Project Details
Projekt
GRK 1887: Power of Interpretation: Religion and Belief Systems in Conflicts of Interpretative Powers
Subject Area
Theology
Term
from 2014 to 2023
Website
Homepage
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 216734353
Everyone wants it, many fight for it, some have it, but until now, it is substantially unresolved what it is: power of interpretation (Deutungsmacht). The project seeks to define and conceptualise - in the form of case studies - this term, which is frequently used in communicative practice but whose precise meaning often remains obscure.
How does interpretation power emerge, "function" and disintegrate, e.g. in the context of religion and belief systems? The project seeks to analyse significant constellations and conflicts that arise around the power to explain, interpret and define meaning in both contemporary and historical contexts. Questions to be addressed include: What is the form or dimension of "power" evoked by the term Deutungsmacht (power of interpretation)? What kind of power do interpretations possess or develop with regard to religions and belief system - their representatives, their institutions, their officeholders or "charismatic leaders", their discourses and dispositifs? When and why are once hegemonic interpretations no longer recognised?
Under conditions of normalcy, interpretation power is generally recognised and unquestionably adhered to (e.g., Torah, Jesus, Scripture). But how it emerged and why it is accepted remains either unexplained (latent) or is passed on in narrations like myths, rituals or biblical texts. Or it is made manifest by means of official proclamations of meaning, often in conjunction with the use of physical power (persecution, crusades, forced conversion). Liminal cases of exception frequently happen when the acceptance of a hermeneutic order disintegrates, e.g. during processes of social pluralisation, secularisation, clerical crises or crises of the written word (principle of scripture). New hermeneutic orders emerge as a result. Finally, hermeneutic power is transformed through conflicts about the power of interpretation (e.g., conflicts about rules or structures of order): An interpretations claim of recognition and validity becomes explicit and needs rationalisation when different interpretations struggle for power.
Following this insight, the individual case studies pay attention to interferences of semantics (of meaning and interpretation) and structure (orders, dispositifs). The social relevance of the project consists of formulating a differentiated understanding of what happens during cultural conflicts of interpretation power - of how social and mythical forces and representations contribute to the emergence, hegemony and decline of religious content. The project consequently requires a critical assessment of the scope and the limits of Deutungsmacht (power of interpretation), both as a theoretical concept and as cultural work.
How does interpretation power emerge, "function" and disintegrate, e.g. in the context of religion and belief systems? The project seeks to analyse significant constellations and conflicts that arise around the power to explain, interpret and define meaning in both contemporary and historical contexts. Questions to be addressed include: What is the form or dimension of "power" evoked by the term Deutungsmacht (power of interpretation)? What kind of power do interpretations possess or develop with regard to religions and belief system - their representatives, their institutions, their officeholders or "charismatic leaders", their discourses and dispositifs? When and why are once hegemonic interpretations no longer recognised?
Under conditions of normalcy, interpretation power is generally recognised and unquestionably adhered to (e.g., Torah, Jesus, Scripture). But how it emerged and why it is accepted remains either unexplained (latent) or is passed on in narrations like myths, rituals or biblical texts. Or it is made manifest by means of official proclamations of meaning, often in conjunction with the use of physical power (persecution, crusades, forced conversion). Liminal cases of exception frequently happen when the acceptance of a hermeneutic order disintegrates, e.g. during processes of social pluralisation, secularisation, clerical crises or crises of the written word (principle of scripture). New hermeneutic orders emerge as a result. Finally, hermeneutic power is transformed through conflicts about the power of interpretation (e.g., conflicts about rules or structures of order): An interpretations claim of recognition and validity becomes explicit and needs rationalisation when different interpretations struggle for power.
Following this insight, the individual case studies pay attention to interferences of semantics (of meaning and interpretation) and structure (orders, dispositifs). The social relevance of the project consists of formulating a differentiated understanding of what happens during cultural conflicts of interpretation power - of how social and mythical forces and representations contribute to the emergence, hegemony and decline of religious content. The project consequently requires a critical assessment of the scope and the limits of Deutungsmacht (power of interpretation), both as a theoretical concept and as cultural work.
DFG Programme
Research Training Groups
Applicant Institution
Universität Rostock
Spokesperson
Professorin Dr. Martina Kumlehn
Participating Researchers
Professor Dr. Jörn Dosch; Professorin Dr. Judith Gärtner, since 10/2017; Professor Dr. Heiner Hastedt; Professor Dr. Klaus Hock; Professor Dr. Thomas Klie; Professorin Dr. Gesche Linde, since 10/2017; Professorin Dr. Gesa Mackenthun; Professorin Dr. Stephanie Wodianka
