The Study of Religion.doc

7/23/2019 The Study of Religion.doc

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The Study of Religion: An Introduction and Provocation

by Kenneth MacKendrick

At the close of 1843, Karl Marx wrote something that has surely become

one of the significant paradoxes constitutive of the interests at stae in thestudy of religion! namely, that "the criticism of religion is the premise of allcriticism" #Marx 1$%8! &3'( )he phrase remains contentious for goodreason( *s the study of religion simply a scientific endeavour, which seesto illuminate some obscure phenomena in an explanatory and analyticsense, or does the study of religion actually produce a surplus or anexcess which intervenes in the very ob+ect of inuiry-

.ven with these brief uestions, the dice have been loaded and the staeshave been raised( /nly one ob+ect- 0hould we be taling about the study

of religions and not simply the study of religion- *s it the place of a scholarof religion to be a critic of religion- Might we also as whether religion is anob+ect at all- And why obscure- )here is no shortage of disagreement ordebate about this( 0o much so that the study of religion within theacademy has yet to achieve a secure position within university curriculum#uscha 1$$%, 2ease et al 1$$&'(

/ne of the most difficult and controversial tass for any religionist is theattempt to provide a coherent definition of religion( *f we at least now whatwe are looing for, even vaguely, then we can begin to outline, if onlynegatively, what, at least, religion is not( )here are countless definitionsthat permeate popular and intellectual thought! ranging from "a culturalsystem" #eert5' to "infantile regression" #6reud'( 7illiam Arnal hasoutlined several definitions, or ways of approaching religion! broadly,substantivist definitions, which rely on ey ingredients and culturalistdefinitions, where the contents of religion are examined according to theirfunction within a given system( either are completely satisfactory( Arnalgoes on to claim, with a high degree of +ustification, that "religion does notexist" #Arnal 1$$$', indicating, along with )alal Asad, that the category itself is the product of specific contingent political and economic forces whichhave engendered a contentious predisposition from the outset 99 a claim

well worth thining about, and one that captures the spirit ofdeconstruction, attempting at once to both critici5e and preserve an"impossible" category(

)ypically, religion is a category used to describe something uniue orspecific about a given cultural tradition, and we have several relativelyprepacaged categories through which to do this! :induism, ;uddhism,



<onfucianism, )aoism, *slam, udaism, <hristianity #for instance, see0mith 1$&8'( 7ithout a doubt, these are the most common "worldreligions" studied in any introductory class, be it in high school, college, oruniversity( *n general, there is an underlying agreement that in a universitysetting it would be irresponsible for a department, of adeuate financial

means, not to include the study of these seven traditions in their program()hey have been, in effect, institutionali5ed( )his is not to say that suchdistinctions are without differentiation or conflict( Many introductions to"world religions" entail a curious distinction between western religions!*slam, udaism and <hristianity= and eastern philosophies! :induism,;uddhism, <onfucianism and )aoism( )he immediate contradiction shouldnot be lost on us, even if such distinctions are made less often today(

)he strange mixture of religion, philosophy and culture, a mix which hasoften proven itself to be inadeuate in many ways, have given rise to two

distinct trends in the study of religion! phenomenology #.liade', which haslargely fallen into disrepute, and comparativism #>aton, 0harpe', which iscertainly not short of its critics either #Martin et al 1$$?'( )heseapproaches, of course, have spawned a renewed emphasis on issues ofmethod and theory, from ;ruce 2incolns ")heses on Method" #1$$?' to@ussell Mc<utcheons Manufacturing @eligion #1$$%'( 6urthermore, theseissues have prompted some fran and articulate self9reflective lines ofinuiry, not only interested in the study of religion, but in the study of thestudy of religion( *n particular, the political structure of national andinternational institutional bodies #Martin, 7iebe, King, 0mart, :acett

1$$3', employment #Mc<utcheon 1$$8', gender #7arne 1$$8' andpedagogy #uscha 1$$$'( *n their own way, each of these scholars havewritten about the institutional space in which our discipline taes place,emphasi5ing often implicit issues of class, epistemology, gender, and racethat plague both the academy and the study of religion itself( )here havealso been heated debates about the distinction between studying religionand practicing religion, coming to be nown as the insideroutsider debate#Mc<utcheon 1$$$'( Bonald 7iebes infamous debate with <harles Bavisis notable in this regard #7iebe 1$84, 1$8?= Bavis 1$84, 1$8?'( )here hasalso been some important studies in the contribution of religionists topublic policy and the role of scholars in the public sphere, as :arold<oward has outlined #1$$$'(

