Religion and spirituality, in their diverse and sometimes superdiverse forms, have reacquired a visible relevance in post-communist societies. So have irreligiosity and atheism, for that matter. Different social attitudes and sensibilities have reappropriated the streets, the squares, the media, opening up discussions and highlighting societal issues that were concealed or forbidden or discouraged during the age of ‘real socialism’. How and why has
this happened, in recent times? In which ways are these trends related to questions of secularization, nationality, identity affirmation, and politics? Case studies from eastern, central-eastern, and southern-eastern Europe will be discussed,
although special attention will be given to the Czech Republic and to the so-called Visegrád Group (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia). Methodological insights and the literature will be taken mainly from ethnographically-informed disciplines such as social anthropology and sociology, but also from historical anthropology and religious studies. This course is meant for learners seeking to better understand the role played by religion (and irreligion) in central-eastern Europe, and to problematize how social and political changes are driven or influenced by religious attitudes and traditions in the contemporary world. At the end of the course, the student will have learned to critically think about these topics and to identify and analyze relevant issues in current debates about modernity, secularization, and Europe. The course will also enhance the students’ social sensibility and their capabilities in understanding broad societal structures, transformations, and tensions.
Podmínky zakončení předmětu - angličtina
Poslední úprava: Jana Vojanová (03.10.2022)
Attendance and participation will be taken into consideration in the evaluation process. The attendance for this course is mandatory, unless differently agreed between the teacher and students who for demonstrable and serious reasons cannot attend to the lessons in person. In this case, the student will immediately inform the teacher and a solution will be found together. Even one unjustified absence will impact the evaluation.
EVALUATION METHODS Assessment will be undertaken through several methods, namely the evaluation of a student’s participation, of one short written exercise (an essay), as well as a final oral exam. The students will have to study all the items in the compulsory literature and then choose at least one item from the optional literature. An essay shall be written in itinere, approximately towards the half of the course progression (i.e. during the second half of November). No plagiarism will be tolerated. The final exam will consist of an oral test conducted by the teacher about both the course content and the literature, although the overall final assessment will also take into account the attendance and the active participation of the learner.
Evaluation will be broken down as follows: - Attendance and participation in the classroom: 15% - Written exercise (essay): 25% - Final oral exam: 60%
100 - 91: A 81 - 90: B 71 - 80: C 61 - 70: D 51 - 60: E 50 - 0: F
COVID-19 MEASURES
Lessons will be held physically in Pekařská building. Measures aimed at containing the spread of the Covid-19 contagion and at the same time safeguarding everybody may be taken. The teacher will duly inform the students and comply with all said measures, if these will be implemented. Possible changes in the schedule or the format of the lessons or other activities will be immediately communicated to the students. Likewise, the students are requested to immediately inform the teacher and/or the administrative personnel of any possible health issue. It is the responsibility of each student to be vigilant about his/her health status. Students showing signs of respiratory disease or with elevated body temperature will be asked not to attend the lessons physically and to stay home.
Literatura - angličtina
Poslední úprava: Jana Vojanová (03.10.2022)
Section 1: Compulsory readings (all students willing to take the exam will have to read the following texts) - C. Hann, “Problems with the (De)Privatization of Religion”, «Anthropology Today», VI (6), 2000 (only the part about Poland)
