Protestant Europe Research Articles

Geography of Relationship between the Roman Catholic Church in Negombo and the Local Community

Negombo is a city in the western part of Sri Lanka with a predominantly Catholic community and has been the interface with European Catholicism, Protestantism and Orthodoxy throughout the last 500 years. The city developed with a unique cultural heritage due to religious influences of Catholicism. During the latter part of this period, people in the area were followers of several convictions. But the Catholic Church managed to retain its dominant position until the 19th century. Catholic Church in Negombo played an important role in maintaining ideas and life styles of the civil society. This has resulted in religious convictions and ecclesiastic affairs having a broader effect on Political and Geographical context here than in other areas of the country. This research examines the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and the local community in the area. Key words: Catholicism; Protestantism; Orthodoxy Sri Lankan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Vol.1(1) July 2009

Repressing Protest: Threat and Weakness in the European Context, 1975-1989

Research on state repression of protest focuses on two key factors: threat and weakness. States repress protest events when they threaten state authorities and social norms (threat), when they lack organizational strength and political voice (weakness), or when they do both. I test these competing explanations in the context of Western European protests from 1975 to 1989. This analysis goes beyond previous research by exploring the effect of threat and weakness in multiple domestic contexts. The findings suggest that threat is the most powerful explanation of repression, whereas weakness only occasionally predicts repression and depends on country-specific contexts. The importance of the findings lie in their ability to emphasize (1) the universality of situational threat to police "on-the-ground" over theories that view a calculating state "up-above," and (2) the seemingly unified perception (in advanced democracies) of protest as an increasingly legitimate form of political participation that does not beget repression.

The Waters of Rebirth: The Eighteenth Century and Transoceanic Protestant Christianity

In a provocatively titled 2005 book, Mark Noll and Carolyn Nystrom wonderedIs the Reformation Over?While not presuming to answer their query, the present essay argues that a self-understanding of European Protestants inherited from the Reformation had to die in the 1740s in the process of giving birth to the rapidly spreading version of western Christianity that became known as evangelicalism. Protestants, of both the radical and magisterial sort had cherished since the sixteenth century a sense of themselves as the true, ancient, and apostolic church. The Reformation, however, in its theological, as well as its socio-political and economic dimensions, had long “left its heirs no settled comprehensive system, only with many unresolved questions of principle and usage, not least in decisions relating to the body.”

Automne 1579: l’affaire Stubbs ou comment un pamphlet a privé la Reine d’Angleterre d’un mariage français

In 1579, John Stubbs wrote his «Gaping Gulf » , a pamphlet in which he denounced the likely union between Queen Elizabeth and the king of France’s brother. After a short trial, the author and the distributor of the text had their right hands cut off. The news spread instantly, in England as well as in continental Europe. This led to a textual war, in which famous characters like Sir Philip Sidney and Henry Howard, earl of Northampton, took part. Scholars from England and from the Continent exchanged letters which testified to their uneasiness in front of the improving relations between England and France. In many ways, the Stubbs affair is revealing. It shows how European Protestants kept an eye on the fate of England and of her queen. It is telling of the authorities’ growing mistrust for the printed text. It testifies to the potential yet increasingly oppositional strength of the English stationers.

Dealing with the banks: populism and the public interest in the global financial crisis

Political protest in Europe and the problematic politics surrounding bank recapitalization in the US have raised growing concerns about the rise of populist politics. Populist politics is problematic in its search for simplistic solutions to complex problems, its disdain for institutions and its political ambiguity. Nonetheless, the rise of populist mobilization also points to genuine concerns about the functioning of democracy. The politics of financial regulation has been dominated by a narrow, utilitarian and technocratic mode of policy-making that has tried to limit public debate, favouring an expert discourse which privileges questions of efficiency over questions of distribution. This article explores the distributional issues at stake in banking recapitalization (particularly questions about the returns governments receive for their investment) and regulation (through an exploration of the financialization literature). It argues that, while populist appeals to ‘the people’ are too ambiguous to be helpful, given the complexity of the interests at stake in financial regulation, there is a need for a wider and more democratic debate about financial regulation that pays greater attention to distributional issues. Populist mobilization can create pressure for debate, even if it presents few solutions. As a result, we should be wary of moves to shift too much regulation to the international level where populist mobilization is less effective.

