The study of religion(s) in Western Europe III:

Further developments after World War II1

Michael Stausberg

ABSTRACT

This essay discusses main features and developments of the study of religion(s) in

Western Europe. It attempts a historical, geographical, and thematic synthesis. Part III outlines post World War II developments with regard to journals, textbooks, and survey works. It looks at national figureheads, disciplinary boundaries and the changing fortunes of the phenomenology of religion. The series concludes by addressing selected key areas of scholarly work and current issues and concerns.

KEYWORDS

History of the study of religion

Phenomenology of religion

Religion and public education

Religion in Europe

1 Part I of the present series was published in issue 37/4, pp. 204-318 of this journal (Stausberg, 2007), part II was published in issue 38/4, pp. 305-318 (Stausberg, 2008a). The series was accepted by the previous editors of the journal.

1 The history of the study of religion(s) is generally divided into two main eras— classical and contemporary—with World War II as a dividing line (see Gardaz, 2009, p. 283; see also Casadio, 2005a). Given the titles of its different parts, the present series of articles also adhere broadly to this scheme. In fact, however, this division into two main periods is far too rough. First of all, the criteria for any such division would need to be spelled out clearly.

Different chronologies will emerge depending on whether one looks at institutional changes in academia in general and the study of religion(s) in particular, at developments in science and in the humanities in general and the study of religion(s) in particular, or when one bases one’s chronology on main events in cultural or political history.2 The latter approach, which would seem to lend support to the standard scheme, has the advantage of providing a framework relevant to the entire European continent, whereas changes in the institutional frameworks and in scholarship, common tendencies and shared developments such as the impact of existentialism and Marxism and the transformation of the role of the universities, are often specific to the various nations. This, in turn, has to do with linguistic barriers and the national structure of the European system of education and research, which is only slowly developing into a more overarching framework (see also part I = Stausberg, 2007, pp. 294-

296). However, even when taking political history as a point of departure, there are several possible dividing lines. World War I can be considered as much a crucial turning point in

European history as World War II. In fact, the catastrophe of World War I led to a major intellectual crisis; the impact of this challenge for the study of religion(s) has so far, it seems

2 Casadio, 2005a, refers to the two periods as ‘the age of euro-centrism and epistemological self-assurance’ (for scholars born between 1880 and 1920 and educated before World War II) vs. ‘the age of de-colonization and epistemological disenchantment’ (for scholars born between 1920 and 1950 and educated during the war or shortly thereafter) respectively. This alludes to political and epistemological criteria and changes. Casadio’s entry mainly provides brief (highly informative, but sometimes judgmental) sketches of key scholars from Scandinavia and the Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, North America, France, Italy, and Romania belonging to these two eras. In his short history of the study of religion, Whaling, 2006, divides the history of the study of religion(s) into four periods: 1850 to 1900, 1900 to 1950, 1950 to 1985, and 1985 to the present day. Whaling presents brief background sketches on the respects eras, outlines some key developments and topics, and provides some general observations; the article concludes by identifying twelve general trends in the study of religion(s).

2 to me, not attracted the attention it deser