- Rogers, D. (2005), ‘The Anthropology of Religion after Socialism’, Religion, State & Society 33, no. 1: 5-18. - A. Testa, “Re-thinking (with) the Concept of Re-enchantment (in Central-Eastern Europe)”, forthcoming
Section 2: Additional readings (every student will have to choose and study at home, or present in the class, at least one of the following texts in addition to the compulsory ones) - Zuzana Bártová, “The Buddhist style in consumer culture: from aesthetics to emotional patterns”, in Journal of Religion in Europe, 2021 - Tomáš Bubík, “A Graveyard as a Home to Ghosts or a Subject of Scholarly Research? The Czech National Cemetery at Vyšehrad”, in Changing Societies & Personalities, 2020, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 136–157 - Cash, Jennifer. ‘Capitalism, Nationalism and Religious Revival: Transformations of the Ritual Cycle in Postsocialist Moldova’. Anthropology of East Europe Review 29, no. 2 (2011): 181-203. - Chlup Radek, “Jak fungují symboly: religionistické postřehy k mariánskému sloupu”, in https://blog.aktualne.cz/blogy/radek-chlup.php?itemid=37071 - Chlup Radek, “Pieta za oběti covidu”, in in Dingir 2021/1, pp. 48-52 - G. Creed, Masquerade and Postsocialism: Ritual and Cultural Dispossession in Bulgaria, Indiana University Press, Bloomington & Indianapolis, 2011 (chapter 1) - François Gauthier, “Religious change in Orthodox-majority Eastern Europe: from Nation-State to Global-Market”, in Theory and Society, 2021 T. Köllner, Religion and Politics in Post-Soviet Russia: On Entanglements, Cooperation, Competition and Conflicts
- Dušan Lužný 2021: “Invented religions and the conceptualization of religion in a highly secular society: The Jedi religion and the Church of Beer in the Czech context”, in European Journal of Cultural Studies 2021, Vol. 24(5) 1160–1179 - Z. Mach, “Continuity and change in political ritual: May Day in Poland, in Revitalizing European Rituals”, ed. by J. Boissevain, Routledge, London-New York, 1992 - Pasieka, Agnieszka. 2015. Hierarchy and Pluralism: Living Religious Difference in Catholic Poland, Palgrave Macmillian. Chapter 1: Poland: a History of Pluralism Giuseppe Tateo 2021: “New Cathedrals in Postsocialist Europe: Turning Chance into Destiny”, in T. Köllner, A. Testa (eds.), Politics of Religion: Authority, Creativity, Conflicts, LIT, Berlin et al., pp. 23-42 - A. Testa, “ʻFertilityʼ and the Carnival 1: Symbolic Effectiveness, Emic Beliefs, and the Re-enchantment of Europe”, in Folklore, n. 128 (1), 2017, pp. 16-36 - A. Testa, “Themed Reviews Session on Recent Studies in the Anthropology of Eastern Christianities”. In Anthropological Journal of European Cultures, n. 30 (1), 2022 - A. Testa, “The Reconstruction of the Marian Column in Prague Old Town - between Religion, Heritage, and Politics”, forthcoming - David Václavík, Dana Hamplová, and Zdeněk Nešpor, “Religious Situation in Contemporary Czech Society”. In Central European Journal for Contemporary Religion 2 (2): 99-122 - David Václavík, “Deepening Secularization? How to Read Official Statistics. A Case of the Czech Republic”, Diskus. The Journal of the British Association for the Study of Religions. 16.2 (2014), 22-30
Metody výuky - angličtina
Poslední úprava: Jana Vojanová (03.10.2022)
The main teaching method will be direct instruction through lessons.
The students will also be asked to actively participate in the teaching and learning processes. They will be encouraged to ask questions and contribute during the lessons and will also be given the opportunity to express their opinions voluntarily about the readings that will be handed out and read in itinere. Groups of students will be formed and asked to present and discuss some articles chosen from the course literature – this may also be done by individual students.
Sylabus - angličtina
Poslední úprava: Jana Vojanová (03.10.2022)
Lesson 1: Introduction to the course I Topics: What is “religion”? What is the “public sphere”? What is “central-eastern Europe”? Literature: - Rogers, D. (2005), ‘The Anthropology of Religion after Socialism’, Religion, State & Society 33, no. 1: 5-18.