/ne of the most publici5ed debates regarding in our field has focused onthe difference between the study of religion, religious thining and theology#7iebe 1$$1'( Although the dust has yet to clear, * thin there is anemerging sentiment that the distinctions between the study of religion andtheology are beginning to sediment( ;oth religionists and theologians have



a self9same interest in preserving relative independence from one another(Bespite the fact that close associations between theological and religionistfaculty remain, much can be said about their mutual excommunication(:owever, if religion is a synthetic category, then the uestion of the studyof religion remains an open one, and this entails a variety of approaches

and perspectives, although we certainly have persuasive evidence thatsome theories are better than others(

)he study of religion has long since been hailed as interdisciplinary, withan emphasis on the uniue ways in which religionists "appropriate" themethods and theories of other disciplines to form their own approachesand analyses( )his has lent itself to a common #mis'conception that thestudy of religion is merely parasitic on other fields #sociology, psychology,history, literary criticism and so on'( >erhaps it is time to change this byextending the range of religious studies into other disciplines( 7hat is

certain is that religion has played, and continues to play, a vital anddynamic role in political and social life( *n <anada, "social conservativism"at the present moment is en+oying unprecedented growth and politicalinfluence( Bespite the absence of religious references in mostdeclarations of policy, there is little doubt about the distinctly religion9basedagenda that underlies this ind of public policy, which is also commonenough amongst the progressive left and throughout the reen >arty(

Additionally, the best9seller boolists also record mighty sales for boosabout spirituality and religious faith, and the hit summer televisionblocbuster 0urvivor is ripe with references to "island spirits" with

"confessional" anecdotes( 6urthermore, as late capitalism continues toravage pocets of meaningful existence, transforming consumption itselfinto the sole means of social and economic reproduction, scholars ofreligion would be careless not to provide insight into the fetish character ofcommodities and the ways in which mythology is often used to bolsternationalistic sentiment( As religious traditions continue to morph into newcreations, from televangelism to new age environmentalism and drug9induced mysticism, and the immense entertainment industry continues toripen with religious imagery, even so9called "non9religionists" have turnedtheir ga5e to the study of religion #although very few of them ever readwhat religionists have to sayC'( )he recent anthology, Religion, edited byBerrida and Dattimo #1$$$', :abermass debate with theology #1$$E' andeven more recently, 0lavo+ Fi5es boo, The Fragile Absolute, have taenup investigations of the nature and dynamics of religion directly( *t would benaive to thin that our field can remain limited to "seven" traditions, and itwould be a profound miscalculation to thin that the study of religion hasnothing to say about the disciplines it is connected with(



udging from the diverse nature of the debates outined above, theuestion of "the critiue of religion" remains, and there is no agreement insight( :owever, one thing is certain! studying religion is political()heoretical inuiry itself has often been the source of both public and ivorytower outcries, ranging from the separation of theological departments and

religious studies departments, to public dissent about the ind of analysesthat particular scholars pursue( .ven if a religion can be studieddescriptively and analytically #and *, for one, have my doubts', theinstitutional space of the study of religion is highly charged( 7hat we do inthe study of religion is implicated in the political sphere( Bespite our bestattempts, we are not simply dealing with abstract concepts( As :egel oncecryptically noted, "spirit is a bone("

<ertainly, technological change, global capitalism, the "new economy" aredriving forces behind the rapid changes in religious life, prompting new

mythologies, diverse rituals and launching adaptive political movements( *tseems uite strange that very little research has been done on therelationship between religion and the political economy, so much so thatthe two issues are usually completely unconnected( 0tephen :andelmanuotes .lliot Abrams, chair of the G(0( <ommission on *nternational@eligious 6reedom, as saying ")he sad truth is that religion, as we beginthis new millennium, still starts more conflicts that it resolves" #:andelmanEHHH'( )his impression, which is a popular one no doubt, has lead to a the")he Millennium 7orld >eace 0ummit of @eligious and 0piritual 2eaders,"billed as the largest ecumenical religious gathering in history hosted by the

Gnited ations, where "spiritual authorities" are given an opportunity to sitdown together to find "peace and love(" /ne can be struc by the strangenaturali5ed and naturali5ing associations here( 7hy should <hristians and;uddhists be lumped together- 7hat do these supposed "spiritualauthorities" have in common such that they, in particular, should findthemselves burdened with the tas of establishing peace- )o be certain,the "spiritual authorities" involved are constituted by the very traditions thatscholars of religion, at least in part, deem religious(

