religion and its options for comparisons, he argues. He will focus the internal development of religion without segregating it from the contexts of societal, physical, organic and mental evolution.</p>
<p><strong>Online-Exchange during the Research</strong></p>
<p>The project shall result in publishing a three volume publication both in German and English. Additionally, Volkhard Krech plans to discuss his theoretical contributions online with interested readers before publishing them in order to respond or even involve possible objections and arguments. Several international workshops are planned on a regular base to enable the fruitful exchange with researchers from different disciplines.</p>
<div style="background:#eee; border:1px solid #ccc; padding:5px 10px"><strong>Reinhart Koselleck Projects</strong></div>
<div style="background:#eee; border:1px solid #ccc; padding:5px 10px">The Reinhart Koselleck Projects were designed by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft for out-standing researchers to give them the opportunity to conduct highly innovative projects that may fraught with risk. The name patron of this funding line is Reinhart Koselleck (d. 2006), one of the most renowned German historians of the 20th century, who was the founder of social history in Germany.</div>
<p><small>Text: Meike Drießen, translated by U. Plessentin</small></p>
<p><strong>Press Contact:</strong> <a href="http://ceres.rub.de/en/people/ulf-plessentin/" target="_blank">Ulf Plessentin</a></p>
We support the "March for Science"2017-04-20T13:37:58+00:002017-04-20T15:38:50.305014+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/we-support-march-science/<p>The Center for Religious Studies (CERES) supports the "March for Science", which will take place worldwide on April 22, 2017. By this, we join the Ruhr Universität Bochum and the majority of research institutions in Germany.</p>
<p><!--StartFragment-->This weekend, the "March for Science" will unite researchers and scientists around the globe to demonstrate for science. During the last months, the vital role science and research plays in our health, safety, economies, and governments has been called into question, denied, or even labelled as "alternative facts" again and again. This attitude even shapes policies.</p>
<p>As part of religious studies/Religionswissenschaft we know from our own subject's history the decade long struggle for an appropriate academic reasoning. In our own work we try to pass on scientific methods to a new generation.<!--EndFragment--></p>
<p>We support the march, since we defend scientific methods, facts, and evidence-based research every single day in our work, whether in doing research or teaching students.</p>
Open for Application: ERiC Summer School, 25 July - 01 August 2017, Bochum2017-02-17T08:22:49+00:002017-02-21T09:03:19.917769+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/open-application-eric-summer-school/<p>The <em>Eurasian Religions in Contact Summer School</em> provides a format for introducing and discussing cutting-edge research relating to the problems of studying global inter-religious relations. The summer school will examine such diverse topics as gender, media, digital humanities and material culture. Aimed at doctoral and advanced masters’-level students, <em>ERiC</em> encourages students from around the world to consider religious studies from multiple political and cultural standpoints, giving them the opportunity to create an international network of like-minded junior scholars.</p>
<p>The approach of the <em>ERiC Summer School </em>is historical: looking at religious interaction across time as well as geography. Christian-Muslim contacts in the past give hints at current issues; Buddhism’s role as a conduit through which many ideas shifted from India to Tibet and China looks at the ties that bind in Asian history; interreligious contacts in medieval and early medieval Ethiopia foreshadow contacts and conflicts in the contemporary Horn of Africa. All such regions and histories have been the subjects of <a href="http://eric.ceres.rub.de/en/" target="_blank">past ERiC</a> presentations and discussions.</p>
<p><em>Eurasian Religions in Contact Summer School</em> will take place at the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) of the Ruhr Universität Bochum, Germany from 25 July - 01 August 2017. Accepted students will receive a Round Trip ticket from their home or university to Bochum. Additionally they will receive accommodations, all lunches and two dinners.</p>
<p>To apply, please send a letter of interest, a research project proposal and a recent curriculum vitae to (preferably via email) by <u><strong>17 March 2017</strong></u>.</p>
<p><br />
CERES - ERiC Summer School<br />
Prof Dr Adam Knobler<br />
Ruhr Universität Bochum<br />
Universitätsstr. 90a<br />
44789 Bochum<br />
Germany</p>
<p><a href="mailto:adam.knobler@rub.de">adam.knobler@rub.de</a></p>
The Sun, the Moon, and the Fire Rooster2017-01-30T15:11:48+00:002017-01-30T15:38:13.443056+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/sun-moon-and-fire-rooster/<p><!--StartFragment-->On 28th of January 2017 the Chinese New Year begun with traditional festivities. This year follows the zodiac sign of the Fire Rooster. In Chinese astrology, each zodiac year is not only associated with one of the twelve animal signs, but also one of five geomantic elements: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, or Earth. <!--EndFragment--></p>
<p>CERES researcher Licia Di Giacinto was interviewed by radio station WDR 5 and gave insights into the complex world of Chinese lunar calendars and the meaning of zodiac signs and elements. She is a trained Sinologist and works as a researcher at the <a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/" target="_blank">Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe</em></a><em>. </em>Her research areas include ancient Confucianism and Taoism.</p>
<p>Her interview is online available on the WDR5 website <a href="http://www1.wdr.de/mediathek/audio/wdr5/wdr5-diesseits-von-eden/audio-diesseits-von-eden-ganze-sendung--144.html" target="_blank">here</a> (in German only, starts minute 16:12) .</p>
New Publication on Religion and the Spatial Turn published2017-01-20T10:22:43+00:002017-01-20T11:03:56.909963+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/new-publication-religion-and-spatial-turn-published/<p>The latest volume of the series "<a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/publications/dynamics-history-religions/">Dynamics in the History of Religions</a>" (Brill) has been published recently. Edited by Reinhold Glei and Nikolas Jaspert, volume 9 collects articles, which innovatively contribute to religious studies, because they pick up concepts developed in the wake of the so-called “spatial turn”.</p>
<p>Religions are always located in a certain cultural and spatial environment, but often tend to locate (or translocate) themselves beyond that original setting. Also, many religious traditions are not only tied to or associated with the area its respective adherent live in, but are in fact “bi-local” or even “multi-local”, as they closely relate to various spatial centers or plains at once. This spatial diversity inherent to many religions is a corollary to religious diversity or plurality that merits in-depth research. The articles in this volume present important findings from a series of settings within and between Asia and Europe</p>
<p>The series "Dynamics in the History of Religions"<em> </em>is edited by Volkhard Krech and Licia Di Giacinto, both Käte Hamburger Kolleg, Bochum. It focuses on the crucial role of mutual encounters in the origins, development, and internal differentiation of the major religious traditions. The primary thesis of the series consists in the assumption that interconnections of self-perception and perception by the other, of adaptation and demarcation are crucial factors for historical dynamics within the religious field.<br />
</p>
<p><img alt="" src="http://static.ceres.rub.de/media/uploads/2017/01/20/dhr_band9_72X9o5p.jpg" style="float:left; height:168px; margin-left:15px; margin-right:15px; width:110px" /> <strong>Bibliographical information:</strong></p>
<p><em><strong>Locating Religions</strong></em>, ed. by Reinhold Glei and Nikolas Jaspert, in: <em>Dynamics in the History of Religions</em>, Brill, 2016 - ISBN: 9789004335059</p>
<p>Contributors are: Anna Akasoy, Christopher I. Beckwith, Stephen C. Berkwitz, Alexandra Cuffel, Ana Echevarria, Reinhold F. Glei, Tsering Gonkatsang, Georgios T. Halkias, Nikolas Jaspert, Adam Knobler, Zara Pogossian, Henrik H. Sörensen, Knut Martin Stünkel, John Tolan, Dorothea Weltecke, Michael Willis.</p>
On the Buddhist Road: CERES Researcher receives ERC Grant2016-12-20T08:00:00+00:002017-07-31T14:44:50.058304+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/buddhists-road-ceres-researcher-receives-erc-grant/<p>The European Research Council finances the research project of religious studies scholar Carmen Meinert with two million euros. Her team is looking forward to exciting travels – to China and back in time.</p>
<p>Prof Dr Carmen Meinert from Ruhr-Universität Bochum has been awarded a two-million euros Consolidator Grant by the European Research Council (ERC). The researcher at the Center for Religious Studies will spend the next five years investigating how Buddhist localisations were shaped in premodern Central Asian cultures on a regional level.</p>
<p>In the process, Meinert will study questions such as: How did Buddhism spread in multi-cultural, multi-linguistic and multi-religious Central Asia? Which local cultures were influenced by Buddhist ideas? And how did Buddhist beliefs change following the foray into those vast regions of deserts and steppes? The project bears the title “Dynamics in Buddhist Networks in Eastern Central Asia, 6th–14th Centuries”, or “BuddhistRoad” for short. It is one of eight German projects in the field of social studies and humanities that were selected by the ERC.</p>
<h3>Between archives and field work</h3>
<p>In the course of the project, the researchers will for the first time investigate the transregional historical links between the Buddhist traditions in modern China, India and Tibet and the regional Buddhist cultures in Central Asia. Projected activities include source analyses of manuscripts in various European archives, as well as several field research trips in the regions of the medieval Buddhist Kingdom of Khotan, the Uyghur Khaganate and the Tangut Empire – regions that today are part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China.</p>
<p>The international team from Bochum is mainly interested in the way traders and monks distributed Buddhist ideas along the Silk Roads and to what extent those ideas were adopted by native peoples.</p>
<h3>New Approaches in Religious Studies</h3>
<p>So far, Buddhism in Eastern Central Asia has not yet been thoroughly studied from the point of view of interregional contacts. Carmen Meinert’s team investigates it from the perspective of comparative religious studies. The academics intend to establish a new research approach that incorporates philology, art history, archaeology and religious studies. Thus, they wish to analyse the exchange of religious beliefs in Eastern Central Asia as a dynamic network.</p>
<h3>About the Researcher</h3>
<p>Carmen Meinert studied Sinology, Tibetology and Geography at the University of Bonn, where she was awarded her PhD in 2001. She worked as a researcher at Peking University, at Sichuan University, at the University of Hamburg and at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities in Essen. In 2013, Carmen Meinert was appointed Professor for Central Asian Religions at the Centre for Religious Studies at Ruhr-Universität. Prior to that, she had worked as visiting research fellow at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg “Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe”.</p>
<h3>Two ERC Projects in Religious Studies</h3>
<p>“Buddhist Road” is the second ERC-financed project at the Center for Religious Studies. In its capacity as a central research institution at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, the Center actively supports funding applications for innovative research projects in the fields of the history of religion and sociology of religion. Since 2015, the team of the “JewsEast” project has been investigating the diverse historical interactions between Jews and Christians in the Middle East, the Caucasus, the Horn of Africa and Southern India.</p>
New Research Project analyses the Formation of the Buddhist Nyingma Tradition in Tibet2016-12-19T08:00:00+00:002016-12-21T09:01:17.893914+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/new-research-project-nyingma-tradition-tibet/<p>An international research team led by Prof. Dr. Carmen Meinert (CERES) analyses Tibetian sources of the 12th century in order to reconstruct the formation of Buddhism in the Central Asian region of Tibet. To conduct the research she recently received a 2 years grant by the Deutsche Forschunggemeinschaft (German ResearchFoundation).</p>
<p>The research project <em>Nyang ral's codification of rNying ma literature and ritual. A study of Tibetan sources for the formation of Tibetan Buddhism (10th to 12th c.)</em> explores the creformulation of Buddhists beliefs and practices in the 12th century which had come to Tibet froim India four hundred years earlier. This tradition, also known as Nyingma (rNying ma) tradition or "Old School", adapted the Indian tantrism to Tibetian narratives and culture. It established a written canon, to which new additions were repeatedly made through revelation and inspired redicovery. </p>
<p>Among the most notable legacies of Nyingma to the rest of Tibetan Buddhism were its system of hereditary religious authority, still widespread across Tibetan Buddhism, and its major deity Dorje Phurpa (rdo rje phur pa), still practised by most other traditions. What made the 12th century reformulation of Nyingma so unique was its dependence on the activities of one extraordinary person: Nyang ral Nyi ma'i 'od zer (1124-1192). In his 13 volume magnum opus Kagye Deshek Dupa (bKa' brgyad bde gshegs 'dus pa), he codified Nyingma tantrism in a template still followed today. In addition, he wrote history and hagiography, cementing the Nyingma narrative traditions. Only after him and his Kabje Deshek Dupa can one talk of a full-fledged Nyingma tradition. </p>
<p>Although utterly seminal, Kagye Deshek Dupa remains unstudied by modern scholarship. The research project threefore intends to begin to remedy the situation. Since the collection, however, is too big for a single project, the team will focus on one section only: its 250 pages on Dorje Phurpa, the major Nyingma deity. </p>
<p>This choice is also guided by the team's previous study of most other sources for early Dorje Phurpa. Most importantly, recently text were discovered amongst archaeologically<br />
recovered 10th century scriptures from Dunhuang, the undoubted source material which Nyang ral used as a foundation for his key section of his Dorje Phurpa codification. </p>
<p>In brief the research project under the direction of Prof. Carmen Meinert, scheduled from October 2017 –September 2019, is geared towards the philological, historical, sociological, ideological, and doctrinal understanding of Nyang ral's reconstruction of Dorje Phurpa out of earlier dated materials, and the repercussions of his legacy for later generations of Tibetans. Two former KHK research fellows will be engaged within the project. </p>
<p><!--EndFragment--></p>
Job Offer: Online Publishing Management2016-12-05T13:32:38+00:002016-12-05T13:45:29.843822+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/job-offer-er/<p><!--StartFragment-->The <a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/" target="_blank">Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe</em></a> financed by the German Ministry of Education and Research and based at the Center for Religious Studies (CERES), invites applications for the position of an online publishing manager <!--StartFragment-->from the 01 February 2017 until the 31 December 2017<!--EndFragment-->. The salary will be in accordance with TV-L E 13 (100%).<!--EndFragment--> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.stellenwerk-bochum.de/jobboerse/wissenschaftl-mitarbeiterin-online-publishing-management-1-jahr-100-bo-2016-11-25-93021" target="_blank">For more information please click the official job offer (in German only) on the website Stellenwerk. </a></p>
The 100th Fellow of Bochum's KHK2016-11-14T16:26:53+00:002016-11-15T13:04:14.737208+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/100th-fellow-bochums-khk/<p><!--StartFragment-->This term, the Käte Hamburger center <em>Dynamics of the History of Religions between Asia and Europe</em> welcomed its 100th fellow: Caleb Simmons (<!--StartFragment-->The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA). In the last eight years after its founding in 2008, experts from around the world has visited the Käte Hamburger center in order to research <!--StartFragment--> the driving forces behind the evolution and expansion of religions within Asia and beyond. Besides coming from European countries, the Käte Hamburger center has especially attracted researchers from the US to spend their research time in Bochum. <!--EndFragment--></p>
<p>"It honours the Bochum Käte Hamburger Kolleg to be renowned and valued highly on the other side of the Atlantic. In every academic year, we have welcomed colleagues from the States that enriched our research enormously" director of the KHK, Prof. Dr. Volkhard Krech, said.</p>
<p>Caleb Simmons is Assitant Professor for Religious Studies with The University of Arizon and specialised<!--StartFragment--> in the study of South Asian religions, specifically Hinduism, as well as in the theory and methodology in the academic study of religion. In addition to that, he is interested in contemporary transnational aspects of Hinduism, especially relating to theoretical issues within material and popular culture that arise as a result of globalization, and the exploration of ecological issues regarding sacred geography in India.<!--EndFragment--> During his fellowship in Bochum he <!--StartFragment-->works on "Creating an Incorporeal Empire. The Process of 'Transcending' the Mysore Kingdom through Interreligious and Intercultural Interaction".<!--EndFragment--><!--EndFragment--></p>
New Publication on Kaete Hamburger Centres online2016-11-08T15:36:14+00:002016-11-08T16:01:40.116642+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/new-publication-kaete-hamburger-centres-online/<p><!--StartFragment-->Which research areas are covered by the ten Käte Hamburger Centres in Germany? Which valuable effects do these institutions have on the research structure of Germany's universities? How do their work influence international research and the faculty culture? These an more questions are answered by the newly published broschure "<a href="http://www.kaete-hamburger-kollegs.de/media/content/BMBF-khk-broschuere_2016.pdf" target="_blank">Käte Hamburger Kollegs - Internationale Spitzenforschung in den Geisteswissenschaften. Perspektiven für die Gesellschaft von morgen</a>" [German version only], by the <!--StartFragment-->Federal Ministry of Education and Research<!--EndFragment--> (BMBF).</p>
New CERES Website Online2016-09-08T09:32:34+00:002016-09-08T16:07:45.718656+00:00Frederik Elwerthttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/new-ceres-website-online/<p><!--StartFragment-->The time has come: Today the newly designed and fundamentally revised websites of CERES are launched online. Besides the <a href="http://ceres.rub.de/en">CERES website</a> the sites of the CERES research projects such as the <a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de">Käte Hamburger Kollegs</a> <em>Dynamics in the History of Religions </em>were put online as well. Entirely new is the recenty established website for CERES study programmes (only available in German yet: <a href="http://studium.ceres.rub.de">Studiengang Religionswissenschaft</a>) on which future and current student find all information relevant and necessary in one place. All in all, CERES runs nine websites for its broad activities.</p>
<p>The former website had been online since 2010. The new one is relaunched in a more recent design that follows the corporate design of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum. As a novel element, users can click cards which present information clearer. Additionally to the design, also the architecture of the website was modernised. This improves all future upgradings and the extention with new functions.</p>
<p><!--EndFragment--></p>
New approaches to Jainism 2016-08-31T17:27:34+00:002016-09-09T11:11:45.716500+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/researching-jainism/<p>KHK research project on Jainism attracts international interest. Since spring 2016, expert of Southern Asian religions, Dr. Patrick Krüger, has been researching on ‘The Visualization of the Dharma – New Perspectives of the Origin and the Meaning of the Jina Image and the Beginning of Jain Image Worshipping’. With this project, he ventures into uncharted terrain.</p>
<h3>Jainism as Ascetic Religion</h3>
<p>As a religion, Jainism originated in India in 600 BC. Jainas believe in a two-divided world of the spiritual and nonspiritual. Believers aim to purify their own souls by principles such as non-violence or asceticism. Only pure souls which have won over their inner enemies could have the power to become God. Self-control is seen as the key to liberate the soul. With about 4.5 million believers, this religion obtains only little interest within the European research area and even beyond. </p>
<p>Given the Jaina principles of ascetic life, it is absolutely astonishing, that this religion has developed its own images and visual culture at all. For comparison only, Calvinism as another ascetic religious tradition prohibits all images and other material representations of the supernatural world.</p>
<h3>New Perspectives on Old Traditions</h3>
<p>The early Jainism is almost entirely discovered only by the hand of scriptures. In his research, however, Patrick Krüger focuses on Jaina images. How were these images of the supernatural (jina) created? Were they influenced or even adopted by other religious traditions, such as Buddhism? And which effect have these images on Jainism as religion then and now? </p>
<p>His fresh research focus stirs interest not only within the international Jaina community but also beyond: Reports in an US magazine for Indian expats, in an Indian research journal or requests from renowned museums show that researching Jainism is far from being insignificant and needs more attention within academies. </p>
ERiC Summer School 2016 finished successfully2016-08-04T06:53:59+00:002016-08-31T15:47:12.116060+00:00Julia Heinighttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/eric-summer-school-2016-finished-successfully/<p>This year's ERiC Summer School ended yesterday with the farewell of the participants. </p>
<p>Organised by Prof Adam Knobler, the past eight days of the Summer School offered young researchers the possibility to present their works on interreligious contacts to prestigious international scholars.</p>
Call for KHK Fellowship Applications 2017/182016-07-27T13:43:44+00:002016-08-04T06:31:15.817956+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/fellowship-applications-201718/<p>Bochum's Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe </em>is pleased to invite appplications for its research fellowships for the academic year 17/18.</p>
<p>Please visit our <a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/fellowships-2017-2018/">website</a> for further information on the fellowship and possible topics.</p>
<p>For further inquiry on the fellowships, please contact <a href="mailto:ceres-khk-fellowapplication@rub.de">ceres-khk-fellowapplication@rub.de</a>.</p>
<p><!--EndFragment--></p>
New Professor for Western Asian History of Religions2016-07-26T12:06:37+00:002016-08-31T15:47:33.411958+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/western-asian-history-religions/<p><!--StartFragment--></p>
<p>On the 25th July 2016, Dr. Kianoosh Rezania was inaugurated as professor for Western Asian History of Religion at the Center for Religious Studies (CERES).</p>
