Conference about Transylvanian religious Tolerance

INVITATION

The Department of History from the Faculty of History and Philology of „1 Decembrie 1918” University Alba Iulia and „Iuliu Maniu” Political and Historical Research Centre organizes the international symposium Genesis and signification of the idea of religious tolerance in the Principality of Transylvania (XVIth-XVIIIth century). Political system and confessional identities  during 8^th – 10^th July 2010. The discussed issues will focus on the specific character of the idea of tolerance, illustrated by the case of Transylvania’s Principality, and on the other side, European dimensions of the debate with regard to this concept.

Knowing your preoccupations in researching the subject, we are honoured to address you the invitation to participate in our manifestation with a paper proper to the proposed theme. If the answer is positive, please be kind and sent us the title and an abstract of your paper (cca. 150 words), no later than the 12^th of June 2010.

We inform you that the official languages of the symposium will be Romanian, German and English.

Organizers will bear expenses of accommodation and meals.

MEGHÍVÓ

A Gyulafehérvári Tudományegyetem, Történettudományi és Filológiai Fakultásának – Történettudományi Tanszéke és „Iuliu Maniu” Történelmi és Politológiai Kutatóintézet 2010 július 8-10 között, nemzetközi konferenciát szervez a következő témában: Az Erdélyi Önálló Fejedelemség felekezeti toleranciagondolatának kialakulása és jelentősége a XVI-XVIII. században. A politikai rendszer és felekezeti önmeghatározás (identitás). A konferencia megbeszélésének tárgyát képezi a felekezeti türelem (tolerancia) jellegzetessége az Erdélyi Önálló Fejedelemség életében, valamint a tolerancia eszmének európai vonzataira és vitájára szeretnénk hangsúlyt fektetni.

Ismerve az Ön tudományos tevékenységét és érdeklődését a téma iránt, megtisztelve éreznénk magunkat, ha részt venne konferenciánkon, egy a témához illő tudományos előadással. Meghívásunk elfogadása esetén, tisztelettel kérjük, hogy 2010 június 12-ig, küldje el előzetesen előadásának pontos címét, és rövid rezüméjét (körülbelül 150 szó terjedelemben).

Jelezzük, hogy konferenciánk előadásainak nyelve román, német és angol.

A szállás és étkezési költségeket a szervezők biztosítják. 

POLITICS OF RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE IN TRANSYLVANIA DURING JOSEPH II. STATE CONTROL AND CONFESSIONAL DIVERSITY IN A MULTICULTURAL TERRITORY

The conference proposes to investigate the significations and the impact of the tolerance policy in Transylvania during the emperor Joseph II, besides investigating the origin and evolution of the idea of tolerance, during the XVIth-XVIIIth centuries. Its authors considered the theme to be of present interest, from the point of dwelling on with it in the recent European historiography, as well as from that of nowadays debates, on religious and confessional issue.

Historiographically, such investigation would take part in the researching of the subject at European level, by rendering valuable the exemplary situation of Transylvania: a territory characterized by ethnic, confessional and cultural diversity, in which there had been set up a climate of religious tolerance, in a period (XVIth century) of almost dominant intolerance on the European continent. The research is imagined as an approach of the religious tolerance history from the perspective of the tension between the state control promoted by the central power and provincial reality of a confessional and cultural diversity, which was wished to be preserved.

For this purpose there will be followed in the first stage of the project, the constitution and evolution of the Transylvanian confessional system (till 1780), referring to the issue of tolerance and intolerance, to the reports between the accepted denominations and the religion designated as tolerated. In the second stage, there will be analyzed the confessional policy of the Viennese Court, concerning the significations and implications of the statist system, during Marie Therese and Joseph II (till the issuing of the Tolerance Edict); there also had been approached the immediate reactions towards the new tolerance concept characteristic to the Josephine decree. In the last stage, the consequences of the tolerance policy will be followed, with references to the significations of the ulterior decrees of the Edict and its local impact among the believers.