First RefoRC Conference Investigates Myths of the Reformation
01-06-2011
On June 8-10 the first conference of RefoRC, the Reformation Research Consortium, will take place at the Institute for Swiss Reformation History (University of Zurich). RefoRC is the academic section of Refo500, the international platform that develops a great variety of activities worldwide related to the 2017 quincentennial commemoration of the Reformation, focusing on the contemporary relevance of the reformations of the 16th century.
This conference will pose several critical questions regarding the Reformation. This conference does not so much pose the question whether Luther actually nailed his 95 theses at the door of the castle church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517 as the more critical analysis of the concept 'Reformation' and all the 'myths' connected to it. Is the Reformation a 'German event'? Did the Reformation really have such a European dimension and influence that it should be celebrated in 2017? Is it not just something that happened in the spirituality of the church? Or should the Reformation be regarded from a political or cultural perspective? How are theological reflection and the cultural consequences of the Reformation related to each other? Is 'the catholic Reform' of the 16th century in fact, after all, a 'Counter-Reformation'?
The selection of keynote speakers who address these questions lends a special dimension to the topic of the conference. For example, Ignasi Fernández Terricabras (University of Barcelona) concentrates upon the question whether the 'Counter-Reformation' was solely a Spanish issue. Emidio Campi (University of Zurich) will address the question of the truth behind the thesis that the Reformation is genuinely German. Art historian Bridget Heal (University of St. Andrews) will answer the question whether the Reformation was as Word-oriented as most Protestants would like to believe.
Universities and other research institutions participate in RefoRC through cooperation in research projects like editions, conferences, courses, and the training of young scholars. Annually an academic and interdisciplinary conference takes place in which plenary sessions present the latest research and where – especially younger – scholars find a platform to present their projects and strengthen their network of contacts.
The announcement of this new initiative resounded worldwide and clearly necessitated such a conference. RefoRC aims at connecting academics and intensifying inter-university and interdisciplinary research. The next conference will take place in Oslo, Norway, from May 10—12, 2012.
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