Piety and Modernity

Abstract

Piety and Modernity examines the dynamics fo religious reform from the point of view of piety and devotional life between 1780 and 1920 in Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, Germany, and the Low Countries. The "long" nineteenth century saw the introduction of devotional organizations as a means of channeling popular religion. This era also witnessed the translation and publication of devotional books, journals, and pamphlets on a massive scale. Piety and Modernity explores the nature of pious reforms in such areas as liturgy, saint cults, pilgrimage, confraternities, hymns, and Bible translation, with an emphasis on the changing patterns in religious expression at the collective and individual level, the growing influence of home missions, and the relations between piety and print culture. While individual piety was often connected with the authority of church leaders and confessional teaching, the long nineteenth century gave rise to new forms of individualism, involving grassroots initiatives. This volume offers a rich overview of a range of interrelated national practices concerning piety in the nineteenth century.