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Dear friends and colleagues,

We hope you are having a good summer so far. This week we would like to draw your attention to two congress contributions by KFG members. We would also like to announce an upcoming symposium and draw your attention to a Call for Applications.

Enjoy and have a good week!

Lucy

Sita Steckel on "Fake Truth: The Fragmentation and Polarization of Epistemological Consensus in the Polemics of William of Saint-Amour against the Friars" at XVth International Congress of SIEPM, 24 August

We would like to draw your attention to a presentation by our Senior Research Fellow Sita Steckel. On 24 August, she will give a talk on "Fake Truth: The Fragmentation and Polarization of Epistemological Consensus in the Polemics of William of Saint-Amour against the Friars" at the XVth International Congress of the Société Internationale pour l'Étude de la Philosophie Médiévale (SIEPM) in Paris, this year with the focus on "Radical Thinking in the Middle Ages".  

The theologian and polemicist William of Saint-Amour is a well-known figure in the history of philosophy – but almost exclusively in a negative capacity: His involvement in large-scale controversies between mendicant friars and secular masters at the University of Paris during the 1250s pitted him against more prominent scholars, such as Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure. More recently, however, William’s work has been reappraised: Rather than as a bad philosopher or theologian, he can also be seen as a brilliant polemicist. Though his dramatic, highly polemical warnings against the hypocrisy of the friars clearly transgressed the limits of scholarly argumentation, they offer an interesting avenue into contemporary cultures of propaganda and opinion-formation. William’s main argument indeed questioned the trustworthiness and religious authenticity of his opponents, casting them as frauds and hypocrites in ways that are reminiscent of later conspiracy theories. The paper therefore seeks to re-evaluate his writings as highly functional, sophisticated polemics, which certainly fulfilled their intended political functions. As the development of the conflict shows, the large-scale controversy at the university of Paris even put established conflict regimes and constructions of truth and authenticity under pressure.

Congress date: 22–26 August | Paris

We would like to especially point out the presentation of our Senior Research Fellow Katharina Wilkens entitled "Pilger- und Reiseberichte aus Westafrika um 1830" (Pilgrims' and Travelogues from West Africa around 1830), which she will give on 31 August.

Registration and further information at: annegret.jummrich@izp.uni-halle.de

Congress date: 28–31 August | Halle/Saale

International Symposium "Religion, Translation and Transnational Relations: Japan and (Counter-)Reformation Europe“, 1–3 September

Our Associate Member Katja Triplett is co-organising an international symposium on "Religion, Translation and Transnational Relations: Japan and (Counter-)Reformation Europe" together with Yoshimi Orii (Keiō University, Tokyo) and Pia Jolliffe (University of Oxford).

The symposium examines transnational relations between Japan and (Counter-) Reformation Europe through the lens of translation. The translation concept adapted includes linguistic as well as cultural translations. Contributors analyse various translation processes including the translation of European religious thought into Japanese, the translation of Japanese and European images and artefacts and the translation of Jesuit letters from Japan. We are particularly interested in discussing the “translation” of meaning, i. e. how texts, images and artefacts were rendered culturally significant to Japanese and European audiences. We are also keen to explore the agency of translators as well as the socio-cultural and political-economic dimensions of their translation strategies.

Dr. Murat Antoni John Ucerler, S.J., Director of the Ricci Institute at Boston College, will also give a lecture and present his new book "The Samurai & the Cross: Jesuit Missionaries & Education in Early Modern Japan" as part of the symposium. (Free admission, please register by email to juan.castillo@uni-leipzig.de).

Date: 1–3 September | Leipzig University
Book Presentation: 2 September | GRASSI Museum

Call for Application: Professorship in "History of Religions and Comparative Religion" at University of Zurich

The Faculty of Theology at the University of Zurich has a vacancy for a professorship in "History of Religions and Comparative Religion", starting February 2024. Depending on the qualifications of the person to be appointed, the professorship will be defined as a full professorship, associate professorship, or assistant professorship with tenure track. The prerequisites for application include a degree in Study of Religions or a comparable discipline with relevant competencies in Study of Religions and a doctorate in Study of Religions. They are looking for someone with a research profile that includes both source-based and theoretically informed approaches in the history of religions with an emphasis on comparative-, global-, and “entangled” history, connected to current conversations in the Study of Religions, and with demonstrable experience with interdisciplinary work. The teaching load amounts to 2-10 semester hours per week, depending on the rank and experience (open rank). 

Prof. Dr. Stefan Krauter and Prof. Dr. Dorothea Lüddeckens will be available to answer questions.

Application Deadline: 30 August 2022 | LINK

If you have any content that you think suits the purpose of the weekly, please feel free to send it to us at multiple-secularities@uni-leipzig.de.