NOSTER Spring Conference 18 & 19 APRIL Conference Hotel Kontakt der Kontinenten Soesterberg. Conference Handbook

Transcription

1 NOSTER Spring Conference 18 & 19 APRIL 2016 Conference Hotel Kontakt der Kontinenten Soesterberg Conference Handbook 1

2 Programme NOSTER Spring Conference Welcome to the NOSTER Spring Conference, the highlight of the NOSTER academic year. During the first day of the conference, Monday 18 April 2016, NOSTER junior members will present their recently started and advanced research projects. Tuesday 19 April we will pay attention to current debates in the fields of theology and religious studies and have workshops that contribute to more general research skills that will be helpful during your PhD. In this conference handbook, you will find the extended program for the conference, abstracts of the presentations and table sessions and further practical information. If you have any questions, please don t hesitate to contact the NOSTER office at noster@uu.nl. We are looking forward welcoming you in Conference Hotel Kontakt der Kontinenten in Soesterberg and we wish you a very informative and inspiring conference. Prof. Bert Jan Lietaert Peerbolte (president) Prof. Anne-Marie Korte (director) Dr. Mariecke van den Berg (executive secretary) Anja Havinga (secretary) Jorien Copier MA (curriculum coordinator) 2

3 Conference Programme Monday 18 April :30 10:30 Arrival, check-in, coffee and tea 10:00 10:15 Welcome and introduction of the programme by prof. Anne-Marie Korte, director of NOSTER 10:15 11:15 Presentations of advanced research with senior researcher response I 11:30 12:30 Presentations of advanced research with senior researcher response II Steylzaal Parallel sessions Parallel sessions 12:30 13:45 Lunch Restaurant 13:45 14:45 Presentations of advanced research with senior researcher response III 14:45 15:45 Annual NOSTER PhD Consultation organized by the NOSTER PhD Council (NL) 1 Parallel sessions Steylzaal 15:45 16:15 Coffee and tea break 16:15 16:45 Presentations of recently started research I Parallel sessions 17:00 17:30 Presentations of recently started research II Parallel sessions 17:30 18:15 Drinks Café de Wereld 18:15 20:00 Diner Restaurant 20:00 22:00 Evening programme Steylzaal 1 The common language of the conference will be English. However, some parts of the programme will be in Dutch. These are marked as (NL) in the programme. 3

4 Presentations of advanced research Presentations of advanced research address a (concept) chapter or article of the PhD candidate s dissertation. Please read the text of the presentations you are planning to visit in advance. The texts will be available at the NOSTER website: User name: SC2016 Password: n0st r#16 Time Presentation by Title Respondent Location Abstract 10:15-11:15 Bram Colijn (VU) 10:15-11:15 11:30-12:30 Brenda Matthijssen (RU) Jacobine Gelderloos 11:30-12:30 Marco Derks (UU) 11:30-12:30 Iris Busschers (RUG) 13:45-14:45 13:45-14:45 Erik Willemsen Konstantin Stijkel 13:45-14:45 Erik Renkema Protestant weddings in contemporary Xiamen: Migration, church feminization, and negotiation over wedding rites Ritualising Transforming Bonds; Relationships between the living and the dead in the Netherlands Village Churches and the Quality of Life in Rural Groningen and Brabant Conscientious Objectors and the Marrying Kind: Rights and Rites in Dutch Public Discourse on Marriage Registrars with Conscientious Objections against Conducting Same-Sex Weddings Preliminary Conclusions 'Rethinking Missionary Lives' Jonathan Edwards: Reformed Spirituality Between Antiquity and Modernity (NL) The ultimate imagination; Description of Ezekiel s temple, its plan and arrangement (NL) Religious Education and Diversity in Merged Schools (NL) dr. Kim Knibbe (RUG) Steylzaal p. 11 dr. Yvonne van der Pijl (UU) Tanzania p. 12 dr. Kees de Groot (TiU) Steylzaal p. 12 prof. dr. Maaike de Haardt (RU) prof. dr. Martha Frederiks (UU) Prof. dr. Andreas Beck (ETF) dr. Archibald van Wieringen (TiU) prof. dr. Siebren Miedema (VU) Tanzania p.13 Mozambique p. 13 Steylzaal p. 14 Tanzania p. 14 Mozambique p. 15 4

