Religion and Mission

The image depicts a leopard, a missionary and several people resting near bonfires.

Interactions and Translation in Mission

The project analyses sources of the Capuchin mission in the Kingdom of Kongo, applying a micro history approach focusing actors. From a perspective of cultural translation, the aim is also to reflect on local source production and its impact on Europe. (Johannes Gradel)

Mission and Money

In my book-project I examine the transnationalization of Catholicism, which was largely carried out by Catholic “lay people” and a broad fundraising-movement. (Frederike Schotters)

De-centering the Enlightenment

Through the interpretation of the "Neue Welt-Bott/ New World Messenger" (1726-1761), a collection of primarily Jesuit reports from around the world, Ulrike Strasser (San Diego) and Renate Dürr (Tübingen) are developing a new narrative of the Enlightenment. This project is funded by the VW Foundation within their "Opus Magnum" funding line. (Renate Dürr)

Lutheran Baptisms of Muslims and Africans (16th-18th century)

Forced migration to the German lands was no exception. This research project interprets Lutheran baptismal sermons. It focuses on three aspects mainly: 1) the development of baptismal rituals; 2) the reconstruction of the lives of the deported people; 3) the reconstruction of what is not said in these sermons. (Renate Dürr)

Cultural and linguistic translation processes

he project examines linguistic and cultural translation processes in the mission report of the Jesuit Florian Paucke (1719-1780). (Ulrich Stober)

Religious Responses to Water Scarcity

For my second book (Habilitation), I research religious and cultural responses to water scarcity (drought) and excess (flooding) on islands under the jurisdiction of the Spanish Empire, which were – and remain today- challenged by freshwater management. (Laura Dierksmeier, SFB 1070)

Multilingual ways of speaking about language

The project investigates how the multilingual communicative situation in missionary contexts in New Spain affected speaking about language itself. (Simon Siemianowski)

Behaving Like Heathens. Polemical Comparisons and Religious Diversity

What role does comparison play in medieval and early modern discourses about religious diversity? How are polemical comparisons connected to emerging concepts of religion? (Christina Brauner)