The classification of religions and religious classifications: a genre approach to the origin of religions
Scholars have long worried over the fact that the categories of religion that they bring to their scholarship imperfectly match folk classifications of the 'same' religion. The more precisely we attempt to define a religion, the more our target seems to elude our grasp. Here, I argue that...
| Publicado no: | Culture and religion |
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| Autor principal: | |
| Tipo de documento: | Electronic/Print Artigo |
| Idioma: | Inglês |
| Verificar disponibilidade: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Carregar...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Publicado em: |
Taylor & Francis
[2015]
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| Em: |
Culture and religion
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| (Cadeias de) Palavra- chave padrão: | B
Religion
/ Classification
/ Rise of
/ Genre theory
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| Classificações IxTheo: | AA Ciências da religião AB Filosofia da religião |
| Acesso em linha: |
Volltext (doi) |
| Resumo: | Scholars have long worried over the fact that the categories of religion that they bring to their scholarship imperfectly match folk classifications of the 'same' religion. The more precisely we attempt to define a religion, the more our target seems to elude our grasp. Here, I argue that by looking at religions through the lens of genre theory, we can make more sense of both the range of classifications as well as the apparent uniformity assumed by scholars and practitioners at any given moment. Religious classes are nouns. The tack taken by a genre theory is to think of genres as verbs that are either performed by producers or distinguished by critics. When the emphasis shifts to actions and decisions made by individuals, we begin to address the variations and fluctuations that could not be accounted for when religious classes were understood as either objectively or analytically given. Moreover, when religious categories are simply taken as given, we have no way to talk about the origin of new categories (i.e. of new religions). Emphasising the verbal aspect of producing and of criticising allows us to explain the origins of religions as the efforts of producers and critics working in tandem. |
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| ISSN: | 1475-5610 |
| Obras secundárias: | Enthalten in: Culture and religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/14755610.2015.1090465 |