Volker Stümke

In my project, I will analyse the religiously based rejection of political compromises - based on the Adiaphorist Struggles within the Protestant Church from 1548 to 1555. The historical distance to the current, mostly fundamentalist blockades of peace negotiations or social under-standing processes should ensure that the religious and theological basic assumptions will be in the foreground - and not my political convictions from a democratic and liberal tradition. The reference to (my) Christian religion should ensure that I do not criticise other convictions, but rather recognise and precisely describe my own weaknesses and strengths.

In the background is the often observed and analysed ambivalence of religions, which on the one hand represent warlike narratives and on the other are committed to peace and reconciliation. With regard to the ability to compromise politically, this can be seen on the one hand as a blockade attitude, in which the points of contention are declared non-negotiable and sacrosanct, and on the other hand as a sense of abuse of power and attacks on the freedom of religion, conscience and speech by those in political power.

Given the interdisciplinary nature of my project, I will also be working with the School of Divinity in Edinburgh, where I have also been awarded a Visiting Fellowship for the first half of 2026.