The class presents the history of religious dissent as an interconnected cross-epochal and pan-European history, yet focuses on the world of the Latin Church between the mid-12th and the mid-17th centuries. We will explore the common features and the differences between major dissenting communities with respect to doctrine, social organization, economic and political attitude, etc. After several introductory sessions on historiographical and methodological questions, we will evaluate several significant historical examples, focusing on the self-interpretation of religious dissenters as found in contemporary sources. We will begin our journey with the origins of medieval sectarianism on the Balkans and conclude with the Puritan revolution in England. We will assess the contribution of religious dissenters to the formation of modernity but also look at the historical conditions of their emergence. Furthermore, the historical and systematic analysis of the manifold relations between dissent and revolt, between piety and violence ensures the relevance of the course. Special attention will be given to the gender aspect of religious dissent.
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