Call for papers
Religious institutes and their patrimony in Europe, 1789-1914.
Development, management and social-political debate.
During the French Revolution all contemplative monasteries and abbeys were suppressed and their possessions seized. These measures spread over Europe with the revolutionary wars. The concordat of 15 July 1801 normalized the working of the church and dioceses, but the measures against the monasteries were confirmed. Thereafter the lack of a juridical framework which would enable orders and congregations to consolidate their activities in modern states, their (real or supposed) wealth and the opaque financial structures of religious life fuelled the socio-political debate in nineteenth century Europe. Moreover, Liberals and Catholics had divergent opinions on the position of religious institutes in the civil society. Orders and congregations were the focus of ‘culture wars’ during such tense episodes as the monastic issue of Belgium, the German Kulturkampf and the French anti-congregational laws.
To stimulate research and discussion on the development and management of the patrimony and the social-political debate surrounding catholic religious institutes, two complementary workshops will be organised in 2008:
- Patrimony, business and management of religious institutes in Europe, 1789-1914/18
(Leuven, 7-8 November 2008) - Religious institutes in the European civil society, 1780-1914 (Brussels, 8-9 December 2008)
The workshops are organised in the framework of a research project of the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO) and involves scholars of the University of Leuven and the Free University of Brussels. The organising committee consists of: Dr. Roel de Groof (History department, VUB), Prof. dr. Jan De Maeyer (MoSa and KADOC, K.U.Leuven), dr. Peter Heyrman (KADOC, K.U.Leuven), Em. Prof. dr. Emiel Lamberts (MoSa, K.U.Leuven), Jimmy Koppen (History department, VUB), Prof. dr. Fred Stevens (Division for Roman Law and Legal History, K.U.Leuven), Prof. dr. Jeffrey Tyssens (History department, VUB), dr. Maarten Van Dijck (KADOC, K.U.Leuven), Em. Prof. dr. Els Witte (History department, VUB).