Projects / Programmes
The Theological and Mystical Framework of Slovene Baroque Literature and Its European Context
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.11.00 |
Humanities |
Theology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H002 |
Humanities |
Theology |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 6.03 |
Humanities |
Philosophy, Ethics and Religion |
historical theology, history of spirituality, cultural history, cultural analysis, hermeneutics, Baroque, European Baroque theology, mystical theology, homiletics, Baroque literature
Researchers (1)
| no. |
Code |
Name and surname |
Research area |
Role |
Period |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
| 1. |
28568 |
PhD Alen Albin Širca |
Literary sciences |
Head |
2013 - 2015 |
208 |
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The research project will examine Slovenian Baroque religious texts and thus explore theological and spiritual origins of Slovenian Catholic theology.
One of the aim of the project is to engage in a careful analysis of the theological and mystical foundations of Slovene Baroque texts and by doing so revive academic and scientific interest for a currently neglected field of Slovene theological, spiritual, and cultural history – in contrast to Reformation, literary Baroque in Slovenia has not been given adequate scientific attention, especially not theological (extant studies focus on philological and literary questions). This is why the postdoctoral project, which aims to look at this subject from the perspective of theology and history of spirituality, is going to be the first project of this kind.
The project, however, will not only collect the materials and interpret them in the frames of Slovenian (national) theology. It will throw light upon the contacts between European (especially Italian and German) and Slovenian religious Baroque as known from texts. One of the important hypotheses is namely that Slovenian Baroque, in terms of theology and religion in general, represents an important version of post-Tridentine culture in Europe.
Contemporary Dutch culturologist Mieke Bal, whose work shall be reflected in the theoretical stage of the project, has opted for postmodern theology which is never a mere reconstruction of the theological and religious past but a construction of the present. Within this scope, the study of a particular theology and spirituality is consequently vital for a more comprehensive understanding of contemporary culture in general, which means that theology can figure as one the forms of interdisciplinary cultural analysis. The project will therefore try to demonstrate that intellectual theological pluralism (e.g. patristics, exegetic tradition, theological humanism, Neo-Platonism etc.) of Slovene Baroque and it’s openness to mystical elements of religion are very relevant not only for contemporary theological discourse but to humanities in general.
Significance for science
The specific content of this project is particularly important due to the deficiency of scientific treatment in the field of religious studies in general and Christian theology in particular. It turns out that in comparison with other historical epoch, Baroque, which covers roughly 17th and part of the 18th century, is globally marginal theological theme. This is evident by the fact that secondary literature is for the most part lacking. Thematic areas such as baroque sermon, baroque spiritual practices, baroque theological thought and finally baroque mysticism are neglected on a global scale and are very rare in comparison to the themes that are linked to other epochs (Antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance, 19th century, etc.). Pronounced interdisciplinary orientation of this project shows that modern theology has great potential to become an important humanistic science, inasmuch it is with its scientific thematization of religious phenomena able to enter into a fruitful dialogue with other disciplines, especially literary studies, history of ideas and mentalities, philosophical hermeneutics and cultural studies in general. In so doing it can and must get rid of narrow "dogmatic" and sometimes even "ideological" theoretical approaches (eg. The “triumphalist” Neo-Scholasticism), which in the past often dominated the Slovenian theology. Construction of theology as religious cultural studies (it could also be called "postmodern" theology), which is able to offer both theoretical and practical solutions to pressing contemporary social problems is one of the main contributions of this project. Of course, such openness to culture should not lead to abandonment of specificity, inherent to theological science, as far as the historical and systematic survey of the chief religious tradition in the West is concerned, that is Christianity. It is this dialectic of both domestic and foreign, old and new, sameness and otherness, that this project has been committed to, which is fundamental to any branch in the humanities, including theology.
Significance for the country
This project has delved into hitherto poorly known and studied topic, the religious dimensions of Baroque, which is, however, important for the Slovenian cultural awareness, inasmuch as it represents one of the formative periods of Slovenian spiritual history – we are therefore dealing with a striking deficiency of scientific investigation in this field of research. In Slovenian Humanities Baroque era unlike other historical periods (eg. The Protestant era, 19th century) has been hitherto neglected. Existing research of Slovenian Baroque literature have so far been held only on a basic linguistic and literary history level. This project, devoted to the study of the European religious context of this period (and it includes both theology and spirituality, both theory and practice) for the first time scientifically addresses such topics. The main findings of the project reveal a different picture of the Baroque period both on the historical and religious level: contrary to prevailing stereotypes of narrow, rigid and spiritually conservative tendencies (the Counter-Reformation, Re-Catholicising), a complex, plural and hybrid period has been uncovered and which deserves to be further thoroughly studied. Each period of Slovenian history, be it marginal or not, is important not only for a more thorough knowledge of one’s own historical past but also for emergence of new cultural identities and practices. In the Baroque period this role was played by ascetic, meditative-contemplative culture, which could have today, inter alia, great cultural capital because of its "obsolescence" and "otherness”. The project results show a considerable degree of topicality and applicability: theoretical extrapolation of mystical theology or mysticism in general, as one of the major discourse in Baroque period, offers a range of strategies to contemporary inter-religious dialogue and peace studies. This realization is in the context of contemporary social problems, entering in contemporary Slovenian social area, important because it offers the relevant theoretical constructs for socio-cultural practices of peace and tolerance.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2014,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2014,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
