Although analyses of the ‘sacred’ and ‘profane’ tend to remain within the discipline of religious... more Although analyses of the ‘sacred’ and ‘profane’ tend to remain within the discipline of religious studies, categories of sacrality and profane-ness actively shape and label all bodies in the United States. Combining theories of the sacred and profane with formulations of race, gender, and sexuality, I investigate the social de/valuation of specific bodies at the turn of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. During each period, three structural factors influence these categorizations: empires of hegemonic social time, dominant Christian narratives of salvation, and the role of prison. A comparative analysis demonstrates both continuity and specificity in producing sacred and profane bodies.
To respond to the dominating force of religio-cultural salvation in the U.S., this article analyz... more To respond to the dominating force of religio-cultural salvation in the U.S., this article analyzes two disparate tables and the bodies associated with them: the Unsung Founders memorial at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Eucharistic table in the work of seventh century Christian monk Maximus the Confessor. Drawing on Sara Ahmed’s methodological exploration of how tables orient bodies, I constructively ‘‘cross’’ the racial, gendered, and economically marginalized bodies represented by the monument and the body of Christ on the Eucharistic table. The product of this crossing queers Maximus’s doctrine of deification, or union with God, which opens a site of resistance to contemporary notions of this specific privatized and personally responsible salvation. Further, this combination betrays Maximus’s theological assumptions that only normative bodies have access to God.
This is the first book to provide an introduction to contemporary cultural approaches to the stud... more This is the first book to provide an introduction to contemporary cultural approaches to the study of religion. This book makes sophisticated ideas accessible at an introductory level, and examines the analytic tools of scholars in religious studies, as well as in related disciplines that have shaped the field including anthropology, history, literature, and critical studies in race, sexuality, and gender.
Each chapter is written by a leading scholar and includes:
· the biographical and historical context of each theorist
· their approaches and key writings
· analysis and evaluation of each theory
· suggested further reading.
Part One: Comparative Approaches considers how major features such as taboo, texts, myths and ritual work across religious traditions by exploring the work of Mary Douglas, Phyllis Trible, Wendy Doniger and Catherine Bell.
Part Two: Examining Particularities analyzes the comparative approach through the work of Alice Walker, Charles Long and Caroline Walker Bynum, who all suggest that the specifics of race, body, place and time must be considered.
Part Three: Expanding Boundaries examines Gloria Anzaldúa's language of religion, as well as the work of Judith Butler on performative, queer theories of religion, and concludes with Saba Mahmood, whose work considers postcolonial religious encounters, secularism, and the relationship between “East” and “West.”
Reflecting the cultural turn and challenging the existing canon, this is the anthology instructors have been waiting for.
For primary texts by the theorists discussed, please consult The Bloomsbury Reader in Cultural Approaches to the Study of Religion, edited by Sarah J. Bloesch and Meredith Minister.
This is the first reader to gather primary sources from influential theorists of the late 20th an... more This is the first reader to gather primary sources from influential theorists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries in one place, presenting the wide-ranging and nuanced theoretical debates occurring in the field of religious studies. Each chapter focuses on a major theorist and contains:
· an introduction contextualizing their key ideas · one or two selections representative of the theorist's innovative methodological approach(es) · discussion questions to extend and deepen reader engagement
Divided in three sections, the first part includes foundational comparative debates: · Mary Douglas's articulation of purity and impurity · Phyllis Trible's methods of reading sacred texts · Wendy Doniger's comparative mythology · Catherine Bell's reimagining of religious and secular ritual
The second part focuses on methodological particularity: · Alice Walker's use of narrative · Charles Long's critique of Eurocentricism · Caroline Walker Bynum's emphasis on gender and materiality
The third section focuses on expanding boundaries: · Gloria Anzaldúa's work on borders and languages · Judith Butler's critique of gender and sex norms · Saba Mahmood's expansion on the critique of colonialism's secularizing demands
Reflecting the cultural turn and extending the existing canon, this is the anthology instructors have been waiting for.
For further detail on the theorists discussed, please consult Cultural Approaches to Studying Religion: An Introduction to Theories and Methods, edited by Sarah J. Bloesch and Meredith Minister.
