Culture Wars
Secular-Catholic Conflict in Nineteenth-Century Europe

Essays on the struggle between secular and religious forces in the late nineteenth century.

Christopher Clark (Edited by), Wolfram Kaiser (Edited by)

9780521809979, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 14 August 2003

380 pages, 5 b/w illus.
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.5 cm, 0.73 kg

'…the editors of Culture Wars are to be congratulated for having brought together so many illuminating cases in such a coherent fashion … Culture Wars is likely to become essential reading for advanced university courses on nineteenth-century European history.' Nations and Nationalism

Across nineteenth-century Europe, the emergence of constitutional and democratic nation-states was accompanied by intense conflict between Catholics and anticlerical forces. At its peak, this conflict touched virtually every sphere of social life: schools, universities, the press, marriage and gender relations, burial rites, associational culture, the control of public space, folk memory and the symbols of nationhood. In short, these conflicts were 'culture wars', in which the values and collective practices of modern life were at stake. These 'culture wars' have generally been seen as a chapter in the history of specific nation-states. Yet it has recently become increasingly clear that the Europe of the mid- and later nineteenth century should also be seen as a common politico-cultural space. This book breaks with the conventional approach by setting developments in specific states within an all-European and comparative context, offering a fresh and revealing perspective on one of modernity's formative conflicts.

List of illustrations
List of contributors
Introduction: the European culture wars Christopher Clark and Wolfram Kaiser
1. The New Catholicism and the European culture wars Christopher Clark
2. 'Clericalism - that is our enemy!': European anticlericalism and the culture wars Wolfram Kaiser
3. 'Priest hits girl': on the front line in the 'war of the two Frances' James McMillan
4. The battle for monasteries, cemeteries and schools: Belgium Els Witte
5. Contested rituals and the battle for public space: the Netherlands Peter Jan Margry and Henk te Velde
6. Nonconformity, clericalism and 'Englishness': the United Kingdom J. P. Parry
7. The assault on the city of the Levites: Spain Julio de la Cueva
8. Roma o morte: culture wars in Italy Martin Papenheim
9. Enemies at the gate: the Moabit Klostersturm and the Kulturkampf: Germany Manuel Borutta
10. Village quarrels and national controversies: Switzerland Heidi Bossard-Borner
11. The counter-reformation's last stand: Austria Laurence Cole
12. The uncivil origins of civil marriage: Hungary Robert Nemes
Annotated bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: History of ideas [JFCX], History of religion [HRAX], Social & cultural history [HBTB], Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], European history [HBJD]