Tag Archives: Religious Studies

(William James) Religion Is….

I’ve been struggling with the caricature according to which the definition of religion suggested by James is “Protestant.” This is to claim that for James, religion is a private matter, The problem is this. On the one hand, the caricature … Continue reading

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Magic Onion (E.B. Tylor)

h/t Samuel Spinner On old thing in mint museum-comdition here at Pitt Rivers Museum Onion stuck with pins and a metal coil, used in sympathetic magic [SM 07/01/2008] Place details: EUROPE. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland / England … Continue reading

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(Animism) Primitive Jewish Culture (E.B. Tylor)

Jewish culture and Judaism spot E.B. Tylor’s monumental Primitive Culture. There is no special theory of Jewish culture or Judaism in Primitive Culture. Judaism is nothing special, just one more dataset in the ethnographic record. Primitive Judaism is folklore Primitive … Continue reading

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Animism, Affect, Spiritual Beings (E.B. Tylor)

In late mid-career, I finally got around to E.B. Tylor’s Primitive Culture and more of these musty nineteenth century contributions to the science of Religion. I am now including in my graduate seminar on Theories and Methods Max Müller’s Lectures … Continue reading

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I Do Not Understand American Christendom (2020 Elections)

Now is as good a time to say it as not. I do not understand American Christendom, the underlying goodness and underlying depravity at the base of this majoritarian human phenomenon. I understand the myth of American exceptionalism, freedoms,  and … Continue reading

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(HAZMAT) Haredi Jewish Studies (Coronavirus)

  In the opening months of the viral pandemic, there were posts at sites like the blog run by the Katz Center for Jewish History relating to setting the pandemic in historical and philosophical context. There has been lively back … Continue reading

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Liberal Hot Takes re: Haredi Response to Coronavirus

Asked by a colleague in Religious Studies about the spike of infection rates of coronavirus among Haredi Jews in the fall and around the High Holiday season, and about Haredi response to and backlash re: attempts by government authority to … Continue reading

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(Anthropology of Judaism) Lag Ba’Omer

Touching upon the history and anthropology of Jewish religion, as well as concluding methodological reflections. With many thanks to Joshua Schwartz and Shari Rabin, respectively, for the kindness of sharing their expertise and these two scholarly references re: the pilgrimage … Continue reading

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(Dys-Functionalist Theory of Religion) Lag Ba’Omer Coronavirus (Dying for God)

Going back to Durkheim, sociologists of religion who assume a functionalist interpretation of religion look to religion and ritual as something that brings and holds a society together, regenerates it. A dys-functionalist approach to the study of religion and ritual … Continue reading

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Coronavirus and the Ontological Garden Path in Religious Studies (Robert Orsi & Shaul Magid)

What do we say about empirically false claims that religious faith and practice will protect people from all kinds of ills in this world? For instance the Christian woman who will go to Church, secure in being washed in the … Continue reading

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