Although analyses of the ‘sacred’ and ‘profane’ tend to remain within the discipline of religious... more Although analyses of the ‘sacred’ and ‘profane’ tend to remain within the discipline of religious studies, categories of sacrality and profane-ness actively shape and label all bodies in the United States. Combining theories of the sacred and profane with formulations of race, gender, and sexuality, I investigate the social de/valuation of specific bodies at the turn of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. During each period, three structural factors influence these categorizations: empires of hegemonic social time, dominant Christian narratives of salvation, and the role of prison. A comparative analysis demonstrates both continuity and specificity in producing sacred and profane bodies.
To respond to the dominating force of religio-cultural salvation in the U.S., this article analyz... more To respond to the dominating force of religio-cultural salvation in the U.S., this article analyzes two disparate tables and the bodies associated with them: the Unsung Founders memorial at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Eucharistic table in the work of seventh century Christian monk Maximus the Confessor. Drawing on Sara Ahmed’s methodological exploration of how tables orient bodies, I constructively ‘‘cross’’ the racial, gendered, and economically marginalized bodies represented by the monument and the body of Christ on the Eucharistic table. The product of this crossing queers Maximus’s doctrine of deification, or union with God, which opens a site of resistance to contemporary notions of this specific privatized and personally responsible salvation. Further, this combination betrays Maximus’s theological assumptions that only normative bodies have access to God.
This is the first book to provide an introduction to contemporary cultural approaches to the stud... more This is the first book to provide an introduction to contemporary cultural approaches to the study of religion. This book makes sophisticated ideas accessible at an introductory level, and examines the analytic tools of scholars in religious studies, as well as in related disciplines that have shaped the field including anthropology, history, literature, and critical studies in race, sexuality, and gender.
Each chapter is written by a leading scholar and includes:
· the biographical and historical context of each theorist
· their approaches and key writings
· analysis and evaluation of each theory
· suggested further reading.
Part One: Comparative Approaches considers how major features such as taboo, texts, myths and ritual work across religious traditions by exploring the work of Mary Douglas, Phyllis Trible, Wendy Doniger and Catherine Bell.
Part Two: Examining Particularities analyzes the comparative approach through the work of Alice Walker, Charles Long and Caroline Walker Bynum, who all suggest that the specifics of race, body, place and time must be considered.
Part Three: Expanding Boundaries examines Gloria Anzaldúa's language of religion, as well as the work of Judith Butler on performative, queer theories of religion, and concludes with Saba Mahmood, whose work considers postcolonial religious encounters, secularism, and the relationship between “East” and “West.”
Reflecting the cultural turn and challenging the existing canon, this is the anthology instructors have been waiting for.
For primary texts by the theorists discussed, please consult The Bloomsbury Reader in Cultural Approaches to the Study of Religion, edited by Sarah J. Bloesch and Meredith Minister.
This is the first reader to gather primary sources from influential theorists of the late 20th an... more This is the first reader to gather primary sources from influential theorists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries in one place, presenting the wide-ranging and nuanced theoretical debates occurring in the field of religious studies. Each chapter focuses on a major theorist and contains:
· an introduction contextualizing their key ideas · one or two selections representative of the theorist's innovative methodological approach(es) · discussion questions to extend and deepen reader engagement
Divided in three sections, the first part includes foundational comparative debates: · Mary Douglas's articulation of purity and impurity · Phyllis Trible's methods of reading sacred texts · Wendy Doniger's comparative mythology · Catherine Bell's reimagining of religious and secular ritual
The second part focuses on methodological particularity: · Alice Walker's use of narrative · Charles Long's critique of Eurocentricism · Caroline Walker Bynum's emphasis on gender and materiality
The third section focuses on expanding boundaries: · Gloria Anzaldúa's work on borders and languages · Judith Butler's critique of gender and sex norms · Saba Mahmood's expansion on the critique of colonialism's secularizing demands
Reflecting the cultural turn and extending the existing canon, this is the anthology instructors have been waiting for.
For further detail on the theorists discussed, please consult Cultural Approaches to Studying Religion: An Introduction to Theories and Methods, edited by Sarah J. Bloesch and Meredith Minister.
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Each chapter is written by a leading scholar and includes:
· the biographical and historical context of each theorist
· their approaches and key writings
· analysis and evaluation of each theory
· suggested further reading.
