‘Self-made religion?’ Christian popular songs as problematic popularity (1870s 1910s / 1950s 1980s (C06)

• Subject Area: Protestant Theology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 438577023

Using the example of Christian popular songs, the project examines how the success in gaining attention of lay theological content conveyed in song form contributes to the (re)distribution of attention in theology and the church and thereby establishes constellations of precarious pop-ularity. With the 1870s to 1910s and the 1950s to 1980s, two key periods of the debates on Christian popular songs are analysed comparatively with regard to the question of structural parallels in the confrontation of established Christian institutions with new forms and contents of lay theology and piety.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1472: Transformations of the Popular
• Applicant Institution: Universität Siegen
• Project Head: Professorin Dr. Veronika Albrecht-Birkner