Leibniz on ‘prophets’, prophecy, and revelation

AbstractDuring Leibniz's lifetime, interest in the interpretation of the Bible and biblical prophecy became central to the theological and political concerns of Protestant Europe. Leibniz's treatment of this phenomenon will be examined in the light of his views on the nature of revelation and its role in his defence of Christianity. It will be argued that Leibniz's defence of the miracle of revelation (and its vehicle, biblical prophecy) – unlike his arguments on behalf of the core Christian mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation – is demonstrable by purely natural and scientific means, especially the verification of history.

Britain, Hanover and the Protestant Interest, 1688–1756 by Andrew C. Thompson

85 Smith concedes that, as an institution, the court ‘‘might continue to suffer an irreversable [sic] political decline,’’ but maintains that, because of the way the Georgian court operated ‘‘as a venue,’’ the situation is ‘‘significantly more complicated than that.’’ I find her use of Habermas ’s concept of the bourgeois public sphere unconvincing, and in conclusion Ms. Smith accepts that: ‘‘Much remains to be further explored.’’ What Georgian Monarchy succeeds in doing, however, is to turn the spotlight back on the early Georgian court, and to question the assumptions about the unpopularity of the first two Georges derived in part from the writings of Swift, Pope, and Gay. J. A. Downie Goldsmiths College, University of London ANDREW C. THOMPSON, Britain, Hanover and the Protestant Interest, 1688– 1756. Studies in Early Modern Cultural, Political and Social History. Rochester, New York: Boydell, 2006. Pp. xxv ⫹ 267. $95. Most of Hanover’s foreign policy files were destroyed by bombs in 1943 and a flood in 1946, but Mr. Thompson makes use of a trove remaining at Regensburg and Vienna to show the complex interactions of Hanover, Britain, and the Holy Roman Empire for half of the eighteenth century. Through the ‘‘personal union,’’ George I and II wielded the military and financial resources of Britain in continental engagements till the 1750s, when Britain’s foreign policy became global. What the diplomatic correspondence reveals is a pervasive use of the language of the ‘‘protestant interest’’ [the author always uses a small ‘‘p’’ for protestant], which seems to contradict the prevailing view that Hanoverian foreign policy was secularized . Mr. Thompson thinks militant Protestantism did not simply vanish after 1648, but morphed into the ‘‘protestant interest.’’ Sermons, official propaganda , newspapers, and diplomatic correspondence are replete with references to this ‘‘interest’’ as linked to maintaining the ‘‘balance of power’’ and opposing ‘‘universal monarchs, real or imagined .’’ The author’s contention is that the Whigs—the only party governing Britain after 1714—remained ‘‘protestant ’’ until 1750, though he concedes that the grandees controlling the government were ‘‘largely free-thinking British whig nobles.’’ While the language of the ‘‘protestant interest’’ has previously been dismissed as a ‘‘cloak,’’ Mr. Thompson insists it is ‘‘more than mere rhetoric.’’ Yet when he asks why George I and II, neither of whom had a ‘‘deep personal religious conviction,’’ used this language, he replies that it was important for the elector of Hanover ‘‘to be seen’’ as defending the ‘‘protestant interest in the Empire,’’ and even more ‘‘vital’’ for the Hanoverian British king ‘‘to be seen’’ doing it because his claim to the throne was based on religion. This sounds like posturing . In fact, the Hanoverian kings and ministers talked much, but did little on behalf of European Protestants. One source of grievance was the fourth article of the Treaty of Ryswick (1697), which allowed the churches Louis XIV had given to Catholics during his occupation of the Palatinate to remain in their hands. German Protestants kept pressing for repeal of the clause whenever a treaty was afoot, offering in exchange their support of the Emperor. The Hanoverians claimed repeal of the clause was ‘‘high on the list of priori- 86 ties,’’ yet during peace negotiations in 1736, they refused to press for repeal ‘‘because of its potential for causing a further rupture with Austria’’ and prevented a deputation from the Reichstag ’s Corpus Evangelicorum from demanding it. There was another Protestant grievance regarding the Palatinate: in 1719 the Elector, a convert to Catholicism, banned the use of the Heidelberg catechism because his coat of arms was used without permission and he thought the 80th question ‘‘deeply offensive’’ for calling the Mass a ‘‘cursed Idolatry’’ derived from ‘‘the Devil.’’ Till then the main church in Heidelberg had been divided between Protestants and Catholics , but now Catholics took possession. In Britain the event was seen as ‘‘a Europe-wide attack on protestants.’’ George I declared ‘‘he would not flinch from taking firm action, if forced, to defend legitimate protestant rights,’’ but then he went on helping Austria gain control of Sicily, and when Prussia’s Frederick William proposed a confessional alliance, he opposed it for fear Catholics would do likewise. Meanwhile , in an echo of...

