The central aim of the international and interdisciplinary workshop is to examine changes in the early modern world by looking at the material culture of religion, and to think about new approaches to religious history. The papers focus on the mobility of religious objects in several respects. The geographical mobility of religious objects within Europe, but also worldwide is one of the topics that will be highlighted. In this context, both the global and continental movement of objects are of relevance. While the export of small devotional objects and images across the oceans was pivotal for the establishment of Catholicism in the new worlds, exotic materials were processed into devotional objects and objects from other religious cultures found their way to Europe. Objects were not only relocated in new cultural contexts, but also imbued with new meanings and associations. Thus, the movement of objects was crucial for the change of the early modern religious cultures at a global level, but also in regional and local settings. In the course of the Reformation, objects were central for formation of confessional identities and played a significant role in the practice of everyday belief. The physical relocation as well as the local continuity of objects could lead to transformation as objects were not ‘indifferent’ to religious and historical changes, but triggered human responses. Medieval objects which remained in Protestant churches, for instance, continued to have meaning for religious communities; objects which were transferred to early modern collections occupied liminal spaces between different religions and confessions and moved between the creation of otherness, the display of idolatry and curiosity.

Another focus will lie on the gendering of material culture, the agency which was associated with devotional objects and how their supernatural powers could affect the mind and the body of their (female) owners. The factor of time is also relevant for the mobility of objects and the question how temporality and materiality were connected. The workshop benefits from a collaboration with the Diözesanmuseum Regensburg. A so-called “time capsule” from a Roman Ashlar, which was found during excavations, will give the opportunity to observe and discuss small devotional objects in situ.

Participation is free of charge.

The current Corona protection guidelines of the University of Regensburg apply to participation in the event.

The workshop will be broadcasted via zoom. Registration for participation in presence or via zoom until 14 April 2022 by e-mail to: anne.mariss[at]geschichte.uni-regensburg.de