Lutheran legacy in Danish society in a longue durée perspective. Household, authority and social responsibility.
Name of applicant
Nina Koefoed
Institution
Aarhus University
Amount
DKK 736,203
Year
2020
Type of grant
Monograph Fellowships
What?
The religious roots of contemporary western and non-western societies play a key role in national and international political, societal, and cultural debates, but these debates seldom build on historical knowledge. Simultaneously, the Nordic countries are subject to international attention due to their welfare systems, solidly founded trust culture, and focus on gender equality. This monograph investigates Lutheran legacy as a vital part of Danish societal development and offers a new explanation of the basis for modern Danish society. It does so through focussing on an examination and analysis of authority and social responsibility in the early modern household as a central institution for state-building and on the transformation of household authority into citizenship.
Why?
The impact of Lutheranism on Danish society is often addressed either by Reformation Studies, which focus on the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, or by welfare-state studies, which focus on the twentieth century. This monograph will, however, establish a vital bridge between these two traditions and give insights into path dependencies in the religious impact on society. Max Weber's work on Protestant ethics has been the key influence on studies of European societies' religious roots. As a result, the term "Protestantism" often implies a focus on the reformed tradition central to Weber's work. Through empirical studies from Danish contexts, this monograph will produce new knowledge about the societal impact of Protestantism and new understandings of the Lutheran Protestant ethic.
How?
The book will introduce a new theoretical concept of confessional societies. This concept captures long-term historical influences coming from the realm of religion through the interplay between confessional influence on various levels in society (political, legal, childhood teaching in church and every day practices) not normally studied together. The interdisciplinary analysis combines political, legal, and cultural history with theology and will lead to empirical knowledge of the religious roots of present-day societies. The research will draw on numerous and multi-faceted sources as theological writings and catechisms, legislation, court records, petitions, and administrative correspondence from different segments of Danish society as well as parliamentary debates, and newspapers.