Rubina Raja (Aarhus University) and Jörg Rüpke (Max-Weber-Kolleg, Universität Erfurt)
| Date | 23-26 June 2019 | |
| Time | 19:00-10:00 | |
| Venues | Schæffergården, Jægersborg Alle 166, 2820 Gentofte. |
In 2015 a Companion to the Archaeology of Religion in the Ancient World, edited by the organisers, formed the basis for a new research paradigm of "Lived ancient religion" by focusing on the arcaeology of religious experience, as we labelled the new emphasis. We would now like to shift the focus to urban religion. The interest here is not on religion in the city, but the mutual shaping of urban space and urban ways of life on the one hand and religious practices and ideas on the other. The focus is on change, on factoring in religion for urbanism and urbanism for religious transformations. We envisage a long term cooperation between archaeologists and historians of ancient cities and historians of religion, but would like to start with looking onto material culture and its possibilities to trace such changes.
We invite you to come together to review existing and explore future lines of research that address top-down centralised activities by powerholders as well as bottom-up trajectories of competing groups or individuals, immigrants as well as ephemeral visitors or stakeholders from the region, processes of homogenization as well as differentiation and even the intervention of specifically religious claim-makers or the establishment of religious institutions and authorities. We think of periods of the founding of cities and urban growth as much as urban decline.
As a result of the conference we envisage a common publication, not of a handbook, but of an "invitation to the archaeology of urban religion", suggesting and exemplifying, but also critically discussing potentially fruitful methods or broader approaches.
Thus, we ask participants to prepare first drafts of short chapters (5,000-6,000 words), which would be sent around two weeks before the conference in order to allow a maximum of discussion, not only of the papers, but also of more general issues, fruitful fields not represented by participants or possible methodological transfers.
The workshop will be jointly funded between Centre for Urban Network Evolutions and Max-Weber Kolleg and we offer to pay your travel (economy class) and accommodation as well as catering for the duration of the workshop.
The project will cover travel (economy class) as well as three nights of accommodation for invited participants. Please book early to get a reasonably priced flight.
After your stay, please fill out this reimbursement form (disregard the bottom part - it is for internal use) and return to Christina Levisen as an excel file (no need to sign) along with scanned copies of your travel receipts, and we will reimburse you.
Schæffergården
Jægersborg Alle 166
2820 Gentofte
As soon as you have booked your flight, please forward your itinerary to Christina Levisen, so that your stay can be confirmed.
From Copenhagen Airport (Kastrup): Take the metro line M2 (direction: Vanløse St.) and get off at Nørreport (9 stops). Take the S-train A (direction: Hillerød St.) and get off at Jægersborg St. (5 stops). From there, it is a short walk to Schæffergården (see map).
From Copenhagen Central Station (Københavns Hovedbanegård): Take the S-train A (direction: Hillerød St.) and get off at Jægersborg St. (7 stops). From there, it is a short walk to Schæffergården (see map).
To look up departure/arrival times and connections on public transportation, use Journey Planner. You can change the language settings in the top right-hand corner.
If you have any dietary restrictions (incl. allergies), please let Christina Levisen know by 7 June.
 | Professor Rubina Raja |
 | Professor Jörg Rüpke Phone: +49 361/737-2870 Email: joerg.ruepke@uni-erfurt.de |
