Former Fellow

Clifford Ando

Professor at the Department of Classics, History and Law at the University of Chicago

Research project:
Tolerance in Roman antiquity

Research project:
To what extent can we speak of tolerance and religious pluralism as a justification narrative in Roman antiquity? The fellowship deals with imperial Rome in the 3rd century and thus with a phase in which it is possible to observe how an increasingly monotheistic religion with universal claims established itself in a world in which the coexistence of different religions appeared to be a matter of course. The first persecutions of Christians took place during this period, and Christians also put forward arguments that play a major role in the history of the idea of tolerance. The Christians’ fight for their religious freedom was of great importance for later justification narratives of tolerance. For a time, allowing the worship of many gods was an important justification for imperial rule in a religiously diverse empire. What favored this new form of justification through religious pluralism and why did this phase end so quickly? These and other questions will be discussed in this research project.

Events:
Seminar with Prof. Dr. Hartmut Leppin, 15 July 2015, 3 p.m.
Tolerance in Antiquity

  • Biografische Angaben

    Clifford Ando is a professor in the Department of Classics, History and Law at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on the history of religion, law and statehood in the Roman Empire. He is particularly interested in the categories of citizenship, legal pluralism and tolerance as well as the relationship between civil law, public law and international law in the Roman legal tradition. Clifford Ando has been a fellow and visiting professor at universities in Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA. He studied at Princeton and received his doctorate from the University of Michigan.
  • Publikationen

    Empire, state and communicative action, in: Christine Kuhn (Hrsg.), Politische Kommunikation und öffentliche Meinung in der antiken Welt, Franz Steiner, Stuttgart 2012, S. 219-229. Die Riten der Anderen, in: Mediterraneo Antico 15.1-2 2012, S. 31-50. Pluralism and Empire, from Rome to Robert cover, in: Critical Analysis of Law: An International & Interdisciplinary Law Review 1 2014, S. 1-22.

News from the research center

Event
14.07.2025 | Frankfurt

Utopie und Aufbruch der 1968er – Was von politischer Rebellion und individueller Selbstbefreiung geblieben ist

Panel Discussion

Die Diskussionsrunde mit Rainer Langhans, Christa Ritter, die seit 1978 zur Selbsterfahrungsgruppe um Langhans gehört, und dem Sozialphilosophen Martin Saar widmet sich utopischen Vorstellungen, die von der 1968er Bewegung ausgingen, und beleuchtet deren Ideale, Impulse, individuelle und gesellschaftspolitische Nachwirkungen.

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Event
10.07.2025 | Frankfurt am Main

Territorial Justice by Lea Ypi

Workshop

Workshop on the new book by Lea Ypi (LSE). With, among others: Andrea Sangiovanni and Ayelet Shachar.

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Event
01.07.2025 | Brussels

Europa in einer multipolaren Welt – Wie kann die EU den Herausforderungen gegenüber Großmächten begegnen?

Crisis Talk

Impuls von Prof. Dr. Nicole Deitelhoff mit anschließender Podiumsdiskussion

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News
22.05.2025

Does deliberative democracy have a future in the age of oligarchs, autocrats and patriarchs?

On June 3, Prof. Simone Chambers will give a lecture on the value of democracies and the future of the form of government.

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News
19.05.2025

What can a baroque tapestry tell us about colonial iconography?

Lecture by Cécile Fromone on May 21. The professor at the Department of the History of Art and Architecture at Harvard University, director of the Cooper Gallery at the Hutchins Center and author will talk about the long-forgotten African origins of iconography and its colonial dimension.

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News
05.05.2025

Normative Orders Newsletter 01/25 published

The newsletter from Research Centre Normative Orders collects information on current events, reports, news and publications several times a year. Read the first issue 2025 here.

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News
05.05.2025

"Hitler. History of a Dictator" by Sybille Steinbacher will be published on May 15, 2025

The historian's new book deals with Hitler's origins, the roots of his anti-Semitism and his rise to power.

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News
29.04.2025

Public lecture series “Racism in the police” begins on May 13, 2025

Racism in the police has various dimensions. In the lecture series “Racism in the police - empirical findings, methodological approaches and controversies”, three empirical studies on police work will be presented.

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