OxTalks will soon move to the new Halo platform and will become 'Oxford Events.' There will be a need for an OxTalks freeze. This was previously planned for Friday 14th November – a new date will be shared as soon as it is available (full details will be available on the Staff Gateway).
In the meantime, the OxTalks site will remain active and events will continue to be published.
If staff have any questions about the Oxford Events launch, please contact halo@digital.ox.ac.uk
It is argued that secularization creates a fundamental change, to the point of break, in the history of culture, or alternatively, starts a new history. This statement assumes a relation between religion and historical reality. Thus, in a reality in which religion possesses weight and significance for people, the historical process is characterized by continuity, but this is broken in a reality of secularization. The paper explores two models. The break model is based on a diachronic observation, which examines present reality in light of past events. Accordingly, the reality of secularization is perceived as expressing a break and detachment from the collective memory, whose roots are planted in religion and tradition. The Continuity model is based on a synchronous observation focused on the present-day reality of life. It holds that despite the great changes in the status of religion, in a reality of secularization there occur processes of translation, adoption, and adaptation of contents and values from the tradition to the present-day reality. Thus, historical continuity is enabled. Finally, a third way is indicated out of the analysis of the hermeneutical possibilities and the deficiencies of both models.