A New Way of Doing Theology: Christianity, Secularisation and Modernity in the Thought of Ivan Illich

The aim of this 3-year postdoc project is to study the Austrian 20th century philosopher, social critic and Catholic priest Ivan Illich´s thinking pertaining to theological questions, specifically with regard to his idea of modernity as a secularised form of Christianity.

It will examine the possible relations between Illich´s early writings on the Church, his critique of the institutions of modern society and his late interviews in which he developed his ideas on modernity as an extension of church history.

The project furthermore aims to evaluate Illich´s thinking on theology and modernity by investigating its relation to other secularisation theories.

It will be implemented in the form of three articles, to be written and submitted to peer-reviewed journals, as well as a workshop on Ivan Illich and theology, and a peer-reviewed collective publication containing the workshop contributions.

Methodologically, it will study and analyse the source material; investigate Illich´s position in relation to secularisation theory; constructively asses Illich´s understanding of Christianity and Christian theology and connect it to the interdiscplinary discussions on the role of Christianity and the task of theology today.

The project will be the first in-depth scientific study attempting to summarise and evaluate Ivan Illich´s understanding of theology, secularisation and modernity, and contribute to the interdisciplinary research on Christian theology, secularisation and modernity.