Application 18 to 24 May

Dear all,

Application will start at the 18th of May, 0:01 in the morning, and will end at the 24th of May, at 23:59. All you have to do is copy the form below and put it in a word-file, name it 'application [your surname]' and send it to ISHA.Utrecht2009@gmail.com . You will then receive a confirmation of your application a.s.a.p. and after the application period we will put a list of participants on line even sooner as possible ;) Meanwhile, you can always pose your questions via the same e-mail adress.

Application form

ISHA Summer Seminar
Comparative History of Religion
06.07.2009-10.07.2009, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Full name:

Male/Female

City (Section):

Telephone number:

E-mail adress:

Full home postal adress:

Passport Number:

Special Diet?
Allergies?


Workshops:
Put the workshops in order of preference, the one you would like to participate in most you put on top. If you give a small motivation supporting your choice, it will enhance your chances!

Workshop 1: Focused on St. Augustine of Hippo
Religion & Philosophy (Late Antiquity, Early Christianity)

Workshop 2: Focused on Al-Biruni
Religion & Science (Islam, Middle Ages)

Workshop 3: Focused on Erasmus
Religion & Satire (Humanism, Renaissance)

Workshop 4: Focused on Rvd. Richard Allen
Religion & Minorities (American (Black) Church Movements, 19th Century)

Workshop 5: Focused on Friedrich Nietzsche
Religion & Secularization (Atheism, 20th Century)

A small note concerning the workshops, as the theme is 'Comparative History of Religion', there is some guidance for your topics. Please consider the following example for workshop 4:

You can choose - for example - for the workshop which will focus on reverend Richard Allen. This way you could make a comparison based on the theme Religion & Minorities and present something about another religious minority; let's say the Rastafari movement. Or you could compare Richard Allen with a similar figure within the American Black Church Movement, e.g. Martin Luther King. And of course you can make a plea by comparing his position with ideas in Europe at the same time, such as Het Réveil.

Thank you for applying, and keep track of this blog for more information!

Regards,

ISHA Utrecht

Information about the topic

Comparative History of Religion

Diachronic perspectives on remarkable individuals

Historiography shows that historians have studied religion primarily as a part of the social and cultural realm. The task of independent investigation of religion was mostly taken on by theologians and anthropologists. Fortunately the rediscovery of cultural history in the 1970s meant a revival of interest for human spirituality and the historical role of people’s approaches to the supernatural. Contemporary history, fuelled by events such as 9/11 – in a complex interaction between the practical, such as terrorism, and the theoretical, such as the thesis of clashing civilizations - once again stresses religion and its influence in the public and private sphere. During the ISHA Summer Seminar 2009 the role of religion in history and on historical writing will be addressed and offered to you through five seminars under the theme ‘Comparative History of Religion.’

Religious History and Utrecht

From the 8th century onward, Utrecht has been known as The Netherlands’ religious center. Numerous buildings in its inner city remind us of this fact to this day. The most important religious organizations operate from Utrecht, and it houses the largest collection of religious art found anywhere in The Netherlands. This unique concentration of symbolism, tradition and religious experience has had a profound impact on the academic climate in the city, where over half of all Dutch theologians graduate and where the countries only University for Humanistics is held. The Faculty of Humanities of Utrecht University is known as one of the best in the country – the history department perhaps known as the finest. Medieval History specifically has high international standing. Attention for new and exciting methods is distinctive for the Department of History, including but not limited to an emphasis on biography and possibilities for comparative history.

Methods and Seminars

Choosing ‘Comparative History of Religion’ as its theme, ISHA Utrecht wishes to engage an international student body into a fascinating subject, using Utrecht’s unique characteristics and possibilities. Participants are welcomed and asked to deliver a contribution to fundamental and theoretical debates held in seminars and plenary sessions. The five seminars are all primarily concerned with a single historical figure which will, in some way, ‘represent’ a certain time, geographical space, and theme. Students will eventually submit an oral and written comparative interpretation.

In the first workshop attention is focused on Augustine of Hippo. St. Augustine (354-430) fulfilled a key role in the development of Western Christianity, influencing classical and modern philosophy with timeless works including De civitate dei and De trinitate. A truly extraordinary Muslim thinker from the Middle Ages, Al-Biruni (973-1048) is our second protagonist. In this workshop the tension between science and religion will be discussed. The work of Desiderius Erasmus (1467-1536) is key in workshop no. three. His influence on The Reformation will be analyzed, as will the relations between religion and satire. As an exemplary figure for the American Black Church Movement, Richard Allen (1760-1831) will be central in the fourth workshop. He will represent ‘The Great Awakening’. Religion and fanaticism will be debated. Iconoclastic thinker Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) brought forth devastating critique on religion in general and Christianity in particular. Main topic of this final workshop will be secularization.

Time Table for the Seminar

Dear people, here we post the Time Table that we use for the time being, ofcourse, minor changes will be possible. Please note the 02:00 every night, this is the curfew of the hostel. You have to be inside at 02:00, but inside there is a place where we can still go on for some time. The hostel itself is great, and definitely better than gymnasia (ask your local Utrecht Conference 2006 visitors), and this is the price we have to pay. -ISHA Utrecht


Monday 6 July 2009
15:00-18:00 – Welcome and registration, possibility of visiting University Museum.
18:00-20:00 – Diner
22:00-02:00 – Ice Breaking Party

Tuesday 7 July 2009
08:00-09:30 – Breakfast
10:00-10:30 – Official opening
10:30-10:45 – Coffee break
10:45-11:30 – Introductory lecture
11:30-12:30 – Workshop introductions
12:30-13:30 – Lunch
14:00-17:00 – Workshop I
17:00-18:30 – General Assembly / Free time
18:30-20:00 – Diner
21:00-02:00 – Historical Pubcrawl

Wednesday 8 July 2009
08:00-09:30 – Breakfast
09:30-12:00 – Workshop II
12:00-18:00 – Day Activity (Interactive Multimedia Museum/Archives)
18:30-20:00 – Diner
21:00-23:00 – Cultural evening activity
23:00-02:00 – Nightlife Utrecht

Thursday 9 July 2009
08:00-09:30 – Breakfast
09:30-12:00 – Sport Activity
12:30-13:30 – Lunch at De Uithof
14:00-17:00 – Workshop III
18:00-20:00 – Diner
20:00-22:00 – Workshop presentations
22:00-23:00 – National 'Products' Party
23:00-02:00 – Farewell Party

Friday 10 July 2009
08:00-12:00 – Breakfast, goodbyes and departure

Welcome to ISHA Utrecht!

Dear ISHA-members and other visitors,

welcome to our weblog! Here we will post all information you will need about the seminar we will organize from 6 tot 10 July. Also it keeps you updated with the latest bits of news. Where would we be without Internet these days? For questions you can always reach us at ISHA.Utrecht2009@gmail.com.

Take care,

Organizing committee ISHA Summer Seminar Utrecht 2009