<p>By this newly established position, CERES extents its expertises in the history of religions. Prof. Dr. Kianoosh Rezania is specialised in Old Iranian Studies and the history of religions of Western Asia. In his research and teaching he especially focusses on religious and cultural encounters between Zoroastrianism and early Islam. He studied Computer Sciences and Old Iranian Studies in Tehran and received his PhD in Göttingen, Germany, 2008. He conducted a research project on spatial conceptions in early Zoroastrianism (funded by the DFG) and on the interreligious contacts of Islamic and Zoroastrian scholars in the 9th and 10th centuries and the genesis of the Pahlavi-literature (funded by the <em>Käte Hamburger Kolleg</em> at CERES).</p>
<p><var><em>Prof. Dr. Kianoosh Rezania, (c) picture: RUB, K. Marquard</em></var><!--EndFragment--></p>
Bochum's KHK undersigned declaration for research centres in Germany2016-07-14T07:34:06+00:002016-08-31T15:12:53.997316+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/research-centres-germany/<div>
<p>Organised by the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS) and the Stifterverband, a public discussion on the research policies took place in Berlin on the 2nd of May 2016. It was the first time when the functions of the established research centres were picked up as a central theme. More than 150 members of almost every German research center (Forschungskollege) and of those institutions who offer programmes for international fellows, attended. Other attendees were representatives of science organisations, the government and the administation as well as of public foundations.</p>
<p>In the result, all participating institutions passed a resultution on the status-quo and the future for Germany's higher research centres. Bochum's Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamics in the History of Religions</em>, represented by Prof. Dr. Volkhard Krech, is among the signees. (<a class="internal-link" href="https://www.frias.uni-freiburg.de/downloads/documents/gemeinsamer-beschluss-der-forschungskollegs" target="_self">download the declaration in German</a>).</p>
</div>
<p><!--EndFragment--></p>
New Coordinator for Digitial Humanities appointed2016-04-04T16:14:58+00:002016-08-31T16:39:38.983171+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/dh_koordinator/<p style="text-align: justify;">CERES appointed Dr. Frederik Elwert as new coordinator for digitial humanties on 1 April 2016. In this new function he deals with any issues concerning the use of digital or otherwise computer-aided methodes within the research of religion. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In so doing, CERES aims to bring more awareness to digital humanties as an emerging branch within academia. Digital methodes can be used for a variety of projects and procedures, including the administration of sources, research data and figures as well as for publication.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The coordinator for digital humanities assists with</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>the planing of new research projects and application for funding,</li>
<li>briefings and trainings to related topics, </li>
<li>as well as with the realisation of digitial projects. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;">So far, the CERES Computer Café has already been well established. It provides CERES members a fruitful framework for changing information on digital humanties as well as to discuss own research ideas and projects in this field. The participants have dealt with topics such as digital cartography, digital editing of texts and methods of network analysis.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Contact Digitial Humanities Coordinator: <a target="_blank" href="mailto:%20frederik.elwert@rub.de">frederik.elwert@rub.de</a></p>KHK fellow awarded in India2016-01-15T09:19:35+00:002016-08-31T16:45:13.608497+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/aranmula_award/<p style="text-align: justify;">During the Third International Kerala History Conference, researcher Ophira Gamliel was awared with a prestigious Aranmula Mirror. This unique and rare mirror is hand-crafted only from metals and has great historical and cultural value in the state of Kerala, South India.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img style="margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px;" src="/static/uploads/news/201601_pm_ophira_gamliel_medium.jpg" height="454" width="440" /></p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; color: #888888;">f.l.t.r.: Prof. M. G. S. Narayanan, Dr. Ophira Gamliel, Dr. Roy Sam Daniel</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Ophira Gamliel is currently research fellow at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe. As an expert on inter-religious encounters on South India, she was invited to give the key-note speech on this international conference. In her key-note, she portrayed the inter-religious contact and cooperation between Jews, Christians and Muslims along the trade routes of the Indian Ocean. Due to its trade ports, Kerala was one of the geographical spots where different religious group met since the medieval times.</p>Job Advertisement: PostDoc Researcher in Religion and Media2015-10-27T14:21:24+00:002016-05-04T19:02:53.060952+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/postdoc_rel_med/<div class="content_item">
<p style="text-align: justify;">The Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamics in the History of Religions</em> at the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) offers the position of a postdoctoral researcher of Religion and Media (salary in accordance with TVL 13, 100 %, temporary contract).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">More information (in German) on the position <a target="_blank" href="http://www.stellenwerk-bochum.de/jobs-finden/hochschulinterne-angebote/details/anzeige/bo-2015-10-20-02.html">here</a> or in the offical <a href="/static/uploads/khk/job_advert_postdoc_media_2015.pdf">job advertisement</a> (in English).</p>
</div>CERES on IAHR World Congress2015-08-07T04:00:00+00:002016-05-04T19:02:52.834865+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/ceres_iahr_erfurt/<p>The researchers of the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum will be present on the IAHR World Congress in Erfurt with several panels, papers, workshops and an own CERES-booth.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Every five years, the international congress is organised by the International Association for the History of Religion (IAHR) and is the renowned meeting for researchers in the field of religious studies (Religionswissenschaft) worldwide.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">All papers which had been handed in by CERES researchers were accepted so that the whole range of their research can be presented to an international audience on this event. To give some exeamples, the research group <em>Buddhism in Motion</em> will have <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ceres.rub.de/de/event/all/iahr_panel_24_08_12/">an own panel</a>, as will do the research project <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ceres.rub.de/de/event/all/iahrpanel2708_12/">Iconic Religion</a>. Besides these, further panels are organised, and researchers of CERES will present various papers, for example on the debates about religion in the Media, the religious affiliations of Pakistani immigrants in Germany or the discussion of religion and capital in the early work of Karl Marx. In addition, workshops on researching Evangelicals or on teh topics of digital humanities will be arranged by CERES staff<em style="text-align: justify;"></em>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As sort of a premiere, CERES in co-operation with the Käte Hamburger Kolleg Dynamics in the History of Relgions will be on the congress with an own booth where congress participants can learn more about</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">the <strong>Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe</em></strong>,</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">the on-going research project <em><strong>Iconic Religions</strong></em>,</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">the novel research project <em><strong>JewsEast</strong></em>,</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">the international online journal <em><strong>Entangled Religions</strong></em>,</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">the research fields of CERES as <em>Relational Religions</em> and within the <em>digital humanities</em>,</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">and the conditions of learning and researching at the CERES.</li>
</ul>Call for Fellowship Applications 2016/17 2015-07-02T12:06:22+00:002016-05-04T19:02:52.741157+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/fellowships2016-17/<p>Bochum's Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe </em>is pleased to invite appplications for its research fellowships for the academic year 16/17.</p>
<p><a href="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/cfa_tranzendenz&immanenz_final.pdf"><span style="color: #993300;"><strong>Call for Fellowships 2016/17</strong></span></a></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">The topic of the academic year will be <b><i>the evolving of the distinction between transcendence and immanence as triggered by intra- and interreligious encounter</i></b>. </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #993300;"><span style="color: #000000;">Please visit our <a target="_blank" href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/research/fellowships/">website</a> for further information on the fellowship and the overaching topic. </span><strong><br /></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #993300;"><span style="color: #000000;">For further inquiry on the fellowships, please contact <a href="mailto:ceres-khk-fellowapplication@rub.de">ceres-khk-fellowapplication@rub.de</a>.</span></span></p>Chinese Expert for Jewish Philosophy at KHK Bochum2015-05-04T15:09:22+00:002016-05-04T19:02:52.621126+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/fo_younde/<p>The Käte Hamburger Kolleg <em>Dynamics in the History of Religion</em> welcomes Chinese expert for Jewish Philosophy, Prof Fu Youde as short-time visiting fellow for May 2015.</p>
<p>Prof. Fu Youde is Professor of Philosophy and Jewish Studies at Shandong University and renowned expert for Jewish Studies and Confucian religion.</p>
<p>He is director of the reputed Center for Judaic and Inter-Religious Studies of Shandong University, one of the Key Research Institutes of Humanities and Social Sciences under the auspice of the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. He furthermore is the Chairman of the Department of Religious Studies, and a member of the Academic Commission of Shandong University. During his academic career he was student and scholar at various academic institutions including such famous ventures as the Oxford Center for Jewish Studies, the Leo Baeck College, London, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Institute for Sino-Christian Studies of Hong Kong, Boston University and last but not least he was Visiting Fellow in KHK Bochum's sister institution, the International Consortium for Research of Humanities in Erlangen.</p>
<p>Prof. Fu Younde’s main research interests are diverse and include Jewish religion and thought, comparative religion and philosophy, and the history of Western philosophy. He has published an abundance of books, translations, and the impressive amount of over 50 articles. He is also the creator and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Jewish Studies, the only academic periodical in China specializing in Jewish and inter-religious studies.</p>
<p>KHK Bochum is very glad to welcome Prof. Fo Youde and grateful for that he has agreed to give a guest lecture on the 18<sup>th</sup> of May.</p>Celebrating the extention of KHK-funding2015-02-13T08:31:10+00:002016-05-04T19:02:52.427008+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/KHK_auftakt/<p><img style="margin: 5px;" src="/static/uploads/khk/facebook_front_banner_3_small.jpg" height="159" width="430" /></p>
<p>In the second half of 2014, the funding for the KHK <em>Dynamics in the History of Religion between Asia and Europe</em> was luckily extended for another four years. <br /><br />This is a reason to celebrate and we would like to invite you to a public quest lecture given by Prof. em. Dr. Hans-Georg Soeffner. He will introduce his concept of "fragile pluralism". Even though his keynote speech will be held in German, the KHK team will try to provide English-speakers with some material to follow the topic.</p>
<p>After the lecture, KHK invites for a buffet dinner. The venue is the Veranstaltungszentrum of Ruhr-University Bochum. The lecture is scheduled for 5:30 pm.<br /><br />R.S.V.P until 20 February 2015 to <a href="mailto:ceres-coordination-office@rub.de">ceres-coordination-office@rub.de.</a></p>Call for Fellowship Applications 2015/16 2014-11-05T08:43:27+00:002016-05-04T19:02:52.247131+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/fellowships2015-16/<p>The Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religion" is pleased to invite appplications for its research fellowships for the academic year 2015/2016. <br /><br />The topic of the academic year will be "Religion and the Senses in intra- and interreligious Encounter".<br /><br />Please read the <a target="_blank" href="/static/uploads/announcement_religion_and_the_senses_2015-16.pdf">call</a> carefully.<br /><br />For more detailed information about the program of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg “Dynamics in the History of Religions” visit: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en">http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en</a><br /><br />Fur further inquiry, please contact <a href="mailto:beate.hofmann@rub.de">Dr. Beate Hofmann</a>.</p>Journal Entangled Religions online now2014-11-04T11:38:14+00:002016-05-04T19:02:52.227726+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/entagled_religions_jetzt_online/<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/entangledreligions_klein.jpg" height="113" width="300" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The brand-new online journal <strong><i>Entangled Religions – Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of Religious Contact</i></strong><i> and Transfer</i> is now online with its very first contributions!</p>
<p>As a project of Käte Hamburger Kolleg at Ruhr-University Bochum, <strong><i>Entangled Religions</i></strong> is sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.</p>
<p>This journal is designed as a platform on which scholars from all disciplines and from all over the world may approach questions related to religious contact and transfer. It is double-blind reviewed and published in English only. </p>
<p>Explore the new web presence of <strong><i>Entangled Religions </i></strong>at <a target="_blank" href="http://er.ceres.rub.de/">www.er.ceres.rub.de</a><i>. </i></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><i>Entangled Religions</i></strong> welcomes contributions, questions, and feedback anytime.</p>
<p>Please feel free to contact the editorial office at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:er-contact@rub.de">er-contact@rub.de</a>.</p>Two new publications2014-10-09T14:58:52+00:002016-05-04T19:02:52.132460+00:00Ulf Plessentinhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/20141009_publications_Hindu_Catholic_Jews_en/<p>We are pleased to announce recent publications by two former fellows of the KHK.</p>
<p>Alexander Henn (Fellow 2012) just published his book <em>Hindu-Catholic encounters in Goa: Religion, Colonialism, and Modernity </em>publiziert. For more information please click <a target="_blank" href="http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/product_info.php?cPath=6040_6052&products_id=807215">here. </a></p>
<p>Geoffrey Herman (Fellow 2009) is the editor of the publication<em> <span class="ProductNameText">Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians. </span></em><span class="ProductNameText">More informationen to this publication </span><span class="ProductNameText"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.gorgiaspress.com/bookshop/pc-57204-2-jews-christians-and-zoroastriansbredited-by-geoffrey-hermanbrjudaism-in-context-17.aspx">here.</a></span></p>Publication | “Religious Discourse in Modern Japan. Religion, State, and Shintō” (Jun'ichi Isomae)2014-08-20T11:02:12+00:002016-05-04T19:02:52.089387+00:00Thomas Jurczykhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/20140820_publication_religiousdiscourse_isomae/<p>We are pleased to announce the recent publication of the book “Religious Discourse in Modern Japan. Religion, State, and Shintō” by Jun'ichi Isomae which is a part of the series "Dynamics in the History of Religions" published by Brill.<br /><br />For further information, please see the following link:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.brill.com/products/book/religious-discourse-modern-japan">http://www.brill.com/products/book/religious-discourse-modern-japan</a></p>Publication | “A “Religious Revolution” in Yehûd? The Material Culture of the Persian Period as a Test Case” (ed. by Christian Frevel, Katharina Pyschny, Izak Cornelius)2014-08-20T10:51:07+00:002016-05-04T19:02:52.075486+00:00Thomas Jurczykhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/20140820_publication_religiousrevolution_tjurczyk/<p>We are pleased to announce the recent publication of the book “A “Religious Revolution” in Yehûd? The Material Culture of the Persian Period as a Test Case” which was edited by Prof. Dr. Christian Frevel, Katharina Pyschny, and Prof. Dr. Izak Cornelius.<br /><br />For further information, please see the following link:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.v-r.de/de/title-10-10/a_religious_revolution_in_yehud-1035561/">http://www.v-r.de/de/title-10-10/a_religious_revolution_in_yehud-1035561/</a></p>Impressions | ERiC Summer School 20142014-08-08T10:03:12+00:002016-05-04T19:02:52.047396+00:00Thomas Jurczykhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/20140808_ericsummerschool_2014/<p>Some impressions of the Summer School 2014 "Euroasian Religions in Contact" which took place at the KHK in July 2014.</p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/summer_school_2014/summer_school_2014_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/summer_school_2014/dsc_0476_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/summer_school_2014/dsc_0478_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/summer_school_2014/dsc_0480_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/summer_school_2014/dsc_0481_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/summer_school_2014/dsc_0484_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/summer_school_2014/dsc_0486_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/summer_school_2014/dsc_0488_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/summer_school_2014/dsc_0489_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/summer_school_2014/dsc_0493_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/summer_school_2014/dsc_0495_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/summer_school_2014/dsc_0496_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/summer_school_2014/dsc_0504_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/summer_school_2014/dsc_0511_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/summer_school_2014/dsc_0514_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/summer_school_2014/dsc_0516_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/summer_school_2014/dsc_0520_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/summer_school_2014/dsc_0523_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/summer_school_2014/dsc_0525_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>All Photos (c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014.</p>Impressions | Refreshment 20142014-08-08T08:52:32+00:002016-05-04T19:02:52.033272+00:00Thomas Jurczykhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/20140808_refreshment_jurczyk/<p>Some impressions of the Refreshment 2014 at the "Strandbar" of the Ruhr-University Bochum.</p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yon Cho" alt="(c) Sung Yon Cho" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/refreshment_2014/dsc_0429_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/refreshment_2014/dsc_0436_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/refreshment_2014/dsc_0440_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/refreshment_2014/dsc_0441_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/refreshment_2014/dsc_0446_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/refreshment_2014/dsc_0447_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/refreshment_2014/dsc_0449_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/refreshment_2014/dsc_0450_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/refreshment_2014/dsc_0452_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/refreshment_2014/dsc_0453_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>All Photos (c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014.</p>Impressions | Workshop "Traveling Texts and Transformative Encounters: Interreligious Networks between medieval and early Modern Asia, Africa, and Europe"2014-08-08T08:38:15+00:002016-05-04T19:02:52.019298+00:00Thomas Jurczykhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/20140808_travellingtexts_jurczyk/<p>Some impressions of the workshop "Traveling Texts and Transformative Encounters: Interreligious Networks between medieval and early Modern Asia, Africa, and Europe" which took place at the KHK in June 2014.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/travelling_texts_2014/dsc_0426.jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/travelling_texts_2014/dsc_0425.jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/travelling_texts_2014/dsc_0422.jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/travelling_texts_2014/dsc_0420_(small).jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>All Photos (c) Sung Yeon Cho 2014.</p>Publication | “Selbstbehauptung im Zeichen der Dialektik der Säkularisierung” (by Wolfgang Ommerborn)2014-07-09T11:08:02+00:002016-05-04T19:02:51.976132+00:00Thomas Jurczykhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/20140709_publication_ommerborn/<p>We are pleased to announce the recent publication of the book “Selbstbehauptung im Zeichen der Dialektik der Säkularisierung” by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Ommerborn.<br /><br />For further information, please see the following link:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.projektverlag.de/schriftenreihen/edition-cathay/Selbstbehauptung-im-Zeichen-der-Dialektik-der-S%C3%A4kularisierung">Selbstbehauptung im Zeichen der Dialektik der Säkularisierung</a></p>Impressions | Workshop "Entangled Arguments: Christian Polemics against Jews and Muslims"2014-07-02T07:53:01+00:002016-05-04T19:02:51.941849+00:00Thomas Jurczykhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/20140701_entangledarguments_glei/<p>Some impressions of the workshop "Entangled Arguments: Christian Polemics against Jews and Muslims" which took place at the KHK in June 2014.</p>
<p><img title="workshop entangled arguments © Sung Yeon Cho" alt="workshop entangled arguments © Sung Yeon Cho" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/workshop_entangled_arguments_july_2014/dsc_0066.jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="workshop entangled arguments © Sung Yeon Cho" alt="workshop entangled arguments © Sung Yeon Cho" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/workshop_entangled_arguments_july_2014/dsc_0065.jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="workshop entangled arguments © Sung Yeon Cho" alt="workshop entangled arguments © Sung Yeon Cho" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/workshop_entangled_arguments_july_2014/dsc_0062.jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="workshop entangled arguments © Sung Yeon Cho" alt="workshop entangled arguments © Sung Yeon Cho" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/workshop_entangled_arguments_july_2014/dsc_0060.jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><img title="workshop entangled arguments © Sung Yeon Cho" alt="workshop entangled arguments © Sung Yeon Cho" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/workshop_entangled_arguments_july_2014/dsc_0058.jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p>All pictures © Sung Yeon Cho, 2014</p>Impressions | Workshop "Ancient Central Asian Networks"2014-06-26T12:54:38+00:002016-05-04T19:02:51.927496+00:00Thomas Jurczykhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/20140626_imprssions_ancientasian_en/<p>Some impressions of the workshop "Ancient Central Asian Networks. Rethinking the Interplay of Religions, Art and Politics across the Tarim Basin (5th-10th c.)" which took place at the KHK in June 2014.</p>