Strangers Nowhere in the World: The Rise of Cosmopolitanism in Early Modern Europe (review)

Reviewed by: Strangers Nowhere in the World: The Rise of Cosmopolitanism in Early Modern Europe Tobias Hug Margaret C. Jacob , Strangers Nowhere in the World: The Rise of Cosmopolitanism in Early Modern Europe (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006). Pp. 187. $34.95. This study by Margaret C. Jacob, Distinguished Professor of History at the University of California at Los Angeles and well known for her work on the Enlightenment, the history of science, and freemasonry, offers an appealing opportunity to delve into a fascinating subject: cosmopolitanism, understood both then and now as "the ability to experience people of different nations, creeds and colors with pleasure, curiosity and interest, and not with suspicion" (1). The title's first part, "strangers nowhere in the world," comes from Denis Diderot's definition of cosmopolitans in his encyclopedia of 1751. The book spans the period from 1650 until 1800, and the five chapters are built around case studies based on manifold archival sources mainly from France, England, the Netherlands, and Ireland. They [End Page 181] deal with the Inquisition in Avignon, alchemists, stock exchanges in prosperous cities such as London, Paris, and Antwerp, Freemasonry, liberals, and radicals. Jacob regards the scientific, literary, and philosophical societies in Protestant Europe, particularly in England and the Dutch Republic, as some of the earliest instances of "cosmopolitan fraternizing" (18). For instance, a secret club in The Hague disseminating Newton's science and whose Protestant members came from all over Europe and from various social and professional backgrounds is seen as typically cosmopolitan. However, Jacob rightly draws attention to the different potential meanings of cosmopolitanism: it "could also mean transgressing within a traditional society of orders, titles, exclusionary kith and kin, religious barriers and prohibitions, gender norms and affectations, and as always, it meant thinking past national identities, being accepting of foreigners at home and abroad" (5). Yet Jacob does not close her eyes to the ambivalences of the early modern world, a world that was often highly intolerant of and brutal toward the other, abroad as well as at home (one cannot forget the exploitation of the colonies, the slave trade, religious wars, anti-Semitism, homophobia, censorship). Throughout the book it is evident that cosmopolitan cultures or attitudes could often only be lived "underground" and in secret, and that they posed, then as now, a threat to repressive governments. In Avignon, a bustling town controlled by the Papacy until 1791, authorities with diligent censors, spies, and inquisitors who had the power to torture and banish, tried to prevent any kind of social and cultural interaction between Christians and Jews. There was increasing contact between them, nevertheless; and the Inquisition also could not prevent the spread of Masonic lodges, which Jacob uses as an index for measuring cosmopolitanism. The book makes clear that throughout early modern Europe religion divided, rather than united, societies. During the godly Reformation (cosmopolitan) openness was limited by stern Protestant belief: on the one hand, there was interest in the foreign and international; on the other, there was the exclusion of Jews and Catholics and religious intolerance. In the early modern world, science, politics, religion, and magic were deeply interrelated. Science drew different, educated and semi-educated, people together. Among early modern philosophies Jacob considers alchemy to be crucial for the understanding of cosmopolitanism, as it "offered the most universalist and idealist message emphasizing reform and salvation" (45). Interest in alchemical practice and ideas crossed social and national boundaries, and adepts in their quest for natural secrets were eager to find an international language. But this movement had limited success too. In England the educated elite, among them Robert Boyle and members of the Royal Society, considered the widespread interest in alchemy a threat and feared losing their intellectual authority. Europe in this period featured an increasingly complex and international economy, and although trade had always brought together different people, Jacob illustrates how stock exchanges in cities such as London, Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Amsterdam, Bruges, Hamburg, or Berlin fostered a distinct cosmopolitan culture. However, this culture did not develop without a struggle. Political crises had a grave impact, and violence, aggression, and xenophobia were common too. Eventually only political stability and often the assistance...

