Popular religious movements in 19th and 20th century Norway: Historiographical perspectives

Religious movements have been a strong counter-culture in Norway during the 19th and 20th centuries. While lay opposition in several protestant countries was organized in free churches, the greater part of the Norwegian lay movement remained within the state church. This article is based on an investigation of research and mediation in this field, primarily texts by historians and church historians (i.e. theologians) published in the past 40 years. The main focus is the analytical framework and general societal orientation, tracing which subjects are emphasized and how geographical space is actualized. Church historians tend to take the state church institution as a natural point of departure. Thus theological discourse becomes prevalent, while general societal orientation is limited. When it comes to geographical space the national level is highlighted, and religious movements are incorporated in the grand narrative of the general integrating folk church. In anniversary overviews on popular organizations, however, the local level comes to the fore, and the prevailing narrative tends to stress antagonism between the clergy and the lay people, the latter celebrated as the triumphant part. Profane historians see religious mobilization as part of the broader field of popular movements, utilizing a sociological approach and modernisation perspectives. Analyses are inspired by international discourse, although theoretical frames have been explicated only to a degree. While class aspects are highly stressed, only in recent works have gender aspects been taken into serious consideration. Geographical space is mainly confined to regional levels, with a focus especially on sociocultural patterns of the southwestern bible belt in a centre-periphery perspective. Norwegian historians have largely paid little attention to the role of religion in modern society. So far, this pattern seems unchanged. On the other side, more recent texts from church historians indicate increasing interest in societal perspectives.