Module description
The early modern period has often been described as an age of religious war. The Protestant and Catholic Reformations precipitated religious divisions that also carried political, social, economic, and cultural significance. These divisions could, and often did, result in violence. This was directed against people, with massacres and other violent tactics used by both Catholics and Protestants. However, violence was not directed solely at people: iconoclasm unleashed destruction on images, statues and stained glass, and the struggles over sacred space raised profound questions about history and belonging, and the relationship between the living and the dead. The course examines Britain and Ireland, continent Europe, and several non-European contexts. This module examines several key aspects of religious conflict:
- It will ask what exactly was ‘religious’ about these conflicts, and explores the intersection of political, economic and social issues, and questions the label ‘religious violence’;
- The multiple different forms of religious violence, from iconoclasm to massacre to mockery, will be considered in a variety of contexts;
- Responses to conflict will be examined, ranging from the supernatural and providential discourses, to the critical importance of martyrdom in creating and validating religious communities;
- The impact of Europe's religious conflicts on non-European contexts, especially the 'New World' of the Americas, will be explored;
- Narratives of tolerance and intolerance, and the 'rise of toleration' towards the end of the early modern period, will be explored and questioned.
Assessment details
1 x 3,500 words essay (100%)
Teaching pattern
10 x 2 hour seminars (weekly)