5 Presentations of recently started research Presentations of recently started research don t require readings in advance. Time Presentation by Title Location 16:15-16:45 Frederique Demeijer (VU) Zes sociale generaties van Het Apostolisch Genootschap (NL) Steylzaal 16 16:15-16:45 Sandra van Groningen (RU) & Jorien Copier (RU) 16:15-16:45 Marinus de Jong (TUK) Spirituality and Leadership in Changing Religiously Affiliated School Communities A Neo-Calvinist Ecclesial Turn? Klaas Schilder on the place of the church in the world Tanzania Mozambique 16:15-16:45 Daan Oostveen (VU) Religious diversity in China: multiple religious belonging? Kenia 17 17:00-17:30 Jelle Wiering (RUG) Spotting the chameleon: a material approach to the secular Steylzaal 17 17:00-17:30 Jasper Bosman (TUK) 17:00-17:30 Miriam Adan Jones (VU) 17:00-17:30 Nanouschka Wamelink (UvA) Celebrating the Lord s Supper Within Reformed Churches in The Netherlands 'Catholics of the English Race': ethnicity and ecclesiology in Anglo- Saxon England (c ) Fasting in the public eye: medieval ideas about saintly self-starvation and spectatorship Tanzania Mozambique Kenia Abstract on page

6 Tuesday 19 April :00 09:00 Breakfast Restaurant 09:00 10:30 Table discussions: The future of the field (see page 7 for explanation of this meeting) Steylzaal 10:30 11:00 Coffee and tea break 11:00 13:00 Workshop I Verdedigen van je proefschrift (NL) Steylzaal Workshop II Writing a Convincing Conference Abstract Tanzania Workshop III Opiniestukken schrijven over je promotieonderzoek (NL) Mozambique Workshop IV Hoe overleef ik religieus analfabetisme? (NL) Kenia 13:00 13:15 Plenary closing and farewell Steylzaal 13:15 14:15 Lunch Restaurant 6

7 09:00 10:30 Table discussions: The future of the field In the plenary morning session we want to take time to discuss the current debates of our academic disciplines. These concern the specific position and mutual relationship of theology and religious studies, recent developments in these fields and their societal impact. You are kindly invited to choose from one of five different discussion tables where you are briefly introduced in one of these debates by an expert. You may then share your own thoughts in a brainstorm session. At the end you, as a junior researcher, will be able to articulate a clear stance in at least one of these issues. Moreover, you are encouraged to actively participate in these debates and contribute your own thoughts and ideas. 1. The future of interdisciplinarity in the study of religion To what extent should there be more collaboration between theologians, religious studies scholars and scholars from other academic disciplines? What are the pros and cons of shared faculties, shared research programmes and a shared research school (NOSTER)? Table chair: prof. dr. Anne-Marie Korte (UU/NOSTER) 2. The future research agenda of the study of religion The Dutch National Research Agenda (Nationale Wetenschapsagenda) includes several questions in which religion is at stake. This table will discuss a future research programme/agenda in which these questions are elaborated. Table chair: prof. dr. Marianne Moyaert (VU) 3. The future of junior researchers contributions to the discipline To what extent are junior scholars in theology and religious studies involved in the current debates and developments in the field? At this discussion table we will talk about the role of junior scholars and how they can participate in future initiatives such as the 2017 conference on Religion and Modernity. Table chair: prof. dr. Henk van den Belt (RUG) 4. The future of education in religion What should a new generation know about religion? And to what extent (and how) can this be part of school curricula? At this table we discuss the future of education in religion. Table chair: dr. Markus Davidsen (UL) 7

