INQ-277 | Political Religions in Europe: Fascism, Nazism, Marxism

Crosslisted As: RELG277

Topic Description:

In this course we will travel to the center of Europe: Austria, Hungary, Poland and the Czech and Slovak Republics. Here in the period from the end of WWI to the Fall of Communism human passions were harnessed in antidemocratic, totalitarian and often murderous formations so unusual that recent scholars call them “political religions.” By this they indicate how these movements filled the vacuum created by the loss of traditional religious faith with new claims of total meaning with which to organize life comprehensively around secular “gods” like nation, race, or class. We will study the texts of these scholars, along with Dr. Hinlicky’s new book, Before Auschwitz, in tandem with travelling to significant sites of these political religions. On site we will hear lectures from local experts. We will note how traditional believers responded to these new political religions.

Course Types Offered: Travel

Topic Approved: March 2013