<p><img title="workshop central asian networks © Sung Yeon Cho" alt="workshop central asian networks © Sung Yeon Cho" height="292" width="440" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/workshop_ancient_centrla_asian_networks_june_2014/dsc_0024.jpg" /></p>
<p><img title="workshop central asian networks © Sung Yeon Cho" alt="workshop central asian networks © Sung Yeon Cho" height="292" width="440" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/workshop_ancient_centrla_asian_networks_june_2014/dsc_0020.jpg" /></p>
<p><img title="workshop central asian networks © Sung Yeon Cho" alt="workshop central asian networks © Sung Yeon Cho" height="292" width="440" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/workshop_ancient_centrla_asian_networks_june_2014/dsc_0019.jpg" /></p>
<p><img title="workshop central asian networks © Sung Yeon Cho" alt="workshop central asian networks © Sung Yeon Cho" height="292" width="440" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/workshop_ancient_centrla_asian_networks_june_2014/dsc_0017.jpg" /></p>
<p><img title="workshop central asian networks © Sung Yeon Cho" alt="workshop central asian networks © Sung Yeon Cho" height="292" width="440" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/workshop_ancient_centrla_asian_networks_june_2014/dsc_0015.jpg" /></p>
<p><img title="workshop central asian networks © Sung Yeon Cho" alt="workshop central asian networks © Sung Yeon Cho" height="292" width="440" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/workshop_ancient_centrla_asian_networks_june_2014/dsc_0010.jpg" /></p>
<p><img title="workshop central asian networks © Sung Yeon Cho" alt="workshop central asian networks © Sung Yeon Cho" height="292" width="440" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/workshop_ancient_centrla_asian_networks_june_2014/dsc_0006.jpg" /></p>
<p><img title="workshop central asian networks © Sung Yeon Cho" alt="workshop central asian networks © Sung Yeon Cho" height="292" width="440" src="/static/uploads/khk/photos/workshop_ancient_centrla_asian_networks_june_2014/dsc_0003.jpg" /></p>
<p>All pictures © Sung Yeon Cho, 2014</p>Publication | “Memoria Romana. Memory in Rome and Rome in Memory” (ed. by Karl Galinsky)2014-05-31T13:01:29+00:002016-05-04T19:02:51.899927+00:00Thomas Jurczykhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/20140631_news_galinsky_en/<p>We are pleased to announce the recent publication of the miscellany “Memoria Romana. Memory in Rome and Rome in Memory” edited by our former fellow Prof. Dr. Karl Galinsky (Austin, Texas).</p>
<p>For further information, please see the following link:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.press.umich.edu/6421151/memoria_romana">Memoria Romana (Brill)</a></p>Info | Facelift of the Käte Hamburger Collegia Website2014-03-06T13:39:43+00:002016-05-04T19:02:51.739651+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20140306-news-khks-facelift/<p>The collective portal website of the Käte Hamburger Collegia has been updated and now uses the colour scheme of the recent postcard series. Looks great!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.kaete-hamburger-kollegs.de">www.kaete-hamburger-kollegs.de</a></p>CfA | Several Fellowships for Research on (Trans-)Formation of Religious Traditions in the Context of Intra- and Interreligious Contact2014-01-28T10:30:33+00:002016-05-04T19:02:51.622249+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20140128-cfa-tradition-fellowships/<p>The Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe" at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, invites applications for</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Research on (Trans-)Formation of Religious Traditions in the Context of Intra- and Interreligious Contact</strong></p>
<p>during the academic year October 2014 through September 2015.</p>
<p>What we can offer:</p>
<ul>
<li>Time and space for research in an interdisciplinary environment;</li>
<li>up to 70,000 € (= about 95,000 $) (gross rate) either as a grant or as a salary for the fellow's substitute at his or her home institution;</li>
<li>good infrastructure (libraries etc.); travel expenses related to research activities;</li>
<li>means for organizing congresses or workshops.</li>
</ul>
<p>What we would expect:</p>
<ul>
<li>Research on processes of shaping and condensation, invention and narration of religious traditions in the context of intra- and interreligious contact;</li>
<li>your presence during the fellowship term;</li>
<li>commited participation in the consortium's activities;</li>
<li>substantial research results in form of publications.</li>
</ul>
<p>The retrospective and relational construct "tradition" is important in the religious field and in Religious Studies in terms of e.g. identifiablity, adaptability, translatability, comparability etc. of religions. We invite projects focusing on any period from ancient to contemporary, which address aspects of encounter, conceptual construction and historical reconstruction, mutual exchange, formation and transformation of religious traditions in comparative case studies and/or from systematic perspectives.</p>
<p>Applicants must at least hold a Ph.D. The Ruhr University Bochum is an equal opportunity employer and encourages women and members of minorities to apply.</p>
<p>Interested applicants should send a letter of interest, a current CV including a list of publications, and an exposé of the intended research of about 5 pages. Application materials should be submitted by e-mail. Please send your application <strong>before March 15th</strong>, 2014 to <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/lucia-an-der-brugge/">Lucia an der Brügge (lucia.anderbruegge@rub.de)</a>.</p>Videos | Conference "Rethinking Religion and Globalization"2014-01-14T12:39:26+00:002016-05-04T19:02:51.545192+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20131022-video-religion-globalization/<p>Almost all of the talks held at the <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/event/all/en-20131021-conference-srinivas/">"Rethinking Religion and Globalization" conference</a> in October 2013 are now available as video via RUBcast's Echo360 platform.</p>
<p><a href="http://echo360.rub.de:8080/ess/portal/section/52b9ece5-f4eb-4106-8fbc-2f44a651fecc">You find the talks here</a>.</p>Video | Michael Puett: "Ritual Disjunctions: Theories of Ritual from Classical China" 2014-01-13T16:09:25+00:002016-05-04T19:02:51.528115+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20131209-video-puett/<p><a href="http://echo360.rub.de:8080/ess/echo/presentation/dced0463-9b88-44a8-aa4c-fd04319a9037">Video</a></p>
<p>Puett, Michael. "Ritual Disjunctions: Theories of Ritual from Classical China." Paper presented at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg 'dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe, Bochum, 9 December 2013.</p>People | Index Buddhicus team begins its work tomorrow2014-01-07T13:00:44+00:002016-05-04T19:02:51.510175+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130107-index-buddhicus-kickoff/<p>Due to the positive feedback to <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/all/en-20131002-job-index-buddhicus/">our call for applications</a> in October 2013 project coordinator <a href="http://www.ceres.rub.de/en/personen/details/sven-bretfeld/">Prof. Sven Bretfeld</a> and managing editor <a href="http://indica-et-buddhica.org/ieb-about/who-runs-site">Richard Mahoney</a> were able to put together a higly competent team of four indexers. The team starts working on the Index Buddhicus project tomorrow. Three of the indexers will share an office at the Center for Religious Studies in Bochum. Another indexer is based in Luxembourg and will stay in touch with the other team members via Skype and similar means. The team members working in Bochum are:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.ceres.rub.de/en/personen/details/stefan-kock/">Stefan Köck</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.ceres.rub.de/en/personen/details/ekaterina-shchus/">Ekaterina Shchus</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.ceres.rub.de/en/personen/details/ann-kathrin-wolf/">Ann-Kathrin Wolf</a></li>
</ul>Conference | Network and Identity: Exchange Relations between China and the World2013-12-16T12:00:00+00:002016-05-04T19:02:51.430148+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20131218-conference-bim-gent/<p>This week, December 18-20, the Ghent Centre for Buddhist Studies and KHK's Buddhism in Motion jointly convene the <a href="http://www.cbs.ugent.be/networkandidentity">international conference "Network and Identity: Exchange Relations between China and the World"</a> at Gent University in Belgium. The conference examines the spread of ideas and practices along the major trade roads between India and Japan, with China in a pivotal position.</p>
<p>The first day of the conference is dedicated to a panel organized and lined up by scholars of the KHK's Buddhim in Motion group. <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/personen/details/michael-willis/">Michael Willis</a>, <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/de/personen/details/jessie-pons/">Jessie Pons</a>, <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/carmen-meinert/">Carmen Meinert</a>, <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/de/personen/details/christoph-anderl/">Christoph Anderl</a>, <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/licia-di-giacinto/">Licia Di Giacinto</a>, <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/henrik-h-sorensen/">Henrik H. Sørensen</a>, and <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/sven-bretfeld/">Sven Bretfeld</a> will give talks on "Paradigms of Identity Building in an Emergent Translocal Network of Buddhism in Premodern Asia"</p>
<p>Buddhism in Motion is a research group of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions" that is investigating processes of religious exchange and transformation in Central Asia. The group meets regularly and <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/all/en-2012-07-18-report-buddhism-in-motion/">presents results at international conferences</a>. It consists of faculty members of Ruhr University's Center for Religious Studies, and researchers and former visiting research fellows of the KHK.</p>Publication | Wick & Rabens (eds.): Religions and Trade2013-12-10T13:04:39+00:002016-05-04T19:02:51.389970+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20131210-DHR5-trading-religions/<div class="field field-name-field-product-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden expandable">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even">
<p><img style="margin: 10px;" title="DHR5 Cover" alt="DHR5 Cover" src="/static/uploads/khk/publications/cover-dhr5.jpg" width="100" height="153" />The fifth volume of our <a href="http://www.brill.com/publications/dynamics-history-religions">"Dynamics in the History of Religions" series with Brill</a> is out now! <a href="http://www.brill.com/products/book/religions-and-trade">"Religions and Trade: Religious Formation, Transformation and Cross-Cultural Exchange between East and West"</a> is edited by <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/peter-wick/">Peter Wick</a> and <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/volker-rabens/">Volker Rabens</a> and comprises the most important papers given at the <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/event/all/trading-religions/">"Trading Religions" conference</a>, held in January 2010 in Bochum.</p>
<p><strong>Blurp</strong></p>
<p>"In <i>Religions and Trade</i> a number of international scholars investigate the ways in which eastern and western religions were formed and transformed from the perspective of "trade." Trade changes religions. Religions expand through the help of trade infrastructures, and religions extend and enrich the trade relations with cultural and religious "commodities" which they contribute to the "market place" of human culture and religion. This leads to the inclusion, demarcation and densification as well as the amalgamation of religious traditions.</p>
<p>In an attempt to find new pathways into the world of religious dynamics, this collection of essays focuses on four elements or "commodities" of religious interchange: topologies of religious space, religious symbol systems, religious knowledge, and religious-ethical ways of life."</p>
<p><strong>Full Title</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Wick, Peter and Volker Rabens, eds. Religions and Trade: Religious Formation, Transformation and Cross-Cultural Exchange between East and West. Dynamics in the History of Religions 5. Leiden: Brill, 2013. ISBN: 9789004255289.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>Call for Applications | Summer School "Eurasian Religions in Contact" 20142013-11-14T10:51:52+00:002016-05-04T19:02:51.283036+00:00Aizhana Khasanovahttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20131114-cfa-eric2014/<p>Religion and its potential for creating or reducing conflicts have recently become the subject of increased medial, political and legal attention. Academic interest too has grown, especially in contacts between different religions. Recent collaborative research at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg “Dynamics in the History of Religions” (University of Bochum) combines material and systematic as well as historical and contemporary aspects. It links the perspective of religious semantics with that on social structures and focuses especially on relational aspects as constituents of religious formation. In such a framework, networks of cultural and religious traditions are interpreted as protracted processes of orientation and religious exchange.</p>
<p><img style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" src="/static/uploads/news/picture-20131115-eric2014_440px.jpg" height="294" width="440" /></p>
<p>In July 2013, a first summer school on “Eurasian Religions in Contact” (<a href="http://www.eric.ceres.rub.de">ERiC</a>) was held in Bochum with the aim of translating the research conducted by senior scholars into knowledge which benefits junior researchers. The <a href="http://www.eric.ceres.rub.de">ERiC</a> Summer Schools offer advanced students of graduate standing working on related topics the opportunity to explore important theoretical and methodological questions for studying these contacts. The aims of ERiC are 1. Provide and assess exemplary case studies of intra- and interreligious encounters in Eurasia without limitations as to specific disciplines, timelines, and geographical frame; 2. Discuss current theoretical frameworks and critical approaches to the study of religious encounters from comparative and interdisciplinary perspectives. Young researchers will have the opportunity to present their own research and receive feedback from their peers and internationally renowned scholars.</p>
<p>The University of Bochum offers a limited number of full scholarships to attend the summer school scheduled to take place in Bochum in July 2014. As part of this scholarship, we will cover your travel expenses and accommodation and provide a small stipend in Bochum. Interested applicants are encouraged to seek financial support from their home institutions. Applicants are requested to <a href="http://eric.ceres.rub.de/en/application/">submit their applications online</a> as well as the following documents: a description of current research project, cv and a statement explaining the motivation for applying and your expectation how you might benefit from the summer school, and the names and contact details of two referees. Referees must send their references directly to the summer school conveners, Anna Akasoy and Georgios Halkias at <a href="mailto:eric2014@rub.de">eric2014@rub.de</a>. Applicants are responsible for a timely submission of the references.</p>
<p>Deadline for applications: 15 December 2013</p>Report | Delegation to China 2013-11-05T13:28:30+00:002016-05-04T19:02:51.184928+00:00Licia Di Giacintohttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20131105-report-china-delegation/<p>The Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions" (KHK) and the Erlangen-based International Consortium for Research in the Humanities "Fate, Freedom, and Prognostication" recently collaborated on an academic tour to China. From 6 to 18 October 2013 a joint delegation of scholars visited several research institutions and archaeological sites in the People's Republic of China. This excursion was quite successful in enhancing the cooperation between the two Käte Hamburger Collegia and improving the international visibility of both institutions.</p>
<p>The selection of sites visited reflects the research agendas of the two collegia. Due to the efforts of Professor Iwo Amelung, the delegates had the pleasure and honour of being guided on the remnant traces of the mantic culture of the Shang era (2nd millenium BC) by Professor Su Rongyu of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.</p>
<p><img style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" title="(c) Roman de Giuli" alt="(c) Roman de Giuli" src="/static/uploads/news/20131105-china-delagtion/img_0260_web.jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><em>The delegation in Anyang. On the left: Prof. Su Rongyu (CASS), center: Prof. Lackner (IKGF), and Prof. Krech (KHK).</em></p>
<p>The expansion of religions on Chinese territory was another major topic of the excursion, especially the development of Buddhism and Nestorianism. Under the knowledgeable guidance of Prof. Luo Zhao (CASS) the delegates inspected the Longmen Grottoes with its manifold examples of sinified Buddhist art, and also traced the history of Nestorianism at Luoyang Museum (Henan province) and the SUBURBS of Beijing (Fangshan).</p>
<p><img style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" title="(c) Roman de Giuli, 2013" alt="(c) Roman de Giuli, 2013" src="/static/uploads/news/20131105-china-delagtion/img_0800_web.jpg" height="309" width="440" /></p>
<p><em>The German delegates with Prof. Luo Zhao (centre) in front of the Longmen Grottoes.<br /></em></p>
<p>The delegates presented their institutions via several talks at three major Chinese academic institutions: Shandong University (Jinan), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (Beijing), and Renmin University (Beijing).</p>
<p>At Shandong University's Center for the Study of Judaism and Interreligious Exchange two KHK scholars gave papers. Prof. Alexandra Cuffel talked about "Jewish Studies as Part of Comparative Religious Studies in a Global Context at the <i>Center for Religious Studies</i> in Bochum" and Dr. Marion Steinicke elaborated on "Maliya: The Role of Pictures of the Virgin Mary for the Jesuit Mission in China".</p>
<p>Three papers on "manticism" were given by three delegates in a meeting at the Institute for Zhouyi Studies, also Shandong University: gehalten:</p>
<ul>
<li>Prof. Michael Lackner (IKGF): "<i>xiao dao you li</i> – Research Perspectives of the IKGF Erlangen"</li>
<li>Prof. Joachim Gentz (IKGF): "The Zhouyi and the Decline of Divination in China"</li>
<li>Dr. Licia Di Giacinto (KHK): "The Concept of Time under the Han between Calendar and Prophecy: The Case of the <i>Chenwei</i>"</li>
</ul>
<p>Prof. Volkhard Krech and Prof. Marion Eggert both gave papers exemplary for the research conducted at the KHK at the Institute for World Religions, the religious studies department of the renowned Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Prof. Krech talked about "Differentiation of Religion and Processes of Sacralization in a Historical and Globalizing Perspective" and Prof. Eggert's lecture dealt with "Reactions of Korean Literati to Western Learning and Catholic Mission".</p>
<p><img style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" title="(c) Roman de Giuli, 2013" alt="(c) Roman de Giuli, 2013" src="/static/uploads/news/20131105-china-delagtion/img_1113_web.jpg" height="292" width="440" /></p>
<p><em>Prof. Dr. Volkhard Krech while presenting at CASS.<br /></em></p>
<p>The final event in the academic schedule was an open debate at the Renmin University's Institute for Advanced Study of Religion. The research programme of KHK was inroduced by Prof. Krech and Prof. Carmen Meinert, while Dr. Esther-Maria Guggenmos and Dr. Michael Lüdke did the same for the IKGF.</p>
<p>In order to build a foundation for future collaboration the KHK signed <i>memoranda of understanding</i> with the following institutions:</p>
<ul>
<li>The Center for the Study of Judaism and Interreligious Exchange, Shandong University, Jinan;</li>
<li>The Institute of World Religions, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing;</li>
<li>Renmin University, Beijing:
<ul>
<li>The Institute for Advanced Study of Religions,</li>
<li>The Institute for Historical and Philological Studies of China's Western Regions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>These agreements lay the foundation for a fruitful future cooperation between religious studies scholars in Bochum and China.</p>
<p><img style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" title="(c) Roman de Giuli, 2013" alt="(c) Roman de Giuli, 2013" src="/static/uploads/news/20131105-china-delagtion/img_1129_web_shandonguniversity.jpg" height="274" width="440" /></p>
<p><em>Photo taken at The Center for the Study of Judaism and Interreligious Exchange. Center: Prof. Fu Youde (Shandong University), Prof. Lackner (IKGF), Prof. Krech (KHK).</em><br /><br /></p>
<p><img style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" title="(c) Roman de Giuli, 2013" alt="(c) Roman de Giuli, 2013" src="/static/uploads/news/20131105-china-delagtion/img_1688_web_cass.jpg" height="327" width="440" /></p>
<p><em>The delegates at CASS. Center: Prof. Zhou Qi (CASS), Prof. Lackner (IKGF), Prof. Krech (KHK).<br /></em></p>
<p><img style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" title="(c) Roman de Giuli, 2013" alt="(c) Roman de Giuli, 2013" src="/static/uploads/news/20131105-china-delagtion/img_1881_web_renmin-zentralasien.jpg" height="247" width="440" /><br clear="ALL" /></p>
<p><em>The delegates with members of The Institute for Historical and Philological Studies of China's Western Regions. Center: Prof. Meinert (CERES), Prof. Dr. Shen Weirong (Renmin University), Prof. Krech (KHK).<br /></em></p>
<p><img style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" title="(c) Roman de Giuli, 2013" alt="(c) Roman de Giuli, 2013" src="/static/uploads/news/20131105-china-delagtion/img_1907_web_renmin-ias.jpg" height="314" width="440" /><br clear="ALL" /></p>
<p><em>Here with members of the Institute for Advanced Study of Religion. Center: Prof. Krech, Prof. Dr. Yang Huilin (Renmin University).</em></p>
<h4>Links to other mentions:</h4>
<p><a href="http://aktuell.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/meldung/2013/10/meld01670.html.de">Ruhr University</a><br /><a href="http://iwr.cass.cn/ggtz/201309/t20130926_15580.htm">CASS</a><br /><a href="http://isbrt.ruc.edu.cn/isbrt/Article/Class31/Class47/201310/1497.html">Renmin Universität</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>All pictures copyright of Roman de Giuli, 2013.</p>CfP | Conference "Body Trouble"2013-10-30T12:34:57+00:002016-05-04T19:02:51.108629+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20131030-cfp-body-trouble/<p>The conference <a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/event/all/en-20140310-conference-body-trouble">"Body Trouble: The Ambivalence of Sex, Gender, and Desire in Religious Discourse"</a> will take place from 10 to 14 March 2014 and is designed as a last meeting of former fellows and faculty of this first period of the KHK consortium on the "Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe."</p>
<p>It will address the inherent ambiguity of religious approaches concerning the body in its multiform expressions that render them as ‘myriad bodies,’ which constitute the domain of religious subjects, instruments or mediums for doctrinal exegesis, interpretive and regulatory practices, disciplinary measures, and constructions in terms of sexuality and gender, while equally serving as markers of differentiation between different religious traditions, within the same tradition and between the religious and non-religious spheres.</p>
