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Lecture: ‘Total Devotion – Passions and Plots in Radical Religion in the Ancient World’ by Laura Feldt

Datum evenement: 19 January 2023
Locatie: Hybrid

Description

Total Devotion – Passions and Plots in Radical Religion in the Ancient World
Laura Feldt, Associate Professor of the Study of Religion, Department of History, The University of Southern Denmark

When: Thursday, 19th of January, from 3:30 till 5pm
Where: Hybrid, Zoom and on the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Registration: e-mail to extremebeliefs.fgw@vu.nl to receive the zoomlink/exact location.

Abstract:

This lecture will discuss the research field of radical religion and identify some major trends that have focused on radical beliefs, marginalization, and societal relations. While these are important aspects, I will suggest that the focus on radical beliefs and exterior relations should be supplemented by a broader perspective that places more emphasis on group-internal ideals of devotion and the role of emotionality and narrativity. I argue that these aspects are important for the formation and continued pull of radical religion, for enduring forms of total devotion that enable identity fusion and motivate costly sacrifice. I will present the concept of total devotion and a theoretical framework for addressing and analysing shared ideals of devotion and the role of emotionality and narrativity. The lecture will also discuss a historicization of the study of radical religion that takes it beyond the focus on Islam and on the contemporary era. To that end, I present the Total Devotion project (www.sdu.dk/radrel), funded by the Danish Research Fund for Independent Research in the Humanities and discuss some examples drawn from Judaism and Christianity in the ancient world.

Post.doc. of the Total Devotion project and Assistant Professor at VU, Klazina Staat, will present a case study from the project, of total devotion in Latin late antique Lives of secret saints. It argues that total devotion is narrativised according to a standardised plot structure or ‘masterplot’, with key functions for secrecy, fame, rumours and imitation in the constitution of total devotion.