Preliminary Programme

Wed 24 March
    11.00 - 12.15
    12.30 - 13.45
    14.30 - 15.45
    16.00 - 17.15

Thu 25 March
    11.00 - 12.15
    12.30 - 13.45
    14.30 - 15.45
    16.00 - 17.15

Fri 26 March
    11.00 - 12.15
    12.30 - 13.45
    14.30 - 15.45
    16.00 - 17.15

Sat 27 March
    11.00 - 12.15
    12.30 - 13.45
    14.30 - 15.45
    16.00 - 17.00

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Thursday 25 March 2021 16.00 - 17.15
B-8 ECO31 Reassessing Moral Economy. Economic Ethics and Practices of Religious Communities from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century
B
Network: Economic History Chair: Benjamin Möckel
Organizers: Martin Lutz, Tanja Skambraks Discussant: Benjamin Möckel
Thomas Dorfner : Profit and the Lord. Economic Ethics and Practices of Pietist Communities in the 18th Century
Pietist movements such as the Moravian Church actively participated in expanding money-based trading practices in Europe and across the Atlantic from the mid-18th century onwards. On the one hand, they adapted those types of production which – as with manufacturing or the plantation system – were state of the art ... (Show more)
Pietist movements such as the Moravian Church actively participated in expanding money-based trading practices in Europe and across the Atlantic from the mid-18th century onwards. On the one hand, they adapted those types of production which – as with manufacturing or the plantation system – were state of the art around 1750. On the other hand, they sold those products that were particularly sought after among young consumer societies. However, the merchants and manufacturers of the Moravian Church faced the challenge of always needing to align their economic activities with biblical doctrine. In particular, those passages of the New Testament, which were critical of commerce and ownership, were a source of friction in light of those endeavours being pursued by contemporary merchants. It is therefore not surprising that the Moravian Church has repeatedly had to endure debate or conflict stemming from, for example, the sale of luxury goods or questions relating to the fair value of items.
This lecture will exemplify the specific economic style of the Moravian Church which has resulted from its unique interplay of modern production and trade practices, biblical doctrine and pietistic semantics. The lecture is grounded in extensive research undertaken at the archives of the Moravian Church in London, Bethlehem, PA, and Winston-Salem, NC. (Show less)

Paul Franke : Taking the “Sin” out of Sin City? The Moral Economy of Gambling in Las Vegas 1945-1969
Gambling occupies a paradoxical role in US history and society. Despite being generally frowned upon, it remained one of the most popular leisure activities in the twentieth century. Many religions and beliefs regarded it as sinful and deviant yet also employed gambling practices in order to raise money and attract ... (Show more)
Gambling occupies a paradoxical role in US history and society. Despite being generally frowned upon, it remained one of the most popular leisure activities in the twentieth century. Many religions and beliefs regarded it as sinful and deviant yet also employed gambling practices in order to raise money and attract followers. People of various faiths played cards, spun the roulette wheel, rolled dice or even operated casinos themselves, despite the belief that games of chance were at least morally questionable. Many of them traveled or even migrated to Las Vegas, the proverbial Sin City, to literally “try their luck”. In the second half of the twentieth century, the city emerged as the hub and benchmark for American gambling with a strong appeal to the growing middle class. A range of religious communities called the city home and not only arranged themselves with the casinos, but also profited from them.
The talk will reconstruct the moral economy of gambling in Las Vegas by examining its spatial set up, consumer practices and the discourses surrounding it. Special attention will be given to the role of local religious communities and how they engaged with America’s biggest gambling businesses (Show less)