<p>Following the KHK format we are looking for original case studies drawn from different religious traditions, historical periods and disciplines that address the theme and aims of the conference. If you are interested in participating please submit a brief proposal and title of your presentation (150-200 words) and a short biographical statement of your current affiliation and research interests (100 words) to all three conveners (<a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/alexandra-cuffel/">Alexandra Cuffel</a>, <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/georgios-halkias/">Georgios Halkias</a>, and <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/ana-maria-echevarria-arsuaga/">Ana Echevarria</a>) no later than November 30 for immediate consideration</p>
<p><a href="/static/uploads/news/conference-20140310-body-trouble_cfp131028.pdf">Download the full call for papers!</a></p>Conference | Rethinking Religion and Globalization2013-10-15T14:15:25+00:002016-05-04T19:02:51.012187+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20131015-conference-religion-and-globalization/<p>Next week the <a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/event/all/en-20131021-conference-srinivas/">international conference 'Rethinking Religion and Globalization'</a> takes place at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg 'Dynamics in th History of Religions' (FNO 02/40-46). The conference is convened by Professor <a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/tulsani-srinivas/">Tulasi Srinivas</a> (Emerson College, Boston, MA) who is currently visiting research fellow at the KHK.</p>
<p>The conference is organized into three panels each focusing on a different aspect of the relationship between religion and globalization:</p>
<ol>
<li>Globalization, Christianity, and Process</li>
<li>Globalization, Nationalism, and the Political</li>
<li>Globalization, Ritual, and Meaning</li>
</ol>
<p>The following scholars will give papers during the conference:</p>
<ul>
<li>Jeremy Carette (Canterbury)</li>
<li>Linda Woodhead (Lancaster)</li>
<li>Ines Županov (Paris)</li>
<li>Richard King (Canterbury)</li>
<li>Patrick Eisenlohr (Göttingen)</li>
<li>Ingrid Therwath (New Delhi)</li>
<li>Richard Fox (Heidelberg)</li>
<li>Florence Galmiche (Paris)</li>
<li>Tulasi Srinivas (Boston, currently Bochum)</li>
</ul>
<p>Participation is free and open to the interested public. Please <a href="mailto:gwendolin.arnold@rub.de">register via e-mail</a> if you are going to join the conference.</p>Report | Workshop: Religio licita? [DE]2013-10-10T11:26:20+00:002016-05-04T19:02:50.974567+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20131010-report-religio-licita/<p>Bericht von <a href="http://www.ceres.rub.de/de/personen/details/meret-strothmann/">Mereth Strothmann</a> und <a href="http://www.ceres.rub.de/de/personen/details/gorge-k-hasselhoff/">Görge Hasselhoff: <br /></a></p>
<p>Anknüpfend an einen ersten <a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de/de/event/all/WS_theodosius_eng/">Workshop zu einer These von Doron Mendels</a>, der die sprachliche Differenzierung der Sprachräume in Ost und West für die Separierung und Etablierung von Judentum und Christentum als eigene Identitäten verantwortlich macht, im Oktober 2012 wurde nun in einem zweiten Workshop „Religio licita? Rom und die Juden vom Pompeius bis Konstantin“ die Fragestellung um einen neuen Aspekt erweitert. In der römischen Antike wurden die Anhänger jüdischer Glaubensvorstellungen zwar von römischer Seite einerseits mit Privilegien ausgestattet, andererseits aber standen die Juden häufig unter einem Vorbehalt, wie sich aus den von Menahem Stern gesammelten griechischen und lateinischen antijüdischen Schriften ablesen lässt. Karl-Leo Noethlichs hatte im Rahmen des ersten Workshops auf die Bedeutung der Rechtstexte für die Wahrnehmung der Juden verwiesen, mittels derer ihr Status nicht generell eingeschränkt wird, sich aber auch signifikante Ausnahmen finden lassen. Deswegen wurde nun weiter gefragt, wie einerseits die römische Sicht auf die Juden war und wie andererseits Veränderungen innerhalb des Judentums durch den Einfluss Roms bemerkbar wurden. Ziel des Workshops war es vor allem, durch den Fokus auf Rom Begriffe wie ‚religio’ oder ‚superstitio’ schärfer zu fassen und in der Auseinandersetzung mit Rom innerjüdische Prozesse sichtbar zu machen.</p>
<p>BENEDIKT ECKHARDT wies in seinem Vortrag auf die Problematik des Ethnos-Begriffs hin, der häufig in der Forschung auf die Juden allgemein angewandt wird. Es muss jedoch differenziert werden zwischen der Religionsgemeinschaft der Juden, die von den Römern nie insgesamt, sondern stets punktuell und temporär mit Sonderrechten ausgestattet wurde, die immer wieder erneuert werden mussten und den Stadtgemeinden der Juden, die individuell im Rahmen der römischen Verwaltung berücksichtigt wurden. Meist waren es Beziehungen und Verhältnisse römischer und jüdischer Machthaber untereinander, die das politische Gefüge bestimmten. Herodes und Agrippa zum Beispiel waren in enger ‚amicitia’ verbunden und so bestätigte Agrippa den Juden „unbehelligt nach ihren eigenen Sitten zu leben“, wie Eckhardt die Passage aus den Antiquitates Judaicae 16, 60 des Josephus auslegte. Ein neues Licht warf Eckhardt auf die Rechtsstellung, indem er die Judäer als Vereine verstand und auf der Quellengrundlage von Josephus, Antiquitates Judaicae 14, 235 Vereinsrecht als gültiges Recht ihnen gegenüber in Anschlag brachte. Diese Sicht verspreche weitere Aufschlüsse über die Beziehung zwischen Römern und Judäern.</p>
<p>KARL-LEO NOETHLICHS beurteilte die Rechtsstellung der Juden im Römischen Reich sehr differenziert mit Blick auf die einzelnen Regionen. In Judäa selbst wurden die Privilegien der Juden lange geschützt, sie erhielten die Erlaubnis sich zu versammeln, waren von der Einquartierungspflicht befreit und die Eintreibung der Sondersteuer wurde von den römischen Behörden unterstützt. Auch nach der Umbenennung Jerusalems in Aelia Capitolina wurden die Sonderrechte für die Juden nicht eingeschränkt. Durch die constitutio Antoniniana wurden auch alle Juden zu Römern. In diesem Kontext lohne der Blick auf Africa, das immer eine Sonderstellung einnahm. Noethlichs bewertete die Rechte der Juden in den einzelnen Reichsregionen stets mit scharfem Blick auf den Wortlaut der Gesetze, hier unter anderem des Codex Theodosianus, in dem auch Widersprüche aufgenommen wurden, was ihn besonders interessant mache, und des Codex Justinianus, der eher eine bereinigte Momentaufnahme liefere. Der Blick auf die Juden durch die römische Gesetzgebung gebe immer wieder die Möglichkeit, den Abspaltungsprozess des Christentums eingehender zu diskutieren.</p>
<p>ANDREAS BENDLIN lenkte mit seinem Beitrag den Blick auf die Hauptstadt selbst und argumentierte quellengestützt gegen ein harmonisches Zusammenleben der Stadtrömer mit den judäischen Migranten. Dabei suchte er keinen Schuldigen für die Konflikte, sondern stellte vielmehr nüchtern fest, dass judäische Sitten in Rom nicht einfach integriert wurden, so wurden zum Beispiel Judäer immer abgesondert von anderen bestattet. Bendlin konstatierte - abgesehen vom Judenexkurs des Tacitus, der die Oberschicht betraf - eine antijudäische Stimmung in Rom, und zwar gerade von Seiten der stadtrömischen Bevölkerung aus. Durch präzise Untersuchung der Sprache auf judäischen Grabsteinen und -tafeln wies er Differenzen zwischen den Gruppierungen nach, unter anderem JIWE 2, 343 und JIWE 2, 608. Mit den Ergebnissen seines Beitrags ist die Frage nach einer gelungenen Integration judäischer Migranten in Rom neu zu stellen.</p>
<p>In die germanischen Provinzen der beginnenden Spätantike führte der öffentliche Abendvortrag von WERNER ECK. Vor allem gestützt auf die Passage aus dem Codex Theodosianus 16,8,3, den Erlass über die Erlaubnis, die Juden in den Stadtrat zu berufen, hielt Eck fest, dass ohne einen gewissen jüdischen Anteil in der Bevölkerung der Stadt Köln ein solcher Passus keinen Sinn ergeben würde. Interessanterweise spreche dies gegen die epigrafische Evidenz: es gebe keinen einzigen sicheren inschriftlichen Beleg für jüdische Personen aus dem Raum Gallien und Germanien aus dem 1.-3. Jahrhundert n.Chr. Eck rekonstruierte minutiös die politische und historische Situation am Vorabend des Erlasses. Auch gegen ihren Willen durften in Köln Juden in den Stadtrat aufgenommen werden und waren am urbanen Leben beteiligt. Demgegenüber wurden 313 christlicher Kleriker von den Stadtratspflichten befreit, gut zehn Jahre später, 326 n.Chr. wurde dieses Privileg jedoch durch den Kaiser zurückgezogen. Der Nachweis der Präsenz politisch relevanter Gruppen ohne jeglichen epigrafischen Niederschlag demonstriert einmal mehr den umfassenden Anspruch an den Historiker, die wenigen vorhandenen Quellengattungen zu sichten und die Quellen in ihrer ganzen Tragweite auszuloten.</p>
<p>In ihrem Beitrag zu „Nero, die Juden - und die Christen“ diskutierten SEBASTIAN CHATSMAN und MERET STROTHMANN den Zeitpunkt der Trennung zwischen Juden und Christen. Der Beitrag versuchte, die Trennungskonditionen aus dem Blickwinkel der Motivation der jeweiligen Gruppierungen genauer zu betrachten. Die Juden wurden als die Hauptnutznießer einer - der These entsprechenden - frühen Trennung bis zu Nero klassifiziert. Danach fand eine Adaption des Begriffs ‚chrestiani’ durch die Christen statt, um sich nun selbst von den Juden aufgrund der ausbleibenden Parusie zu differenzieren und glaubwürdig in die Tradition der Märtyrer zu stellen. Die Römer selbst hatten zunächst kein direktes Interesse an der Differenzierung zwischen den beiden Gruppen, jedoch waren sie diejenigen, die durch ihre Anerkennung zweier Gruppen die Trennung unter politischen Aspekten erst vollkommen machten. An den Beitrag schloss sich eine kontroverse Diskussion an.</p>
<p>Ziel des Beitrags von CHRISTOPHER WEIKERT war es, das Verhältnis der flavischen Kaiser zu den Juden im Hinblick auf die Selbstdarstellung der neuen Dynastie zu untersuchen und ihren Umgang mit den Juden zu reflektieren. Der flavische Erfolg in Judäa durch Vespasian und seinen Sohn Titus rückte schon allein durch die nun möglich gewordene Realisierung gigantischer Bauprojekte in Rom in den Mittelpunkt kaiserlicher Selbstdarstellung - sehr anschaulich werde der Sieg in den Münzabbildungen gezeigt (RIC 22,1 V 167; 212). Demgegenüber stehe die Tradition in der Übernahme der Politik des ersten Princeps gegenüber den Juden, der sich ihnen gegenüber sehr nachsichtig gezeigt hatte. Hier betonte Weikert, dass Domitian wohl gegen die Proselyten, nicht aber gegen die Juden allgemein agierte. Damit seien auch die Argumente des harten Einzugs der Judensteuer, wie Sueton es formulierte und das Vorgehen gegen Flavius Clemens kanalisiert. Die geplante Judenverfolgung durch Domitian verwies Weikert ins Reich der Legenden.</p>
<p>Einen höchst interessanten Einblick in die wenig beachtete Ausgrabung von Beit Nattif gewährte ACHIM LICHTENBERGER. Er präsentierte Fundstücke aus einer dort ansässigen Terrakottawerkstatt, deren figürliches Dekor Anlass zu Vermutungen gebe. Die Ikonografie auf den gefundenen Darstellungen sei gerade nicht griechisch-römisch geprägt, sondern es sei deutlich ein eigener Stil erkennbar, der gegen eine Anlehnung an Vorbilder aus der Provinz spreche. Mehrere Deutungsvarianten ergäben sich. Jüdische Künstler könnten für ein paganes Publikum gearbeitet haben, umgekehrt könnten aber auch heidnische Handwerker im jüdischen Auftrag die Stücke angefertigt haben. Es sei jedenfalls vorstellbar, dass Volksfrömmigkeit - und zwar auch die jüdische - mit figürlichen Darstellungen ausgelebt wurde, was ein völlig neues Licht auf die Formen der Gottesverehrung im Judentum werfe.</p>
<p>SVEN GÜNTHER problematisierte den Begriff der „Judensteuer“ und trennte ihn strikt vom ‚fiscus Iudaicus’, der eine Institution zur Erhebung der Abgabe für die Juden darstellte. Hier würden vor allem Josephus, Bellum Iudaicum 7, 218f, und Cassius Dio 65 (66) 7,2, wichtig. Der ‚fiscus’ wurde im Zug des Jüdischen Krieges durch Vespasian eingerichtet. Zunächst war er zur Wiedererrichtung des Tempels für Jupiter Capitolinus geplant, wurde dann aber zum Kontrollinstrument der Römer gegenüber den nun verstreuten Juden. In der literarischen wie inschriftlichen, papyrologischen und numismatischen Überlieferung zeigten sich dabei die strikte Reglementierung durch Domitian (Suet. Dom. 12, 1f.), aber auch eine Entspannung durch Nerva. Diese Prozesse ließen Rückschlüsse auf die innerrömische Wertung der Herrschaftskonzeptionen des letzten Flaviers und ersten Adoptivkaisers seitens der Senatsaristokratie zu.</p>
<p>Eine exegetische Detailstudie lieferte GÖRGE HASSELHOFF, der den Blick auf die Diskrepanzen in der Darstellung der jüdischen Aufstände in Nordafrika und der Provinz Judäa in den Jahren 115-117 sowie 132-135 n.Chr. bei Eusebios von Caesarea einerseits und Cassius Dio andererseits richtete. In der Forschung werde zumeist von der Darstellung Eusebs in der Kirchengeschichte ausgegangen, obgleich diese Darstellung Differenzen zu derjenigen im Chronikon aufweist. Hier nun könnte die Darstellung bei Cassius Dio, die mitunter als übertrieben angesehen wird, ein wichtiges Korrektiv bilden. Es habe den Anschein, dass Euseb den möglicherweise sehr viel erfolgreicheren Aufstand unter Trajan marginalisierte, wohingegen er Ursachen und Folgen des Bar Kochba-Aufstandes vertauschte. Ein Grund könnte in den unzuverlässigeren Quellen und einem bewussten theologischen Programm zu finden sein.</p>
<p>Der Workshop war sehr gut besucht und alle Beiträge wurden konstruktiv und sehr breit diskutiert. In den meisten Beiträgen wurden jüngere und ältere Forschungshypothesen auf den Prüfstand gestellt und Texte und Artefakte neu interpretiert. Obgleich nicht in allen Fällen Konsens erzielt wurde, waren sich alle Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer darin einig, dass die Vorträge zu einem Erkenntnisgewinn geführt haben. Zu gegebener Zeit soll daher eine Dokumentation des Workshops publiziert werden.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Zuerst erschienen auf H-Soz-u-Kult: <a href="<http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/tagungsberichte/id=5052>">http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/tagungsberichte/id=5052</a></p>Job Opening | Editor 'Index Buddhicus'2013-10-02T12:33:16+00:002016-05-04T19:02:50.892218+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20131002-job-index-buddhicus/<p><img title="Brill logo" alt="Brill logo" style="float: right;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/logo-brill-web390x390.jpg" width="100" height="100" />Brill Academic Publishers is looking for two to four indexers for its new bibliography for Buddhist Studies -edited in close collaboration with the Käte Hamburger Kolleg 'Dynamics in the History of Religion' at Ruhr University's Center for Religious Studies. The workspace is situated at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.</p>
<p>The <em>Index Buddhicus</em> will be the academic bibliographical reference in the field of Buddhist studies. It will consist of bibliographical records for monographs, reviews, chapters in edited volumes, journal articles, reference works, electronic resources, and whatever is deemed relevant. The <em>Index Buddhicus</em> will cover Western language secondary literature.</p>
<p>Indexing will be done online on the basis of detailed instructions and guidelines. In their daily work the indexer(s) will report directly to their supervisor the managing editor, Mr. Richard Mahoney.</p>
<p><strong>Job profile:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>the identification of (sources of) relevant secondary literature</li>
<li>editing and feeding the resulting bibliographical records into the <em>Index Buddhicus</em> database</li>
<li>linking each record to a carefully designed classification and keyword list</li>
<li>advising the managing editor on further optimisation of the classification and keyword list</li>
<li>supervising the work of external bibliographical correspondents</li>
<li>advising the managing editor and publisher on issues such as representation at conferences, marketing opportunities, improvement of the user interface, etc.</li>
<li>preparing any spin-offs from the <em>Index Buddhicus</em> database</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Requirements:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>min. MA level knowledge in the field of Buddhist Studies</li>
<li>preferably experience in bibliographical work</li>
<li>be meticulous and efficient while at the same time</li>
<li>be well-versed in working with databases and aware of developments in electronic publishing and usage.</li>
<li>be able to work within deadlines</li>
</ul>
<p>The editors will be appointed on a project basis, but in the longer run a fixed position within the framework of the project belongs to the possibilities. The position is on the basis of a 50% to 75% full-time equivalent. Initial duration is for the period of twelve months. Salary is an hourly basis ranging from € 15 - € 18. Indexing a sample of articles will be part of the selection procedure. The project will officially start in December 2013 or January 2014.</p>
<p>In case you are interested, please contact <a href="http://www.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/sven-bretfeld/">Prof. Sven Bretfeld</a>, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitaetsstr. 150, FNO 01/176, 44780 Bochum. Applications should be send in digital form (pdf) to sven.bretfeld[at]rub.de before 22 October.</p>
<p><a href="/static/uploads/news/job-201310-indexer-buddhist-studies-bibliography.pdf">Download as PDF file</a></p>Publikation | Stünkel: "Una sit religio"2013-09-12T12:16:17+00:002016-05-04T19:02:50.733271+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130912-book-stuenkel-una-sit-religio/<p><img style="margin: 10px;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/cover-2013-stuenkel-una-sit-religio.jpg" height="228" width="150" />Knut Martin Stünkel's new book deals with the question how the notion of religion is form in the dialogue between religions - exemplified by analyzing the conceptual topologies of the medieval authors Cusanus, Llull, and Maimonides. the book offers a good introduction to the general research framework of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg and is itself a major contribution in its research agenda. The book is published by Königshausen & Neumann.</p>
<p><strong>German Blurp</strong></p>
<p>"In der Studie wird die Entstehung eines Religionsbegriffs im Zuge der Ausbildung einer beschreibenden Metasprache in der Objektsprache einer religiösen Tradition analysiert. Der entscheidende Anlass einer solchen Ausbildung ist die Kontaktsituation religiöser Traditionen, welche in den mittelalterlichen Religionsdialogen, wie zum Beispiel in Nicolaus Cusanus' De pace fi dei oder Ramon Llulls Llibre del Gentil i dels tres savis, refl ektiert wird. Die Bedeutung des Begriffs ist von dieser Kontaktsituation abhängig, und er ist als Schnittstelle religiöser Traditionen durch eine bestimmte hermeneutische Dynamik charakterisiert. Für seine Funktion ist die Ebene seines Gebrauchs, d.h. seine Topologie, entscheidend. Diese Topologie ist auch in anderen religiösen Traditionen, etwa im Judentum bei Moses Maimonides, nicht nur präsent, sondern ebenso philosophisch und literarisch in besonderer Weise gestaltet. Als Begriffstopologen haben die mittelalterlichen Autoren auch in der aktuellen Diskussion um Religionsbegriff und Religionsdialog Entscheidendes beizutragen."</p>
<p><strong>Full Title</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Stünkel, Knut Martin. <em>Una sit religio: Religionsbegriffe und Begriffstopologien bei Cusanus, Llull und Maimonides</em> [Notions of religion and conceptual topologies used by Cusanus, Llull, and Maimonides]. Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann, 2013. ISBN: 978-3-8260-5198-2.</li>
</ul>Publication | Di Giacinto: "The Chenwei Riddle"2013-09-12T08:57:26+00:002016-05-04T19:02:50.691643+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130912-book-digiacinto-chenwei-riddle/<p><img style="margin: 10px;" alt="book cover thumbnail" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/cover-2013-digiacinto-chenwei-riddle.jpg" height="229" width="150" />This monograph by KHK researcher Di Giacinto tackles the <em>chenwei</em> riddle from a cultural studies point of view. It was published by <a href="http://www.ostasien-verlag.de/">Ostasien Verlag</a> in the <a href="http://www.deutsche-ostasienstudien.de/doas/013.html">DOAS series</a> this summer.</p>
<p><strong>Description</strong></p>
<p>"The present study is devoted to the Han (206 BC–AD 220) <em>chenwei</em> writings, cryptic fragmentary documents that are usually referred to as "Confucian" (<em>ru</em>) apocrypha. The <em>chenwei</em> are famous for being one of the most enigmatic subjects in Han studies. This book proposes a different methodological approach to the riddle: the contextualization of the main <em>chenwei</em> contents – the starry sky, the notion of time, and the political hero – in Han culture. This approach generates, first, a new definition of the apocryphal phenomenon and, second, a rumination about the role of the received <em>chenwei</em> material within contemporary sinology.</p>
<p>The <em>chenwei</em> corpus is presented here as a hybrid collection of political documents of inverse predictions with the idea of messianic politics at the core. The <em>chenwei</em> phenomenon was born as a political branch of a pre-existent technical-religious imagery. People moving in the technical milieu and popular <em>ru</em> played a relevant role in the drafting of the documents. Although certainly complex and often very problematic, these writs definitely deserve more attention than they usually receive. Indeed, they offer here and there a glimpse beyond Han elite culture."</p>
<p><strong>Full Title</strong></p>
<p>Di Giacinto, Licia. The Chenwei Riddle: Stars, Time, and Heroes in the Confucian Apocrypha. Deutsche Ostasienstudien 13. Gossenberg: Ostasien Verlag, 2013. ISBN: 978-3-940527-72-1.</p>Publication | von der Höh, Jaspert & Oesterle (eds.) 'Cultural Brokers at Mediterranean Courts in the Middle Ages'2013-08-26T10:39:53+00:002016-05-04T19:02:50.499779+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130826-book-cultural-brokers/<p><img style="margin: 10px;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/cover-2013-cultural-brokers.jpg" height="222" width="150" />The first book in the <em>Mittelmeerstudien</em> series is out now: "<a href="http://www.fink.de/katalog/titel/978-3-7705-5364-8.html">Cultural Brokers at Mediterranean Courts in the Middle Ages</a>", edited by Marc von der Höh, Nikolas Jaspert und Jenny Rahel Oesterle. The cultural brokers concept has been intensively discussed in the KHK's <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/de/forschung/themenfelder/2-ausbreitung/">expansion research field (RF2)</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Description</strong></p>
<p>"People of the most diverse origins, functions and religious affiliations gathered at Christian and Muslim courts in the Medieval Mediterranean: Diplomats, scholars, artists, merchants and pilgrims came as visitors and encountered a wide spectrum of court officials such as administrative personnel, translators, religious experts, the ruler’s confidants, not to forget the Royal family itself. A wide range of religious backgrounds can be discerned, and arguably communication took place between these agents at court, who therefore transcended cultural borders. The articles in this volume focus these “cultural brokers” and their importance for processes of mediaeval entanglement. In a sweeping survey covering the entire Mediterranean and its hinterland, the thirteen papers deal with the courts of the Abbassids, the Ilkhans, the Fatimids and the Byzantines as well as with the courts of Rhodes, Cyprus, Aragon, Castile, Granada, Venice and Rome. Different forms and agents of brokerage are analysed, particular attention being paid to modes and means of inter-religious contact. By taking both the northern and southern rim of the Mediterranean into account, this volume extends our view of mediaeval court cultures and opens the field for transcultural comparisons."</p>
<p><strong>Full title</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Höh, Marc von der, Nikolas Jaspert, and Jenny Rahel Oesterle, eds. <em>Cultural Brokers at Mediterranean Courts in the Middle Ages</em>. Mittelmeerstudien, 1. Paderborn: Schöningh, 2013. ISBN: 978-3-506-77559-7.</li>
