Religion and historiography, Late Antiquity – 20th century

Introduction Programme Travelling info

Profile and scope

Main aim of the conference is to bring together Greek and international scholars dealing with the history and historiography of religion. What primarily interests us is religion as a historiographical field. We aim to “chart” the development of the historiography of religion as well as to pinpoint dominant and emergent interpretive trends in the current historiography of the religious phenomenon. Historiographical debates on religious issues (such as, among others, the historiography of the Reformation) were often an intrinsic part of the broader religious question; subsequently, we are also interested in historians of religion and the ways their interpretive approaches interacted with confrontation on the confessional front.

Our starting point is Late Antiquity, particularly the coexistence (rivarly, syncretism) between paganism and the monotheist religions. We extend our field of discussion to modernity since it is in the longue duree that crucial turning points, continuities and discontinuities, are highlighted.

Invited scholars are not only experts in religious history but have also a strong interest in the historiography of the multifaceted religious phenomenon.

Time and place

The conference Religion and Historiography, Late Antiquity – 20th century will be held in the Saratsi Amphitheatre, of the Papastratos Campus of the University of Thessaly, in Volos, Greece, between 30 June and 2 July 2006.

Central topics

  • Boundaries: heterodoxies and conflicts
  • Religious rituals
  • "Imaginaire": Representations and symbolisms
  • Religion and Modernity
  • Religion and nationalism

Organizing Committee

  • Henriette-Rika Benveniste (University of Thessaly)
  • Costas Gaganakis (University of Athens)
  • Effie Gazi (University of Thessaly)
  • Paris Gounaridis (University of Thessaly)
  • Dimitris Kyrtatas (University of Thessaly)

Contact

History Laboratory
University of Thessaly, Dpt. IAKA
Argonafton & Fillelinon
38221 Volos
Greece
tel & fax 2421074796
e-mail eika@ha.uth.gr

Printed matted

You may download in printable form:

  • the poster of the symposium [.pdf, 38kB]
  • the programme of the symposium [.pdf, 72kB]
© 2006: University of Thessaly - Department of History, Archaeology and Social Anthropology