We are witnessing a reintroduction of the material and corporeal dimensions of religion into cultural theory. While the so-called "material turn" is no longer on the margins of religious studies, anthropology, and sociology, the theorization of the secular from a materialist and affective perspective has yet to occur. Advocating an interdisciplinary approach, our course will examine a range of theories pertaining to material secularities and engage with recent debates on ontology, relationality, or the non-human. How does the secular shape / is itself shaped by ordinary and not-so-ordinary life? How does secular politics accumulate authority? How do secularities manifest in particular projects, places, and people? How can we distinguish secular from religious? How do secular aesthetics, materiality, and affectivity challenge our ethnographic / academic practice?
This course offers students the opportunity to engage with ongoing research. After an introductory phase devoted to theoretical debates, we – including the students – will host a public lecture series where a number of scholars will present their work on the material, aesthetic, and corporeal dimensions of the secular. Topics include mountains making masculinity, (non)sexualized secular bodies, haunted battlefields, public beheadings, ancestral matters in black-lives-matter, cultural festivals, etc. In addition, there might be opportunities to participate in workshops of the KFG ‘Multiple Secularities’. Depending on participants and guests, sessions will be in English or German; active participation is expected.- Trainer/in: Henriette Habelt
- Trainer/in: Andreas Hölke
- Trainer/in: Steffi Rüger