</ul>Video | Volkhard Krech & Otto Kallscheuer: "Globality and the Dynamics of Religion"2013-08-19T17:25:31+00:002016-05-04T19:02:50.412182+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130426-video-krech-kallscheuer/<p>
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<p>Krech, Volkhard, and Otto Kallscheuer. "Globality and the Dynamics of Religion." Paper presented at Käte Hamburger Kolleg 'Law as Culture', Bonn, 26 April 2013.</p>Video | Volkhard Krech: "Globalizing Religion: Preliminary Considerations on Historical and Contemporary Developments"2013-07-24T12:34:15+00:002023-04-27T10:20:47.861502+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130719-video-krech/<iframe width="648" height="307" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/-StnC3eY0hU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Krech, Volkhard. "Globalizing Religion: Preliminary Considerations on Historical and Contemporary Developments." Paper presented at the Compentence Network Crossroads Asia, Bonn, 19 July 2013. Link: <a href="http://youtu.be/-StnC3eY0hU">http://youtu.be/-StnC3eY0hU</a>.</p>Konferenz | Der Mittelmeerraum: Ein pluriverses Universum2013-07-16T14:35:22+00:002016-05-04T19:02:50.028149+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/de-20130716-konferenz-pluriverses-universum/<p>Die in Kooperation mit dem Zentrum für Mittelmeerstudien (ZMS) veranstaltete Konferenz "Der Mittelmeerraum - Ein pluriverses Universum" wird heute mit einem Vortrag von Klaus Geus (Berlin) eröffnet. In seiner Keynote Lecture mit dem Titel "La méditerranée avant 'La Méditerranée': Fernand Braudel und das antike Mittelmeer" leitet Geus in das Thema der Konferenz ein.</p>
<p>Überblick über die Vortragenden:</p>
<ul>
<li>Klaus Geus (Berlin)</li>
<li>Helmut Schneider (Kassel)</li>
<li>Achim Lichtenberger (Bochum)</li>
<li>Rainer Zimmermann (München)</li>
<li>André laks (Paris/Mexico City)</li>
<li>Francesca Vidal (Landau)</li>
<li>Jürgen Ebach (Bochum)</li>
<li>Richard Faber (Berlin)</li>
<li>Maren Niehoff (Jerusalem)</li>
<li>Ernst Baltrusch (Berlin)</li>
<li>Martin Leutzsch (Paderborn)</li>
<li>Hubert Cancik (Berlin)</li>
<li>Götz König (Bochum/Berlin)</li>
</ul>
<p>Weitere Informationen zur Veranstaltung: <a href="http://bit.ly/12GHevo">http://bit.ly/12GHevo</a>.</p>Impressions | Summer School 20132013-07-15T11:06:17+00:002016-05-04T19:02:50.447892+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/de-20140702-impressionen-eric2013/<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 10px;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130712-summerschool-eric2013/dsc_1327.jpg" width="440" height="293" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 10px;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130712-summerschool-eric2013/dsc_1320.jpg" width="440" height="304" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 10px;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130712-summerschool-eric2013/dsc_1311.jpg" width="440" height="292" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 10px;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130712-summerschool-eric2013/dsc_1318.jpg" width="440" height="304" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 10px;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130712-summerschool-eric2013/dsc_1315.jpg" width="440" height="304" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 10px;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130712-summerschool-eric2013/dsc_1310.jpg" width="440" height="292" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 10px;" src="/static/uploads/eric_summer_schools/group-eric2013_closeup.jpg" width="440" height="263" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">All pictures (c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013</p>Video | Jeremy Carrette (Canterbury): "The Mystic Hypothesis, Gender and Truth: Rethinking William James and Mysticism"2013-06-21T13:44:51+00:002023-02-01T12:12:40.666998+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/de-20130617-video-carrette/<p>
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<p>Carrette, Jeremy. "The Mystic Hypothesis, Gender and Truth: Rethinking William James and Mysticism." Paper presented at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg 'Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe', Bochum, 17 June 2013.</p>Workshop | Epiphanies2013-06-20T07:55:37+00:002016-05-04T19:02:49.748813+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130625-announcement-epiphanies/<p>The Käte Hamburger Kolleg cordially invites everyone interested in epiphanies to next week's workshop on that subject. The <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/de/event/all/de-20130625-workshop-epiphanien/">workshop "Epiphanies"</a> will take place on June 25-26 in the KHK's conference room (FNO 02/40-46). All presentations will be in German.</p>
<p>With papers presented by:</p>
<ul>
<li>Angelos Chaniotis (Princeton)</li>
<li>Linda-Marie Günther</li>
<li>Manuel Baumbach</li>
<li>Marion Steinicke</li>
<li>Reinhard von Bendemann</li>
<li>Ursula-Kristin Kampmeier</li>
<li>Heinz Georg Held (Pavia)</li>
<li>Thomas Jurczyk</li>
</ul>Impressions | Workshop "Christianity Translated"2013-06-18T12:12:59+00:002016-05-04T19:02:49.711520+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130611-impressions-christianity-translated/<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130611-workshop-christianity-translated_440px/13061201.jpg" width="440" height="292" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130611-workshop-christianity-translated_440px/13061202.jpg" width="440" height="292" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130611-workshop-christianity-translated_440px/13061203.jpg" width="440" height="292" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130611-workshop-christianity-translated_440px/13061204.jpg" width="440" height="292" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130611-workshop-christianity-translated_440px/13061205.jpg" width="440" height="292" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130611-workshop-christianity-translated_440px/13061206.jpg" width="440" height="292" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130611-workshop-christianity-translated_440px/13061207.jpg" width="440" height="292" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130611-workshop-christianity-translated_440px/13061208.jpg" width="440" height="292" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130611-workshop-christianity-translated_440px/13061209.jpg" width="440" height="292" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130611-workshop-christianity-translated_440px/13061210.jpg" width="440" height="292" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130611-workshop-christianity-translated_440px/13061211.jpg" width="440" height="292" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130611-workshop-christianity-translated_440px/13061212.jpg" width="440" height="330" alt="(c) Gita Dharampal-Frick, 2013" title="(c) Gita Dharampal-Frick, 2013" /></p>Guest Lecture | Dulce Maria Viana Mindlin (Ouro Preto): "José de Anchieta, a perfect Jesuit"2013-06-13T14:37:53+00:002016-05-04T19:02:49.674884+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130620-guestlecture-mindlin/<p><img alt="José de Anchieta" height="240" width="198" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/198px-anchieta.jpg" />We cordially invite everybody to next week's guest lecture. On Thursday, 20 June 2013 at 18:00, Prof. em. Mindlin (Ouro Preto/Salamanca) will talk about Brazilian Jesuit José de Anchieta.</p>
<p>Abstract: "His biographers used to say that he was as contemplative as Mary and as diligent as Martha. In her presentation Dulce Mindlin will be dealing with the fascinating character of José de Anchieta, a 16th century Jesuit who was born in Spain but has lived mostly in Brazil. She will begin with some "must know" facts about his personal life and his literary work which can be read within a number of "frames": the lyric, the narrative and the scenic one, besides his oratory and his epistolography. On a second moment, she will try to explore some of the reasons for which José de Anchieta is not a canonic author, nevertheless the fact that his literary work is doubtless an outstanding one, regarding quality. She will finish her presentation by examining the concept of allegory as used by José de Anchieta in his scenic works, mainly catechetical plays, to further the main purpose of the Society of Jesus: to christianizing, to increasing the number of Catholic people in a recently "Reformed" and "Counter-Reformed" Western religious world."</p>Impressions | Workshop "Convivencia and Religious Language"2013-06-07T09:49:15+00:002016-05-04T19:02:49.645194+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130604-impressions-convivencia/<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130604-workshop-convivencia-and-religious-language/dsc_0859.jpg" width="440" height="292" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130604-workshop-convivencia-and-religious-language/dsc_0839.jpg" width="440" height="292" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130604-workshop-convivencia-and-religious-language/dsc_0846.jpg" width="440" height="302" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130604-workshop-convivencia-and-religious-language/dsc_0835.jpg" width="440" height="292" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130604-workshop-convivencia-and-religious-language/dsc_0861.jpg" width="440" height="292" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2014" title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2014" /><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130604-workshop-convivencia-and-religious-language/dsc_0845.jpg" width="440" height="292" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/fotoalbum-20130604-workshop-convivencia-and-religious-language/dsc_0848.jpg" width="440" height="282" alt="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" title="(c) Sung Yeon Cho, 2013" /></p>Workshop | Christianity Translated2013-06-04T10:48:06+00:002016-05-04T19:02:49.605378+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130611-workshop-christianity-translated/<p>Next week's workshop "<a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/event/all/Conf_ChrisTrans_de/">Christianity Translated: Knowledge Circulation and Epistemic Transformation through Missionary Enterprise, 16th-19th ct.</a>" emanated from the work of the mission group and research field 4. It takes place on <strong>Tuesday and Wednesday, 11-12 June 2013</strong>. Starting from the hypothesis that the religious and cultural encounters facilitated by Christian missions had a profound impact on both sides in the interaction, this workshop asks how epistemic changes were inaugurated by missionary activities in Asia, both in the mission field and on home ground.</p>
<p>With papers presented by:</p>
<ul>
<li>Urs App (Padua)</li>
<li>Ronnie Po-Chia Hsia (University Park, PA)</li>
<li>Niklas Jensen (Copenhagen)</li>
<li>Alexander Henn (Tempe, AZ)</li>
<li>Richard Fox Young (Princeton)</li>
<li>Marion Eggert (Bochum)</li>
<li>Oak Sung-Deuk (Los Angeles)</li>
<li>Will Sweetman (Dunedin)</li>
<li>Anne-Charlott Trepp (Kassel)</li>
<li>Chen Hui-Hung (Taipei)</li>
<li>Ines Županov (Paris)</li>
</ul>CfP | Workshop "Entangled Hagiographies of the Religious Other"2013-06-03T06:00:00+00:002016-05-04T19:02:49.532189+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130603-cfp-entangled-hagiographies/<p>Deadline: 15 August 2013! </p>
<p>Studying or noting the fact that stories about saints or holy objects traveled from one region or religious community to another, for example how the Jataka tales, the Pantachantra, Balaam and Josephat, or the Prince and the Sage traveled from India through Central Asia or into parts of Africa, the Middle East and finally even to Northern Europe, is fascinating for it includes not only transfer of motifs, but resistance, demarcation, adoption, transformation, even expansion. Alone, however, such explorations tell us little about inter- or intra-religious relations.</p>
<p>In this workshop we propose to focus on hagiographical accounts of encounter with the religious other that traveled from one cultural/geographical area to another, and how these narratives changed as the result of cultural, religious, geographic, or chronological displacement. Specifically stories about saints and the religious other, provide important indications about cultures dealt with religious minorities, and how religious minorities imagined their relationships with the religious communities around them. Such narratives also indicate, perhaps, what forces cause tension and persecution - why are some stories in certain cultures relatively more “friendly” toward the religious other than others, and very condemnatory in other cultures though the story at its core is the same? How and why are certain hagiographies of encounter taken over by more than one religious community and either used as a form of resistance or simply co-opted and claimed by the new group?</p>
<p>Those who are interested in participating in the workshop, please submit a title and an abstract to either Alexandra Cuffel (<a href="mailto:alexandra.cuffel@rub.de">alexandra.cuffel@rub.de</a>) or Nikolas Jaspert (<a href="mailto:nikolas.jaspert@rub.de">nikolas.jaspert@rub.de</a>) by 15 August 2013.</p>CfP | Workshop "Epiphanien"2013-05-27T14:31:08+00:002016-05-04T19:02:49.455247+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/de-20130625-call-for-papers-epiphanien/<p>Für den <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/de/event/all/de-20130625-workshop-epiphanien">Workshop "Epiphanien"</a> erbitten wir aktive Beiträge von Nachwuchswissenschaftler/innen zu den einzelnen Sektionen und assoziierten Themen. Die Teilnahme ist grundsätzlich gebührenfrei und auch ohne eigenen aktiven Beitrag möglich.</p>
<p>Der Workshop findet vom 25.-26. Juni am Käte Hamburger Kolleg statt und ist in drei Sektionen gegliedert:</p>
<ol>
<li><em>Visionen und Events. Epiphanien im Hellenismus</em></li>
<li><em>Narration und Inszenierung. Literarische und musikalische Epiphanien in der Antike und in der Antikenrezeption</em></li>
<li><em>Göttliche Selbstoffenbarung und ihre Repräsentation. Christliche Epiphanien und ihr Nachleben in der abendländischen Kunst</em></li>
</ol>
<p><strong>Wir bitten um verbindliche Anmeldung, ggf. mit einem kurzen Beitragsexposé von maximal 2.000 Zeichen, bis zum 7. Juni 2013.</strong></p>
<p>Kontakt: <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/de/personen/details/marion-steinicke/">Marion Steinicke</a></p>
<p><a href="/static/uploads/khk/events/workshop-20130625-epihanien_cfp_web_0527.pdf">Call for Papers</a></p>Two workshops next week!2013-05-27T09:47:44+00:002016-05-04T19:02:49.393094+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130527-announce-next-weeks-workshops/<p>The Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of religions between Asia and Europe"cordially invites all interested parties to attend its two upcoming workshops!</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/event/all/WS_Conviv_de/">1. Convivencia and Religious Language: Dialogue of Religions on the Iberian Peninsula (4-5 June 2013)</a></strong></p>
<p>The Iberian Peninsula of the Middle Ages is quite often described as an ideal place of religious encounters. Terms like "golden century" are sometimes employed to describe that time. Although descriptions like that are in more than one respect difficult they point to an important aspect. Time and place in focus made it possible that members of three major religions – Christians, Muslims, and Jews – met and exchanged knowledge and religious ideas. Translations of Arabic-written scientific and religious works into Hebrew or Latin were numerous, but also translations of Latin works into Hebrew or even into Arabic took place. These translations as well as personal encounters enabled religious thinkers to their own religious beliefs and to develop new religious insights.</p>
<p>Thus, the Iberian Peninsula forms the ideal place to show how the contact between members of the three monotheistic religions had an impact on their respective religious language.</p>
<p><a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/event/all/WS_ReligionoutsideText_de/"><strong>2. Religion Outside Text (6-7 June 2013)</strong></a></p>
<p>Recently researchers in religious studies have been increasingly critical of earlier generations of scholars' tendency to study only those religions that had a strong textual tradition, and then to treat these "textual" religions as monolithic in nature. Spiritual practices and beliefs that fell outside such textually defined creeds and rituals, or which were related to these traditions but differed considerably from expected practices as set forth by "accepted" texts have often been dubbed as "deviant", "popular," "heretical", or "magical", sometimes by practitioners' contemporaries and sometimes by scholars of religion themselves.</p>
<p>This workshop seeks to focus specifically on religious customs or beliefs that are or were outside conventional definitions of "religion." Specifically, participants will explore the practices of co-opting, transfer, resistance, or transformation within these various forms of "religions outside religions" and, where relevant, the reactions to them.</p>Video | Tulasi Srinivas: "Forging Faith: Ambivalent Globalization, Neo-ness and Innovative Religion in the Temple Publics of Bangalore City"2013-05-14T13:48:02+00:002016-05-04T19:02:49.109785+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130429-video-srinivas/<p>
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<p>Srinivas, Tulasi. "Forging Faith: Ambivalent Globalization, Neo-ness and Innovative Religion in the Temple Publics of Bangalore City." Paper presented at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg 'Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe', Bochum, 29 April 2013.</p>Publication | Eggert & Hölscher (eds.): Religion and Secularity2013-05-14T13:02:21+00:002016-05-04T19:02:49.072581+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130514-book-eggert-hoelscher/<p><img style="margin: 10px;" height="153" width="100" src="/static/uploads/khk/allgemeines/cover-dhr4.jpg" />The fourth volume of our Brill series "Dynamics in the History of Religions" is out now! The collection <em>Religion and Secularity</em> has been edited by RUB professors Marion Eggert and Lucian Hölscher. The table of contents and the introduction by the editors are available for download here:</p>
<p><a href="/static/uploads/khk/publications/offprint-201304-eggert-hoelscher-introduction.pdf">DHR4: Table of Contents & Introduction</a></p>
<ul>
</ul>
<p><strong>Description</strong></p>
<p>"<em>Religion and Secularity</em> traces the history of the conceptual binary of religion and secularity in Europe and the repercussions it had in other regions and cultures of the Eurasian continent during the age of imperialism and beyond. Twelve authors from a wide range of disciplines, deal in their contributions with the trajectory, the concepts of „religion" and „secularity/secularization" took, as well as with the corresponding re-configurations of the religious field in a variety of cultures in Europe, the Near and Middle East, South Asia and East Asia. Taken together, these in-depth studies provide a broad comparative perspective on a phenomenon that has been crucial for the development of globalized modernity and its regional interpretations."</p>
<p><strong>Full Title</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Eggert, Marion and Lucian Hölscher. <em>Religion and Secularity: Transformations and Transfers of Religious Discourses in Europe and Asia</em>. Dynamics in the History of Religions in Europe 4. Leiden: Brill, 2013. ISBN: 9789004251328.</li>
</ul>Report: Conference "Globality in the Space of Reflection of the Käte Hamburger Kollegs" (25-26 April 2013)2013-05-06T08:09:23+00:002016-05-04T19:02:48.940522+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130506-bericht-globalitaetstagung/<p>The first conference collectively organized by all Käte Hamburger Kollegs successfully took place last month in Bonn. The conference "<a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/event/all/de-20130425-konferenz-globalitaet-khk/">Globality in the Space of Reflection of the Käte Hamburger Kollegs</a>" was convened by the <a href="http://www.recht-als-kultur.de/">Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Law as Culture"</a>. The report is now available for download.</p>
<p><a href="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/bericht-20130422-globalitaetstagung.pdf">Report by Dr. Jan Christoph Suntrup</a> (German only)</p>
<p><img height="631" width="440" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/poster-20130422-globalitaetstagung.jpg" /></p>We welcome our new visiting research fellows!2013-04-16T12:40:44+00:002016-05-04T19:02:48.796729+00:00Lucia an der Brüggehttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130416-welcome-new-fellows/<p>We are more then happy to welcome our new visiting research fellows for the academic year 2013/2014! The following scholars will enrich the KHK's research and discussions during the coming months:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/paul-fenton/">Prof. Dr. Paul Fenton</a> (Hebrew/oriental studies, Paris)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/gotz-konig/">Dr. Götz König</a> (Iranian studies, Berlin)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/robert-mayer/">Prof. Dr. Robert Mayer</a> (Buddhist studies, Oxford)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/jessie-pons/">Dr. Jessie Pons</a> (art history, Paris)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/magnus-schlette/">Dr. habil. Magnus Schlette</a> (philosophy, Heidelberg)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/gerard-wiegers/">Prof. Dr. Gerard Wiegers</a> (religious studies, Amsterdam)</li>
</ul>Call for Papers: Convivencia and Religious Language: Dialogue of Religions on the Iberian Peninsula2013-04-15T15:01:34+00:002016-05-04T19:02:48.738753+00:00Knut Martin Stünkelhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130416-cfp-religious-language/<p>The Iberian Peninsula of the Middle Ages is quite often described as an ideal place of religious encounters. Terms like "golden century" are sometimes employed to describe that time. Although descriptions like that are in more than one respect difficult they point to an important aspect. Time and place in focus made it possible that members of three major religions – Christians, Muslims, and Jews – met and exchanged knowledge and religious ideas. Translations of Arabic-written scientific and religious works into Hebrew or Latin were numerous, but also translations of Latin works into Hebrew or even into Arabic took place. These translations as well as personal encounters enabled religious thinkers to their own religious beliefs and to develop new religious insights.</p>
<p>Thus, the Iberian Peninsula forms the ideal place to show how the contact between members of the three monotheistic religions had an impact on their respective religious language.</p>
<p>In the workshop we want to analyse different models of that kind of forming of language in concrete contact situations.</p>
<p>Costs for accommodation (June 4th-5th) and catering will be covered by the organizers. Whether travel costs might be covered as well is still under negotiation.</p>
<p>The Organizing Committee invites the submission of papers and contributions of about 30 minutes on all aspects related to the main theme of the workshop. A publication of the papers is planned.</p>
<p>Authors of papers should submit abstracts specifying the author's name, affiliation and e-mail address.</p>
<p>Abstracts should be around 200-300 words and should be sent by e-mail, as attachments (preferable as PDF or RTF), to <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/gorge-k-hasselhoff/">Görge Hasselhoff</a> (goerge.hasselhoff@rub.de) and (!) <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/de/personen/details/knut-martin-stunkel/">Knut Martin Stünkel</a> (knut.stuenkel@<wbr></wbr>gmx.net).</p>
<p>Deadline for submission is <strong>22 April 2013</strong>. We will notify authors of accepted papers by May 1st, 2013 at the latest. </p>
