Religious Conflict and Coexistence

Module code: HS7311

Religious History is a major field of historical enquiry, indispensable for making sense of the medieval and the early modern, as well as the contemporary world, including the multi-faith city of Leicester. This module explores the challenge of religious diversity and attempts to resolve it through conflict or coexistence. Since this is a problem with a long history that continues to vex twenty-first century societies, the module uses medieval, early modern and late modern case studies to examine how different societies have dealt with the problem of religious difference. It explores the practice and theory of religious war, violence, persecution, and discrimination; the phenomenon of dissent embodied in sects, heresies, martyrs and unbelievers; and various approaches towards coexistence, such as religious toleration, religious liberty, pluralism and secularism.