An empirical study of e-participation in Social Movement Organisations

The widespread diffusion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has had a significant impact on European society. This study analyses the impact of ICT enabled political participation by Social Movement Organisations (SMOs). A sample of European protest networks and pressure groups' websites are analysed through the use of indicators that measure their ability to disseminate information, their potential for bilateral/multilateral communication, and their website connectivity. We found no significant differences in communication patterns between SMOs that have different sizes with regards to the information dissemination and communication patterns, and found that larger SMOs have more website connectivity.

Dissecting modernist religion in Gottfried Keller’s <i>Das verlorene Lachen</i>

In the wake of the Enlightenment and heavily influenced by serious challenges in Biblical scholarship to conventional doctrines, various kinds of liberal theology emerged in European Protestantism of both the Reformed and Lutheran traditions. Within the Calvinist-Zwinglian churches of Switzerland, this came to expression in, inter alia, progressive religion which stood in marked contrast to confessional orthodoxy. The novelist Gottfried Keller had been influenced by the German atheistic philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach in the 1840s and shortly thereafter gained prominence as one of the most gifted Swiss writers of his era. In his novella “Das verlorene Lachen”, Keller systematically rejected confessional Reformed orthodoxy, liberal currents in the Reformed churches, Roman Catholicism and Protestant nonconformity as intellectually archaic and out of harmony with the democratic and egalitarian spirit of the times, either products of supporters or a stratified social system which he found unacceptable.

Rough days in democracies: Comparing protests in democracies

Abstract. Democratic political institutions are generally designed to channel public opinion; yet citizens often take to the streets in protest. Why would citizens, provided with formal mechanisms to affect the policy process, resort to extraordinary means? This article argues that the strength of representative institutions influences the likelihood of protest. The democratic institution literature does not address the issue of protest and in the protest literature effects of the democratic governmental structure have been largely underestimated. However, the diversity in government formats across democratic states and the corresponding variation in amount of protests leads one to question the relationship between them. This article identifies the variation in the scale of protests among democratic regimes in Western European countries using the European Protest and Coercion Data and explains protest using variation in the forms of government. Protesters in democratic countries with a weak legislature find it difficult to deliver their demands to government due to the institutional environment. Therefore, they are more inclined to protest than citizens in countries with a strong legislature. This argument is tested along with other structural variables and supported by results from testing models using ordinary least squares with panel‐corrected standard errors.

