CULTURE WARS: SECULAR-CATHOLIC CONFLICT IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY EUROPE; ED. BY CHRISTOPHER CLARK

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. Twelve essays from a team of European experts examine the struggle that broke out between secular and religious forces in late nineteenth-century Europe. They highlight the role of trans-national forces and their interaction with local conditions. This collection combines an account of the impact of secular-religious strife, at the level of high politics, with case studies that elucidate the meaning of culture war for specific regions and communities. This book is about the struggle that broke out between secular and religious forces in late nineteenth-century Europe. With its genuinely European focus and its innovative approach, this volume offers a fresh and revealing perspective on one of the main formative conflicts of modern European history. The history of Catholic societies in nineteenth-century Europe was marked by the paradoxical intertwining of two transformative processes: secularisation and religious revival. 'Culture Wars' is a book of essays on the struggle between secular and religious forces in the late nineteenth century Edited By Christopher Clark And Wolfram Kaiser. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 336-365) And Index.