Conversion and the Politics of Religion in Early Modern Germany

David M. Luebke is Professor of History at the University of Oregon. His publications include His Majesty’s Rebels: Factions, Communities, and Rural Revolt in the Black Forest (Cornell University Press 1997) and many articles, most recently “Confessions of the Dead: Interpreting Burial Practice in the Late Reformation” (Archiv für Reformationsgeschichte 101: 2010).

“The book is unusually coherent for a collection of essays…One of the strengths of this volume is the long chronological perspective it takes. The essays cover issues from the first half of the sixteenth century to the middle of the eighteenth century. This perspective allows the reader to trace German ideas about conversion and to connect them in a nuanced way with political developments. The volume thus provides a new perspective on the issue of confessionalization.”  ·  American Historical Review“This well-conceived essay collection provides not only an excellent survey of the meanings of conversion in early modern Germany but also important insights into the whole concept of ‘conversion’ in the pre-modern period and the light this sheds on such associated ideas as the ‘confessionalization’ paradigm. In his lucid introduction, David Luebke not only provides the reader-in-a-hurry with useful summaries of each of the subsequent essays, but also an outline sketch of the different meanings of the term ‘conversion’ during the period under review…The volume is brought to a close by a brief afterword and is provided with an excellent index which makes this essay collection a must for all those increasing number of scholars who are becoming interested in conversion and religious identity formation beyond only the pre-modern world.”  ·  European History Quarterly

• PrefaceIntroduction: The Politics of Conversion in Early Modern GermanyDavid M. LuebkeChapter 1. Paths of Salvation and Boundaries of Belief: Spatial Discourse and the Meanings of Conversion in Early Modern GermanyDuane J. CorpisChapter 2. Conversion Concepts in Early Modern Germany: Protestant and CatholicEric-Oliver MaderChapter 3. Turning Dutch? Conversion in Early Modern WeselJesse SpohnholzChapter 4. The Right to be Catholic—The Right to be Protestant? Perspectives on Conversion Before and After the Peace of WestphaliaRalf-Peter FuchsChapter 5. Conversion and Diplomacy in Absolutist Northern EuropeDaniel RichesChapter 6. Irenicism and the Challenges of Conversion in the Early Eighteenth CenturyAlexander SchunkaChapter 7. Mish-Mash with the Enemy: Identity, Politics, Power, and the Threat of Forced Conversion in Frederick William I’s PrussiaBenjamin MarschkeChapter 8. Pietist Conversion Narratives and Confessional IdentityJonathan StromChapter 9. Conversion and Sarcasm in the Autobiography of Johann Christian EdelmannDouglas H. ShantzAfterwordJared PoleyBibliographyNotes on the ContributorsIndex