The Anabaptists and European Popular Religion in the Early Modern Period: From Switzerland to America

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K03132
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: History of Europe and America
• Research Institution: Musashi University
• Principal Investigator: Odori Tomoji 武蔵大学, 人文学部, 教授 (20201999)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 宗教改革 / 再洗礼派 / メノナイト / アーミッシュ / 民衆文化 / 魔術 / 脱魔術化 / 世俗化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research deals with the Anabaptist groups (above all the Mennonites and the Amish from Switzerland) as representatives of the Radical Reformation. Despite the alleged "modernity" of the belief system and free will-based organization of the Anabaptists, they have inherited a rich tradition of European popular culture including magical practices called "Braucherei" or "powwowing" in North America. The very practices with their old cultural background enabled the "survival" of the Anabaptists living in the remote countryside where villagers and towners sometimes helped the Anabaptists because they did no harm to them and in some cases were kind enough to offer them medical care they and their livestock needed. Also in North America, the Anabaptists could be good neighbors to the people from different denominations living nearby because of the shared "deep" culture that was more and more becoming suppressed.

Free Research Field

西洋史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ヨーロッパの宗教改革はルターやカルヴァンなどの著名人によって代表されてきた。しかし彼らの周辺には幾多の改革者や運動家がおり、その全体像を把握するには傍流にも目を向けねばならない。再洗礼派はとくに正統派の思想と行動を超える「近代性」をもつと言われてきた。本研究はその説を批判し、前近代的な民衆的文化と心性の残存とその社会的帰結（すなわち為政者によって禁圧された宗教運動が民衆世界で保護され、生き残りの可能性を得るプロセス）を実証的に解明したものであり、新しい事実を確認した点で学術的意義がある。また西洋的な「近代」とは何か、それは民衆的文化との切断を意味するのか、再考を促す点で社会的にも意義がある。