<p>Call also published on <span> H-Soz-u-Kult: http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/termine/id=21478</span></p>Video | Attila Jakab: "Shadows and Lights: The Involvement of the Hungarian Catholic Clergymen in Anti-Semitism and Holocaust"2013-04-15T11:34:30+00:002016-05-04T19:02:48.707677+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130411-video-attila-jakab/<p>
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<p>Jakab, Attila. "Shadows and Lights: The Involvement of the Hungarian Catholic Clergymen in Anti-Semitism and Holocaust in the Horthy Era (1920-1944)" Paper presented at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg 'Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe', Bochum, 11 April 2013.</p>Call for Papers: 'Religio licita'? The Romans and the Jews, 1st century BCE - 3rd century CE2013-04-08T14:08:34+00:002016-05-04T19:02:48.676891+00:00Görge K. Hasselhoffhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130408-cfp-religio-licita/<p>Usually Judaism is regarded as 'religio licita' of the Roman Empire. Nonetheless it is always regarded with suspicion as can be detected from Menahem Stern's collection of ancient anti-Jewish texts (, id., Greek and Latin Authors on Jews and Judaism). In addition, Karl Leo Noethlichs has pointed to the importance of legal sources for the perception of Jews. These texts normally do not limit the status of Jews, but show significant exceptions. If we, in addition, take into account that Kelsos at the end of the 2nd century polemized against Jews and Christians alike, we have to ask in two directions: First, what was the Roman view on Jews and, second, which changes within Judaism under the Roman influence might be detected? Already at the end of the first century BCE we see altercations between Jews and Romans, as can be seen in Pompeius' ambivalent attitude towards the Jews. On the one hand there are his brutal actions against Jews; on the other hand he tried to establish a Roman order within Judaic territories (and be it to keep them "calm"). That continues in the times of the emperors.</p>
<p>In our workshop we are mainly interested in the reasons for the conflicts which arose after the Jews were given a number of privileges although the Jews themselves showed little or no interest in territorial-expansive efforts and did not threaten Rome in this regard.</p>
<p>Possible papers might focus on the following topics (examples!): </p>
<ul>
<li>Jews as Romans? </li>
<li>Rome in Apocalyptic Jewish (and Christian) Literature </li>
<li>Herod and Rome </li>
<li>The Revolt under Trajan 115/7</li>
</ul>
<p>Costs for accommodation (July 4th-5th) and catering will be covered by the organizers. Whether travel costs might be covered as well is still under negotiation.</p>
<p>The Organizing Committee invites the submission of papers and contributions of about 30 minutes on all aspects related to the main theme of the workshop. Authors of papers should submit abstracts specifying the author's name, affiliation and e-mail address.</p>
<p>Abstracts should be around 200-300 words and should be sent by e-mail, as attachments (preferable as PDF or RTF), to <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/gorge-k-hasselhoff/">Görge Hasselhoff</a> (goerge.hasselhoff@rub.de) and (!) <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/meret-strothmann/">Meret Strothmann</a> (Meret.Strothmann@<wbr></wbr>rub.de).</p>
<p>Deadline for submission is <strong>May 12th, 2013</strong>. We will notify authors of accepted papers by May 26th, 2013 at the latest.</p>
<p>Call also published on H-Soz-u-Kult: http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/termine/id=21488</p>Video | István Perczel & Vasco La Salvia: "Trans-Arabian Sea Trade"2013-04-04T10:49:35+00:002016-05-04T19:02:48.579894+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130322-video-perczel-lasalvia/<p>The special session presented by István Perczel (Budapest) and Vasco La Silva (Chieta) at the Religion in Motion conference is now available as video in full length.</p>
<p>
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</p>Video | Vinay Lal (Los Angeles): "The Silence Room. Gandhi‘s Religion and the Politics of Hinduism"2013-03-28T13:06:29+00:002016-05-04T19:02:48.514980+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130328-video-vinay-lal/<p>This years research field conference was opened with a keynote by Prof. Dr. Vinay Lal (Los Angeles). His talk on Gandhi's religion is now available as a video:</p>
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</p>Interview with Ines Županov2013-03-27T09:15:01+00:002016-05-04T19:02:48.478407+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130327-interview-zupanov/<p><a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/de/personen/details/ines-g-zupanov/">Ines <span size="+1">Ž</span>upanov</a> has been a visiting research fellow with the KHK since April 2012. She is going back to Paris this weekend and we conducted a short interview with her as she was packing her bags.</p>
<p><strong>KHK</strong>: What have you been working on during your stay?</p>
<p><strong>IZ</strong>: During my stay I had a very busy schedule. I tried to finish my book Catholic Orientalism. It is now just a few weeks away from being sent to the publisher – Oxford University Press, New Delhi. At the same time, I had a series of lectures and conferences scheduled for which I needed to write a paper (Heidelberg, New Delhi, Singapore, Paris). In addition I was participating in preparation of two conferences. One had just taken place, <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/de/event/all/ReligionInMotion_de/">the research field 4 conference "Religion in Motion,"</a> and the second one is scheduled in June – Christianity Translated. I can also say that I was "distracted" in the most positive sense of the word by our Monday meetings and discussion that were always very inspiring. I also wrote ten short papers (encyclopedia entries), a book review, and an introduction to the edited volume <i>L’Inde des Lumieres</i>, that is due to come out on April 12.</p>
<p><strong>KHK</strong>: Did you make significant progress with your research while staying? In which ways did the KHK environment further your research?</p>
<p><strong>IZ</strong>: I have done a huge amount of research and profits will be felt during the next year. Most important part of the research was a dialogue with my colleagues coming from different disciplines and working on topics that are new to me. I took this year as a year of learning! I also learnt basic Farsi with a help of KHK graduate student Arezoo Molla Gholamali.</p>
<p><strong>KHK</strong>: What aspect of being a KHK visiting scholar did you enjoy the most? How did you like Bochum and Ruhr University?</p>
<p><strong>IZ</strong>: Hard to say what I enjoyed the most. I enjoyed my apartment and my office. They provided me with space to think because they were clean, full of light and empty of my everyday clutter. I enjoyed walking ‑ which for me is a time of thinking as well ‑ through the woods to get to university. An hour a day. (I did not enjoy the Mensa food at all, however). And I enjoyed company of interesting people who were either KHK fellows or Ruhr University scholars or students. Unfortunately, I did not connect with many people from Bochum except the KHK members. I would need more time in Bochum for that.</p>
<p><strong>KHK</strong>: When will we see you again?</p>
<p><strong>IZ</strong>: I’m back for the June conference and am more than happy to come whenever you invite me. Thanks for the wonderful and stimulating year in the Ruhr area.</p>Upcoming Conference: Religion in Motion2013-03-13T11:28:35+00:002016-05-04T19:02:48.141168+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-130313-conf-religion-in-motion/<p><a href="http://rogerhagmann.com/rogerhagmann/html/index.html"><img alt="Photo: (c) Roger Hagmann" style="margin: 5px 10px;" height="293" width="440" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/pic-20130321-hindus-von-hamm_440px.jpg" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">We cordially invite all interested scholars and students to attend the international conference "Religion in Motion: Boundary Work in the Global Religious Field" (21-23 March).</p>
<p><strong>Participants</strong></p>
<p>The following scholars will give presentations:</p>
<ul>
<li>Vinay Lal (Los Angeles)</li><li>Alexander Henn (Tempe, AZ / Bochum)</li>
<li>Sandya Marla (Bochum)</li>
<li>Keith Luria (Raleigh, NC)</li>
<li>Ya-Pei Kuo (Leiden / Bochum)</li>
<li>Ines Zupanov (Paris / Bochum</li>
<li>Vasilios Makrides (Erfurt / Bochum)</li>
<li>Knut Martin Stünkel (Bochum)</li>
<li>Istvan Perczel (Budapest / Bochum)</li>
<li>Vasco La Salvia (Chieti)</li>
<li>Tobias Meyer & Ariana Fürst (Dortmund)</li>
<li>Piotr Suder (Bochum)</li>
<li>Hüseyin Aguicenoglu (Bochum)</li>
<li><s>Vincent Goossaert (Paris)</s> [<strong>cancelled!</strong>]</li>
<li>Alexander-Kenneth Nagel (Bochum)</li>
<li>Edward J. W. Park (Los Angels)</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Description</strong></p>
<p>Assembling case studies from all over Eurasia, this conference aims at testing the assumption that in the context of the massive expansion in the traffic of people, goods and information, which acquired a new spectacular dimension from the early modern period onwards, a global religious field started to emerge.<br />We propose to look especially at boundary work as it appears in the situations of exceptionally dynamic and transformative religious<br />constellations such as missions or migration. We are interested in the double process of convergence and differentiation: the way in which<br />boundaries, always porous and fluid, are being set up and re-negotiated between religious communities, as well as between religious and nonreligious forms of social communication. What are the patterns and mechanisms of dealing with religious diversity? How appropriate are the universality claims implied in the notion of a global religious field? In how far do unexpected outcomes of dynamic interactions in and beyond the religious field challenge the idea of religious convergence?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/static/uploads/khk/events/conference-20130321-religion-in-motion_0313a.pdf">Flyer</a></p>
<blockquote>
<div></div>
</blockquote>Upcoming Workshop: 12th and 13th Century Attempts to Translate Muslim and Jewish Texts into Latin2013-03-12T10:25:59+00:002016-05-04T19:02:48.087582+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-130312-ws-muslim-jewish-translation-to-latin/<p>All interested scholars and students are cordially invited to next week's workshop titled "12th and 13th Century Attempts to Translate Muslim and Jewish Texts into Latin." The workshop is convened by Görge Hasselhoff (Bochum) and Alexander Fidora (Cerdanyola del Vallès) and starts on 19 March at 2 pm.</p>
<p><strong>Participants</strong></p>
<p>The following scholars will give presentations:</p>
<ul>
<li>Matthias Tischler (Barcelona)</li>
<li>Nicola Polloni (Pavia/Barcelona)</li>
<li>Ryan Szpiech (Ann Arbor/Sevilla)</li>
<li>Damien Travelletti (Fribourg)</li>
<li>Ann Giletti (Rome)</li>
<li>Philippe Bobichon (Paris)</li>
<li>Daniel Pachurka (Bochum)</li>
<li>Alexander Fidora (Cerdanyola del Vallès)</li>
<li>Görge Hasselhoff (Bochum)</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Description</strong></p>
<p><span></span>Starting in Toledo in the 12 century we find a number of attempts of single persons as well as of groups of translators rendering Jewish and Muslim texts into Latin.<br />The workshop aims at comparing two different places and times of such translations, namely the Toledan (non)school of translations in the 12th century and the Dominican translations by Ramon Martí and the Dominican convent of Barcelona.<br />These two centres will allow us to examine in detail shifts and changes in translation agendas and strategies on the Iberian Peninsula. One interesting feature of these shifts is the role of the Jews: while in the Arabic-Latin translation project Jews often acted as mediators, in the later translation movement it were their own texts which became the object of translation.</p>
<p><strong>Further information</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/activities/?year=2013&month=3&day=19">Activities entry</a></p>New KHK logo!2013-02-26T12:10:03+00:002016-05-04T19:02:47.952753+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130226-new-logo/<p>The Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe" has designed a new logo, which replaces the old one on all documents. New Word and PowerPoint templated and an updated logo pack will be available via the internal file server until 1 April, at the latest. This is the new logo:</p>
<p><img style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" height="120" width="440" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/khk_bild-wortmarke.web.440px.png" /></p>
<p>As long as the logo pack has not been updated, you can <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/aw3aubjyggpxpif/KHK%20Bild-Wortmarke.print.eps">download the new logo here</a>. If you have any questions regarding the logo or the file format, please contact <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/personen/details/roman-maria-horitzsch/">Roman-Maria Höritzsch</a>.</p>We are mourning the death of Joan Westenholz!2013-02-19T08:19:38+00:002016-05-04T19:02:47.892185+00:00Volkhard Krechhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130219-condolence-westenholz/<p>We were just informed of the sad fact that Joan Westenholz passed away yesteday. She had been a visiting research fellow with us from 2009 to 2010 and enriched the discussions at the KHK by virtue of her comprehensive knowledge regarding the religious and cultural history of the ancient near east and her outstandingly warm and friendly character. We are mourning the death of a beloved colleague.</p>Publication: Wolfgang Ommerborn 'Die rechte Lehre und die falschen Lehren'2013-02-18T09:41:14+00:002016-05-04T19:02:47.860769+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130218-book-ommerborn-jiao/<p><img style="margin: 10px; border: 1px solid black;" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/cover-2013-ommerborn-jiao.png" width="150" height="221" /><a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/de/personen/details/wolfgang-ommerborn/">Wolfgang Ommerborn</a>'s new book on the Confucian concept of <em>jiao </em>employed by scholars of the Qing Dynasty has just been published by <a href="http://www.projektverlag.de/">projekt verlag</a>. It contains translations of seven <em>yuanjiao</em> texts to German and an introduction. The texts show how Qing dynasty Confucian scholars discuss competing schools of thought and define their specific Confucianism as the right doctrine (<em>zhengjiao</em>). The introduction outlines meaning and usage of the concept <em>jiao</em> in the translated texts and in the context of Chinese intellectual history in general.</p>
<p>Full Title:</p>
<p>Ommerborn, Wolfgang. <em>Die rechte Lehre und die falschen Lehren: Konfuzianische Yuanjiao-Texte der Qing-Zeit </em>[The Right Doctrine and the False Doctrines: Confucian Yuanjiao Texts from the Qing Dynasty]. With the assistance of Pan Ruiming. Bochum: projekt verlag, 2013. ISBN: 978-3-89733-279-9.</p>Welcome Tulasi Srinivas!2013-02-14T08:37:32+00:002016-05-04T19:02:47.824880+00:00Lucia an der Brüggehttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-130214-welcome-srinivas/<p>The KHK is proud to welcome Tulasi Srinivas from Boston (Massachusetts, USA).</p>
<p>Tulasi Srinivas is an anthropologist of religion, who currently works as an Associate Professor at Emerson College (<span>Boston, Massachusetts, USA)</span>. She has held several prestigious fellowships, among others at Berkley <em>Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs</em> (Georgetown University, Washington D.C., USA), but also at the <em>Center for the Study of World Religions</em> at Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA). </p>
<p>Her research focusses the study of religions in South Asia, particularly Hinduisms. During her fellowship with us, Tulasi Srinivas will be working on a project entitled 'Forging Faith: Ambivalent Globalization and Innovative Ritual in Hindu Temple Publics of Bangalore.'</p>
<p><a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/de/personen/details/tulsani-srinivas/">Further information about Tulasi Srinivas</a></p>Publication: Vasilios Makrides (ed.) 'Orthodox Christianity and Modernity'2013-01-29T11:12:38+00:002016-05-04T19:02:47.712507+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130129-book-makrides-orthodox-christianity/<p><img style="margin: 10px;" alt="journal cover" height="159" width="110" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/crss20.v040.i03-04.cover.jpg" />KHK Visiting Research Fellow <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/vasilios-makrides/">Vasilios Makrides</a> has edited a collection of articles under the title '<a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/crss20/40/3-4">Orthodox Christianity and Modernity: Perspectives from Erfurt and Other Research Projects</a>.' The collection has been published as a special issue of the Taylor & Francis journal <em>Religion, State and Society</em>.</p>
<p>Content:</p>
<ul>
<li>Makrides, Vasilios N. "<a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09637494.2012.760229">Orthodox Christianity, Modernity and Postmodernity: Overview, Analysis and Assessment.</a>" doi:<span>10.1080/09637494.2012.760229 (free access).</span></li>
<li>Grigore, Mihai-D. "Ruling Christian; Neagoe Basarab and the Beginning of ‘Political Proto-Modernity’ in Sixteenth-century Wallachia: a Case Study." doi:10.1080/09637494.2012.692929.</li>
<li><span>Rimestad, Sebastian. "Modernising Church Life: the Case of the Interwar Orthodox Churches in Estonia and Latvia." doi:<span>10.1080/09637494.2012.710080.</span><br /></span></li>
<li><span>Staab, Nicolai. "Anti-Modern without being Non-Modern? Attitudes to Modernity in the Writings of Nichifor Crainic and Dumitru Stăniloae in the Interwar Period." doi:10.1080/09637494.2012.727576.</span></li>
<li><span>Georgiogakis, Stamatios. "Modern and Traditional Tendencies in the Religious Thought of the Russian and Greek Diaspora from the 1920s to the 1960s." doi:10.1080/09637494.2012.715043.</span></li>
<li><span>Fajfer, Łukasz. "The 'Garden of the Virgin Mary' meets the Twenty-First Century: the Challenge of Technology on Mount Athos." doi:<span>10.1080/09637494.2012.714659.</span></span></li>
<li><span><span>Richters, Katja. "The Russian Orthodox Church and Medvedev's Modernisation Policy: Allies or Foes?" doi:10.1080/09637494.2012.713783.</span></span></li>
<li><span><span>Buchenau, Klaus. "Anti-Europeanism in the Balkans, Anti-Americanism in Latin America: a Comparison." doi:10.1080/09637494.2012.727323.</span></span></li>
<li><span><span>Fokas, Effie. "'Eastern' Orthodoxy and 'Western' Secularisation in Contemporary Europe (with Special Reference to the Case of Greece)." doi:<span>10.1080/09637494.2012.754269.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p>Full title:</p>
<p>Makrides, Vasilios N., ed. "Orthodox Christianity and Modernity: Perspectives from Erfurt and Other Research Projects." Special issue, <em>Religion, State and Society</em> 40, no. 3-4 (2012).</p>Publikation: Steinmann "Alexander der Große und die 'nackten Weisen' Indiens"2013-01-28T13:27:51+00:002016-05-04T19:02:47.651450+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/de-20130128-publikation-steinmann-alexander/<p><img style="margin: 10px;" height="226" width="150" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/cover-2012-steinmann-alexander-der-grosse.150px.jpg" />Die Dissertation von Marc Steinmann über die <em>Collatio Alexandri et Dindimi</em> ist Ende letzten Jahres <a href="http://www.frank-timme.de/verlag/verlagsprogramm/buch/verlagsprogramm/bd-4-marc-steinmann-alexander-der-grosse-und-die-nackten-weisen-indiens/backPID/klassische-philologie.html">bei Frank & Timme</a> erschienen. Die Arbeit wurde von <a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de/de/people/details/reinhold-glei/">Reinhold Glei</a> betreut.</p>
<p>Klappentext</p>
<p>"Die 'Collatio Alexandri et Dindimi' ist ein anonymer, fiktiver spätantiker Briefwechsel aus dem Umfeld des Alexanderromans. In dieser Auseinandersetzung um die rechte Lebensweise vertritt der Brahmanenkönig Dindimus einen rigoros-asketischen Standpunkt, Alexander der Große dagegen plädiert für einen maßvollen Genuss der Gaben der Natur.</p>
<p>Für die vorliegende Ausgabe wurden erstmals über 90% der heute mehr als 80 bekannten Handschriften ausgewertet und ein neuer kritischer Text erstellt, den die beigegebene deutsche Übersetzung auch für Forscher anderer Disziplinen oder den interessierten Laien zugänglich macht. Ein breiter Similienapparat und ein ausführlicher Kommentar erschließen Sprache und Inhalt der "Collatio", deren Entstehung im frühen 5. Jahrhundert als innerchristliche Kontroverse wahrscheinlich gemacht wird.</p>
<p>Die Einleitung dient zugleich als Einführung und aktueller Überblick über den Alexanderroman und die Schriften in seinem Umfelde."</p>
<p>Titelangabe</p>
<p>Steinmann, Marc. <em>Alexander der Große und die "nackten Weisen" Indiens: Der fiktive Briefwechsel zwischen Alexander und dem Brahmanenkönig Dindimus.</em> Klassische Philologie 4. Berlin: Frank & Timme, 2012. ISBN: 978-3-86596-461-8.</p>Upcoming Workshop: Eurasian Visions and Entanglements2013-01-17T09:56:45+00:002016-05-04T19:02:47.538114+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-20130117-Eurasian-Visions-and-Entanglements/<p>The upcoming workshop "Eurasian Visions and Entanglements: Geopolitics and Religions, Past and Present" is organized by Otto Kallscheuer and Vasilios N. Makrides, both currently visiting research fellows at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics inthe History of Religions between Asia and Europe". The workshop will take place on 29-30 January 2013. It aims at offering an overview of the various visions about Eurasia which have been articulated and disseminated in past and present times alike. It is about ideas, conceptions, ideological schemes or socio-political programs with regard to a common Eurasian space and its implications, usually as terrain of identification or confrontation between religious and political (imperial and/or national) identities and legitimations.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/de/event/all/WS_EurasionVisions_en/">[more]</a></p>Report: Conference 'Religious Pluralism In Europe and Asia I' (September 2012, Austin, TX)2013-01-10T10:26:03+00:002016-05-04T19:02:47.410177+00:00Jessie Ponshttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-2013-01-10-report-religious-pluralism-1/<p>[<a href="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/report-2012-09-28-en-conference-religious-pluralism-1.pdf">PDF</a>]</p>
<h3>Report: 'Religious Pluralism In Europe and Asia: Conditions, Modes, and Consequences. Part I: From Antiquity to the Times of Colonialism' (28-30 September 2012)</h3>
<p><em>A joint venture by the Department of Religious Studies, University of Texas at Austin, and the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe" at Ruhr-Universität Bochum</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>by Jessie Pons and Sven Wortmann</em></p>
<p>This Conference on Religious Pluralism at the University of Texas Austin has been a great venue. It was an interesting experience to spend three days on the campus of one of the most prestigious universities of the United States and have the opportunity to meet some of the leading scholars in the field of Religious Studies, History and Linguistics with specialisations from Europe to Asia. Despite the many other activities which were taking place simultaneously, a significant number of people attended the conference (approximately fifty persons including the twenty participants) and contributed to the discussions. The relaxed and enthusiastic exchanges have been just as dynamic in the conference room as during coffee breaks and dinners thanks to the perfect organisation of Karl Galinsky (Austin, TX) and his assistants.</p>
<p>In his keynote lecture, Thomas A. Tweet (Austin, TX) introduced the latest developments of his flow metaphors for the study of Religious Pluralism. After a brief outline of his theoretical framework he illustrated his approach drawing upon a case study on pre-modern funerary practices in Santa Fe. He further developed its methodological implications, giving ten guiding principles for the study of religion.</p>
<p><strong>Session I: Multiple traditions In the Near East and the Mediterranean</strong></p>
