The sixteenth century was an age of Reformation. There was religious reformation; as Protestantism came to England; Scotland and even Ireland; bringing liberation; chaos and bloodshed in its wake. And there was political reformation; as the Tudor and Stewart (later 'Stuart') monarchs made their authority felt within and beyond their kingdoms more than any of their predecessors. Together; these two reformations produced not only a new religion; but a new politics -absolutist yet pluralist; populist yet law-bound - and a new society - controlled; fractured; yet more widely engaged and empowered than ever before. In this book; Alec Ryrie provides an authoritative overview of these momentous events; showing how religion; politics and social change were always intimately interlinked; from the murderous politics of the Tudor court to the building and fragmentation of new religious and social identities in the parishes. Drawing on the most recent research; he explains why events took the course they did - and why that course was so often an unexpected and an unlikely one.
#2353904 in Books Palgrave Macmillan 2003-05-29Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x .64 x 5.50l; .85 #File Name: 1403962707271 pages
Review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Engaging; compelling; well writtenBy Phil ZuckermanThis description of contemporary Jewish life and identity in Denmark is extremely well written; thoughtful; and powerful. The author explores various aspects of Jewish life (religious; communal; social; international; etc.) and charts the various sub-groups within Copenhagen's fractured Jewish community. These discussions are deftly embedded in historical context -- the author describes the various waves of Jewish immigration to Denmark over the past few centuries; and of course also places his analysis within the shadow of the 1943 rescue of Danish Jewry from the Nazis.The entire book is nuanced and sensitive. The author allows his informants to speak for themselves and tell their own stories; but also shares plenty of his own observations and insights. The book is peppered with many interesting anecdotes and stories; some poignant; some disturbing; others humorous. The author seems hopeful that Jewish life in Denmark will persist well into the future -- I am not so sure. I'm not sure I buy the whole "symbolic ethnicity" stuff.Anyone interested in contemporary Jewish identity; contemporary Denmark; or good ethnographic analyses of communities; will find this book incredibly enriching and rewarding.