Part One: Comparative Approaches considers how major features such as taboo, texts, myths and ritual work across religious traditions by exploring the work of Mary Douglas, Phyllis Trible, Wendy Doniger and Catherine Bell.
Part Two: Examining Particularities analyzes the comparative approach through the work of Alice Walker, Charles Long and Caroline Walker Bynum, who all suggest that the specifics of race, body, place and time must be considered.
Part Three: Expanding Boundaries examines Gloria Anzaldúa's language of religion, as well as the work of Judith Butler on performative, queer theories of religion, and concludes with Saba Mahmood, whose work considers postcolonial religious encounters, secularism, and the relationship between “East” and “West.”
Reflecting the cultural turn and challenging the existing canon, this is the anthology instructors have been waiting for.
For primary texts by the theorists discussed, please consult The Bloomsbury Reader in Cultural Approaches to the Study of Religion, edited by Sarah J. Bloesch and Meredith Minister.
· an introduction contextualizing their key ideas
· one or two selections representative of the theorist's innovative methodological approach(es)
· discussion questions to extend and deepen reader engagement
Divided in three sections, the first part includes foundational comparative debates:
· Mary Douglas's articulation of purity and impurity
· Phyllis Trible's methods of reading sacred texts
· Wendy Doniger's comparative mythology
· Catherine Bell's reimagining of religious and secular ritual
The second part focuses on methodological particularity:
· Alice Walker's use of narrative
· Charles Long's critique of Eurocentricism
· Caroline Walker Bynum's emphasis on gender and materiality
The third section focuses on expanding boundaries:
· Gloria Anzaldúa's work on borders and languages
· Judith Butler's critique of gender and sex norms
· Saba Mahmood's expansion on the critique of colonialism's secularizing demands
Reflecting the cultural turn and extending the existing canon, this is the anthology instructors have been waiting for.
For further detail on the theorists discussed, please consult Cultural Approaches to Studying Religion: An Introduction to Theories and Methods, edited by Sarah J. Bloesch and Meredith Minister.
Each chapter is written by a leading scholar and includes:
· the biographical and historical context of each theorist
· their approaches and key writings
· analysis and evaluation of each theory
· suggested further reading.
Part One: Comparative Approaches considers how major features such as taboo, texts, myths and ritual work across religious traditions by exploring the work of Mary Douglas, Phyllis Trible, Wendy Doniger and Catherine Bell.
Part Two: Examining Particularities analyzes the comparative approach through the work of Alice Walker, Charles Long and Caroline Walker Bynum, who all suggest that the specifics of race, body, place and time must be considered.
Part Three: Expanding Boundaries examines Gloria Anzaldúa's language of religion, as well as the work of Judith Butler on performative, queer theories of religion, and concludes with Saba Mahmood, whose work considers postcolonial religious encounters, secularism, and the relationship between “East” and “West.”
Reflecting the cultural turn and challenging the existing canon, this is the anthology instructors have been waiting for.
For primary texts by the theorists discussed, please consult The Bloomsbury Reader in Cultural Approaches to the Study of Religion, edited by Sarah J. Bloesch and Meredith Minister.
· an introduction contextualizing their key ideas
· one or two selections representative of the theorist's innovative methodological approach(es)
· discussion questions to extend and deepen reader engagement
Divided in three sections, the first part includes foundational comparative debates:
· Mary Douglas's articulation of purity and impurity
· Phyllis Trible's methods of reading sacred texts
· Wendy Doniger's comparative mythology
· Catherine Bell's reimagining of religious and secular ritual
The second part focuses on methodological particularity:
· Alice Walker's use of narrative
· Charles Long's critique of Eurocentricism
· Caroline Walker Bynum's emphasis on gender and materiality
The third section focuses on expanding boundaries:
· Gloria Anzaldúa's work on borders and languages
· Judith Butler's critique of gender and sex norms
· Saba Mahmood's expansion on the critique of colonialism's secularizing demands
Reflecting the cultural turn and extending the existing canon, this is the anthology instructors have been waiting for.
For further detail on the theorists discussed, please consult Cultural Approaches to Studying Religion: An Introduction to Theories and Methods, edited by Sarah J. Bloesch and Meredith Minister.