<p>In the first session, Eckart Frahm (New Haven, CT) discussed how the rise of the new Assyrian and Babylonian imperial states affected the official religion of the elite and that of subjects. By comparing the situation in the Neo-Assyrian Empire at Nineveh and Assur, the Neo-Babylonian Empire at Babylon and the city of Uruk in Southern Babylonia, that is to say places located both at the centre and at the periphery of the imperial power, Eckart Frahm observed that the authority of the ruling class did not interfere with the religion of the subjects. Accordingly, Erich Gruen (Berkeley, CA) who discussed Religious Pluralism in the Roman Empire – notably with regards to Judaism – proposed that "intolerance" and "tolerance" are not appropriate terms when discussing Roman religious policy. The Roman rulers were, to a large extent, indifferent to the religion of their subjects. In her talk on sacred languages in the medieval Mediterranean, Karla Mallette (Ann Arbor, MI) proposed a definition of "sacred language" as a linguistic strategy that a community uses to speak to itself about its confessional practices and its spiritual life. Her case study on Constantine-Cyril showed how his plu-ralistic view of sacred languages come in conflict with that of the Church which only considered three languages as sacred. She also stressed the importance of the materiality of language, i.e. the written alphabet, in the sacrality of the language.</p>
<p><strong>Session II: Encounters of Religions in Central and South Asia</strong></p>
<p>Johan Elverskog (Dallas, TX) gave a challenging paper on the relationship between the diffusion of Buddhism and the economy of rice. During his talk, he criticized the focus on religious semantics in the history of religion and proposed to revise the history of Buddhism under the viewpoint of economics. The discussion which his paper triggered dominated the debate of the conference to a great extent. Robert Mayer (Oxford) discussed the question of religious pluralism in 12th century Tibet by (re-)assessing the historical trajectories of Bon, Tibet's indigenous religion and Buddhism, an imported religion. He highlighted dynamics of negotiation between Buddhism and Bon and showed ways in which the two traditions mutually shaped one another.</p>
<p><strong>Session III: South Asia – Rituals and Architecture</strong></p>
<p>Richard Eaton (Tucson, AZ) presented three key moments on Islam's Venture in India: the 13th Century Turkish-Persian migration, the regionalization of Muslim rule in 15th Century Bengal and the indigenization of Muslim rule and law in the 17th Century Deccan. He showed how traditional scholarship overestimated the Muslim-Hindu distinction by ignoring how religious elements have profoundly and consciously been interwoven and accepted in Indian ritual, literature, architecture, politics and law. Jessie Pons (Bochum) showed how the interaction between Brahmanism and Buddhism materializes in the art of Gandhara. She pointed at several mechanisms of iconographic and symbolic borrowings which invite to reconsider the question of religious affiliation of certain iconographic motifs. Sven Wortman (Bochum) gave an outline of the social and semantical emergence of the religious field in ancient India by comparing different strata of Indian literature and by modeling the processes in Bourdieu's field terminology. Sven Wortman contrasted Erich Gruen's example of the Roman rulers' religious "indifference" by showing the active religious policy of Emperor Ashoka.</p>
<p><strong>Session IV: Between East and West</strong></p>
<p>In his talk on Manichaeism and the Emergence of Religious Plurality, Jason BeDuhn (Flagstaff, AZ) focused on a Manichaeism text to Mani's attempt at providing a definition of what we refer to as religion under the semantic term "Din" (piety). Mani highlights the commonalities between different religions to draw a paradigm of religion. Dorothea Weltecke (Konstanz) talked about Christians in the multi-religious cities of the Middle East from the 7th to the 13th century. After a few remarks on cities in the Muslim world in general and a sketch of the system of Medieval churches, the author considers modes of interaction, exchange and competition between the various religious trends and shows how the multi-religious and multi-denominational state of the Near East provided a dynamic factor for Eastern Christians and Christianity in general. Ronnie Po-chia Hsia (University Park, PA) focussed on the third wave of Christian expansion into China, during the Ming dynasty toward the end of the 16th century and examined the question of religious pluralism from the Christian and Chinese perspective successively. Whereas for the Catholic missionaries, Christianity implied a logic of religious competition and intolerance, it was seen by the Chinese as obvious to the constitution of a multi-ethnic Empire.</p>
<p><strong>Summary</strong></p>
<p>Despite the many historical case studies during the presentations the discus-sion focused mainly on terminological issues like the application of Thomas A. Tweed's flow metaphors as well as on the question triggered by Johan Elverskog whether religious semantics are over- or underestimated in religious studies. One of the points on which all could agree is that the term "pluralism" is a normative, political term which should be distinguished from the descriptive term "plurality". All the participants showed much interest and engagement in learning from other fields as well as the willingness to work on a common terminology in very direct and stimulating discussions. That is why we are all looking forward to the follow-up conference "From the Age of Colonialism to Present Times" planned for spring 2014.</p>Welcome Susanne Lanwerd!2013-01-08T10:44:20+00:002016-05-04T19:02:47.328841+00:00Lucia an der Brüggehttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-130108-welcome-lanwerd/<p>The KHK is proud to welcome Susanne Lanwerd (Berlin, Germany).</p>
<p>Susanne Lanwerd held serveral visiting professorships for <span>religious -, gender and cultural studies </span>in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.he is especially dedicated to t<span>he aesthetics of religion. Further interests include the history of science, gender studies, psycho-analysis as well as the history of Protestantism in the 19th and 20th century.</span></p>
<p><span><span>During her fellowship with us, she will be working on innovative aesthetics and religions in exhibitions and museums.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span><a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/de/personen/details/susanne-lanwerd/">Further information about Susanne Lanwerd</a></span></span></p>Publication: Wick & Zehnder (Ed.) 'The Parthian Empre and Its Religions"2012-12-19T12:16:32+00:002016-05-04T19:02:47.098053+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-2012-12-19-book-wick-zehnder-parthian-religions/<p><img style="margin: 10px;" height="214" width="150" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/cover-2012-wick+zehnder-parther-religions.jpg" />This book edited by Peter Wick and Markus Zehnder compiles German and English papers given at a KHK conference in late 2008. It has been published <a href="http://verlag.computus-druck.com/?Verlagsprogramm:The_Parthian_Empire_and_its_Religions.%26nbsp%3BDas_Partherreich_und_seine_Religionen">with Computus Druck, Satz & Verlag</a> this summer.</p>
<p>Description (German):</p>
<p>"Das Partherreich übte im Vorderen Orient und Zweistromland über mehrere Jahrhunderte eine Vormachtstellung aus, die sich mit dem Ende des Seleukidenreiches festigte und vergrößerte, bis Sasaniden und später die Ausbreitung arabischer Völker unter muslimischer Führung dieses Territorium ausfüllten.</p>
<p>Die Parther waren von Anfang an neben politischen Spannungsfeldern auch in den kultischen und religiösen Fragen mit den vorhandenen Strömungen konfrontiert, welche die ethnischen Gruppen seit Jahrhunderten gepflegt hatten. Vom Reichswesten her bestimmten Judentum und das aufkommende Christentum neben säkularen hellenistischen heidnischen Kulten das religiöse Leben; aus dem Osten kamen neben alten persischen Göttervorstellungen buddhistische und zoroastrische Akzente, die im Partherreich untereinander konkurrierten.</p>
<p>Der langen Phase einer religionsgeschichtlichen Auffassung, die von westlichen Erfahrungen geprägt waren(interpretatio graeca), werden im Tagungsband nun die indigenen westlichen und östlichen religiösen Strömungen gegenübergestellt. Dabei wird deutlich, dass die disparate und facettenreiche politische Geschichte ihr Pendant auch in religiösen Entwicklungen findet. Die »eine« parthische Religion gab es ebenso wenig wie die »eine« parthische Geschichte oder Kultur. Der Vordere Orient war und blieb für weitere Jahrhunderte ein Schmelztiegel, was Politik, Kunst, Religion und Kultur betrifft."</p>
<p>Content:</p>
<ul>
<li>Foreword / Vorwort</li>
<li>Peter Wick/Markus Zehnder: Introduction, 9 ff.</li>
<li>Dieter Metzler: Aspekte religiöser Vielfalt im Partherreich, 17 ff.</li>
<li>Markus Zehnder: Religionspolitik im antiken Vorderen Orient: Assyrer und Parther, 27 ff.</li>
<li>Linda-Marie Günther: Seleukidische Vorbilder der parthischen Münzikonographie, 53 ff.</li>
<li>Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis: Parthian Coins: Kingship and Divine Glory, 67 ff.</li>
<li>Meret Strothmann: Feindeskinder an Sohnes statt. Parthische Königssöhne im Haus des Augustus, 83 ff.</li>
<li>Markus Zehnder: Religious Dynamics in the Parthian Empire: The Cases of Hatra and Arbela, 103 ff.</li>
<li>Geoffrey Herman:The Jews of Parthian Babylonia, 141 ff.</li>
<li>Yaakov Elman: Jewish Acculturation to Persian Norms at the End of the Parthian Period, 151 ff.</li>
<li>Marco Frenschkowski: Frühe Christen in der Begegnung mit dem Zoroastrismus: Eine Orientierung, 163 ff.</li>
<li>Peter Bruns: Weltentstehung und Schöpfung bei Bardaisan von Edessa, 195 ff.</li>
<li>Index of Ancient Sources / Stellenregister, 209 ff.</li>
</ul>
<p>Full Title:</p>
<p>Wick, Peter, and Markus Zehnder, eds. <em>The Parthian Empire and its Religions - Studies in the Dynamics of Religious Diversity. Das Partherreich und seine Religionen - Studien zu Dynamiken religiöser Pluralität</em>. With the assistance of Jan Schäfer. Pietas 5. Gutenberg: Computus Druck Satz & Verlag, 2012. ISBN: 9783940598134.</p>Neuerscheinung2012-12-17T16:05:19+00:002016-05-04T19:02:47.047061+00:00Karin Mykytjuk-Hitzhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/neuerscheinung/<p>Alexander-Kenneth Nagel (Hg.):</p>
<p><a href="http://www.transcript-verlag.de/ts2230/ts2230.php"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">Diesseits der Parallelgesellschaft. Neuere Studien zu religiösen Migrantengemeinden in Deutschland</span></strong></a></p>
<p>Über Religion und Migration wird viel diskutiert. Ein wiederkehrendes Bild in dieser Diskussion ist die religiöse »Parallelgesellschaft«, die sich von der Aufnahmegesellschaft räumlich, sozial und kulturell absondert und distanziert. Die Beiträge in diesem Band verdeutlichen das Gegenteil: Religion vernetzt! Religionsgemeinschaften sind nicht nur wichtige Unterstützungsnetzwerke und Anlaufstellen für Migrantinnen und Migranten, sie ermöglichen auch vielfältige Beziehungen zu anderen religiösen, gesellschaftlichen und politischen Gruppen. Die Beiträge gewähren konkrete und neuartige Einblicke in die religiöse Selbstorganisation und Lebenswelt von Migranten in Deutschland.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.transcript-verlag.de/ts2230/ts2230.php"><img src="/static/uploads/vernetzt/diesseits_der_parallelgesellschaft.jpg" height="395" width="260" /></a></p>CFP: Religious Secrecy as Contact2012-12-14T09:50:49+00:002016-05-04T19:02:46.924343+00:00Thomas Jurczykhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-2012-12-14-cfp-religious-secrecy-2012/<p>The editors of the volume 'Religious Secrecy as Contact. Secrets as Promoters of Religious Dynamics' would like to invite contributions concerned with any of the following areas: Islam, Tibet, Central Asia, India, Shamanism (in Asia or Europe). Contributions on other areas of European and Asian religions would also be considered. We are looking for articles that explore the role of secrecy and secrets in situations of religious contact. For further information please contact Anna Akasoy (<a href="mailto:akasoy@gmx.net">akasoy@gmx.net</a>).</p>
<p><a href="/static/uploads/khk/news_entry/religious_secrecy_as_contact_-_final_proposal.pdf">Download .pdf Datei</a></p>
<p class="Default"><img style="margin: 10px 0px;" height="330" width="440" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/umbrien_und_rom_2012.px440.jpg" /></p>
<p class="Default"><b>Religious Secrecy as Contact: Secrets as Promoters of Religious Dynamics </b></p>
<p class="Default">Editors: A. Akasoy, L. Di Giacinto, G. Halkias, A. Müller-Lee, P. Reichling, K.M. Stünkel</p>
<p class="Default">The proposed volume focuses on “strategies of secrecy” and their role in the history of religious contacts, a neglected field of research in Religious Studies. It comprises a collection of papers presented in a series of interdisciplinary workshops and conferences on the subject of “religion and secrecy” held at the Käte Hamburger Consortium “Dynamics in the History of Religions” between 2008 and 2012.</p>
<p class="Default">The contributions of the volume analyse the phenomenon of „secretizing‟: As Mark Teeuwen pointed out, secrecy ― „a form of religious practice in its own right‟ ― refers to a certain process within a given social situation where the secret functions in a certain institutional framework (Teeuwen, Mark and Scheid, Bernhard, eds., <i>The Culture of Secrecy in Japanese Religion</i>, New York: Routledge 2006, p. 4). The secret itself may be replaced by ritualized secretism that is independent of the content of the secret (Johnson, Paul Christopher, <i>Secret, Gossip, and Gods</i>. <i>The Transformation of Brazilian Candomblé</i>, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2002, p. 3).</p>
<p class="Default">The volume challenges the traditional analysis that understands secret merely as a social and epistemological device that prevents contact between an „ingroup‟ and an „outgroup‟ and provides the means to cut one‟s own tradition from external influences. The present volume will rather build on Assmann‟s insights on secrecy as “interaktives Geschehen”, because secrecy involves an interactive dimension which fulfils an important function in cross-cultural contacts‟. (Aleida Assmann, Jan Assmann, „Die Erfindung des Geheimnisses durch die Neugier“, in: Aleida Assmann, Jan Assmann, eds., <i>Schleier und Schwelle III. Geheimnis und Neuzeit</i>, München: Fink 1999, p. 8). Accordingly, the general hypothesis of the volume is that secrets play a significant role in the inter-religious and intrareligious exchange and all the essays shall examine the function of secrets in examples of religious contacts.</p>
<p class="Default">While aspects of secrecy usually seem to play a role in religious conduct, analysing the role of secrets within religious traditions involves difficulties. Since, by definition, one cannot hope to grasp „the secret‟ on the level of the object language, the field of possible investigation is reduced to the functional and the linguistic field. More precisely, secrecy can be analysed as a semantic structure that can be identified and described phenomenologically. Hence, it is also not necessary to assume that the terminology of secrecy should be translated one to one across cultures.</p>
<p>Secrets are by no means neutral or indifferent notions in religious processes: They rather function as privileged zones of contact. A secret might be described as a catalyst for specific forms of communication since the elusive nature of secret offers rich opportunities for translations from one religious tradition into another and often the results are miscomprehensions, which are harshly rejected by the old secret-keepers. In any case, secrets may function as interfaces of inter-religious and intrareligious contact. As such, they should be analyzed as a blank space that can be identified in distinct ways and understood as a process of emptying conceptual content in different linguistic contexts. Finally, because the content of secrets cannot be determined and translations remain in flux, secrets promote rather than prevent the concrescence of religious traditions.</p>Publication: Georgios T. Halkias "Luminous Bliss"2012-11-27T08:24:02+00:002016-05-04T19:02:46.799005+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-2012-11-27-publication-halkias-luminous-bliss/<p><img alt="Cover "Luminous Bliss"" style="margin: 10px;" height="230" width="150" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/cover-2012-halkias-luminous-bliss.jpg" />KHK Visiting Research Fellow <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/personen/details/georgios-halkias/">Georgios Halkias</a>, currently visiting professor of buddhism at the University of Hong Kong, has just published his long-awaited book on the history of Pure Land Buddhism in Tibet with the <a href="http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/p-8933-9780824835903.aspx">University of Hawaii Press</a>.</p>
<p>Description:</p>
<p><span>"With an annotated English translation and critical analysis of the Orgyan-gling gold manuscript of the short </span><em>Sukhāvativyūha-sūtra</em><br /><br /><span>Pure Land Buddhism as a whole has received comparatively little attention in Western studies on Buddhism despite the importance of “buddha-fields” (pure lands) for the growth and expression of Mahāyāna Buddhism. In this first religious history of Tibetan Pure Land literature, Georgios Halkias delves into a rich collection of literary, historical, and archaeological sources to highlight important aspects of this neglected pan-Asian Buddhist tradition. He clarifies many of the misconceptions concerning the interpretation of “other-world” soteriology in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and provides translations of original Tibetan sources from the ninth century to the present that represent exoteric and esoteric doctrines that continue to be cherished by Tibetan Buddhists for their joyful descriptions of the Buddhist path. The book is informed by interviews with Tibetan scholars and Buddhist practitioners and by Halkias’ own participant-observation in Tibetan Pure Land rituals and teachings conducted in Europe and the Indian subcontinent.</span><br /><br /><span>Divided into three sections, </span><em>Luminous Bliss</em><span> shows that Tibetan Pure Land literature exemplifies a synthesis of Mahāyāna sutra-based conceptions with a Vajrayana world-view that fits progressive and sudden approaches to the realization of Pure Land teachings. Part I covers the origins and development of Pure Land in India and the historical circumstances of its adaptation in Tibet and Central Asia. Part II offers an English translation of the short </span><em>Sukhāvatīvyūha-sūtra</em><span> (imported from India during the Tibetan Empire) and contains a survey of original Tibetan Pure Land scriptures and meditative techniques from the dGe-lugs-pa, bKa’-brgyud, rNying-ma, and Sa-skya schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Part III introduces some of the most innovative and popular mortuary cycles and practices related to the Tantric cult of Buddha Amitābha and his Pure Land from the Treasure traditions in the bKa’-brgyud and rNying-ma schools.</span><br /><br /><em>Luminous Bliss </em><span>locates Pure Land Buddhism at the core of Tibet’s religious heritage and demonstrates how this tradition constitutes an integral part of both Tibetan and East Asian Buddhism."</span></p>
<p><span>Full title:</span></p>
<p><span>Halkias, Georgios T. <em>Luminous Bliss: A Religious History of Pure Land Literature in Tibet</em>. Pure Land Buddhist Studies. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-0-8248-3590-3.</span></p>Publication: Frevel & Nihan (eds.) "Purity and the Forming of Religious Traditions"2012-11-22T09:08:24+00:002016-05-04T19:02:46.768101+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-2012-11-22-publication-frevel-nihan-dhr3-purity/<p><img style="margin: 10px;" height="295" width="195" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/cover-2012-frevel-nihan-dhr3.jpg" />The third volume of our series "Dynamics in the History of Religions" with Brill has just been published! <em><a href="http://www.brill.com/purity-and-forming-religious-traditions-ancient-mediterranean-world-and-ancient-judaism">Purity and the Forming of Religious Traditions in the Ancient Mediterranean World and Ancient Judaism</a></em> was edited by Christian Frevel (Bochum) and Christophe Nihan (Lausanne).</p>
<p>Description:</p>
<p>"Purity is a cultural construct that had a central role in the forming and the development of religious traditions in the ancient Mediterranean. This volume analyzes concepts, practices and images associated with purity in the main cultures of Antiquity, and discusses from a comparative perspective their parallel developments and transformations. The perspective adopted is both synchronic and diachronic; the comparative approach takes into account points of contact and mutual influences, but also includes major transcultural trends. A number of renowned specialists contribute a large variety of perspectives and approaches, combining archaeology, epigraphy and social history; in addition, particular attention is given to concepts of purity in ancient Israel and early Judaism as a 'test-case' of sorts. Through its extensive coverage, the volume contributes decisively to the present discussion about the forming of religious traditions in the ancient Mediterranean world."</p>
<p>Full title:</p>
<p>Frevel, Christian and Christophe Nihan, eds, <i>Purity and the Forming of Religious Traditions in the Ancient Mediterranean world and Ancient Judaism.</i> Dynamics in the History of Religions 3. Leiden: Brill, 2013. ISBN: 9789004232105.</p>Three articles about CERES in the new RUBIN issue2012-11-12T08:45:00+00:002016-05-04T19:02:46.643223+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-2012-11-12-ceres-khk-in-rubin/<p>The Center for Religious Studies (CERES) is is featured with two articles and the editorial in the current issue of RUBIN, a magazine published biannually by Ruhr-University. The articles are available online (German only):</p>
<ul>
<li>Volkhard Krech: <a href="http://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/rubin/rubin-herbst-2012/beitraege/editorial.html">Editorial. Die Welt wird größer</a></li>
<li>Alexander-Kenneth Nagel: <a href="http://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/rubin/rubin-herbst-2012/pdf/beitrag3.pdf">Religionskontakt um die Ecke. Interreligiöse Aktivitäten im Ruhrgebiet</a></li>
<li>Görge Hasselhoff: <a href="http://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/rubin/rubin-herbst-2012/pdf/beitrag4.pdf">Jahrhunderte alte Gespräche belauschen</a></li>
</ul>Publication: Jason A. Josephson 'The Invention of Religion in Japan'2012-11-07T11:42:30+00:002016-05-04T19:02:46.604767+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-2012-11-07-publication-josephson-religion-japan/<p><img height="225" width="150" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/cover-2012-josephson-invention-of-religion-in-japan.jpeg" /></p>
<p>A new monograph written by one of our visiting research fellows is out now. <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/jason-josephson/">Jason Ānanda Josephson's</a> 'The Invention of Religion in Japan' is published with University of Chicago Press.</p>
<p>Details:</p>
<p>"Throughout its long history, Japan had no concept of what we call 'religion.' There was no corresponding Japanese word, nor anything close to its meaning. But when American warships appeared off the coast of Japan in 1853 and forced the Japanese government to sign treaties demanding, among other things, freedom of religion, the country had to contend with this Western idea. In this book, Jason Ānanda Josephson reveals how Japanese officials invented religion in Japan and traces the sweeping intellectual, legal, and cultural changes that followed.</p>