Conceptions of Europe in Renaissance France by David Cowling

MLR, I02.2, 2007 507 Given this approach, the analysis of individual texts tends to be underdeveloped. Even when a given dialogue or set of dialogues is singled out for special attention, themethodology adopted isoften a longway from close reading: thehelpfulness of a discussion of dialogue form in theCymbalum mundi, which does not contain a single citation from thework which is thepurported object of study, is curtailed from the outset. This is a shame, because more focused discussions of Pontus de Tyrard's dialogues, and of the role ofRonsard as a character within dialogues, contain insights towhich all specialists would wish to refer. Moreover, albeit that thedefinition ofboth genre and corpus is central tomuch of Eva Kushner's work, the result isnot always convincing. There is not a strong case for devoting two chapters to dialogue in an author who neverwrote one, namelyMontaigne, especially when amajor author who does incorporate dialogues intohis fiction,namely Rabelais, isvirtually ignored.This impression is compounded by the extraordinary claim thatPanurge's consultations in the Tiers Livre are all 'in the formof indirect discourse' (p. 25I), despite several being in dialogue form.There are also surprising omissions: there is littlemention of dialogues in the banquet tradition, and none at all ofGuillaume Bouchet's Les Serees, Cholieres's Matinees and Apresdisnees, nor,more seriously still, of Beroalde de Verville's Le Moyen de parvenir. Given these reservations, the usefulness of Le Dialogue a' la Renaissance is limited. Specialists will need to refer to it,but many aspects of analysis of thephenomenon could be more fullydeveloped. UNIVERSITY OF EXETER HUGH ROBERTS Conceptions ofEurope inRenaissance France. Ed. by DAVID COWLING. (Faux Titre, 28i) Amsterdam: Rodopi. 2006. 204 pp. ?40. ISBN 978-90-420-2006-I. The ten articles in thisFestschrift forKeith Cameron predominantly constitute the kind of scrupulous scholarship with a strong historical focuswith which he is readily associated. Most of the contributors range beyond the chosen theme, presumably because, as Jean Balsamo argues in the excellent essay which opens the volume, the concept ofEurope was not yet fullyformed during theRenaissance. He maintains that theprehistory of thenotion emerges both in theRepublic ofLetters, which was itself formed during theRenaissance, and in amilitary and aristocratic ideal. IanMorri son's reading of Rabelais follows a similar line: doubtless the strongest Rabelaisian conception ofEurope is found in theprologue to the Tiers Livre, which refers to the Franco-Imperial hostilities as a tragicomedy affecting the entire continent, revealing it to be an emergent political and cultural construct, as well as a geographical one. Terence Cave's work on 'pre-histoires' (in Pre-histoires: textes troublesau seuil de la modernite (Geneva: Droz, I999) and inPre-histoires, II:Langues etrangereset troubles economiques au XVIe siecle (Geneva: Droz, 2001)) would have provided a powerful method to accompany these analyses of theprehistory of the concept ofEurope. In deed, Yvonne Bellenger's highly detailed contribution on thehistory ofDu Bartas's La Lepanthe is letdown somewhat by a conclusion which projects our conception of Europe back onto theRenaissance. Similarly, Francoise Charpentier's analysis ofhow the themes of discovery and curiosity in theQuart Livre and the Cinquiesme Livre are constantly linked to a return to the familiar could have made the tension between these two trends, and its implication for the difficultyof a conception of Europe, more explicit. Furthermore, none of the contributors countenances the possibility of a notion of Europe founded on shared popular culture, which would be aworthy object of study.The European theme is implicit in theother contributions, although Frank Lestringant's analysis of 'livres de contrarietes' reveals that a conception of Europe inopposition to the supposedly barbaric ways of the Syrians was obvious to a 5o8 Reviews mid-seventeenth-century Jesuitmissionary. The contrast between differentcultures, and thedefinition in relation to the 'other'which ensues, isalso the theme ofMichael Heath's highly entertaining reading of French representations ofTurkish views of the French. Marie-Madeleine Fragonard's contribution concerns a fascinating case study ofAgrippa d'Aubigne's diplomatic relationswith England, revealing a failed attempt at a unified Protestant Europe. David Trotter's piece engages in similarly thorough historical scholarship, in this case ofmixed-language documents in thePyrenees. In differentways, these contributions show that national identitywas not itself fully...

