Tagged: Urbanity

The Community as a ‘Sacred Body’ – An Interpretation of the Garden of Epicurus

Our former fellow Enrico Piergiacomi analyses a small fragment of Epicurus’ correspondence. Its an intriguing moment of the intersection between religion and urbanity. The philosopher’s reasoning was based on a theology that allowed to imagine the Epicurean school as a divine settlement, or ‘sacred body’, as well as on a conception of the civic and economic relationship that tries to recreate in the human city the same blessedness experienced by the. Economy and spirituality seem to coalesce a single, peaceful whole.

Urban Temporalities (City Walk 9)

Our 9th City Walk engaged with the topic of temporalities of which we discussed three aspects: the question of multiple memories with the visit of the new Synagogue in Erfurt, spatial unity and temporal multiplicity at the St Ägidien church, and, finally, hierarchical temporality with the Christmas market as a significant urban manifestation of the Christian temporality.

2024 Joint Conference: Urban Co-Temporalities

In February 2024, the UrbRel group together with the SpatioTemporality group at Erfurt university is organising an international conference on urban Co-Temporalities. The conference focuses on multiple temporalities within an urban environment that appear to coexist. It investigates the question of co-temporalities in the urban setting and asks whether such a concept could prove useful for analyzing the connectivity between co-extensive spaces.

Vergangene koloniale Größe – Das Überseemuseum und die Stadt Bremen im 19. Jahrhundert und heute

Im öffentlichen Diskurs ist das Thema Kolonialismus derzeit sehr präsent. Oft geht es hierbei um unrechtmäßig angeeignetes Kulturgut. Dass hinter der Aneignung von Objekten viel mehr steckt, zeigt Mirjam Wien in ihrem Beitrag. Darin nimmt sie die Narrative des Überseemuseums Bremen damals und heute unter die Lupe.

Conference report: Urbanity. History, Concept, Uses

Our 2022 annual conference was planned as an interdisciplinary event of with innovative format including three parts: a theoretical part on conceptual tools widely used by the KFG, a World Café and lightening talks. It took place in Ettersburg castle (Weimar) and continued on the results of two summer workshops. The conference looked at the concept of urbanity and its possible variations. How do we live (together) in dense urban spaces? How has urbanity been defined so far, how can we contribute to better grasp and describe it?

Christmas and Christmas Markets

The basic theological idea of the Christian Christmas is the incarnation of God, the “birthday of the Lord”, as it has been called since the fourth century AD, natalis domini. What the Latin churches celebrate on 25 December, the Eastern churches associate with 6 January, Epiphany, the “Epiphany of the Lord”. You have to delve deep into the philosophy and mythology…

Take a look at the UrbRel glossary!

Following the 2022 annual conference on “Urbanity – History, Concept, Uses”, we are delighted to publish the first entires of the UrbRel glossary. More entries will follow during 2023, for now we are starting with more space-oriented terms from the first funding phase.

Corinna Riva and Harry Maierr

UrbRel podcasts: Corinna Riva & Harry Maier

In this week’s edition of our podcasts Corinna Riva (UCL), talks to Harry Maier about his research and the books and music he’d take to that island out at sea. Harry Maier is professor of New Testament and Early Christian Studies at the Vancouver School of Theology and last came to Erfurt in the summer of 2022 as a visiting fellow to the UrbRel gorup.

Research foci for the next years

In the winter of 2021/22, the Humanities Centre for Advanced Studies “Religion and Urbanity” (UrbRel) was positively evaluated for a second funding phase and in April 2022 the main committee of the DFG granted a second funding period from 2023 until 2026. During this time, the UrbRel group will continue its work within the chosen temporal and spatial framework of the first millennium BC until today in Europe, the Mediterranean and South Asia. To this end, we have selected three focal areas of investigation and will establish three focus groups: Group formation and segmentation, mercantilisation, and boundary drawing.

2022 Annual Conference on Urbanity

From 16 to 18 November, our annual conference takes place at Ettersburg Castle, close to Weimar. Drawing upon the results of two summer workshops – one on the benefits and pitfalls of typologising cities, the other on morphing urbanities across time and space – the conference has three main parts.

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