Christianity and National Identity in Twentieth-Century Europe

Conflict, Community, and the Social Order

Contributions by Gregor Feindt Contributions by Gladys Ganiel Contributions by Mihai-D. Grigore Contributions by Matthew D. Hockenos Contributions by Jorge Luengo Sanchez Contributions by Lazaros Miliopoulos Contributions by Patrick Pasture Contributions by John Wolffe Contributions by Stefan Gerber Edited by John Carter Wood

Book cover: Christianity and National Identity in Twentieth-Century Europe

Extent: 211 pages

Publisher: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht

Subjects: Religious Studies, Twentieth- & Twenty-First- Century History

Series: Veroffentlichungen des Instituts fur Europaische Geschichte Mainz

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(September 2016)

ISBN: 9783525101490

6.34 x 9.33 inches

Price: $107.00

In stock

Der Band untersucht, wie Glaube und nationale Identität im Europa des 20. Jahrhunderts ausgehandelt wurden.


This collection explores how Christian individuals and institutions – whether Churches, church-related organisations, clergy, or lay thinkers – combined the topics of faith and national identity in twentieth-century Europe. “National identity” is understood in a broad sense that includes discourses of citizenship, narratives of cultural or linguistic belonging, or attributions of distinct, “national” characteristics. The collection addresses Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox perspectives, considers various geographical contexts, and takes into account processes of cross-national exchange and transfer. It shows how national and denominational identities were often mutually constitutive, at times leading to a strongly exclusionary stance against “other” national or religious groups. In different circumstances, religiously minded thinkers critiqued nationalism, emphasising the universalist strains of their faith, with varying degrees of success. Moreover, throughout the century, and especially since 1945, both church officials and lay Christians have had to come to terms with the relationship between their national and “European” identities and have sought to position themselves within the processes of Europeanisation. Various contexts for the negotiation of faith and nation are addressed: media debates, domestic and international political arenas, inner-denominational and ecumenical movements, church organisations, cosmopolitan intellectual networks and the ideas of individual thinkers.

  • Contributions by Gregor Feindt
  • Contributions by Gladys Ganiel
  • Contributions by Mihai-D. Grigore
  • Contributions by Matthew D. Hockenos
  • Contributions by Jorge Luengo Sanchez
  • Contributions by Lazaros Miliopoulos
  • Contributions by Patrick Pasture
  • Contributions by John Wolffe
  • Contributions by Stefan Gerber
  • Edited by John Carter Wood