Metamorphoses of Solidarity. Church Youth Associations and the Third World Movement in the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1970s and 1980s

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The aim of this research project is to examine the role and activity of church youth associations in West Germany as a part of the Third World Movement as well as the reciprocal relations between the associations and this movement. In doing so, it attempts to contribute to a better understanding of the structures, mechanisms and social anchorage of new social movements under the terms of societal and religious change in the 1970s and 1980s. The study focuses on three interconnected questions: first, the position of church youth associations within the Third World Movement conditioned by their relation to the other parts and agents of the movement and by their self-conception; second, interdependency between the movement participation of the associations and their situation inside church structures whereat they can be also considered as movements within the churches; third, the movement participation examined from socialization perspective and the relationship between political and religious dimensions of socialization. The main objects of the study will be the Federation of German Catholic Youth (BDKJ) and the Protestant Youth Association (aej) as umbrella organisations. This intermediate level of observation allows to follow the general development of church youth movement participation and to put it in relation to the inner logic of the established church organisation as well as to regard the relevance of denominational factors or interdenominationality. In terms of methodology, the study adopts approaches of social movement research including socialization and organisation theory perspectives.