8 5. The future of the societal representation of theology and religious studies Religion is increasingly a topic in public debate. Scholars of religion however are, despite their expertise, only sporadically asked for their opinion. At this table we will discuss how we, as experts of religion, can become more visible in the media in order to bridge the gap between academic knowledge of and public debate on religion. Table chair: prof. dr. Bert Jan Lietaert Peerbolte (VU/NOSTER) Table arrangement 1. The future of interdisciplinarity in the study of religion Prof. dr. Anne- Marie Korte (UU/NOSTER) Jasper Bosman (TUK) Bram Colijn (VU) Frederique Demeijer (VU) Gerard van Es (UU) Susanne van Esdonk (UvA) Jacobine Gelderloos Miriam Jones (VU) Brenda Mathijssen (RU) Konstantin Stijkel Nanouschka Wamelink (UvA) 2. The future research agenda of the study of religion Prof. dr. Marianne Moyaert (VU) Marco Derks (UU) Nienke Fortuin (RU) J.B. ten Hove (VU) Martijn Stoutjesdijk (TiU) 3. The future of junior researchers contributions to the discipline Prof. dr. Henk van den Belt (RUG) Iris Busschers (RUG) Ernst Boogert Chandra Gunawan (TUK) Kees van der Knijff 4. The future of education in religion Dr. Markus Davidsen (UL) Peter Gorter (VU) Sandra van Groningen (RU) Marinus de Jong (TUK) Erik Renkema Suzanne Roggeveen (UvA) 5. The future of the societal representation of theology and religious studies Prof. dr. Bert Jan Lietaert Peerbolte (VU/NOSTER) Jeroen Jans (RU) Theo van Leeuwen Matthias Mangold (ETF) Joyce Rondaij Inge Schipper (VU) Stephie The (TiU) Erik Willemsen Fokke Wouda (TiU) Theo Zijderveld (VU) 8

9 Workshops Tuesday 19 April 11:00 13:00 Location Verdedigen van je proefschrift (NL) dr. Mariecke van den Berg (VU/NOSTER) and prof. dr. Marcel Sarot (TiU) Homework: send in a chapter or article that will be part of your thesis before April 6 so critical questions can be prepared. When you already have submitted a text for a presentation of advanced research during the conference, this text will be used. Steylzaal Writing a Convincing Conference Abstract dr. Lieve Teugels (UU) Homework: bring in five hard-copy prints of a conference abstract you ve sent in or one that you are planning to send in together with the call for papers to which it responds. Opiniestukken schrijven over je promotieonderzoek (NL) Monic Slingerland (Trouw) Hoe overleef ik religieus analfabetisme? (NL) dr. Frank Bosman (TiU) Tanzania Mozambique Kenia 9

10 Participants per workshop Verdedigen van je proefschrift Bram Colijn (VU) Writing a Convincing Conference Abstract Ernst Boogert Frederique Demeijer (VU) Opiniestukken schrijven over je promotieonderzoek Jasper Bosman (TUK) Hoe overleef ik religieus analfabetisme? Iris Busschers (RUG) Nienke Fortuin (RU) J.B. ten Hove (VU) Jorien Copier (RU) Miriam Jones (VU) Gerard van Es (UU) Jeroen Jans (RU) Marco Derks (UU) Kees van der Knijff Susanne van Peter Gorter (VU) Inge Schipper (VU) Esdonk (UvA) Brenda Mathijssen Sandra van Jacobine Stephie The (TiU) (RU) Groningen (RU) Gelderloos Erik Renkema Chandra Gunawan Nanouschka Marinus de Jong (TUK) Wamelink (UvA) (TUK) Konstantin Stijkel Miriam Hofman Erik Willemsen Martijn (RUG) Stoutjesdijk (TiU) Theo van Leeuwen Theo Zijderveld (VU) Matthias Mangold (ETF) Suzanne Roggeveen (UvA) Joyce Rondaij Pieter Veerman Jelle Wiering (RUG) Fokke Wouda (TiU) 10

