| Max-Weber-Kolleg, Religion, Society, and World Relations, Research

Final report of the research group "Religious Individualization in Historical Perspective" published

From 2008 to 2018, a research group funded by the DFG (German Research Foundation) on the topic of "Religious Individualization in Historical Perspective" was able to work on a large number of projects at the Max Weber College of the University of Erfurt and present extensive research results on a wide variety of historical periods and regional areas. Riccarda Suitner, Martin Mulsow and Jörg Rüpke have now presented the final report for the second funding phase 2013-2018.

The publication, which is also available as an open access publication, offers an insight into the work of the Kolleg's research group, provides bibliographical access to its results and summarises them: Individualisation is not a consequence of modernisation. Religion is the motor, not the antagonist, of individualisation. Religious individualization is to be found outside the "West" and in front of various "moderns" as well as within them. Prof. Dr. Jörg Rüpke, one of the two heads of the collegiate research group, explains: "This refutes common prejudices about the 'pre-modern nature of religions' as well as misunderstandings about 'modern individualism' with a wealth of historical counter-examples."

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