Politics of Religion in Medieval Scandinavia: (Non-)Christian Perspectives on the Past

Zusammenfassung

This thematic section brings together contributions by six scholars who took part in an international workshop which was held at the University of Münster. They are united by a common analytical approach: the medieval discourse on the pagan past of the North and its traces in the social fabric are addressed as ‘politics of religion’ in the sense that Christian societies memorialise, construct, and narrate the religious Other in public utterances which relate to the social organisation of a community, its history, and its identity. The articles offer insights into the socio-political factors which contributed to the remarkable diversity of medieval perspectives on the pre-Christian past.