The religious association of Jehovah’s Witnesses has existed for about 150 years in Europe. How Jehovah’s Witnesses found their way in these countries has depended upon the way this missionary association was treated by the majority of the non-Witness population, government and established churches. In this respect, the history of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Europe is also a history of the social constitution of these countries and their willingness to accept and integrate religious minorities.
For the first time in English-speaking countries, this volume documents the history of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Romania, Scandinavia and Finland. In the past, the religious community had some troubles in these countries, particularly because of conscientious objection. Today in all these countries, freedom of religion, a basic human right, is guaranteed.
The editors
Gerhard Besier is a historian (PhD), theologian (DD and Habilitation) and psychologist (Diploma). In 2009, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Lund, Sweden. He has held chairs in Contemporary (Church) History and European Studies at the Universities of Berlin, Heidelberg and Dresden, and is currently Director of the Sigmund Neumann Institute, Germany, and teaches at several universities in Europe and the USA. He has published widely on the themes of German-Polish antagonisms, transformation processes in Europe since 1945, European dictatorships, confessional controversies in Germany, Europe and the USA, and on stereotypes and prejudices. His most recent publications include Why Human Beings Behave How They Do (2014), and Intimately Associated for Many Years (2015).
Katarzyna Stokłosa is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Management at the University of Southern Denmark. She completed her PhD at the European University Viadrina, Germany, and her habilitation thesis at the University of Potsdam, Germany. She has published various books and articles on European border regions in comparison and on European history. Her most recent publication is European Border Regions in Comparison : Overcoming Nationalistic Aspects or Re-Nationalization ? (with Gerhard Besier ; 2014).
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