Sámi indigenous(?) Religion(s)(?)—Some Observations and Suggestions Concerning Term Use

When writing about politically and culturally sensitive topics, term use is of great relevance. Sámi religion is a case in point. Words organise and create the world around us, and labels have direct consequences on how religious phenomena are perceived. Even labelling a phenomenon or an action “rel...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor principal: Kaikkonen, Konsta (Autor)
Tipo de documento: Electrónico Artículo
Lenguaje:Inglés
Verificar disponibilidad: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Publicado: [2020]
En: Religions
Año: 2020, Volumen: 11, Número: 9
Otras palabras clave:B Indigenous Religion
B indigenous terms
B Terminology
B Religión
B Shamanism
B Traslado
Acceso en línea: Presumably Free Access
Volltext (Publisher)
Volltext (doi)
Descripción
Sumario:When writing about politically and culturally sensitive topics, term use is of great relevance. Sámi religion is a case in point. Words organise and create the world around us, and labels have direct consequences on how religious phenomena are perceived. Even labelling a phenomenon or an action “religious” carries certain baggage. Term use is, of course, easier when writing about historical materials and describing rituals whose practitioners have been dead for centuries. Nonetheless, contemporary practitioners of age-old rituals or people who use ancient symbols in their everyday lives often see themselves as carriers of old tradition and wish to identify with previous generations regardless of opinions that might deem their actions as “re-enacting”, “neoshamanism”, or “neopaganism”. If, for example, outsider academics wish to deem modern-day Indigenous persons as “neo”-something, issues of power and essentialism blend in with the discourse. This paper critically explores terms used around the Sámi religion in different time periods and attempts to come to suggestions that could solve some of the terminological problems a student of modern practitioners of indigenous religions inevitably faces.
ISSN:2077-1444
Obras secundarias:Enthalten in: Religions
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.3390/rel11090432