Bernard Salomon: Illustrateur lyonnais by Peter Sharratt

5o8 Reviews mid-seventeenth-century Jesuitmissionary. The contrast between differentcultures, and thedefinition in relation to the 'other'which ensues, isalso the theme ofMichael Heath's highly entertaining reading of French representations ofTurkish views of the French. Marie-Madeleine Fragonard's contribution concerns a fascinating case study ofAgrippa d'Aubigne's diplomatic relationswith England, revealing a failed attempt at a unified Protestant Europe. David Trotter's piece engages in similarly thorough historical scholarship, in this case ofmixed-language documents in thePyrenees. In differentways, these contributions show that national identitywas not itself fully formed during theRenaissance, which is of course an impediment to the forming of an international conception, such as Europe. Yvonne Roberts's chapter reveals one ofmany of thedivisions affectingFrance at this time.Margaret McGowan's reading of Blaise de Vigenere's work on ancient texts is an absorbing reading ofRenaissance practices of translation, annotation, and commentary. In general, thevastmajority of specialists will learn something from the scholarship on offer in thiswell-presented and virtually error-freevolume. UNIVERSITY OF EXETER HUGH ROBERTS Bernard Salomon: illustrateur lyonnais. By PETER SHARRATT. (Travaux d'Humanisme et Renaissance, 400) Geneva: Droz. 2005. 534 pp. SwF 145. ISBN 978-2 6oo-oIOOO-9. This informative study constitutes the firstbook-length discussion of Bernard Sa lomon's ceuvre since Natalis Rondot, Bernard Salomon, peintre et tailleur d'histoires a Lyon, au XVIe siecle (Lyon: Imprimerie deMougin-Rusand, I897). Peter Shar ratt aims to build upon this earlier work by marshalling recent research into the Renaissance, the history of the book, and the relationship between text and image. Furthermore, whereas Rondot' sstudy lacked any illustrations, thisnew book contains over a hundred pages of beautifully reproduced images, provided in dimensions as close as possible to those in the original works. Sharratt divides his study into four sections which deal, first, with Salomon's lifeand his role in theworld ofRenaissance printing; secondly, and at greatest length,with his sources; thirdly, with his style and his influence upon laterworks; and, fourthly, with the relationship between textand image in theworks illustrated. In addition, a lengthy appendix aims to establish a catalogue of Salomon's work, and throws into doubt some previous attributions to him.Within each section, Sharratt proceeds systematically through Salomon's works, giving meticulous descriptions of them aswell as of theirprobable sources, and con sistently referring the reader to the numbered reproductions of the images (to be found at the back of thebook). Thus he returns to the same works as his focus shifts from, forexample, sources to style.This can be somewhat tantalizing. For example, Sharratt evokes in several places the image illustrating Sc&ve's Saulsaye inwhich the poem's shepherds are shown in frontof the urban landscape of Lyon; the image is described as a fairly realistic, albeit idealized, view of the Lyonnais cityscape, and Sharratt observes that this realism might appear surprising given the imaginary fi gures of the shepherds. However, the reader has towait until the fourth section of the book before being offered an explanation for this (which isgrounded in an increasing interestduring the I540s in representing towns, and indoing so innew ways). The general conclusions to Sharratt's sections and chapters are often relatively brief and unsurprising: forexample, the respective emphases placed upon teaching, moving, and pleasing depend upon the genre towhich thework illustrated belongs; thus, forexample, moral and didactic goals appear to be more important in emblem books than in imaginative vernacular literature.However, the main value of thisdense MLR, I02.2, 2007 509 study lies in itsdetailed and painstaking treatments of Salomon's individual works. Sharratt provides an erudite wealth of information and observations, demonstrating, forexample, thatSalomon's woodcut of theLiberation of St Peter is imitated from Raphael's fresco at theVatican. The analysis isvery careful. For example, calling into question thenotion thatSalomon was directly influenced byHolbein's Bible illustra tions,Sharratt situates him rather within a livelyFrench traditionofBible illustration, and evokes at length the complex networks of influence at play within this tradition. Through this rich discussion, the reader gradually builds amultifaceted picture of Salomon atwork, of his subjects of predilection, his style,his relationship to sources, and his probable considerations when creating a given illustration; however, thisbook will be of interestnot...

Pluralism and Voluntarism in the English Religious Economy

This article reappraises what has been understood, according to secularisation theory, as the necessarily counter-productive impact of Christian pluralism and voluntarism. The complex interface between institutional religion, voluntarists, and secularisation is explored. A similar pattern of decline among institutional forms of religion in the US and England is identified and examined. This is accompanied by an unexpected trend in late twentieth-century English church attendance that indicates market share moving decisively towards the voluntarists. This shift, paradoxically, will increase secularisation in the short term, whether it is indicative of the voluntarists showing signs of late onset decline or late onset prominence. Under the post 1960s secular canopy, a free market ethos may be emerging in European Protestantism.

Hesitant Steps: Acceptance of the Gregorian Calendar in Eighteenth-Century Geneva

History demonstrates that the calendar is a tool of far more significance than simply a means to organize units of time. For Roman high priests prior to the reign of Julius Caesar, the calendar was a tool of power, symbolizing political supremacy over society through the manipulation of time at will. Under Pope Gregory XIII, the calendar was a symbol of papal responsibility to ensure the proper worship of the Catholic Church. In the case of European Protestants, the Julian calendar was a symbol of religious identity and protest against Catholic domination. Likewise, within revolutionary France, theCalendrier Républicainsymbolized the rejection of theAncien Régimeand Catholicism. These few examples are an indication that throughout history in various times and places calendars have proven to represent more to humanity than mere time reckoning methods. Consequently, one may approach the study of the calendar as a means to grasp cultural and religious identity within specific regional contexts.