/ne of the great challenges that the study of religion faces, amidst debatesabout the "politics of identity" and "multiculturalism," is precisely thepolitici5ation of our inuiries( *t has become commonplace, in some circles,to assume that "cultural traditions" are the traditions of "others," with thecorollary #politically' relativistic attitude, "to each their own(" As if,somehow, religion or religiousity is essentially or naturally a matter ofindividual faith or spirituality( 0omewhere along the line, the critiue ofreligion, which was pivotal for the founding of our discipline, seems to havecollapsed into a distinctly liberal and, at the same time, privati5ed model(



.vidence of this collapse, or at least of the subordination of a morepolitici5ed model of the study of religion, can be found in the introductorycomments by ;awa ain, general secretary of the Millennium 7orld >eace0ummit, who notes explicity, "it is not the intention of this @eligious 0ummitto engage in political issues" #ain EHHH'( Apparently, religion, ethnicity and

peace are not political issues, or perhaps #insidiously' they are notappropriately political((( Asads comments regarding the study of religionappear to be highly relevant! "*t may be a happy accident that this effort ofdefining religion converges with the liberal demand in our time that it beept uite separate from politics, law and sciences 9 spaces in whichvarieties of power and reason articulate our distinctly modern life( )hisdefinition is at once part of a strategy #for secular liberals' of theconfinement, and #for liberal <hristians' of the defence of religion" #Asad1$$3! E8'( *f we tae Asads observations seriously, then perhaps weshould pause to consider what motives lie behind the largely private

donations that are funding the peace summit #)ed )urner, the honourarychair, contributed over I%&H,HHH'(

)oday, multiculturalism has often assumed the position of the privileging ofalready established boundaries and institutions, a ind of plurality in nameonly( *f this is the case, then the study and critiue of religion, or perhapsthe critiue of the study of religion, taes on a new relevance( Much ofwhat goes on under the name of global "religious conflict,""fundamentalism" or "ethnic tension" often seems to have little to do withthe traditions we learn about in 7orld @eligions classes( *n the popular

media, for instance, we easily find a close association of "religion" with"ethnicity" which, as we well now, is most often, although not always,used as a pe+orative category, aligning "ethnicity" with "nature," and"nature" with social and political regression #"religion Jethnicity- is acrutch"'( )he study of religion, then, is freuently perceived as aspeciali5ed form of anthropology which has little or nothing to do withmodern politics( )hese blatantly ideological caricatures are, without adoubt, reinforced by trends in globali5ing capitalism, as Marx well newwhen he wrote, "J<apitalism has drowned the most heavenly ecstasies ofreligious fervour, of chivalrous enthusiasm, of philistine sentimentalism, inthe icy water of egotistical calculation( *t has resolved personal worth intoexchange value, and in the place of the numberless indefeasible charteredfreedoms, has set up that single, unconscionable freedom 9 6ree )rade( *none word, for exploitation, veiled by religious and political illusions, it hassubstituted naed, shameless, direct, brutal exploitation" #Marx 1$%8! 4%&'(

As western liberalism soars to new heights, finding its ceiling in the stocmaret, the tendency to characteri5e anything outside of this system asinferior or deformed grinds its way into social policy( .ually disturbing is



the trend to associate ins in the economy exclusively with "religious" or"ethnic" conflicts, shifting an emphasis from the political economy #i(e(class struggle' to uestions of culture( 7ithout a doubt, this influenceswhat we, as scholars of religion, thin and do when we are studyingreligion( ot only that, but we contribute to these ideological caricatures

whenever we strive to confine our discipline within distinct parameters(

7ors <ited

Arnal, 7illiam .( 1$$$ "Befinition(" *n 7illi ;raun and @ussell )(Mc<utcheon#eds(', Guide to the Study of Religion( 2ondon! <assell! EHHH(

Asad, )alal 1$$3 ")he <onstruction of religion as an anthropological category("*nGenealogies of Religion: Discipline and Reasons of Power in Christianity andIsla( ;altimore! ohns :opins Gniversity >ress! E%9&4(

;rowning, Bon 0( and 6rancis 0chLssler 6ioren5a, eds( 1$$E !aberas"#odernity" and Public Theology ( ew or! <rossroads(

