Annotation
The course aims to familiarise students with various forms and manifestations of medieval religious radicalism. We will analyze this phenomenon in relation to important concepts like heresy, reform, reformation, revolution, apocalypticism, utopia, millenarianism and related ideas. We will explore the ideological foundations, social backgrounds, communication and expressive strategies, rituals and charismatic founders, leaders or martyrs of radical religious movements. The emphasis will be on textual evidence and representations, both by the radicals themselves and by their opponents, although we will study the historical context of religious radicalism.
The course will not take the form of a traditional lecture. Rather, it will be conducted in a seminar format in which we will discuss the causes, specificities, manifestations and, in some cases, constructs of individual movements. The main focus of the course is the collective reading of specific texts, the language of which is adapted to the abilities and knowledge of the participants, mostly in Latin, Old Czech and translations into modern English.
