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L’affaire Cumont et idéologies et politique académique à l’université de Gand au cours de la crise moderniste

Danny Praet (UGent)
Author
Organization
Abstract
This article uses the archives of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy of Ghent University to study the Cumont-affaire which shocked Belgian society and the international scientific community in 1910-1911. The State Universities were under total control of the Minister of Science who was not even obliged to follow the advice of the Faculty or the Rector and who could appoint whomever he wanted to a chair. The Catholic party had the absolute majority and Cumont was under suspicion of "modernism" because of his books on the pagan Oriental Religions, like Mithraism, which he sometimes compared to Christianity. The archives allow to illustrate the discussions and the positions taken within the faculty board according to ideological lines, reconstruct the protests organized by the Liberal students whereas the Catholic students tried to ignore the national and international outrage, and the political reactions in parliament. Cumont resigned and left the country. It also analyses a few indirect and very subtle reactions to the affair and the relation between science and religion in Cumont’s own publications during these crucial years.
Keywords
Cumont, religion, science, politics

Citation

Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:

MLA
Praet, Danny. “L’affaire Cumont et Idéologies et Politique Académique à l’université de Gand Au Cours de La Crise Moderniste.” Science, Religion and Politics during the Modernist Crisis = Science, Religion et Politique à l’ Époque de La Crise Moderniste, edited by Danny Praet, vol. 5, Brepols, 2018, pp. 401–74.
APA
Praet, D. (2018). L’affaire Cumont et idéologies et politique académique à l’université de Gand au cours de la crise moderniste. In D. Praet (Ed.), Science, religion and politics during the modernist crisis = Science, religion et politique à l’ époque de la crise moderniste (Vol. 5, pp. 401–474). Turnhout& Rome: Brepols.
Chicago author-date
Praet, Danny. 2018. “L’affaire Cumont et Idéologies et Politique Académique à l’université de Gand Au Cours de La Crise Moderniste.” In Science, Religion and Politics during the Modernist Crisis = Science, Religion et Politique à l’ Époque de La Crise Moderniste, edited by Danny Praet, 5:401–74. Turnhout& Rome: Brepols.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Praet, Danny. 2018. “L’affaire Cumont et Idéologies et Politique Académique à l’université de Gand Au Cours de La Crise Moderniste.” In Science, Religion and Politics during the Modernist Crisis = Science, Religion et Politique à l’ Époque de La Crise Moderniste, ed by. Danny Praet, 5:401–474. Turnhout& Rome: Brepols.
Vancouver
1.
Praet D. L’affaire Cumont et idéologies et politique académique à l’université de Gand au cours de la crise moderniste. In: Praet D, editor. Science, religion and politics during the modernist crisis = Science, religion et politique à l’ époque de la crise moderniste. Turnhout& Rome: Brepols; 2018. p. 401–74.
IEEE
[1]
D. Praet, “L’affaire Cumont et idéologies et politique académique à l’université de Gand au cours de la crise moderniste,” in Science, religion and politics during the modernist crisis = Science, religion et politique à l’ époque de la crise moderniste, vol. 5, D. Praet, Ed. Turnhout& Rome: Brepols, 2018, pp. 401–474.
@incollection{8164068,
  abstract     = {{This article uses the archives of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy of Ghent University to study the Cumont-affaire which shocked Belgian society and the international scientific community in 1910-1911. The State Universities were under total control of the Minister of Science who was not even obliged to follow the advice of the Faculty or the Rector and who could appoint whomever he wanted to a chair. The Catholic party had the absolute majority and Cumont was under suspicion of "modernism" because of his books on the pagan Oriental Religions, like Mithraism, which he sometimes compared to Christianity. The archives allow to illustrate the discussions and the positions taken within the faculty board according to ideological lines, reconstruct the protests organized by the Liberal students whereas the Catholic students tried to ignore the national and international outrage, and the political reactions in parliament. Cumont resigned and left the country. It also analyses a few indirect and very subtle reactions to the affair and the relation between science and religion in Cumont’s own publications during these crucial years.}},
  author       = {{Praet, Danny}},
  booktitle    = {{Science, religion and politics during the modernist crisis = Science, religion et politique à l’ époque de la crise moderniste}},
  editor       = {{Praet, Danny}},
  isbn         = {{9789074461900}},
  keywords     = {{Cumont,religion,science,politics}},
  language     = {{fre}},
  pages        = {{401--474}},
  publisher    = {{Brepols}},
  series       = {{Etudes (Institut Historique belge de Rome)}},
  title        = {{L’affaire Cumont et idéologies et politique académique à l’université de Gand au cours de la crise moderniste}},
  volume       = {{5}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}