11 Book of Abstracts Presentations of advanced research address a (concept) chapter or article of the PhD candidate s dissertation. Please read the text of the presentations you are planning to visit in advance. The texts will be available at the NOSTER website: User name: SC2016 Password: n0st r#16 10:15-11:15 Bram Colijn (VU) Respondent: dr. Kim Knibbe (RUG) Steylzaal Protestant weddings in contemporary Xiamen: Migration, church feminization, and negotiation over wedding rites This chapter will discuss Protestant Christians in contemporary Xiamen through the lens of weddings. It asks: How do young Protestants in Xiamen challenge established wedding practices in their church and home communities, and what does this reveal about the ways they position themselves in dominant discourses in Chinese society? Data is derived from interviews and participant observation among recently and soon-to-be married Protestants, their spouses, and close kin. In Xiamen's churches, as elsewhere in China, women far outnumber men. At the same time, most church leaders condemn intermarriage between Christians and non-christians. This leaves many Protestant women negotiating with their church leaders and fiancé over a host of thorny issues, often challenging the established practices of their church community through discourses of romantic love and religious freedom. Moreover, most young Protestants in Xiamen today are highly educated migrants from elsewhere in Fujian province and China. Their weddings are typically divided in up to three ceremonies; one in the groom's hometown, one in the bride's, and one in Xiamen. In the context of a far-reaching revival of 'traditional Chinese culture,' including ancestor veneration and popular deity cults, young urban Protestants living 'modern' lives have to negotiate with their 'traditional' rural home communities over the rites to be performed before, during, and after their weddings. The chapter seeks to depict young Protestants in Xiamen as they negotiate their place between church and home communities in a rapidly changing society. 11

12 10:15-11:15 Brenda Matthijssen (RU) Respondent: dr. Yvonne van der Pijl (UU) Tanzania Ritualising Transforming Bonds; Relationships between the living and the dead in the Netherlands People continue bonds with their dead in various sensible ways, and in past and present tenses. They continue to celebrate anniversaries through which the dead grow old and marriages last. In public and private spaces, the dead are made present and become the topic or partner of conversation. Such on-going relationships are by no means new, but have long been overshadowed by a modernist, psychological framework. Since the 1990s this has begun to shift. Today the continuing bonds paradigm has become the dominant way of understanding grief, mourning and bereavement. Although many have argued for exploring the dynamics of continuing bonds, such dynamics remain easily overlooked. At this time they are not overshadowed by a modernist approach, but by a focus on continuity. That what we have come to call expressions of continuing bonds, however, might not always point to such continuity. This paper aims to draw attention to transformations that occur in relationships between the living and the dead; transformations that are ritually marked by the bereaved and through which they negotiate the absence-presence of the deceased. Although a sense of continuity is apparent in mourning practices, it suggests that we should take separation, transition and integration into account to understand the social and material lives of continuing bonds. 11:30-12:30 Jacobine Gelderloos Respondent: dr. Kees de Groot (TiU) Village Churches and the Quality of Life in Rural Groningen and Brabant Steylzaal Village Churches and the Quality of Life in Rural Groningen and Brabant is an ethnographic research about rural Protestant churches in the Netherlands. From a practical theological point of view the main question is addressed: how do churches affect the quality of life in rural areas? The research focuses on two protestant faith communities in the Netherlands. Both church communities encompass several villages. One is in Brabant, the catholic southern part of the country, where the protestant church forms a small minority. In the past years the ecumenical contacts have gradually increased. The other congregation is in Groningen, which used to be a protestant region, but is now the most secularized province in the Netherlands. The faith community is a multi-parish 12

