Böcker av Joachim Küpper

This volume focuses on religion from a trans-cultural and international perspective. Its aim is to open up new perspectives on how religions might coexist peacefully within 21st century societies and simultaneously contribute to global pacification. Can a religion cope peacefully with the existence of other religions, without having to abandon its own claim to truth, and if so, what already inherent, specific characteristics would have to be emphasized? Or is secular culture the path to convince different religions of a shared ideal of peaceful co-existence? These questions are approached considering the socio-political implications of religions in Asian, African, Latin-American and European contexts.This collection of essays reflects on the entire spectrum of the highly topical and complex academic discussions pertaining to the interrelation of society, state and religion. One example in this collection features the analysis of a secular state engaging in dialog with Muslim communities through a state-moderated communication platform; another article concentrates on the political impact of Christian churches on Nigerian society by means of political advertisement. Moreover, the different concepts of religion in Western societies are considered: one essay argues that in democratic societies it is the state that must guarantee the freedom of religion and thereby provide the basis for a peaceful co-existence between all religions.

This volume offers a new theoretical approach to cultural production inspired by the metaphor of culture as a virtual network. Following a thorough outline of this approach, the theoretical framework is elucidated in a second part through examples drawn from early modern European drama. A third and final part then presents a critical discussion of the concept of "e;national"e; culture and literature, from its first formulation by Johann Gottfried Herder to its current developments, including postcolonial studies.

Im Mittelpunkt der funf Essays des Bandes steht die Lyrik Petrarcas. Der erste Essay indes ist dem "e;Secretum"e; gewidmet, d. h. dem Theologen und dem Philosophen Petrarca. Dies hat programmatischen Charakter: Die hier versammelten Studien versuchen, einen neuen Zugang zum "e;Canzoniere"e; zu entwickeln, indem sie die Gedichte in den Kontext der Diskurse ihrer Entstehungszeit einordnen. Aufgrund des Spannungsverhaltnisses zu den geistigen Stromungen der Epoche ergibt sich gleichwohl der Befund einer zuweilen uberraschenden Modernitat und auch Aktualitat des lyrischen A uvres des Dichters. - Ausgehend von der je konkreten Fragestellung diskutieren alle funf Essays daruber hinaus grundsatzlichere theoretische Probleme der Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaften, so etwa das Verhaltnis von traditioneller Literarhistorie und Diskursarchaologie, oder auch die Relation zwischen dem antiken und dem abendlandischen Kunstverstandnis.