Health Care and Poor Relief in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Southern Europe

Ole Peter Grell, Andrew Cunningham and Bernd Roeck (eds), Health Care and Poor Relief in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Southern Europe , The History of Medicine in Context Series, Aldershot: Ashgate, 2005. Pp. 334. £50. ISBN 0–7546–5156–8. As is the case with those previous works on health care and poor relief in Europe edited by Ole Peter Grell and Andrew Cunningham, together with other co-editors (Jon Arrizabalaga, Robert Jütte and Bernd Roeck), this volume illustrates the wisdom of combining the two subjects in order to study the health care provided to a considerable section of the population of southern Europe. In this case, the subjects which feature in the volume on Europe of the Counter-Reformation re-appear. The reason for this is that health care and poor relief in Southern Europe during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries show remarkable continuity with earlier periods. In spite of the Enlightenment and industrialisation, systems were based largely on those developed in earlier centuries, and even in medieval times. Individual charity, in contrast to the community responsibility of Protestant Europe, and the work of the religious orders and religiously-inspired lay associations (brotherhoods, congregations and confraternities), were the backbone of a large part of health care and poor relief in Catholic countries. Indeed, despite social, political and economic change, the influence of these organisations survived into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and can still be traced today.

Pluralism of American Muslims and the Challenge of Assimilation

This paper explains that American Muslims make up a plural community which consists of different racial, ethnic and national backgrounds. The presence of Muslims in America could be beneficial with regards to the new experience of American pluralism which is identical to the experiences of European Protestants, Catholics, and Jews. However, several problems, like the disagreement among Muslims on how they should live in American society and the hostility toward Muslims as the product of the misunderstanding of Islam as a result of the September 11, 2001 tragedy, have challenged the positive engagement of Muslims in society. This paper also argues that given the huge diversity of Muslims, pluralism will continue to be an important issue that Muslims must deal with. Finally, this paper also argues that assimilation is a significant issue for American Muslims and their future generations.

The Forgotten “Grandfather” of Protestant Mission

The abortive French Protestant mission to Brazil in 1556 has been noted by historians but has generally been treated as, at best, a footnote to the story of Protestant missionary work. A major factor in the neglect of what was almost certainly the first effort at cross-cultural mission overseas on the part of European Protestants is found in the fact that the classic work of Jean de Lery describing this mission in detail has, until recently, remained untranslated from its original French. This article describes Lery's contribution to the history and theology of mission and argues that his book deserves recognition as one of the classic missiological texts. Furthermore, it is suggested that Jean de Lery's work demands a revision of our understanding of the nature of the relationship between Calvinism and mission, and that it offers a contemporary challenge to faithfulness in the era of full-blown globalization.

Pietro Della Valle's Latin Geography of Safavid Iran (1624-1628): Introduction

AbstractThis article argues that Pietro della Valle's Latin geography of the Safavid Empire is important for taking a middle ground between two common tendencies of early modern authors in Catholic and Protestant Europe when writing about Western Asia and Northern Africa. While cartographers and mapmakers—in Venice, Antwerp, Amsterdam, and Paris—privileged new information (from travelers) in their choice of place names, those who wrote on the history or geography of these regions often suppressed local knowledge, giving preference to terms from ancient Greek and Latin history and geography, enriched by reference to the Bible. Della Valle, while traveling in Ottoman and Safavid territories, made intensive efforts to learn major local languages and acquire information about contemporary political, cultural, and physical geography, as documented in his diary and the original copies of his letters written during the long years of travel. The approach he takes in his geography of the Safavid Empire is thus close to choices made by the cartographers and mapmakers.

:A Man of Three Worlds: Samuel Pallache, a Moroccan Jew in Catholic and Protestant Europe

:<i>A Man of Three Worlds: Samuel Pallache, a Moroccan Jew in Catholic and Protestant Europe</i>