Journée d'études / Workshop: "Material Religion, between Heritage and New Perspectives" – 25 février 2025

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Workshop Presentation

The workshop will explore the relationship between the materiality of religion and society. Papers and discussions will be divided into two main sections. The first will examine how the physicality of religious structures influences society, exploring the continued presence of congregations due to ownership of buildings and the destruction of religious buildings. It will also consider the preservation and dissemination of specific items, such as statues or furniture, in other settings, such as museums. A second part will explore the materiality of sacred objects, books, and spaces, as well as their role in religious rituals. Researchers will present case studies from Brazil, France, Switzerland, and Turkey.

Programme

1:45 p.m.-2 p.m. Introduction

  • Isabel Irribaren, director of the ED270 (Theology and Sciences of Religion)
  • Marc Vial, director of the UR 4378 (Protestant Theology)

First part Material religion through building and interaction with society

  • 2 p.m.-2:40 p.m. Does the building play a role in the continuation of religious activities of local congregations in Switzerland? Consideration from the second wave of NCS Switzerland
    Jeremy Senn, Université de Lausanne & Christophe Monnot, Université de Strasbourg
  • 2:45-3:25 p.m. Giving and taking access to urban material resources: a case study in two evangelical churches in Quebec City and Sherbrooke
    Benjamin Gagné, Université de Montréal & Université de Strasbourg
  • 3:30-4:10 p.m. Material Religion, Colonial Heritage, and building modernity in Brazil
    Rodrigo Toniol & Marcella Araujo, Universidede Federal do Rio de Janeiro UFRJ

Second part Material religion through ritual objects and the design of the ritual space

  • 4:30-5:10 p.m. Neo-ottomanism and materialisation of Religion in Turkey
    Samim Akgönül, Université de Strasbourg
  • 5:15-6 p.m. The Ontology of Religious Objects in Neo-Pagan Movements: From Productive Effort to Rapid Consumption as a Mode of Transmission
    Kerem Görkem Arslan, Université de Strasbourg
  • 6-6:15 p.m. Conclusion
    Benjamin Gagné & Christophe Monnot

Contact: cmonnot[at]unistra.fr; patricia.carbiener@unistra.fr

The conference is financed by the ED 270 “Theology, Sciences of Religion” and UR 4378 “Protestant Theology”