<oward, :arold 1$$$ ")he contribution of religious studies to public policy("Studies in Religion $ Sciences Religieuses E8, 4! 48$9&HE(

Bavis, <harles 1$84 "7herein there is no ecstasy(" Studies in Religion $Sciences Religieuses 13, 4! 3$394HH(

Bavis, <harles 1$8? ")he immanence of nowledge and the ecstasy of faith("

Studies in Religion $ Sciences Religieuses 1&, E! 1$191$?(

Berrida, acues and ianni Dattimo, eds( 1$$8 Religion( )ranslated by Bavid7ebb( 0tanford! 0tanford Gniversity >ress(

:andelman, 0tephen EHHH "7orld religious leaders see elusive peace! 0ummitat G(( critici5ed as being too political(" Toronto Star , August E8, AE(

ain, ;awa EHHH "7hy a religious summit at the Gnited ations-"http!www(millenniumpeacesummit(comaboutframe(html

uscha, Barlene M( 1$$% "@eligious studies and identity politics! Mythology inthe maing(" The Council of Societies for the Study of Religion %ulletin E?! 8911(

uscha, Barlene M( 1$$$ ")he construction of pedagogical spaces! @eligiousstudies in the university(" Studies in Religion $ Sciences Religieuses E8, 1! 8&9$%(



2ease, ary et al 1$$& Pathologies in the Acadeic Study of Religion: &orth Aerican Institutional Case Studies' 0pecial *ssue! Method and )heory in the0tudy of @eligion %, 4(

2incoln, ;ruce 1$$? ")heses on method(" #ethod and Theory in the Study of

Religion 8, 3! EE&9EE%(

Martin, 2uther :(, and Bonald 7iebe, Grsula King, inian 0mart, @osalind *( (:acett 1$$3 #ethod and Theory in the Study of Religion &, 1(

Martin, 2uther :( et al 1$$? The &ew Coparati(is in the Study of Religion: ASyposiu' 0pecial *ssue! Method and )heory in the 0tudy of @eligion 8, 1(

Marx, Karl 1$%8 "<ontribution to the critiue of :egel1s >hilosophy of @ight!*ntroduction(" *n @obert <( )ucer #ed(', The #ar)*+ngels Reader: Second+dition' ew or! orton! &39?&(

Marx, Karl 1$%8 "Manifesto of the <ommunist >arty(" *n @obert <( )ucer #ed(',The #ar)*+ngels Reader: Second +dition( ew or! orton! 4%39&HH(

Mc<utcheon, @ussell )( 1$$% #anufacturing Religion: The Discourse on SuiGeneris Religion and the Politics of &ostalgia( /xford! /xford Gniversity >ress(

Mc<utcheon, @ussell )( 1$$8 ")he crisis of academic labour and the myth ofautonomy! Bispatch from the +ob wars(" Studies in Religion $ SciencesReligieuses E%, 4! 38%94H&(

Mc<utcheon, @ussell )(, ed( 1$$$ The Insider$,utsider Proble in the Study ofReligion: A Reader' 2ondon! <assell( Millennium 7orld >eace 0ummit of@eligious and 0piritual 2eaders EHHH http!www(millenniumpeacesummit(com

0mith, :uston 1$&8 The Religions of #an( ew or! ew American 2ibrary(

7arne, @andi @( 1$$8 "#.n'gendering religious studies(" Studies in Religion $Sciences Religieuses E%, 4! 4E%943?(

7iebe, Bonald 1$84 ")he failure of nerve in the academic study of religion("Studies in Religion $ Sciences Religieuses 13, 4! 4H194EE(

7iebe, Bonald 1$8? ")he academic naturali5ation of religious studies(" Studiesin Religion $ Sciences Religieuses 1&, E! 1$%9EH3(

7iebe, Bonald 1$$1 The Irony of Theology and the &ature of Religious Thought'Montreal and Kingston! Mcill9Nueen1s Gniversity >ress(



Fi5e, 0lavo+ EHHH The Fragile Absolute- or" .hy is the Christian /egacy .orthFighting For0 2ondon! Derso(

Kenneth ( MacKendric is a graduate student at the <entre for the 0tudyof @eligion, Gniversity of )oronto( :e teaches @eligion, 2aw and Moralityas a 0essional *nstructor and is in the process of writing a dissertation onacues 2acan and Lrgen :abermas, with an emphasis on the theoreticalfoundations of critical social theory #6reud, :egel, Kant'( :e is alsointerested in popular

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