René Gründer, M.A.
Scientific Career
- born 1975 in Zittau
- from 2001 to 2005 study of Sociology, Historical Anthropology and Philosophy at the University of Freiburg
- since 2005 postgraduate student at the IGPP (advisor Dr. Michael Schetsche)
- since 2006 research associate of the DFG (German Research Foundation)-funded research project "Social Construction of the ‘Germanic’ within contemporary Heathenism" at the Institute of Sociology, University of Freiburg
Fields of work
- Sociology of Religion
- Sociology of Knowledge
- Field Studies
- Computer-based methods in qualitative social research
Research interests
- Ethnography of European alternative religions
- Ritual dynamics in alternative religious groups
- Emergence, passing on and transformation of forms of collective knowledge in new-religious movements
- Interaction effects of aesthetics, ideology and religion (with a focus on youth cultures such as Gothic, Neofolk and Industrial-Music)
Research projects at the IGPP
Field research on "The Social Construction of the 'Germanic' in Contemporary Heathenism" from 2006 to 2009
Assistance in Dr. Gerhard Mayer's research project "The
Magician and his world(s)" completed in 2008
Publications
Monographs
Gründer, Renè, Schetsche, Michael & Schmied-Knittel, Ina (Hrsg.) (2009): Der andere Glaube. Europäische Alternativreligionen zwischen heidnischer Spiritualität und christlicher Leitkultur (= Band 8 der Reihe Grenzüberschreitungen). Würzburg: Ergon. [The other faith. Alternative religions in Europe between pagan spirituality and christian ‘Leitkultur’.]
Gründer, René (2008): Germanisches (Neu-)Heidentum in Deutschland: Entstehung, Symbolsystem und Struktur einer alternativreligiösen Szene, Perilog Bd. 2, Berlin: Logos. [Germanic (Neo-)Paganism in Germany: Development, symbolic system and structure of an alternative religious field]
Gründer, René: Identität – Gemeinschaft – Naturverbundenheit. Symbolische Strukturen ethnokultureller Alternativreligion. Unveröffentlichte Magisterarbeit. Freiburg 2005. [Identity, Community, Living in close touch with nature. Symbolic structures of ethnocultural alternative religion]
Articles
Mayer, Gerhard and Gründer, René (2010). Coming Home or Drifting Away - Magical Practice in the 21th Century. Ways of Adopting Heterodox Beliefs and Religious World Views. Journal of Contemporary Religion, accepted for publication.
Gründer, René (2010): Blutgnostische Heilslehren im alternativreligiösen Spektrum der
Gegenwart. In: Groß, D.; Knust, C. (Hg.): Blut – Die Kraft des ganz besonderen Saftes in
Medizin, Literatur, Geschichte und Kultur. Kassel: University Press. pp. 229-252.
[Gnosis of the Blood as soteriology: Investigations
on the meaning of blood in the alternative Religions of Neopaganism]
Gründer, René (2009): Runengeheimnisse. Zur Rezeption esoterischen Runen-Wissens im germanischen Neuheidentum Deutschlands. In: Aries Vol. 9, N2, Leiden: Brill. [Secrets of the Runes. On the reception of esoteric rune-lore in germanic paganism in Germany]
Gründer, René (2008): Asatru in Deutschland. Strömungen einer alternativreligiösen Bewegung. In: Gründer, R., Schetsche, M. & Schmied-Knittel, I. (Hrsg.) Der andere Glaube. Europäische Alternativreligionen zwischen heidnischer Spiritualität und christlicher Leitkultur, Grenzüberschreitungen Bd. 8, Würzburg: Ergon. [Asatru in Germany. Currents of an alternative religious movement.]
Teaching Profile
Winter term 2007/08: The Power of Authority – the Authority of Power. Introduction to the Sociology of Sovereignty. Undergraduate course of the magister degree at the Institute of Sociology at the University of Freiburg.
Winter term 2008/2009: The Normality of Deviance. Introduction to the Sociology of Social Problems. Undergraduate course at the Institute of Sociology at the University of Freiburg.
Further professional educations
2009 Baden-Württemberg-Certificate for University Didactics
2002-2005 scientific assistant at the Institute of Sociology and the Institute of History (Prof. Dr. Ulrich Herbert) at the University of Freiburg, assistance in projects at the Freiburg i. Brsg. Department of Statistics, scientific assistant at the IGPP, Freiburg
1994-1998 education as a certiefied social-pedagogue at the Fachhochschule Zittau-Görlitz.
