Religion spielen' auf der Bühne der Geschichte Reenacting Religion in der Französischen Revolution

The paper discusses how a 'national game' ('jeu national') of the French Revolution can be regarded as a re-enactment of religion and may help to establish a new religious form. Based on Rousseau's theory of the Contrat Social, the paper examines the so-called Jeu de l'ole (Game of the Goose) as a revolution game by analysing its semiotic and performative character. It argues that the popular Game of the Goose, which was adapted by the printer Basset in 1791, serves as an early mass medium to educate and manipulate the players by putting the events that led to the Revolution in a teleological order, and stages the French Revolution as a Salvation History.