Mikael Rothstein
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Mikael Rothstein | |
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Born | 8 May 1961 |
Nationality | Danish |
Alma mater | University of Copenhagen |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Religious studies |
Institutions | University of Copenhagen |
Mikael Rothstein (born 8 May 1961) is an associate professor of religious history at the University of Copenhagen in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Rothstein earned his PhD in 1993 and became a Lector at the University of Copenhagen in 2001.[1] He has been on the board of the (DAHR) and the editorial boards of the publications Renner Studies on New Religions (Aarhus University Press) and Nye Religioner (Gyldendal).[2]
Rothstein has been called one of Denmark's top researchers in new religious movements,[3] and has been credited with making them a topic of scholarship.[1]
Another area of scholarly interest is indigenous religions; he was the first researcher to describe the Penan people of Borneo.[1]
Among books he has written or co-edited are: Belief Transformations: Some Aspects of the Relation between Science and Religion in Transcendental Meditation (TM) and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) (1996), Secular Theories on Religion: Current Perspectives (2000) (co-author with Tim Jensen), New Age Religion and Globalization (2002), New Religions in a Postmodern World (2003) (co-editor with Reender Kranenborg) and The Cambridge Companion to New Religious Movements (2012) (co-editor with Olav Hammer).[3]
Rothstein has been involved in some conflicts in the media. In 2007 he was criticized after defending Ungdomshuset.[1] In 2011 he was one of those criticizing the rephrasing of the mission of Denmark's state-owned broadcasting service, DR, to include promoting Christian values, which he called "a way of making us all hostages to a nationalist Christian project".[4][5] He has called Lars Hedegaard "an assailant" (Danish: en voldsmand), leading to criticism from other free speech advocates.[6] He has been described in a Christian periodical as "uncompromising [and] a wonderful, intelligent man who is both warm, caring and generous with praise for both colleagues and students"[1] and by another commentator in the same publication as demonstrating "one-sided bile" and "hatred" in his utterances concerning Christianity.[7] An opinion article in another newspaper likewise portrayed him as a hater of religion.[8]
Rothstein and his wife, Mie, have two children.[1] His brother, , is a well known TV journalist.
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Bente Clausen, "Kompromisløs forsker med bløde sider", Kristeligt Dagblad, May 7, 2011 (in Danish).
- ^ Institut for Religionshistorie Archived 2007-06-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Jump up to: a b Jens-André Herbener, "Interview med religionshistoriker Mikael Rothstein", Politiken, October 10, 2012 (in Danish).
- ^ Rasmus Bo Sørensen and Anita Brask Rasmussen, "Danmarks Radio er nu officielt kristen", Information.dk, February 8, 2011: "en måde at tage os allesammen som gidsler i et nationalistisk kristent projekt".
- ^ Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, "Danish Radio embraces 'Christian values' in new contract", Hürriyet Daily News, February 13, 2011.
- ^ Henrik Dahl and Birgithe Kosovic, "De afskyelige meninger", Politiken, March 6, 2013 (in Danish).
- ^ Sørine Gotfredsen, "Den lidt for lidenskabelige forsker", Kristeligt Dagblad, May 30, 2014 (in Danish).
- ^ Claes Kastholm Hansen, "Religionshistorikerens selvhad", Berlingske, January 3, 2015 (in Danish).
External links[]
- Mikael Rothstein at University of Copenhagen (in Danish)
- Interview on the future of religion, DR P1, October 16, 2006 (audio) (in Danish)
- Danish historians
- Danish male writers
- University of Copenhagen faculty
- Researchers of new religious movements and cults
- 1961 births
- Living people
- Danish academics
- University of Copenhagen alumni
- Danish Jews
- Ashkenazi Jews