Martin Lutz : What does “Simplicity” mean in Modern Capitalism? The Economic Ethics of Mennonites, Amish and Hutterites in North America
The paper looks at the impact of religious ethic on adaptation and persistence in modern capitalism by analyzing three Anabaptist communities in the United States and Canada, the Mennonites, Amish and Hutterites in the early 20th century. On the one hand, these communities remained anchored in traditional path-dependencies, for example ... (Show more)
The paper looks at the impact of religious ethic on adaptation and persistence in modern capitalism by analyzing three Anabaptist communities in the United States and Canada, the Mennonites, Amish and Hutterites in the early 20th century. On the one hand, these communities remained anchored in traditional path-dependencies, for example certain modes of agricultural and proto-industrial production. Anabaptist communities formed in the Reformation era in early modern central Europe and were heavily influenced by late medieval ideas and institutions. These continued to shape economic development in 20th century. On the other hand, Anabaptists embraced certain aspects of industrial modernity and increasingly participated in local, regional, and national markets. Mennonite entrepreneurs founded industrial corporations such as the New Holland Machine Company and Hesston Corporation. Amish farmers increasingly participated in trans-regional agricultural markets, supplying produce and meats to urban markets. Hutterite Bruderhof settlements resting on the community of goods (i.e. no private property) developed into highly mechanized mass-producers of agricultural products.
Drawing on New Economic Sociology, the paper argues that Anabaptist economic institutions were “anchored in the mores” (Nee/Swedberg, 2007:9) of Mennonite, Amish and Hutterite communities. They offered a moral setting prescribing norms about the “proper, appropriate” (Granovetter, 2017: 27) way to of economic action. The concept of simplicity (Einfachheit) is crucial to understanding the way Anabaptists engaged in the modern economy. Anabaptist notions of simplicity derived from biblical interpretations and prescribe certain moral values as to what kind of economic activity is appropriate for a church member, and what is considered “worldly”, i.e. against God’s will. The paper shows how moral values became institutionalized in the Mennonite, Amish and Hutterite church Ordnung (church order or church regulations) and hence offered an institutional setting to frame individual economic action.
The comparative approach focusing on three distinct communities allows for exploring variance among the Anabaptists. Paths of adaptation and persistence diverged as interpretations of simplicity were gradually adjusted to meet communal needs in a rapidly changing economy. At the same time, all three communities continued to use “simplicity” as a central reference point to as to how the Anabaptist Christian should behave appropriately in modern capitalism. Primary sources include Anabaptist church regulations (Ordnungen), religious texts interpreting the meanings of simplicity, and qualitative and quantitative data showing how moral values directly influenced economic development. (Show less)

Tanja Skambraks : Charitable Banking and Ethics of Credit in Late Medieval Italy: Franciscans and Monti di Pietà
This paper will deal with two levels of a moral economy in the Middle Ages: in a first step there will be the analysis of the Franciscan economic discourse of the 13th and 14th century (namely works by Petrus Iohannis Olivi, Bernardino da Siena and also Bernardino da Feltre for ... (Show more)
This paper will deal with two levels of a moral economy in the Middle Ages: in a first step there will be the analysis of the Franciscan economic discourse of the 13th and 14th century (namely works by Petrus Iohannis Olivi, Bernardino da Siena and also Bernardino da Feltre for the 15th century) and in a second step I will present an impressive example of early banking history, linking economic activities and religious discourse under the medieval leitmotif of the bonum commune.
Facing fundamental social changes after the Commercial Revolution (including the development of long-distance trade, economic growth in all sectors, the emerge of an urban banking system), Christian economic actors had to deal with new spiritual challenges, such as the right use of money in society taking into account the traditional canon law with its limiting attitude towards the (usurious) use of money. Since the 13th century Franciscans as preachers and confessors of the urban elite were the main protagonists of this new ethical approach towards economy, emphasising the productive role of money, the circulation of goods as well as merchants and tradesmen as important and valuable leaders in these activities.
These innovative ideas led to a direct application in late medieval banking for the poor, i.e. the creation of the Monti di Pietà in the 15th and 16th centuries. More than 200 of those pawnbroking institutions were founded by the Franciscans in cooperation with local oligarchs in Italian towns. They were first and foremost Christian charitable institutions providing small scale credit against pledges in times of crisis. Furthermore, the Monti can be interpreted as institutions representing a new political and moral economy simultaneously marking a shift in Christian ethics regarding economy.
Based on a re-reading of sources exemplifying the discourse around usury (both in trade and money transfer) and interest taking in credit transactions, as well as the institutionalisation and practice of charitable credit, this paper will deal with the medieval moral economy and its effects in the longue durée, resulting in the development of modern economic institutions, such as public banks. (Show less)



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