
Performing the Reformation
Religious Festivals in Contemporary Wittenberg
Stephenson(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 28. April 2010
Book
Hardback
248 pages
978-0-19-973275-3 (ISBN)
Description
This is a field study of religious tourism and festivity in contemporary Wittenberg, Germany, the one-time home of Martin Luther. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the city and surrounding region have been developing their historical and cultural resources, through the production of large-scale public festivals, museum exhibits, as well as religious and heritage tourism. The city, marketed as a European culture capital, is also Protestant sacred space, attracting Lutherans from the around the globe. In his recent study, A Secular Age, Charles Taylor notes that festivity is experiencing a renaissance, and he identifies its emergence in public culture as "one of the new forms of religion in our world." Festivals and pilgrimage routes are not only ritual forms, they are cultural institutions playing central roles in a globalized world. Stephenson examines two important genres in today's globalized world: public festivals and religious, or heritage, tourism and pilgrimage. He presents the vibrant details of Wittenberg's Luther festivals and pilgrimage scene, describing rites and performances, and including the voices and narratives of people encountered in the field.
Wittenberg's festival and tourism scene includes a range of genres: parades and processions, liturgies and concerts, music and dance. These cut across cultural domains (religion, politics, economics, theatre), and mobilize multiple identities (religious, secular, American, German, traditional, and postmodern). Atheists dress up as monks and nuns for Luther's Wedding. Conservative Lutherans work to uplift the secular, carnival-like festivities. Street players wander the city, while American Gospel singers and Peruvian pan flute bands entertain the crowds. Written in an accessible, jargon free-style, the book presents a lively, informed account of contemporary festival and pilgrimage culture in Wittenberg. This on-the-ground account is brought into dialogue with important methodological and theoretical issues informing the fields of ritual studies and performance studies.
Wittenberg's festival and tourism scene includes a range of genres: parades and processions, liturgies and concerts, music and dance. These cut across cultural domains (religion, politics, economics, theatre), and mobilize multiple identities (religious, secular, American, German, traditional, and postmodern). Atheists dress up as monks and nuns for Luther's Wedding. Conservative Lutherans work to uplift the secular, carnival-like festivities. Street players wander the city, while American Gospel singers and Peruvian pan flute bands entertain the crowds. Written in an accessible, jargon free-style, the book presents a lively, informed account of contemporary festival and pilgrimage culture in Wittenberg. This on-the-ground account is brought into dialogue with important methodological and theoretical issues informing the fields of ritual studies and performance studies.
Reviews / Votes
"Performing the Reformation takes a refreshing look at the many layers of religion in contemporary popular culture. Luther's hometown Wittenberg is described as an open-air museum, religious shrine, theatrical stage, political arena, and commercialized theme-park all rolled into one. Highlighting a range of theories of culture and religion, Barry Stephenson offers an intelligent and sensitive analysis that is not just great scholarship but also fun toread." ---Professor R. Ruard Ganzevoort, VU University, Amsterdam
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
504 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-973275-3 (9780199732753)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Assistant Professor of Religion and Culture, Wilfrid Laurier University
Content
ILLUSTRATIONS III ; INTRODUCTION: APPROACHING LUTHERLAND 1 ; 1. OPENING THE DOOR 19 ; 2. THE WITTENBERG FESTIVALS 41 ; 3. A MIGHTY FORTRESS? 72 ; 4. MARTIN LUTHER, GERMAN HERO 125 ; 5. SOCIABILITY, CONVIVIALITY 159 ; 6. THE CARNIVALESQUE, PROCESSING CHANGE 192 ; 7. PILGRIMAGE, SACRED SPACE 235 ; APPENDIX A 277 ; APPENDIX B 283 ; APPENDIX C 296 ; BIBLIOGRAPHY 304 ; INDEX 309 ; DVD CONTENTS ; INTRODUCTION (9:49) ; LEGEND TO PORTAL (6:46) ; WEDDING MONTAGE (3:46) ; TETZEL AT THE DOORS (4:38) ; CONFIRMANDS (4:04) ; THE ANIMATORS (40:32) ; PROCESSING (24:09) ; MUSIC (2:37) ; MARTIN (3:11) ; LUTHERLAND-FATHERLAND (23:22) ; WORSHIP (38:32) ; EXTRAS ; IMAGES OF LUTHER'S WEDDING, 2005 (POWERPOINT) ; LUTHER PROTESTS (POWERPOINT) ; REFORMATION DAY BROCHURE, 2005 (PDF) ; LUTHER'S WEDDING BROCHURE, 2005(PDF) ; SELECTED WEBSITES (PDF) ; YALE CONFERENCE PAPER, SENSORY OVERLOAD (PDF)