13 ministry, consisting of four villages who share one part time clergyman and work together in one church council.in these case studies various aspects of church life in a rural context are explored. First I am investigating the social involvement of the church community with village life: does the community cooperate with other churches and organizations and what charitable initiatives does the community develop? Secondly the use and meaning of the church building is addressed. Thirdly, a more liturgical perspective is used for mapping practices of ritual and reflection in village life. Finally I would like to know what church and faith mean in the personal life of people: how does the church affect their personal quality of life? 11:30-12:30 Marco Derks (UU) Respondent: prof. dr. Maaike de Haardt (RU) Tanzania Conscientious Objectors and the Marrying Kind: Rights and Rites in Dutch Public Discourse on Marriage Registrars with Conscientious Objections against Conducting Same-Sex Weddings Through a critical discourse analysis of selected examples from printed, online and televised media, this article shows that the weigerambtenaar was constructed as a particular fictive character that created a social problem ; and that, although the issue was framed in terms of certain rights, the subtext of some contributions also points to the importance of certain rites with a pivotal role for the civil marriage registrar. 11:30-12:30 Iris Busschers (RUG) Respondent: prof. dr. Martha Frederiks (UU) Preliminary Conclusions 'Rethinking Missionary Lives' Mozambique During my presentation of advanced research I will present the preliminary conclusions of my PhD Project Rethinking Missionary Lives: Collective Biography, Missionary Memory, and Historiography in the context of Dutch Calvinist Missions to Papua and East Java, circa The Project itself can be summarised as follows: In this PhD project I analyze lives of missionary workers who were active in North-West Papua and East Java for the Dutch Calvinist Samenwerkende Zendingscorporaties between c and Particular attention is paid to the interplay between the lived experience of workers at their mission site and the memorialisation, narration and monitoring of missionary lives in the Netherlands. The project sheds light on the circularity of missionary identity narratives, by 13

14 portraying how individual biography, missionary memory, and mission historiography are intrinsically related to each other. Furthermore, by highlighting the influences of intersectionality, or in other words race, class, gender, generation, family, profession, and religion, the project traces practices of inclusion and exclusion in the missionary community then and now. Moreover, by offering a deep contextualisation of mission in the circumstances in Dutch colonial Indonesia, the Netherlands, and the transnational missionary community, the project argues that Dutch Calvinist mission and the individual workers it comprised were often not the isolated actors historiography so often suggests. 13:45-14:45 Erik Willemsen Respondent: prof. dr. Andreas Beck (ETF) 14 Steylzaal Jonathan Edwards: Reformed Spirituality Between Antiquity and Modernity Jonathan Edwards ( ) Amerikaans theoloog, filosoof en opwekkingsprediker had in zijn directe omgeving te maken met een tweetal kwesties van onzekerheid. In de eerste plaats de in zijn tijd niet ongewone en uit het puritanisme voortspruitende vraag naar persoonlijke heilszekerheid. Daar kwam echter, in de tweede plaats en gevoed door de taste of the age of Enlightenment, de twijfel inzake klassieke doctrines (zoals het bestaan van God) bij. Beide kwesties hebben een epistemologische oriëntatie, zo betoog ik in mijn dissertatie. In deze presentatie stel ik de hoofdlijnen van mijn onderzoek aan de orde aan de hand van een paper dat ik kort geleden presenteerde tijdens een internationale conferentie in Tokyo, georganiseerd door het Jonathan Edwards Centre Japan. 13:45-14:45 Konstantin Stijkel Respondent: dr. Archibald van Wieringen (TiU) The ultimate imagination; description of Ezekiel s temple, its plan and arrangement Tanzania In the description of Ezekiel s temple an impression has been given of the plan and arrangement of the temple precinct. Furthermore the architecture, furnishing and decoration of the courts, buildings and other structures have been investigated. In a number of drawings a reconstruction of the temple building and its surrounding courts must provide a better understanding of the vision-report. Much of the temple imagery has been adopted from reminiscences of earlier sanctuaries, gatehouses and courts in the Ancient Near-East. However, at the same time Ezekiel s temple differs in many respects from current temple building plans of that time. Some features of Ezekiel s (never built) visionary temple are quite new. The