Lesson 2: Introduction to the course II Topics:
What is “religion”? What is the “public sphere”? What is “central-eastern Europe”? Literature: - A. Testa, “Re-thinking (with) the Concept of Re-enchantment (in Central-Eastern Europe)”, forthcoming
Lesson 3: Places of worship in eastern and central-eastern Europe Topics: A comparative analysis of the development and function of churches and cathedrals in post- socialist times in several eastern and central-eastern European countries Literature: - Giuseppe Tateo 2021: “New Cathedrals in Postsocialist Europe: Turning Chance into Destiny”, in T. Köllner, A. Testa (eds.), Politics of Religion: Authority, Creativity, Conflicts, LIT, Berlin et al., pp. 23-42
Lesson 4: Catholicism in the Visegrad Countries Topics: In this lesson the topic of the history and importance and role of Catholicism in the contemporary social and political situation in the Visegrad countries will be explored. Literature: - C. Hann, “Problems with the (De)Privatization of Religion”, «Anthropology Today», VI (6), 2000 (only the part about Poland) - Z. Mach, “Continuity and change in political ritual: May Day in Poland”, in Revitalizing European Rituals, ed. by J. Boissevain, Routledge, London-New York, 1992 - or - Pasieka, Agnieszka. 2015. Hierarchy and Pluralism: Living Religious Difference in Catholic Poland, Palgrave Macmillian. Chapter 1: Poland: a History of Pluralism
Lesson 5: Religion and the market in consumerist society Topics: Religion and the market in consumerist society in Czechia and Slovakia: the case of Buddhism. Literature:
- Zuzana Bártová, “The Buddhist style in consumer culture: from aesthetics to emotional patterns”, in Journal of Religion in Europe, 2021
Lesson 6: Religion and politics in Hungary Topics: Hungarian neopaganism and the Hungarian religious revival in their public dimension. With a presentation by Viola Teisenhoffer. Literature: - Miklós Tomka, “Hungary Post-World War II: Religious Development and the Present Challenge of New Churches and New Religious Movements”, In I. Borowik and G. Babinski (eds) New Religious Phenomena in Central and Eastern Europe. Krakow: Nomos
Lesson 7: Orthodox Europe Topics: Religion, politics, and the market in Eastern Christianities. Literature: - François Gauthier, “Religious change in Orthodox-majority Eastern Europe: from Nation- State to Global-Market”, in Theory and Society, 2021 - A. Testa (ed.), “Themed Reviews Session on Recent Studies in the Anthropology of Eastern Christianities”. In Anthropological Journal of European Cultures, n. 30 (1), 2022
Lesson 8: Religious ritualisation in the public sphere I Topics: Case studies from the Czech Republic about religious and folkloric ritualisation in the last few decades and what that can tell us about broader social transformations in post-socialist Czechia. Literature: - Chlup Radek, “Pieta za oběti covidu”, in in Dingir 2021/1, pp. 48-52 - A. Testa, “ʻFertilityʼ and the Carnival 1: Symbolic Effectiveness, Emic Beliefs, and the Re- enchantment of Europe”, in Folklore, n. 128 (1), 2017, pp. 16-36
Lesson 9: Religious ritualisation in the public sphere II Topics:
Case studies from the Czech Republic about religious and folkloric ritualisation in the last few decades and what that can tell us about broader social transformations in post-socialist Czechia. Literature: - Chlup Radek, “Pieta za oběti covidu”, in in Dingir 2021/1, pp. 48-52 - A. Testa, “ʻFertilityʼ and the Carnival 1: Symbolic Effectiveness, Emic Beliefs, and the Re- enchantment of Europe”, in Folklore, n. 128 (1), 2017, pp. 16-36
Lesson 10: The Czech Republic I Topics: A general introduction to the thorny topic of religion, irreligion, and religiosity in the Czech Republic. Literature: - David Václavík, Dana Hamplová, and Zdeněk Nešpor, “Religious Situation in Contemporary Czech Society”. In Central European Journal for Contemporary Religion 2 (2): 99-122 or - David Václavík, “Deepening Secularization? How to Read Official Statistics. A Case of the Czech Republic”, Diskus. The Journal of the British Association for the Study of Religions. 16.2 (2014), 22-30 or - Tomáš Bubík, “A Graveyard as a Home to Ghosts or a Subject of Scholarly Research? The Czech National Cemetery at Vyšehrad”, in Changing Societies & Personalities, 2020, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 136–157 or - Dušan Lužný 2021: “Invented religions and the conceptualization of religion in a highly secular society: The Jedi religion and the Church of Beer in the Czech context”, in European Journal of Cultural Studies 2021, Vol. 24(5) 1160–1179
Lesson 11: The Czech Republic II Topics: Continuing the discussion about the thorny topic of religion, irreligion, and religiosity in the Czech Republic, with a focus on the relationship between nationalism, politics, and religion. Literature: - Tomas Bubik, “The Czech Struggle Over Religion in the Public Space” (submitted, the text will be provided)
Literature: - Chlup Radek, “Jak fungují symboly: religionistické postřehy k mariánskému sloupu”, in https://blog.aktualne.cz/blogy/radek-chlup.php?itemid=37071 or - A. Testa, “The Reconstruction of the Marian Column in Prague Old Town - between Religion, Heritage, and Politics”, forthcoming
Lesson 12: Concluding remarks and final discussion Topics: Recapitulations Literature: - None