<p>More than a tale of oppression or hegemony, Josephson's account demonstrates that the process of articulating religion offered the Japanese state a valuable opportunity. In addition to carving out space for belief in Christianity and certain forms of Buddhism, Japanese officials excluded Shinto from the category. Instead, they enshrined it as a national ideology while relegating the popular practices of indigenous shamans and female mediums to the category of 'superstitions'--and thus beyond the sphere of tolerance. Josephson argues that the invention of religion in Japan was a politically charged, boundary-drawing exercise that not only extensively reclassified the inherited materials of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shinto to lasting effect, but also reshaped, in subtle but significant ways, our own formulation of the concept of religion today. This ambitious and wide-ranging book contributes an important perspective to broader debates on the nature of religion, the secular, science, and superstition."</p>
<p>Full title:</p>
<p>Josephson, Jason Ā. The Invention of Religion in Japan. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-0226412344.</p>Publikation: Hauschild "Weihnachtsmann. Die wahre Geschichte"2012-10-29T13:18:53+00:002016-05-04T19:02:46.520775+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/de-2012-10-29-publikation-hauschild-weihnachtsmann/<p><a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/de/personen/details/thomas-hauschild/">Thomas Hauschild</a>, Gastwissenschaftler am KHK von Oktober 2011 bis September 2012, hat pünktlich zur Vorweihnachtszeit seine Monografie zu den Ursprüngen des Weihnachtsmanns <a href="http://www.fischerverlage.de/buch/weihnachtsmann/9783100300638">im Fischer Verlag</a> vorgelegt.</p>
<p><img height="653" width="400" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/cover-hauschild-weihnachtsmann.jpg" /></p>
<p>Beschreibung des Verlags:</p>
<p>"Woher kommt der Weinachtsmann? Eine wissenschaftliche Detektivgeschichte</p>
<p>'Weihnachtmann', 'Nikolaus', 'Santa Claus' – um diese harmlosen Figuren gibt es oft Streit. Die einen glauben zu wissen, welcher der »Richtige« ist, andere kritisieren den Weihnachtskonsum als unchristlich. Alle reden vom Weihnachtsmann, aber nur eine kleine Minderheit glaubt an ihn – die Kinder. Schaut man jedoch die Rituale und Bilder der euroamerikanischen Weihnacht von außen an, überrascht die spektakuläre, für jeden schnell nachprüfbare Ähnlichkeit des Weihnachtsmannes zu verwandten Figuren in Asien wie der chinesische 'Gott des langen Lebens'oder der mongolische 'Weiße Alte'. Der Religionsforscher Thomas Hauschild ist ihnen allen begegnet, hat sie gesammelt, vermessen und verglichen. Und er bringt uns bei, diese winterlichen ewigjungen Eremiten als Leitbilder eines weltweiten Klima- und Familienkultes der Zukunft zu begreifen."</p>
<p><a href="http://www.fischerverlage.de/media/fs/308/LP_978-3-10-030063-8.pdf">Leseprobe</a></p>Publication: Christopher I. Beckwith 'Warriors of the Cloisters'2012-10-26T12:48:14+00:002016-05-04T19:02:46.476580+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-2012-10-26-publication-beckwith-warriors/<p><img style="vertical-align: text-bottom;" title="Warriors of the Cloisters" alt="Book cover of 'Warriors of the Cloisters'" height="456" width="300" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/beckwith.warriors_of_the_cloisters.gif" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Former visiting research fellow <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/personen/details/christopher-beckwith/">Christopher I. Beckwith</a> published his newest monograph with <a href="http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9871.html">Princeton University Press</a>.</p>
<p>Description:</p>
<p><i>'Warriors of the Cloisters</i> tells how key cultural innovations from Central Asia revolutionized medieval Europe and gave rise to the culture of science in the West. Medieval scholars rarely performed scientific experiments, but instead contested issues in natural science, philosophy, and theology using the recursive argument method. This highly distinctive and unusual method of disputation was a core feature of medieval science, the predecessor of modern science. We know that the foundations of science were imported to Western Europe from the Islamic world, but until now the origins of such key elements of Islamic culture have been a mystery.</p>
<p>In this provocative book, Christopher I. Beckwith traces how the recursive argument method was first developed by Buddhist scholars and was spread by them throughout ancient Central Asia. He shows how the method was adopted by Islamic Central Asian natural philosophers -most importantly by Avicenna, one of the most brilliant of all medieval thinkers- and transmitted to the West when Avicenna's works were translated into Latin in Spain in the twelfth century by the Jewish philosopher Ibn Da'ud and others. During the same period the institution of the college was also borrowed from the Islamic world. The college was where most of the disputations were held, and became the most important component of medieval Europe's newly formed universities. As Beckwith demonstrates, the Islamic college also originated in Buddhist Central Asia.'</p>
<p>Full title:</p>
<p>Beckwith, Christopher I. <em>Warriors of the Cloisters: The Central Asian Origins of Science in the Medieval World</em>. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2012. ISBN: 9780691155319.</p>Call for Applications: Summer School Scholarships2012-10-23T14:48:02+00:002016-05-04T19:02:46.403955+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-2012-10-24-cfa-summer-school-2013/<p>The Käte Hamburger Kolleg invites applications for the summer school 'Eurasian Religions in Contact. From Antiquity to Modernity,' which will take place 2-12 July 2013 in Bochum.</p>
<p><a href="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/cfa_summer_school_eurasian_religions_in_contact.pdf">PDF version</a></p>
<p><img style="vertical-align: bottom;" title="Vajrapani and Hanuman" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/kamru,_kinnaur_vajrapani_and_hanuman.jpg" height="298" width="430" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I. Description</p>
<p>With global developments and the growing significance of religion in public debates, academic interest in religions too has grown, especially in religious contacts. While there is a long tradition of studying specific interactions, in particular among the so-called Abrahamic religions, this orientation usually betrays a Western perspective. Recent scholarship has developed a more global perspective paying increasing attention to other religious contacts such as between Muslims and Buddhists. Alongside research on the ground, scholars are developing theoretical frameworks for studying these contacts. How do we theorize religion? How can we assess the significance of religious identity when members of different communities meet? What defines a contact between individuals, communities, traditions, as a contact of religions? What are the effects of contact for the development and expansion of religious traditions?</p>
<p>This summer school offers the opportunity to explore these topics in a comparative framework. The environment is provided by the Käte Hamburger Kolleg at the University of Bochum. Since 2008, members of the Kolleg and visiting fellows have been exploring the formation and expansion of religions, the mutual permeation of religious traditions and their evolution into the complex figurations called 'world religions.' The summer school will combine lectures by established specialists in the field who will present case studies from the world's major religious traditions and discuss theoretical implications of their work; student presentations; and text discussions based on material provided in a reader.</p>
<p>II. Information for applicants</p>
<p>We are currently accepting applications from graduate students (PhD and advanced MA) from any academic discipline who are working on topics related to intra- and inter-religious contacts from any historical period and geographical region. Qualified applicants who are not directly studying religious traditions in contact, but who can demonstrate strong interest in the workshop's agenda, will also be considered. Admission to the summer school comes with a full scholarship that covers travel expenses, accommodation for the duration of the summer school, and a stipend of 250€. Your application should include a description of your current research and/or course of study in 1000 words (max), a short CV (2 pages max), and two letters from teachers/tutors, one of which should ideally be from your supervisor.</p>
<p>Deadline: Please submit your application by 15 December 2012.</p>
<p>For further information and electronic submission of applications please contact the organizers:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/anna-ayse-akasoy/">Anna Akasoy</a> | <a href="mailto:akasoy@gmx.net">akasoy@gmx.net</a><br /><a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/georgios-halkias/">Georgios Halkias</a> | <a href="mailto:georgios.halkias@gmail.com">georgios.halkias@gmail.com</a></p>Workshop with and public lecture by Doron Mendels2012-10-22T08:29:31+00:002016-05-04T19:02:46.321009+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-2012-10-22-doron-mendels/<p>This week's <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/event/all/WS_theodosius_de/">workshop 'The Debate between Jews and Christians Until the Age of Theodosius'</a> will discuss the theses brought forward by <a href="http://www.v-r.de/en/title-2-2/zweierlei_diaspora-1004070/">Doron Mendels and Arye Edrei</a> regarding the processes of the separation of the ways of Christians and Jews.</p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doron_Mendels">Doron Mendels</a> will be present at the workshop <a href="/static/uploads/khk/events/12-10-24-guest-lecture-mendels.pdf">and give a public lecture on Wednesday, 24 Oct 2012</a>, 18:15. The title of his talk will be 'The Split Jewish Diaspora and its Consequences.'</p>Publication: István Czachesz 'The Grotesque Body in Early Christian Discourse'2012-10-16T13:18:58+00:002016-05-04T19:02:46.220753+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-2012-10-16-publication-czachesz-grotesque-body/<p><img style="vertical-align: baseline;" height="500" width="500" src="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/5172imb9hgl._ss500_.jpg" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The new book of our visiting research fellow István Czachesz was <a href="http://www.equinoxpub.com/equinox/books/showbook.asp?bkid=446&keyword=">published with Equinox</a> in August!</p>
<p>Description:</p>
<p>'Early Christian apocryphal and conical documents present us with grotesque images of the human body, often combining the playful and humorous with the repulsive, and fearful. 1st to 3rd Century Christian literature was shaped by the discourse around and imagery of the human body. This study analyses how the iconography of bodily cruelty and visceral morality was produced and refined from the very start of Christian history.<br />Different aspects of the grotesque body are examined in each chapter with careful consideration given to both historical sources and literary representations. The sources range across Greek comedy, Roman and Jewish demonology, and metamorphosis traditions. The study reveals how these images originated, were adopted, and were shaped to the service of a doctrinally and psychologically persuasive Christian message.'</p>
<p>Full title:</p>
<p>Czachesz, István. <em>The Grotesque Body in Early Christian Discourse. Hell, Scatology and Metamorphosis</em>. Sheffield: Equinox, 2012.</p>'Entangled Religions' launched!2012-10-11T11:50:58+00:002016-05-04T19:02:46.027312+00:00Gwendolin Susann Kleine Stegemannhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-2012-09-25-entangled-religions-launched/<p><a href="http://www.er.ceres.rub.de"><img src="/static/uploads/entangled_religions/logo_er.png" width="220" height="140" style="vertical-align: middle;" /></a></p>
<p>We are pleased to announce the launch of the online journal <em>Entangled Religions</em> published by the <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en">Käte Hamburger Kolleg 'Dynamics in the History of Religions'</a> and the <a href="http://www.ceres.rub.de/en">Center for Religious Studies (CERES)</a> at <a href="http://www.rub.de/en">Ruhr University Bochum</a>. <em>Entangled Religions</em> is a peer-reviewed online periodical and has been established to channel research on religious contact and transfer in past and present times into a single journal. Its purpose is to provide a platform for bringing together scholars of various academic specializations – ranging from philologies to the social sciences, and also bridging historical and contemporary research.</p>
<p><strong><em>Entangled Religions</em> welcomes papers on all aspects given above!</strong></p>
<p>Please visit us at <a href="http://er.ceres.rub.de/">http://er.ceres.rub.de/</a>.</p>Call for Applications: 2 Postdoctoral Fellowships2012-09-26T08:37:06+00:002016-05-04T19:02:46.062641+00:00Lucia an der Brüggehttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-2012-09-26-cfa-fellowships/<p>The Käte Hamburger Kolleg 'Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe' at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, invites applications for two visiting fellowships during the academic year 2013, from April 2013 to March 2014. Applicants should have expertise in one of the following specialisations and a focus on inter-religious contact and transfer:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/cfa_central_asia.pdf">History of Central Asian religions, from early modern to present times</a></li>
<li><a href="/static/uploads/khk/aktuelles/cfa_ancient_near_east.pdf">History of ancient Near Eastern religions</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Both fresh and seniors scholars may apply. The Ruhr University Bochum is an equal opportunity employer and encourages women and members of minorities to apply. Applications are expected to include a letter of interest, a current résumé, a list of publications, and an exposé of the intended research of about five pages.</p>
<p>Please e-mail your application (as a single PDF file) <strong>by 15 November 2012 at the latest</strong> to <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/lucia-an-der-brugge/">Lucia an der Brügge</a>.</p>New Fellow Map now online!2012-09-17T06:57:45+00:002016-05-04T19:02:45.966546+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-2012-09-16-fellow-map-online/<p>We are happy to announce that our new map is now online! It shows all our visiting research fellows at their home institutions and offers a geographical representation of the KHK's internationalisation efforts.</p>
<p>The new 'fellow map' can be found here: <a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/fellows/fellow-map/">http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/fellows/fellow-map/</a></p>Welcome to our new Visiting Research Fellows: Karl Galinsky and Ya-pei Kuo!2012-09-03T08:14:22+00:002016-05-04T19:02:45.862923+00:00Lucia an der Brüggehttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-120903-welcome-galinsky-kuo/<p>The KHK is proud to welcome two new fellows in September: Karl Galinsky (Texas, USA) and Ya-pei Kuo (Leiden/ The Netherlands). </p>
<p>Karl Galinsky, Full Profossor of Classics at University of Texas at Austin since 1972, <span>received numerous, prestigious international fellowships and grants and was even awarded with the distinguished Max Planck Research Prize for International Cooperation in 2009. His field of expertise covers <span>Roman civilization, literature, religion and art.</span></span></p>
<p>Ya-pei Kuo studied history at the National Taiwan University in Taipei and at the University Wisconsin-Madison (USA). Before joining us she worked as an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Tufts University (Medford/ Sommerville, USA) and hold a research fellowship at International Institute for Asian Studies at Leiden University. Her field of expertise covers the history of religion in China in the 19<sup>th</sup> and 20<sup>th</sup> century. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/karl-galinsky/">Further information about Karl Galinsky</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/ya-pei-kuo/">Further information about Ya-pei Kuo</a></p>Publication: Religionswissenschaft (edited by Michael Stausberg)2012-07-30T10:38:07+00:002016-05-04T19:02:45.766683+00:00Thomas Jurczykhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/relwiss_stausberg/<p>Hereby, we would very much like to draw your attention to the recently published volume “Religionswissenschaft” (edited by Michael Stausberg) from the series “De Gruyter Studium”.</p>
<p>Among the various articles on “Religionsbegriff” or “Religion und Gesellschaft” for instance, you may find two contributions by Prof. Dr. Volkhard Krech (on “Religion als Kommunikation”) and Prof. Dr. Sven Bretfeld (on “Dynamiken der Religionsgeschichte: Lokale und translokale Verflechtungen”)</p>
<p>Please do not hesitate to check the homepage of "De Gruyter" for further information:</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.degruyter.com/view/product/129819?rskey=Xp0oOj&result=1&q=religionswissenschaft%20stausberg">Link</a></p>Report: KHK Panel "Buddhism in Motion – Encounters in Early Religious Networks" (March 2012, Tel Aviv)2012-07-18T12:10:37+00:002016-05-04T19:02:45.640518+00:00Carmen Meinerthttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-2012-07-18-report-buddhism-in-motion/<p>Eight researchers of the Buddhist Studies Group of the KHK „Dynamics in the History of Religion" at Bochum University participated with the two interconnected panels Buddhism in Motion—Encounters in Early Religious Networks at the 11th Conference of Asian Studies in Tel Aviv, Israel, on May 22nd/23rd, 2012.</p>
<p>Panel I: Sven Wortmann, Jason Neelis, Christoph Anderl und Jessie Pons;</p>
<p>Panel II: Carmen Meinert, Licia Di Giacinto, Sven Bretfeld und Lucia Dolce.</p>
<p><strong>Core Themes</strong></p>
<p>With the title "Buddhism in Motion" the group did not focus on a contingent aspect of the Buddhist religion on its way through time and space. Rather, the title referred to motion as a constitutive element for the distinction of Buddhism as an analytical category under the paradigms of cultural dynamics and polyphony, approaching also the problem of Buddhism in dynamic transfer as an emergent product rising from contact.</p>
<p>In order to analyse and understand from a global perspective local Buddhisms as integrative parts—as emplacements as well as constituents—of translocal (and trans-temporal) structures and processes, the group choose a network model in order to come to terms with this example of relational emergence.</p>
<p><strong>The Presentations</strong></p>
<p>"Emplacements" of Buddhism were addressed in all individual talks as hubs or nodes that mutually correlate to a translocal network that might be called Buddhism in the singular. As such all eight talks were interconnected through a meta narration that allowed to understand the expansion of Buddhism throughout Asia through eight case study focusing on a specific time and location respectively.</p>
<p><em>1. Formation of Buddhism and Buddhist Networks</em></p>
<p>Sven Wortmann's presentation on "Mobility of Religions during the Formation Phase of Indian Buddhism" questioned whether Buddhists were more mobile than Jains and Brahmins during the formation phase of Indian Buddhism on the basis of doctrinal and archeological evidences.</p>
<p>Jason Neelis continued the argument while exploring in this talk "Patterns of Buddhist Mobility between South Asia and Central Asia" how Buddhist networks were established along trading routes between South and Central Asia that facilitated long-distance transmission beyond cultural boundaries as well as contact diffusion of Buddhist trends through emerging Buddhist hubs and nodes.</p>
<p><em>2. Motion of Buddhism between Hubs</em></p>
<p>The motion of Buddhism between locations or hubs was investigated by Christoph Anderl and Jessie Pons through the example of Buddhist narratives.</p>
<p>Christoph Anderl's presentation "Buddhist Narratives: Aspects of Transfer and Distribution" investigated how the 'soft boundaries' of Buddhist narratives allow for their spatial dissemination, while through localisation 'hard boundaries' are established and local versions of a narrative are appropriated.</p>
<p>This argument was exemplified through Jessie Pons' talk "The Vessantara Jātaka, a Buddhist Narrative in Motion". She explored how a specific narrative, the Vessantara Jātaka, found different local expressions in a 1st century AD Pāli version from India and a 7th/8th centuries Sogdian version from the Central Asian oasis Dunhuang.</p>
<p><em>3. Transformation of Buddhism</em></p>
<p>The transformation of Buddhism at different locations was at the core of the talks of Carmen Meinert and Licia Di Giacinto.</p>
<p>Carmen Meinert's presentation "Entangled in Local History: Diffusion of Tantric Buddhism in Eastern Central Asia" explored how despite shifting rules, the new rulers of Dunhuang in the 11th century, the Tanguts, created a unique Tantric Buddhist cave in Dunhuang, a cave that documents the central role of Central Asian people in the diffusion of Tantric Buddhism in Central Asia and Tibet.</p>
<p>Licia Di Giacinto explored in "Dissecting China: Buddha and the Local Pantheons in the Early Medieval Era (100-300 AD)" how the localisation approach versus the signification paradigm and a narratological approach allows to explain major variations in pantheon's structure and composition during the early dissemination of Buddhism in China.</p>
<p><em>4. Second Order Reflections</em></p>
<p>Finally, Sven Bretfeld and Lucia Dolce discussed how second order reflection produces specific local identities in relation to translocal orientations.</p>
<p>Sven Bretfeld's talk "Theravāda Buddhism as an Emergent Product of Translocal Processes" discussed how through an interaction with the Buddhist world in Asia Sri Lankan Buddhists established a narration of positioning Sri Lanka within a network of the known Buddhist world and thereby transformed the translocal network as well as reshaped the local Buddhist field.</p>
<p>Lucia Dolce "Strategies of Emplacement: The Buddhist Encounter with 'Japan'" showed how the territory of Japan was 'maṇḍalised' as a process of emplacing Buddhism and how thereby Buddhism was responsible for shaping a 'national' identity.</p>New KHK Visiting Research Fellow: Dr. Jan-Peter Hartung2012-07-16T10:14:47+00:002016-05-04T19:02:45.608282+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-2012-07-16-new-fellow-hartung/<p>We are proud to welcome Dr. Jan-Peter Hartung as the latest visiting research fellow of the the Käte Hamburger Kolleg!</p>
<p>Dr. Hartung is Senior Lecturer for the Study of Islam with the School for Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He is a specialist for Muslim intellectual history in South Asia and will stay with the KHK until June 2013. During his stay he will conduct research on the intertextuality in the transmission of rational traditions in the religious sciences of Islam from Safavid Iran to Northern India in early modernity.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.khk.ceres.rub.de/en/people/details/jan-peter-hartung/">Further information</a></p>Website revision2012-07-10T11:52:10+00:002016-05-04T19:02:45.578166+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-2012-07-10-website-revision/<p>We will revise our website in the lecture-free period. Therefore it may happen that parts of the site will not be working properly during that time. We apologise for the inconvenience!</p>
<p>If you have any suggestions that would make our site more readable and interesting please contact us at <a href="mailto:pr-ceres@rub.de">pr-ceres@rub.de</a>!</p>Job Opening: KHK Office Manager2012-06-18T08:26:11+00:002016-05-04T19:02:45.483891+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/en-2012-07-02-job-opening-office-manager/<p>The Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions" is looking for an <strong>Office Manager</strong>!</p>
<p>Applications are welcome until 15 July 2012!</p>
<p>Further information is <a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de/de/service_de/ausschreibung/">available in German</a> or by contacting <a href="http://khk.ceres.rub.de/de/personen/details/brigitte-guthmann/">Brigitte Guthmann</a>.</p>New CERES and KHK blog now online!2012-06-06T08:15:48+00:002016-05-04T19:02:45.251046+00:00Roman-Maria Höritzschhttps://khk.ceres.rub.de/en/news/EN-2012-06-06-new-khk-and-ceres-blog-online/<p>News from the Research Department CERES and the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions Between Asia and Europe" will now be published on their respective homepages.</p>
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