The Religion of Confrontation: Concepts, Violence, and Scholarship
Jonathan Z. Smith's essay “Religion, Religions, Religious” discovers the invention of religion as a generic term in colonial adventure. The move is notable: religion is born in violence, but it can be repurposed as a term without determinate content by which to compare cases. Smith's origi...
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| Tipo di documento: | Elettronico Articolo |
| Lingua: | Inglese |
| Verificare la disponibilità: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Caricamento...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Pubblicazione: |
[2020]
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| In: |
Harvard theological review
Anno: 2020, Volume: 113, Fascicolo: 1, Pagine: 111-137 |
| (sequenze di) soggetti normati: | B
Smith, Jonathan Z. 1938-2017
/ Said, Edward W. 1935-2003
/ Religione
/ Violenza
/ Potere
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| Notazioni IxTheo: | AB Filosofia delle religioni AD Sociologia delle religioni |
| Altre parole chiave: | B
Critique
B Edward Said B Religione B Orientalism B Interpretazione B Power B Jonathan Z. Smith |
| Accesso online: |
Volltext (Publisher) Volltext (doi) |
| Riepilogo: | Jonathan Z. Smith's essay “Religion, Religions, Religious” discovers the invention of religion as a generic term in colonial adventure. The move is notable: religion is born in violence, but it can be repurposed as a term without determinate content by which to compare cases. Smith's origin story is to empower scholars to pick up “religion” as they do the terms “language” and “culture.” There are reasons, however, not only to revisit the story but also to ask whether it is not missing a move—whether the reclamation of a violent term requires more from the scholar than Smith's structuralist reversal, his reinvention of colonialist invention. I compare Smith's resourcefulness with the conquistadors to Edward Said's critique of Orientalism. Both thinkers are asking questions of violence, invention, and use. Said more squarely addresses problems of thinking with and beyond guilty concepts. Yet Smith's story is an important counterpoint. Together, these thinkers help the humanities lay ground for a more expansive and self-conscious theoretical future. |
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| ISSN: | 1475-4517 |
| Comprende: | Enthalten in: Harvard theological review
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1017/S0017816019000373 |