The Future of the Study of Religion: Proceedings of Congress 2000 (Studies in the History of Religions)

THE FUTURE OF THE STUDY OF RELIGION......Page 4
Contents......Page 8
Acknowledgements......Page 10
Slavica Jakelić and Lori Pearson: Introduction: Whither the Study of Religion?......Page 12
I. Subjectivity and Objectivity in the Study of Religion: The ‘Problem’ of Normative Subtexts......Page 13
II. Theology and/or Religious Studies?......Page 17
III. Methodological Questions in the Study of Religion......Page 21
IV. The Changing Landscape of the Study of Religion......Page 26
A ‘New’ Agenda for Religious Studies?......Page 31
Friedrich Wilhelm Graf: The Stubborn Persistence of Religion: Some Post-Secular Reflections......Page 34
I. Radical Historicism, or: Modernity Has Always Been Postmodern......Page 37
II. Secret Parochialism, or: Observing the Observers!......Page 44
III. Players on the Field of Politics, or: the Implicit Partisanship of Scholars of Religion......Page 49
Peter Berger: The Stubborn Persistence of Debates about Religion: A Response to Friedrich Wilhelm Graf......Page 54
The Vanishing of ‘History’ from Religious Studies......Page 58
To Begin With: Religions from Survival to a Lasting Power......Page 61
Religious Genealogies of Modern Practices......Page 62
Disconnecting Religion and Modern Practices......Page 67
Sects and Their Return as Fundamentalisms: The Concept of the Future......Page 69
Mysticism and Its Return as Esotericism: The Concept of Nature......Page 72
Conclusion......Page 74
Christoph Schwöbel: The History of Religions and the Study of Religions: A Response to Hans Kippenberg......Page 76
Language and Cultural Identity in the Study of Religions......Page 88
A Certain Understanding of the Study of Religions......Page 92
Cultural Diversity and Divergent Models of Religion......Page 96
Bibliography......Page 105
Robert Cummings Neville: Response to Michael Pye......Page 108
Introduction......Page 114
From Historicism to Postmodernism......Page 122
The Rise of Religious Studies......Page 124
Towards a Definition of Globalization......Page 128
Modernity, Religion and Globalization: Some Paradoxes......Page 133
The Question of Orientalism......Page 135
Cosmopolitan Irony and Virtue......Page 137
Conclusion: A Report on Knowledge......Page 143
Bibliography......Page 145
Adam B. Seligman: Response to Bryan Turner......Page 150
Ivan Strenski: The Proper Object of the Study of Religion: Why It Is Better to Know Some of the Questions Than All of the Answers......Page 156
Why Problems?......Page 164
But Not These Problems. . . .......Page 167
But Don’t We Already Do This?......Page 170
So Many Problems, So Little Time......Page 172
Exploring a ‘Problem of Religion’: ‘Becoming a Religion’......Page 176
Zest and Community......Page 180
Bibliography......Page 181
The Problem of the Inescapability of Religion......Page 184
The Problem of Definition and Historicizing ‘Religion’......Page 187
Curiosity and the Study of Religion......Page 191
Steven T. Katz: Diversity and the Study of Mysticism......Page 200
I. Form Criticism......Page 201
II. Ontologies......Page 202
III. The Theological and Social Contexts of Mystical Experience......Page 205
IV. Cross Cultural Typologies of Mysticism......Page 210
V. Some Thoughts on Language, Paradox and Ineffability......Page 212
VI. Mysticism and Sacred Scripture......Page 219
Conclusion......Page 221
Francis X. Clooney: Response to Steven Katz......Page 222
The Value and Necessity of Generalization......Page 223
The General and ‘Supra-Textual’ Truth......Page 224
Retrieving Excluded and Marginalized Voices in the Study of Mysticism......Page 225
The Emergence of New, Global Mysticisms......Page 226
Elizabeth A. Clark: Engendering the Study of Religion......Page 228
I. Women and Religion......Page 229
II. Gender and Religion......Page 244
Amy Hollywood: Agency and Evidence in Feminist Studies of Religion: A Response to Elizabeth Clark......Page 254
Introduction......Page 262
Characterizing and locating ‘religion’ and ‘spirituality’......Page 264
New Age spiritualities of life......Page 267
Spiritualities of life in mainstream culture......Page 270
Theistic spiritualities of life......Page 272
The spiritual revolution as a cultural fact......Page 275
Research Agendas......Page 276
The sacralization of life......Page 277
Conclusion......Page 281
Ann Braude: Response to Paul Heelas......Page 284
John Milbank: Retraditionalizing the Study of Religion: The Conflict of the Faculties: Theology and the Economy of the Sciences......Page 290
Paul Morris: Theology or Religious Studies? The Future of Religious Studies: A Response to John Milbank......Page 306
Trutz Rendtorff: Ernst Troeltsch and the Future of the Study of Religion......Page 312
I. The Future Beyond the Present......Page 315
II. The Abolition of the Uncertainty of the Future......Page 317
III. Theology or Study of Religion?......Page 318
IV. Religion beyond Confessions and Creeds......Page 322
I. Résumé: Rendtorff on Troeltsch and the Study of Religion in the Present and Future......Page 326
II. Critique: Overcoming Troeltsch with Troeltsch......Page 327
III. The ‘Practical Task’......Page 330
Appendix: Congress 2000 Parallel Sessions and Panels......Page 332
Index......Page 336