15 overall plan with its walls, gate courts and the tripartite arrangement of the sanctuary are comparable with its Israelite predecessors and the current style temple building in the Ancient Near-East. That s the reason why Ezekiel s temple on account of the preceding chapters has been compared with Egyptian, Mesopotamian Canaanite and Israelite temple building cults. 13:45-14:45 Erik Renkema Respondent: prof. dr. Siebren Miedema (VU) Religious Education and Diversity in Merged Schools Mozambique A significant feature of many primary schools in the Netherlands is the religious diversity of the student population. Different religious backgrounds meet in Dutch classrooms. This feature of diversity is very explicit at schools that are the result of a merger of a public and a non-government school, the so-called cooperation school. At these schools there is no affiliation with one specific religious tradition and on the other hand these schools don t present themselves as public schools. This PhD-research concentrates on the moment of contemplation in religious education at one specific cooperation school. Focusing on this moment we ask two questions: how is dealt with religious diversity in this practice and what we can say about this practice and the way teachers give meaning to it in relation to the formal school identity? Based on these question we draw conclusion concerning religious diversity in education. 15

16 Presentations of recently started research Presentations of recently started research don t require readings in advance. 16:15-16:45 Frederique Demeijer (VU) Steylzaal Zes sociale generaties van Het Apostolisch Genootschap Hoe ervaren leden van een geloofsgemeenschap hun religie? Is er verschil in hoe verschillende sociale generaties, zoals geschetst door de socioloog Karl Mannheim, hun religie beleven? En wat zegt dit ons over de veranderingen die een geloofsgemeenschap doormaakt? Op basis van een pilot study waarin zes leden behorende tot zes verschillende generaties van het Apostolisch Genootschap geïnterviewd zijn d.m.v. ongestructureerde life history interviews presenteer ik mijn bevindingen en ga ik in op deze vragen. 16:15-16:45 Sandra van Groningen (RU) Jorien Copier (RU) 16 Tanzania Spirituality and Leadership in Changing Religiously Affiliated School Communities Religiously affiliated school communities in the Netherlands have to deal with processes of de-traditionalization, secularization and individualization. What kind of leadership is needed in these schools? And how can theory from religious studies and theology contribute to this issue? In this duo-presentation we introduce our two practice oriented research projects that aim to develop knowledge on intervention designs that address school leaders ultimate concerns and help them lead their school communities in the re-establishment of purpose and meaning. 16:15-16:45 Marinus de Jong (TUK) Mozambique A Neo-Calvinist Ecclesial Turn? Klaas Schilder on the place of the church in the world In recent decades some important theological developments witness a trend which has been called an ecclesial turn. In the work of the influential theologians Stanley Hauerwas and John Milbank, albeit very differently, the church is the pivot of their respective theological enterprises. In spite of the considerable acclaim for this ecclesial turn, many have criticized this emphasis and warned against the sectarian temptation. The present research seeks to contribute to this debate with a systematic-historical study into the theological work of the Dutch Neo- Calvinist theologian Klaas Schilder ( ). The study of the Neo-Calvinist

17 tradition has of recent given evidence of a modest revival to which the present research seeks to contribute. This growing interest is mainly due to the broad cultural scope of the founders of this tradition, Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck, the ecclesiocentric, more Hauerwasian emphasis of Schilder s theology bears the promise of being a valuable contribution and, maybe, a correction. Schilder s theology has the potential to connect the sometimes overtly optimistic Kuyperian cultural engagement with a Hauerwasian ecclesiocentrism, while at the same time criticizing both. The heart of the actual research will thus be a systematic-historical survey of the intellectual heritage of Klaas Schilder, focusing particularly on role of the church in the world. 16:15-16:45 Daan Oostveen (VU) Kenia Religious diversity in China: multiple religious belonging? In the many Western countries, we have witnessed an increase in hybrid forms of religiosity and people with a so-called multiple religious belonging in the past decades. Some scholars have suggested that in Asia for example in China - multiple religious belonging is in fact the rule, while exclusive religious belonging to one single religious tradition is the exception. I this presentation, I will show how religious diversity has been conceptualized historically in China, by means of an analysis of the discourse of sanjiao and panjiao, and whether multiple religious belonging can indeed me considered as the general form of appearance of religion in China, or that multiple religious belonging should be considered as a misnomer in the context of Chinese religiosity. 17:00-17:30 Jelle Wiering (RUG) Steylzaal Spotting the chameleon: a material approach to the secular Secularism has recently become subject to intensified academic scrutiny, criticizing its alleged value freedom and objectivity. Rather than taking the notion of secularism as the neutral opposition of religion for granted, scholars have set out to deconstruct and denaturalize secularism s normativity. However, this academic interest has mainly focused on political secularism, ignoring secularism as a cultural phenomenon. This particular bias has resulted in some theories tending to rather be the product of normative trains of thoughts than the result of empirical investigations. Therefore, in this paper, I call for more bottomup inquiry into the secular, in which secularism is approached as a cultural, materialized ideology rather than a political model. I do so through discussing the normativity of two material forms that are often perceived as neutral: (1) the 17

18 Dutch liberal body, and (2) the condom. I argue that revealing such historicallyconstructed manifestations of the secular is crucial for obtaining a more comprehensive understanding of the secular and in which ways is related to the category of religion. 17:00-17:30 Jasper Bosman (TUK) Tanzania Celebrating the Lord s Supper Within Reformed Churches in The Netherlands By means of qualitative empirical research, this research aims at evaluating the experience of the sacrament of the Lord s Supper within two Calvinistic denominations in the Netherlands. Within this research, the theological perspectives of several local churches (their confessional and mission statements), church leaders (ministers), members who participate in the celebration of the sacrament, and non-participating members are described, compared, and evaluated, using the Theology in Four Voices model (Helen Cameron a.o.). 17:00-17:30 Miriam Adan Jones (VU) Mozambique 'Catholics of the English Race': ethnicity and ecclesiology in Anglo-Saxon England (c ) In the mid-eighth century, the Anglo-Saxon missionary Boniface addressed a letter to all catholics of the English race asking them to pray for his mission. How did he and his contemporaries envision the relationship between these two identities: the religious and the ethnic? This is the central question of my research project, which aims at describing the changing relationship between ethnic and ecclesial categories in Anglo-Saxon England over the course of the early middle ages. In my presentation, I discuss the rationale, aims, and methods of my project, as well as its potential implications. 17:00-17:30 Nanouschka Wamelink (UvA) Kenia Fasting in the public eye: medieval ideas about saintly self-starvation and spectatorship In the Middle Ages, dozens of female saints were believed to have stopped eating and drinking except for the Holy Eucharist. This radical kind of fasting is in scholarly literature referred to as inedia and formed an important marker of female holiness. In medieval sources, this inedia is described as a public act, in which women performed their starvation in front of spectators. Also, these sources themselves were used to disseminate ideas about female holiness to a public. I analyze medieval accounts of this kind of self-starvation from a performative perspective. 18

19 Practical information Directions to Conference Hotel Kontakt der Kontinenten Public transport From railway station Amersfoort busses leave 4 times an hour. Bus 52 leaves in the direction Utrecht. Bus 56 leaves in the direction Wijk bij Duurstede. Travel time: 9 to 11 minutes. Get off at the bus stop "Kontakt der Kontinenten". By car Coming from Amersfoort A28 direction Utrecht, afrit/exit 4 (Soest-Soesterberg), at the end of the exit turn right. Coming from Utrecht A28 direction Amersfoort, afrit/exit 4 (Soest-Soesterberg), at the end of the exit turn left. You are now on the Richelleweg. At two traffic lights you go straight ahead. After 100 meters you will find the entrance at your left hand. If you use a navigation system we advise you to enter the following address: Richelleweg 1, 3769 AZ Soesterberg. This destination is opposite of our entrance. 19

20 Floor map of Conference Hotel Kontakt der Kontinenten Contact information: If you have any questions preceding the conference, please don t hesitate to contact the NOSTER office at noster@uu.nl. Telephone numbers for (urgent) matters during the conference: Anja Havinga: Jorien Copier: