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Episode Data for #, Ariela Keysar on “What does ‘belief’ mean to Americans?” | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | Ariela Keysar on “What does ‘belief’ mean to Americans?” | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | ERROR | ![]() Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed Subscribe: RSS You can also download this interview, and subscribe to receive our weekly podcast, on iTunes. And if you enjoyed it, please take a moment to rate us.In his keynote address, right at the very start of the symposium, Gordon Lynch raised what he dubbed the erroneous assumption prevalent throughout much of social science that belief is universal, consistent and articulate-able. As Keysar’s data from a number of large-scale, quantitative studies shows, belief changes over time; it is situational, practical, functional, generational; it varies geographically; it varies across and within religious traditions; it has meaning outwith religion, and may be meaningless within; beliefs about the meaning of life may play very little role in daily life. Listeners may be interested in the following excellent resources mentioned in the podcast which are freely available online:
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DATE | 2012-06-11 08:50:31 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-ariela-keysar/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/default-image.jpg | |
CATEGORY: | Podcasts, Season 1 | |
TERMS: | America, Belief, quantitative | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | ERROR | |
EXCERPT: | ‘Belief’ lies at the core of E.B. Tylor’s canonical definition of religion as belief in ‘spiritual beings’. However, in the last decades of the twentieth century the concept became unfashionable in the social sciences, with scholars from all parts of the world denouncing its centrality as a Western, Protestant bias which has limited application to other religions. Ariela Keysar disagrees… | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Christopher R. Cotter
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/christopher-r-cotter/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1Chris_Elephants-Breann-Fallon.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Ariela Keysar
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/ariela-keysar/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/ariela-keysar.jpg
RESPONSE: The Faith-Spangled Banner: Changes in American attitudes and belief in all directions
RESPONSE_URL: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/response/the-faith-spangled-banner-changes-in-american-attitudes-and-belief-in-all-directions-by-lindsey-arielle-askin/
RESPONSE_CONTRIBUTOR: // not sure how to do this yet
Episode Data for #, ‘Religion’ and Mystification | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | ‘Religion’ and Mystification | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | ERROR | ![]() Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed Subscribe: RSS You can also download this interview, and subscribe to receive our weekly podcast, on iTunes. And if you enjoyed it, please take a moment to rate us. Timothy Fitzgerald is Reader in Religion at the University of Stirling, and organiser of the Critical Religion Category Network (CRCN). His 2000 book, The Ideology of Religious Studies (Oxford University Press) was the topic of a one day symposium organized by the Department of Religious Studies, University of Manchester. More recently, he published Discourse on Civility and Barbarity: a critical history of religion and related categories (Oxford University Press, 2007), and the edited volume Religion and the Secular: historical and colonial formations (Equinox, 2007). |
DATE | 2012-06-04 09:50:34 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-timothy-fitzgerald-on-religion-and-mystification/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/default-image.jpg | |
CATEGORY: | Podcasts, Season 1 | |
TERMS: | categories, critical religion, mystification, Religious Studies | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | ERROR | |
AUDIO_URL: | ERROR | |
EXCERPT: | In this interview, Timothy Fitzgerald presents his critical deconstruction of religion as a powerful discourse and its parasitic relation to ‘secular’ categories such as politics and economics. Religion is not a stand-alone category, he argues; ‘religions’ are modern inventions which are made to appear ubiquitous and, by being removed to a marginal, … | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Jonathan Tuckett
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/jonathan-tuckett/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Jonathan_Tuckett.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Timothy Fitzgerald
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/timothy-fitzgerald/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Tim_Fitzgerald.jpg
RESPONSE: Editors' Picks, Summer 2018: Shifting from religions to 'religion'
RESPONSE_URL: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/response/editors-picks-summer-2018-shifting-from-religions-to-religion/
RESPONSE_CONTRIBUTOR: // not sure how to do this yet
Episode Data for #, Roundtable: Should Religious Studies be Multidisciplinary? | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | Roundtable: Should Religious Studies be Multidisciplinary? | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | ERROR | ![]() Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed Subscribe: RSS ![]() Ethan: “The issue with this issue that we are talking about is that there is no issue.” As Nathan Schneider recently wrote on Religion Dispatches, “No matter what you “do with it,” really, the study of religion forces you to learn about geopolitics, languages, literatures, sciences, and histories.” Is this a good thing? Should individual scholars multi-disciplinary? Or just departments? What is the difference between multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary?
Given that Religious Studies is currently vying for finances and for an academic identity and respect, is it important that we have one consistent methodological approach? Would this lead to commonality and manageability? Do we even need to be unique? Any why not turn to theory or content to provide that distinctiveness and autonomy? ![]() If we were to have just one methodology, what would it be? Phenomenology? Anthropology? Sociology? History? Psychology? Text Criticism? Neo-Tylorianism? Critical Religions? What would we “kick out”? Towards the end of the discussion, the issues of bias and representation come to the fore. which is quite serendipitous given that our next compilation episode and roundtable are both focusing on the issue of whether scholars of religion should be critics or caretakers. There is a lot of chat about historical approaches in this podcast, and if you would like to get a better handle on what this mysterious phenomenology actually is, then please do listen to this podcast with the oft-mentioned James Cox, or read Jonathan’s response essay on the same topic. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
DATE | 2012-05-30 10:02:50 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/roundtable-should-religious-studies-be-multidisciplinary/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/md21-e1338368163774-1024×603-1.jpg | |
CATEGORY: | Podcasts, Season 1 | |
TERMS: | roundtable | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | ERROR | |
EXCERPT: | Ninian Smart was a proponent of the idea that Religious Studies should be “poly-methodical”; but should Religious Studies as a discipline incorporate theories and methodologies from multiple other disciplines, such as sociology, anthropology or history? When RS departments have run on an interdisciplinary basis, have they been successful? | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Elizabeth Ursic
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/elizabeth-ursic/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Elizabeth-Ursic.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Ethan Gjerset Quillen
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/ethan-gjerset-quillen/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/ethanQuillen.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Jonathan Tuckett
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/jonathan-tuckett/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Jonathan_Tuckett.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Kevin Whitesides
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/kevin-whitesides/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Kevin_Whitesides.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Krittika Bhattacharjee
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/krittika-bhattacharjee/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Krittika_Bhattacharjee.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Liam Sutherland
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/liam-sutherland/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Liam_Sutherland.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Maegan C. M. Gilliland
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/maegan-c-m-gilliland/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Maegan.jpg
Episode Data for #, Tariq Modood on the Crisis of European Secularism | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | Tariq Modood on the Crisis of European Secularism | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | ERROR | ![]() Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed Subscribe: RSS You can also download this interview, and subscribe to receive our weekly podcast, on iTunes. And if you enjoyed it, please take a moment to rate us. Tariq Modood is Professor of Sociology, Politics and Public Policy at the University of Bristol. He is founding Director of the University Research Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship, and co-founding editor of the international journal, Ethnicities. As a regular contributor to the media and policy debates in Britain, he was awarded a MBE for services to social sciences and ethnic relations in 2001 and elected a member of the Academy of Social Sciences in 2004. He also served on the Commission on the Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain, the IPPR Commission on National Security and on the National Equality Panel, which reported to the UK Deputy Prime Minister in 2010. His recent publications include Multicultural Politics: Racism, Ethnicity and Muslims in Britain (Edinburgh University Press, 2005), Multiculturalism: A Civic Idea (Polity, 2007) and Still Not Easy Being British: Struggles for a Multicultural Citizenship (Trentham Books, 2010); and as co-editor, Secularism, Religion and Multicultural Citizenship (Cambridge University Press, 2009). Is There a Crisis of Secularism in Western Europe?, which expands considerably upon the issues in this interview, is now available at http://www.bris.ac.uk/ethnicity/news/2012/36.html. Readers and listeners might also be interested in Linda Woodhead’s podcast on the Secularisation Thesis, and Bjoern Mastiaux’s essay on the same topic. |
DATE | 2012-05-28 08:30:23 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-tariq-modood-on-the-crisis-of-european-secularism/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/default-image.jpg | |
CATEGORY: | Podcasts, Season 1 | |
TERMS: | europe, Secularism, SOCREL | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | ERROR | |
AUDIO_URL: | ERROR | |
EXCERPT: | Secularism – the separation of religion and state – has been a central narrative in the European political sphere since the Enlightenment. But with renewed calls in some countries to affirm a Christian identity, and problems in accommodating some Muslim communities, is Western secularism under threat? | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Tariq Madood
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/tariq-madood/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/tariq_modood.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: David G. Robertson
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/david-g-robertson/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Mustaches009-1024x972-1.jpg
RESPONSE: In Saecula Saeculorum: Reflecting on the Age/Aeon in light of the Cappadocian Fathers
RESPONSE_URL: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/response/in-saecula-saeculorum-reflecting-on-the-ageaeon-in-light-of-the-cappadocian-fathers-by-mario-baghos/
RESPONSE_CONTRIBUTOR: // not sure how to do this yet
Episode Data for #, Lisbeth Mikaelsson on Religion and Gender | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | Lisbeth Mikaelsson on Religion and Gender | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | ERROR | ![]() Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed Subscribe: RSS You can also download this interview, and subscribe to receive our weekly podcast, on iTunes. And if you enjoyed it, please take a moment to rate us. Lisbeth Mikaelsson is professor of religion in the department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion at the University of Bergen. More recently she has shifted her specialism from religion and gender to new religious movements and is currently studying the Prosperity Movement. She has published a number of books and articles in Norwegian. In English she has published on the topic of Gender in Armin Geertz’ edited volume New Approaches to the Study of Religion and the journal Numen. |
DATE | 2012-05-21 08:00:15 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-lisbeth-mikaelsson-on-religion-and-gender/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/default-image.jpg | |
CATEGORY: | Podcasts, Season 1 | |
TERMS: | gender | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | ERROR | |
AUDIO_URL: | ERROR | |
EXCERPT: | From dress codes to notions of purity to questions of the legitimate of power the topic of gender is one few scholars can afford to ignore. With a whole range of issues to be investigated Lisbeth Mikaelsson gives us an introductory insight into the complex topic of religion and gender: the issues it raises, the way we go about it, who’s doing it and why. | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Jonathan Tuckett
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/jonathan-tuckett/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Jonathan_Tuckett.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Lisbeth Mikaelsson
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/lisbeth-mikaelsson/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Lisbeth_mikaelsson.jpg
RESPONSE: Double Trouble: Some Reflections on (En)gendering the Study of Religion
RESPONSE_URL: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/response/george-ioannides-double-trouble-some-reflections-on-engendering-the-study-of-religion/
RESPONSE_CONTRIBUTOR: // not sure how to do this yet
Episode Data for #18, Studying “Cults” | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | Studying “Cults” | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | 18 |
Although “cult” and “sect” are used as technical terms in religious studies, in their popular usage, “cult” tends to refer to a New Religious Movement [NRM] or other group whose beliefs or practices are considered reprehensible. Since such pejorative attitudes are generally considered inappropriate for the academic study of religion, scholars have tended to adopt the nomenclature of NRMs to refer to “a wide range of groups and movements of alternative spirituality, the emergence of which is generally associated with the aftermath of the 1960s counter-culture” (Arweck 2002:269). In this interview with Chris, Emeritus Professor Eileen Barker (LSE) takes us through the academic study of NRMs from the 1960s onwards, engaging with the particular challenges and successes which have been encountered by academics in the field, and reflecting on some of the more colourful aspects of this area of research. Eileen Barker OBE, FBA, is Emeritus Professor of Sociology with special reference to the study of Religion at the London School of Economics. She has been researching minority religions and the responses to which they give rise since the early 1970s. Her study of conversion to the Unification Church for her PhD, led to an interest in a wide variety of movements, and she has personally studied, to greater or lesser degree, over 150 different groups. She has over 300 publications, translated into 27 languages. She travels extensively for research purposes, particularly in North America, Europe and Japan, and, since collapse of the Berlin Wall, in Eastern Europe and, more recently, China. She was the first non-American to be elected President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. She is also the founder of INFORM (Information Network, Focus on Religious Movements), an independent charity that was founded in 1988 with the support of the British Home Office and the mainstream Churches. It is based at the London School of Economics. According to Inform’s website, “the primary aim of Inform is to help people by providing them with information that is as accurate, balanced, and up-to-date as possible about alternative religious, spiritual and esoteric movements.” Among Professor Barker’s publications, the following may be of interest (those which are open-access are indicated with an asterisk):
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DATE | 2012-05-14 08:03:28 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-eileen-barker-on-studying-cults/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/featured_barker_s1.png | |
CATEGORY: | needs transcription, Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | Cults, INFORM, NRMs, Scientology, Sociology of Religion | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/RSP18-Barker.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | What is a ‘cult’, and how are they generally perceived? How does one distinguish between new religious movements and cults? And what’s at stake in that distinction? Tune in to learn more with Eileen Barker and Chris Cotter! | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Eileen Barker
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/eileen-barker/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Eileen_barker.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Christopher R. Cotter
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/christopher-r-cotter/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1Chris_Elephants-Breann-Fallon.jpg
RESPONSE: What should we do with the study of new religions?
RESPONSE_URL: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/response/hanna-lehtinen-what-should-we-do-with-the-study-of-new-religions/
RESPONSE_CONTRIBUTOR: // not sure how to do this yet
Episode Data for #17, Jolyon Mitchell on Religion, Violence and the Media | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | Jolyon Mitchell on Religion, Violence and the Media | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | 17 | Discussions of religion in the media nowadays frequently revolve around issues of violence and social unrest. Religions and media can become collaborators in promoting peace and opening negotiations; at the same time the media can become host to extremist narratives which may incite violence. Does the media have a responsibility to promote peace? Are religions becoming more skilled at manipulating the media?
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DATE | 2012-05-07 09:14:23 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-jolyon-mitchell-on-religion-violence-and-the-media/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/cover.jpg | |
CATEGORY: | needs transcription, Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | media, violence | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/RSP17-Mitchell.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | Discussions of religion in the media nowadays frequently revolve around issues of violence and social unrest. Religions and media can become collaborators in promoting peace and opening negotiations; at the same time the media can become host to extremist narratives which may incite violence. Does the media have a responsibility to promote peace? | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Jolyon Mitchell
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/jolyon-mitchelll/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/jolyon-mitchell.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: David G. Robertson
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/david-g-robertson/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Mustaches009-1024x972-1.jpg
Episode Data for #, Roundtable: Can We Trust the Social Sciences? | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | Roundtable: Can We Trust the Social Sciences? | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | ERROR | We have another ‘treat’ for you this week – we’ll let you decide whether that was an accurate description or not – in the form of another roundtable discussion, with a slightly different group of people. This was recorded late on the 28th of March at the University of Chester during the British Sociological Association’s Sociology of Religion Study Group (SOCREL for short)’s conference (although, of course, this is an ‘unofficial’ discussion).
![]() ![]() Do social scientists depend upon assumptive reasoning when it comes to filling in the blanks in their data? Does a decline in church attendance mean a decline in conviction, or simply a decline in one’s attendance at church? By providing boxes do we force people into boxes? What does one individual tell us about a category? What is it specifically about religion that makes this such an issue? How do we trust people to answer in a certain way? ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
DATE | 2012-05-02 14:16:30 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/roundtable-can-we-trust-the-social-sciences/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMGP0727.jpg | |
CATEGORY: | needs transcription, Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | Census, Demography, Religious Studies, Social Sciences, Sociology of Religion, Surveys | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Roundtable-2.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | In another roundtable gathering, conversation ranges from the strengths and weaknesses of such data, whether there is more to the social sciences than quantitative methods, and the place of the social sciences within a multi-disciplinary Religious Studies field. Can we trust social sciences when we study religion? Is a social scientific approach the future of religious studies? | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Christopher R. Cotter
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/christopher-r-cotter/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1Chris_Elephants-Breann-Fallon.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: David G. Robertson
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/david-g-robertson/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Mustaches009-1024x972-1.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Ethan Gjerset Quillen
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/ethan-gjerset-quillen/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/ethanQuillen.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Katie Aston
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/katie-aston/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/katie_aston.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Kevin Whitesides
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/kevin-whitesides/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Kevin_Whitesides.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Matthew Francis
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/matthew-francis/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Matthew_Francis.jpg
Episode Data for #16, Historical Approaches to (Losing) Religion | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | Historical Approaches to (Losing) Religion | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | 16 | How can we use historical approaches in the study of religion? More specifically, can we use historical approaches to understand why people are losing it? Professor Callum Brown tells us why historical approaches have much to tell us about religious change.
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DATE | 2012-04-30 08:10:16 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-callum-brown-on-historical-approaches-to-losing-religion/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/default-image.jpg | |
CATEGORY: | needs transcription, Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | History, quantitative, scotland, Secularism, Secularization | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/RSP16-Brown.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | How can we use historical approaches in the study of religion? More specifically, can we use historical approaches to understand why people are losing it? Professor Callum Brown tells us why historical approaches have much to tell us about religious change. How can we use historical approaches in the study of religion? | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Callum Brown
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/callum-brown/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/callum-brown.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Christopher R. Cotter
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/christopher-r-cotter/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1Chris_Elephants-Breann-Fallon.jpg
Episode Data for #15, Religion After Darwin | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | Religion After Darwin | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | 15 | Charles Darwin’s On The Origin of Species was published in 1859, and had an immediate and dramatic effect on religious narratives. Traditional religions were forced to adopt an evolutionary worldview, or to go on the offensive; whereas New Religious Movements like Wicca or New Age adopted an environmental concern as a central part of their belief. And possibly, for individuals and groups committed to protect, preserve or sacralise nature, environmentalism has become a kind of religion in itself.
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DATE | 2012-04-23 08:36:20 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-bron-taylor-on-religion-after-darwin/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/default-image.jpg | |
CATEGORY: | needs transcription, Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | Environment, Evolution, nature, religion and science | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/RSP15-Taylor1.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | Charles Darwin’s On The Origin of Species was published in 1859, and had an immediate and dramatic effect on religious narratives. Traditional religions were forced to adopt an evolutionary worldview, or to go on the offensive; whereas New Religious Movements like Wicca or New Age adopted an environmental concern as a central part of their belief. And possibly, … | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Bron Taylor
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/bron-taylor/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/bron_taylor_1.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Christopher R. Cotter
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/christopher-r-cotter/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1Chris_Elephants-Breann-Fallon.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: David G. Robertson
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/david-g-robertson/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Mustaches009-1024x972-1.jpg
RESPONSE: The Last Best Hope of Earth? Bron Taylor and the Limits of Dark Green Religion
RESPONSE_URL: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/response/dusty-hoesly-the-last-best-hope-of-earth-bron-taylor-and-the-limits-of-dark-green-religion/
RESPONSE_CONTRIBUTOR: // not sure how to do this yet
Episode Data for #14, The Secularisation Thesis | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | The Secularisation Thesis | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | 14 |
The secularisation thesis—the idea that traditional religions are in terminal decline in the industrialised world—was perhaps the central debate in the sociology of religion in the second half of the 20th century. Scholars such as Steve Bruce, Rodney Stark, and Charles Taylor argued whether religion was becoming less important to individuals, or that only the authority of religions in the public sphere was declining. Data from the US and South America, however, began to challenge many of their basic assumptions. Professor Linda Woodhead joins us to discuss the background and legacy of the secularisation thesis. |
DATE | 2012-04-16 08:12:06 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-linda-woodhead-on-the-secularisation-thesis/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/featured_woodhead_s1.png | |
CATEGORY: | Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | Religious Decline, Secularization, Sociology of Religion | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/RSP14-Woodhead.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | What is the secularisation thesis? And how does it relate to the category of ‘religion’? Join Linda Woodhead and David G. Robertson as they explore the development and ideas of the secularisation thesis. | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/transcript/the-secularisation-thesis-transcript/ |
CONTRIBUTOR: Linda Woodhead
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/linda-woodhead/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/linda_woodhead-1.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: David G. Robertson
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/david-g-robertson/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Mustaches009-1024x972-1.jpg
RESPONSE: Secularization: A Look at Individual Level Theories of Religious Change
RESPONSE_URL: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/response/bjorn-mastiaux-secularization-a-look-at-individual-level-theories-of-religious-change/
RESPONSE_CONTRIBUTOR: // not sure how to do this yet
Episode Data for #13, Psychological Approaches to the Study of Religion | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | Psychological Approaches to the Study of Religion | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | 13 |
Psychology of religion involves the application of psychological methods and interpretive frameworks to religious institutions, as well as to individuals of all religious or noreligious persuasions. Last November, Chris had the pleasure of chatting to Professor Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi about the psychological approach, how one applies it to the study of religion, and the various challenges and advantages contained therein. This interview was recorded in the heart of New York City, and we can only hope that the ambient noise adds to the character of the interview. In answer to the question “what can science say about atheism?”, Professor Beit-Hallahmi published the article “Cognitive Approaches to the Study of Religion, and Erica Salomon’s response essay. |
DATE | 2012-04-09 09:00:14 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-benjamin-beit-hallahmi-on-psychological-approaches-to-the-study-of-religion/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/featured_beit-hallahmi_s1.png | |
CATEGORY: | needs transcription, Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | Atheism, Israel, Psychology of Religion | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/RSP13-Beit-Hallahmi.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | Last November, Chris had the pleasure of chatting to Professor Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi about the psychological approach, how one applies it to the study of religion, and the various challenges and advantages contained therein. | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/benjamin-beit-hallahmi/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Beit-Hallahmi-148x150-1.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Christopher R. Cotter
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/christopher-r-cotter/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1Chris_Elephants-Breann-Fallon.jpg
RESPONSE: Religion’s common denominators, and a plea for data
RESPONSE_URL: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/response/stuart-ritchie-religions-common-denominators-and-a-plea-for-data/
RESPONSE_CONTRIBUTOR: // not sure how to do this yet
Episode Data for #12, Fiction-Based Religions | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | Fiction-Based Religions | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | 12 | The majority of those who identified as a Jedi on the 2001 UK census were mounting a more-or-less satirical or playful act of non-compliance; nevertheless, a certain proportion of those were telling the truth. How does a religion constructed from the fictional Star Wars universe problematise how we conceptualise other religions, and the stories they involve? And what makes certain stories able to transcend their fictional origins and become myths? Markus Altena Davidsen is a PhD candidate at the universities of Aarhus, Denmark and Leiden, Netherlands, and assistant lecturer in the sociology of religion in Leiden. Since 2009, he has been working on a PhD project entitled “Fiction-based Religions: The Use of Fiction in Contemporary Religious Bricolage”. In this project, Davidsen attempts to do three things. Firstly, he maps the various ways on which religious groups since the 1960s have been integrating elements from Tolkien’s literary mythology with beliefs and practices from more established religious traditions. This material is used to develop a typology of forms of religious bricolage (harmonising, domesticating, archetypal etc.) which are also at work in alternative spirituality in general. Secondly, he looks at how Tolkien religionists legitimise their religious practice (to themselves and others) given that it is based on a work of fiction. These accounts are compared with what cognitive theory has to say about narratives and plausibility construction. Thirdly, Davidsen treats how the internet has facilitated the emergence of a self-conscious spiritual Tolkien milieu. Some preliminary conclusions from the project are presented in the forthcoming article “The Spiritual Milieu Based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s Literary Mythology”, in Adam Possamai (ed.), Handbook of Hyper-real Religions, in the series Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion 5, Leiden & Boston: Brill, 185-204. You can keep up with Markus’s work on Invented Religions. And you may enjoy Markus and Carole’s contributions to our edited episode on “The Future of Religious Studies“. |
DATE | 2012-04-02 08:00:53 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-markus-davidsen-on-fiction-based-religions/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/default-image.jpg | |
CATEGORY: | needs transcription, Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | Fiction and Religion, Invented Religions, New Religious Movements, Science Fiction | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/RSP12-Davidsen.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | The majority of those who identified as a Jedi on the 2001 UK census were mounting a more-or-less satirical or playful act of non-compliance; nevertheless, a certain proportion of those were telling the truth. How does a religion constructed from the fictional Star Wars universe problematise how we conceptualise other religions, and the stories they involve? | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Markus Davidsen
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/markus-davidsen/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/MarkusDavidsen.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Christopher R. Cotter
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/christopher-r-cotter/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1Chris_Elephants-Breann-Fallon.jpg
RESPONSE: Divine Inspiration Revisited
RESPONSE_URL: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/response/hanna-lehtinen-divine-inspiration-revisited/
RESPONSE_CONTRIBUTOR: // not sure how to do this yet
Episode Data for #11, Doing Anthropological Fieldwork | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | Doing Anthropological Fieldwork | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | 11 |
This quotation from Clifford Geertz, one of the canonical figures in anthropology, succinctly sums up what anthropology tries to do. Anthropology is essentially a comparative study of socio-cultural behaviour and attitudes, and is one of the most complex yet fundamental tools in the scholar of religions’ toolbox. Some scholars make a career out of being an anthropologist of religion, others employ the techniques of ethnographic fieldwork in combination with other approaches and methodologies. And, of course, even those scholars who are attempting to be solely anthropologists of religion cannot divorce religion from the host of other contextual factors within which they believe they have found it. This week, David (and, briefly, Chris) are joined by Dr Bettina Schmidt of the University of Wales, Trinity St David, who gives an insightful personal account of the complex task of conducting anthropological fieldwork, with examples from a variety of contexts. You can also download this interview, and subscribe to receive our weekly podcast, on![]() “Anthropology is the art and science of taking paradigms of ethnography from your supervisor, taking them into the field, realising that they are wrong due to their objectivity, re-shaping and introducing a new school of anthropological theory, and expecting your re-shaped paradigms to be annihilated by your future students.” |
DATE | 2012-03-26 08:57:24 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-bettina-schmidt-on-doing-anthropological-fieldwork/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/default-image.jpg | |
CATEGORY: | needs transcription, Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | Anthropology, Anthropology of Religion, Fieldwork | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/RSP-11-Schmitt.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | “If we want to discover what [wo]man amounts to, we can only find it in what [wo]men are: and what [wo]men are, above all other things, is various. It is in understanding that variousness – its range, its nature, its basis, and its implications – that we shall come to construct a concept of human nature that, more than a statistical shadow, and less than a primitivists dream, … | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Bettina Schmidt
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/bettina-schmidt/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/bettina_schmidt.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: David G. Robertson
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/david-g-robertson/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Mustaches009-1024x972-1.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Christopher R. Cotter
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/christopher-r-cotter/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1Chris_Elephants-Breann-Fallon.jpg
Episode Data for #, Roundtable: What is the Future of Religious Studies? | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | Roundtable: What is the Future of Religious Studies? | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | ERROR | ![]() After this week’s podcast, which involved eight scholars giving their views on the future of Religious Studies, there was really only one way we could create a suitably collective and varied response – six postgrads sitting around a table, accompanied by pink gin and our trusty dictaphone. Conversation ranges from the public perception of what Religious Studies does, what to do with a RS degree, to the financial practicalities of doing postgraduate research in the UK and US today. Mostly, though, it’s a collective rant about the cognitive study of religion (for a more educated discussion on cognitive approaches to the study of religion, see our interview with Armin Geertz).. **Regular visitors please note – we have moved our weekly feature articles to Wednesdays instead of Fridays. This will continue until further notice, and is intended to promote more discussion** If you are new to the podcast – this is not what we usually do. If you are a regular listener – you might enjoy this, or you might not; either way, we are back to normal with Bettina Schmidt’s interview on Anthropological Approaches on Monday. The bleeping noises are Chris’s camera, and the clunks are Liam’s can of Gin. We hope you enjoy it, we certainly enjoyed recording it. We’ll be recording another at the SOCREL (Sociology of Religion) Annual Conference in just a few days time (with a more diverse range of participants!). If you’d like this to become a regular feature, please let us know. Choice quotations: ![]() “I think of Religious Studies less as a discipline and more as the name of a department.” ![]() The Discussants: Editor’s Note: The author bios below have been left as they were first published in 2012. Christopher R. Cotter recently completed his MSc by Research in Religious Studies at the University of Edinburgh, on the topic ‘Toward a Typology of Nonreligion: A Qualitative Analysis of Everyday Narratives of Scottish University Students’. He is currently taking a year out from study to pursue PhD applications, present at conferences, and work on projects such as this. His future research will continue to expand the theme of ‘non-religion’ to apply to ‘everyone’ in religiously diverse, socio-economically deprived urban environments, simultaneously deconstructing the religion-nonreligion dichotomy in the process. He is Deputy Editor and Bibliography Manager at the Nonreligion and Secularity Research Network, and currently editing the volume ‘Social Identities between the Sacred and the Secular’ with Abby Day and Giselle Vincett (Ashgate, 2013). See his personal blog, or academia.edu page for a full CV. Ethan Quillen, Circular Academia: Navigating the Dangerous Waters of Term Re-Assignment for the Religious Studies Project. David G. Robertson is a Ph.D. candidate in the Religious Studies department of the University of Edinburgh. His research examines how UFO narratives became the bridge by which ideas crossed between the conspiracist and New Age milieus in the post-Cold War period. More broadly, his work concerns contemporary alternative spiritualities, and their relationship with popular culture. Forthcoming publications: “Making the Donkey Visible: Discordianism in the Works of Robert Anton Wilson” in C. Cusack & A. Norman (Eds.), Brill Handbook of New Religions and Cultural Production. Leiden: Brill (2012) “(Always) Living in the End Times: The “rolling prophecy” of the conspracist milieu” in When Prophecy Persists. London: INFORM/Ashgate (2012). For a full CV and his MSc thesis on contemporary gnosticism, see his Academia page or personal blog. Liam Sutherland is a Religious Studies Postgraduate student at Edinburgh University undertaking a Masters by Research, on the relevance of E.B Tylor for the contemporary theory of religion, defining religion and modern scholars with a ‘Neo-Tylorian’ influence or affinity. He is a native of Edinburgh where he also completed his undergraduate degree in 2009, producing a dissertation on contemporary Indigenous Australian spirituality and the politics of land rights. Though he began in Politics, and took many Politics and school of Social Science courses, he quickly fell in love with Religious Studies! Liam has also written the essay An Evaluation of Harvey’s Approach to Animism and the Tylorian Legacy for the Religious Studies Project. Jonathan Tuckett, What is Phenomenology? for the Religious Studies Project. Kevin Whitesides completed his B.A. in Religious Studies at Humboldt State University. He is currently developing an MSc dissertation at the University of Edinburgh on ‘2012’ millennialism as part of a broader emphasis on countercultural transmission. Kevin has contributed articles to ‘Archaeoastronomy’ and ‘Zeitschrift fur Anomalistik’, has contributed chapters for two anthologies on apocalypse and prophecy, and has presented widely on the ‘2012’ milieu at academic conferences and universities. |
DATE | 2012-03-21 08:00:15 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/roundtable-what-is-the-future-of-religious-studies/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Group.jpg | |
CATEGORY: | needs transcription, Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | Higher Education, Religious Studies | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/RSP-roundtable-1.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | After this week’s podcast, which involved eight scholars giving their views on the future of Religious Studies, there was really only one way we could create a suitably collective and varied response – six postgrads sitting around a table, accompanied by pink gin and our trusty dictaphone. Conversation ranges from the public perception of what Religious Studies does, … | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Jonathan Tuckett
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/jonathan-tuckett/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Jonathan_Tuckett.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Kevin Whitesides
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/kevin-whitesides/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Kevin_Whitesides.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Liam Sutherland
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/liam-sutherland/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Liam_Sutherland.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Ethan Gjerset Quillen
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/ethan-gjerset-quillen/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/ethanQuillen.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: David G. Robertson
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/david-g-robertson/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Mustaches009-1024x972-1.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Christopher R. Cotter
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/christopher-r-cotter/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1Chris_Elephants-Breann-Fallon.jpg
Episode Data for #10, What is the Future of Religious Studies? | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | What is the Future of Religious Studies? | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | 10 | This week we decided to do something a bit different. Every time David and Chris have conducted an interview, they have been asking the interviewees an additional question: “What is the Future of Religious Studies?”
The result is this highly stimulating compilation of differing perspectives and levels of optimism on what has become one of the most hotly debated topics in the academic study of religion at the start of the second decade of the twenty-first century.
The underlying motivation behind placing this question on the agenda of the Religious Studies Project was one of finances. In the current economic climate – particularly in the UK – and with the increasing commodification of the Higher Education sector. It is no longer acceptable for academics to sit pontificating in their ivory towers, and every discipline (but particularly Religious Studies) is finding itself increasingly in the firing line in terms of funding and resources. This issue is so pressing that the British Association for the Study of Religions (BASR) and the British Sociological Association’s Sociology of Religion Study Group (SOCREL) – the two professional organisations that together represent the UK’s leading scholars in the study of religion – have joined forces to present a joint panel on ‘Public benefit in the study of religion’ at the BASR annual conference, September 5-7 2012 University of Winchester, UK.
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DATE | 2012-03-19 08:00:18 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-what-is-the-future-of-religious-studies/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/what-is-the-future-of-RS21.gif | |
CATEGORY: | needs transcription, Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | Higher Education, Religious Studies | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/RSP10-What-is-the-future-of-Religious-Studies.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | This week we decided to do something a bit different. Every time David and Chris have conducted an interview, they have been asking the interviewees an additional question: “What is the Future of Religious Studies?” The result is this highly stimulating compilation of differing perspectives and levels of optimism The result is this highly stimulating compilation of differing perspectives and levels of optimism on what has become one of the most hotly debated topics in the academic study of religion at the start of the second decade of the twenty-first century. | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Armin Geertz
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/armin-geertz/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Armin_W_Geertz.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Carole Cusack
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/carole-cusack/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Cusack_72.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: James L. Cox
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/james-l-cox/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/James_Cox-1030x579-1-e1595019409697.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: George Chryssides
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/george-chryssides/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/George_Chryssides.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Donald Wiebe
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/donald-weibe/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/persons_wiebe_2022.jpeg
CONTRIBUTOR: Bettina Schmidt
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/bettina-schmidt/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/bettina_schmidt.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Markus Davidsen
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/markus-davidsen/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/MarkusDavidsen.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Graham Harvey
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/graham-harvey/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Graham_harvey.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Christopher R. Cotter
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/christopher-r-cotter/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1Chris_Elephants-Breann-Fallon.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: David G. Robertson
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/david-g-robertson/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Mustaches009-1024x972-1.jpg
Episode Data for #9, Substantive Religion and the Functionalist Sacred | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | Substantive Religion and the Functionalist Sacred | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | 9 | ![]() This paper contends that the social scientific study of religion has long labored under a chafing constraint and a misleading premise. It suggests that our primary focus should be on the sacred, and that religion is just one among many possible sources of the sacred. Defining religion “substantively” but the sacred “functionally” helps toresolve a long-standing tension in the field. Broadened conceptions of the sacred and of “sacralization” help to defuse the conflict among the two very different versions of secularization theory: the “all-or-nothing” versus the “middle range.” Meanwhile, a conceptual typology of the sacred pivots around the intersections of two distinctions (compensatory vs. confirmatory and marginal vs. institutional). This generates four distinct scenarios: the sacred as integrative, the sacred as quest, the sacred as collectivity, and the sacred as counter-culture. The paper concludes with three admonitions for research in the area. |
DATE | 2012-03-12 06:33:38 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/jay-demerath-on/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/default-image.jpg | |
CATEGORY: | needs transcription, Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | defining religion, Sacred, Secularization, Sociology of Religion | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/RSP9-Demerath.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | Could the difficulties associated with the academic conceptualisation of “religion” be overcome by changing our focus instead to “the sacred”? Jay Demerath tells Chris why we should define religion substantively – that is, in terms of specific attributes like rituals, deities or dogmas – but the sacred in terms of the function it serves in the lives of individuals and cultures. | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Jay Demerath III
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/jay-demerath-iii/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Jay-demerath.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Christopher R. Cotter
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/christopher-r-cotter/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1Chris_Elephants-Breann-Fallon.jpg
RESPONSE: Circular Academia: Navigating the Dangerous Waters of Term Re-Assignment
RESPONSE_URL: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/response/ethan-gjerset-quillen-circular-academia-navigating-the-dangerous-waters-of-term-re-assignment/
RESPONSE_CONTRIBUTOR: // not sure how to do this yet
Episode Data for #8, The Changing Nature of Religion | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | The Changing Nature of Religion | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | 8 | ![]() |
DATE | 2012-03-05 06:15:40 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/grace-davie-on-the-changing-face-of-religion/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/default-image.jpg | |
CATEGORY: | needs transcription, Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | europe, public sphere, Sociology of Religion, UK | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/RSP8-Davie.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | In the 1960s, most sociologists consciously or unconsciously bought into idea of the ‘death of god’ – religion became effectively invisible to academia. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, a number of events – most notably the ‘Satanic Verses’ controversy – dramatically increased the ‘visibility’ of religion: it became a political problem. Now, in the 21st century, … | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Grace Davie
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/grace-davie/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Grace_Davie.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Christopher R. Cotter
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/christopher-r-cotter/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1Chris_Elephants-Breann-Fallon.jpg
RESPONSE: What to do with Davie’s ‘Vicarious Religion’?
RESPONSE_URL: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/response/amarnath-amarasingam-what-to-do-with-davies-vicarious-religion/
RESPONSE_CONTRIBUTOR: // not sure how to do this yet
Episode Data for #7, Youth, Sexuality and Religion | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | Youth, Sexuality and Religion | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | 7 | ![]() |
DATE | 2012-02-27 07:00:59 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-sarah-jane-page-on-youth-sexuality-and-religion/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/default-image.jpg | |
CATEGORY: | needs transcription, Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | gender, Sexuality, UK, Youth | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/RSP7-Page.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | The Religion, Youth and Sexuality: A Multi-faith Exploration project, based at the University of Nottingham, looked at 18 to 25 year-olds from a variety of faith backgrounds in order to understand attitudes and practices around sexuality and how this was negotiated in relation to religious traditions. Dr Sarah-Jane Page, one of the research fellows, … | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Sarah-Jane Page
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/sarah-jane-page/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Sarah-Jane-Page.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Christopher R. Cotter
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/christopher-r-cotter/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1Chris_Elephants-Breann-Fallon.jpg
Episode Data for #6, The Insider/Outsider Problem | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | The Insider/Outsider Problem | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | 6 |
The Insider/Outsider problem is one of the most perennial problems in the academic study of religion. This distinction, relating to where scholars position themselves relating to the subject matter (whatever that may be), permeates not only almost every aspect of academia, but has profound implications for each and every one of us conducts ourselves in relationship with the other people we encounter in our day-to-day lives. Dr George Chryssides joins Chris this week to discuss this fascinating issue. This interview was recorded in September 2011 at the British Association for the Study of Religions‘ Annual Conference, hosted by Durham University. |
DATE | 2012-02-20 09:00:14 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-george-chryssides-on-the-insideroutsider-problem/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/insider20outsider20collab.jpg | |
CATEGORY: | Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | Anthropology, Bias, insider/outsider, Religious Studies | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/RSP6-Chrysiddes.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | The Insider/Outsider problem, relating to where scholars position themselves relating to the subject matter (whatever that may be), is one of the most perennial problems in the academic study of religion. Does one have to be a member of a community for your testimony about that community to be valid? Or does your membership of the community invalidate your objectivity? | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/transcript/the-insider-outsider-problem-transcript/ |
CONTRIBUTOR: George Chryssides
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/george-chryssides/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/George_Chryssides.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Christopher R. Cotter
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/christopher-r-cotter/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1Chris_Elephants-Breann-Fallon.jpg
RESPONSE: Insider and Outsider: An Anthropological Perspective
RESPONSE_URL: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/response/katie-aston-insider-and-outsider-an-anthropological-perspective/
RESPONSE_CONTRIBUTOR: // not sure how to do this yet
Episode Data for #5, Animism | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | Animism | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | 5 | Animism is often taken as referring to worldviews in which spirits are to be found not only in humans, but potentially in animals, in plants, in mountains and even natural forces like the wind. It was of central importance in early anthropological conceptions of religion, most notably in the work of E. B. Tylor. More recently, however, Graham Harvey has challenged the traditional conception of animism, seeking to understand it as “relational epistemologies and ontologies”; in other words, it is a way of living in a community of persons, most of whom are other-than-human.
About Dr. Graham Harvey
Dr Graham Harvey has been Reader in Religious Studies at the Open University since 1993, and is also the President Elect of our sponsors, the British Association for the Study of Religions. Other than Animism, his work has covered a wide range of subjects, from Judaism, Paganism, Indigenous Religions and Shamanism.
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DATE | 2012-02-13 06:00:01 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-graham-harvey-on-animism/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/61VBSAMA42L._SX324_BO1204203200_.jpg | |
CATEGORY: | needs transcription, Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | Animism, Anthropology of Religion | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/RSP5-Harvey.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | Animism is often taken as referring to worldviews in which spirits are to be found not only in humans, but potentially in animals, in plants, in mountains and even natural forces like the wind. It was of central importance in early anthropological conceptions of religion, most notably in the work of E. B. Tylor. | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Graham Harvey
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/graham-harvey/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Graham_harvey.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: David G. Robertson
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/david-g-robertson/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Mustaches009-1024x972-1.jpg
Episode Data for #4, The Relationship between Theology and Religious Studies | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | The Relationship between Theology and Religious Studies | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | 4 |
Our interview this week features Chris speaking to Professor Donald Wiebe from the Faculty of Divinity at Trinity College in the University of Toronto on the relationship between Theology and Religious Studies.
The relationship between Theology and Religious Studies is not a simple one. David Ford writes that at its broadest, theology is thinking about questions raised by and about religions (2000:3). These questions are largely directed towards notions of transcendence (typically gods), incorporate doctrinal issues and are “essentially a second-order activity arising from ‘faith’ and interpreting faith” (Whaling, 1999:228-229). Essentially, theology is thinking about religion from within religion – although when most people refer to “Theology”, what they mean is “Christian Theology”. It is generally accepted—at least as far as most academics are concerned—that there is a distinct difference between religious studies and theology. This is succinctly summarised by Ninian Smart’s statement that “historical and structural enquiries, such as sociology, phenomenology, etc., […] are the proper province of [the study of] Religion, and the use of such materials for Expressive ends […is] the doing of Theology” (in Wiebe, 1999:55). As you shall see from this interview, however, things are much more complicated, and Professor Wiebe is particularly qualified to present his own take on the relationship between these two distinct disciplines. His primary areas of research interest are philosophy of the social sciences, epistemology, philosophy of religion, the history of the academic and scientific study of religion, and method and theory in the study of religion. He is the author of a number of books, including Religion and Truth: Towards and Alternative Paradigm for the Study of Religion (1981), The Irony of Theology and the Nature of Religious Thought (1991), and, of particular relevance to this interview, The Politics of Religious Studies: The Continuing Conflict with Theology in the Academy (1999). In 1985 Professor Wiebe, with Luther H. Martin and E. Thomas Lawson, founded the North American Association for the Study of Religion, which became affiliated to the IAHR in 1990; he twice served as President of that Association (1986-87, 1991-92). This interview was recorded at the European Association for the Study of Religions‘ Annual Conference in Budapest in September 2011, where Professor Wiebe also presented a particularly relevant paper with his colleague Luther H. Martin, entitled “Religious Studies as a Scientific Discipline: The Persistence of a Delusion”. Out of necessity it was not recorded on our normal equipment, and we apologise for the poorer quality of the sound this week.
References:
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DATE | 2012-02-06 07:00:33 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-donald-wiebe-on-theology-and-religious-studies/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/featured_wiebe_s1.png | |
CATEGORY: | needs transcription, Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | EASR, IAHR, NAASR, Religious Studies, Theology | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/RSP4-Wiebe.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | It is generally accepted – at least as far as most academics are concerned – that there is a distinct difference between religious studies and theology. As you shall see from this interview, however, things are much more complicated, and Professor Wiebe is particularly qualified to present his own take on the relationship between these two distinct disciplines. | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | ERROR |
CONTRIBUTOR: Donald Wiebe
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/donald-weibe/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/persons_wiebe_2022.jpeg
CONTRIBUTOR: Christopher R. Cotter
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/christopher-r-cotter/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1Chris_Elephants-Breann-Fallon.jpg
RESPONSE: The Merits of Hybrid Theology
RESPONSE_URL: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/response/gemma-gall-the-merits-of-hybrid-theology/
RESPONSE_CONTRIBUTOR: // not sure how to do this yet
Episode Data for #3, Invented Religions | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | Invented Religions | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | 3 |
What is an “Invented Religion”? Why should scholars take these religions seriously? What makes these “inventions” different from the revelations in other religions? What happens when an author does not want their story to become a religious text? In this interview with David, Carole M. Cusack (Associate Professor in Studies in Religion at the University of Sydney) answers these questions and more, exploring her notion of “Invented Religions” and introducing the listener to a wide variety of contemporary and unusual forms of religion. Discussion flows through a range of topics – from Discordianism and the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster to Scientology, Jediism and the New Atheism – and demonstrates how the works of authors such as Thomas Pynchon and Robert A. Heinlein can be transformed by others and take on a life of their own. In her own words, “This is a fiction so good it should be true…” [N.B., Carole asked us to let you know that when she said that George Adamski founded the Aetherius Society, she meant George King. Both Georges encountered Venusians in 1954, but Adamski was in the US and King in the UK. A forgivable error, we’re sure.] A transcription of this interview is also available as a PDF, and has been pasted below. Of particular relevance to the topic of this interview is Carole’s article Science Fiction as Scripture: Robert A. Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land and the Church of All Worlds in Christopher Hartney, Alex Norman, and Carole M. Cusack (eds.), Creative Fantasy and the Religious Imagination, special issue of Literature & Aesthetics, Vol. 19, No. 2, SSLA, 2009, pp. 72-91. The full text is available here. If you have access to the International Journal for the Study of New Religions, you may also find the following article of interest: Discordian Magic: Paganism, the Chaos Paradigm and the Power of Parody, International Journal for the Study of New Religions, Vol. 2, No. 1, May 2011. |
DATE | 2012-01-30 06:00:47 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-carole-cusack-on-invented-religions/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/featured_cusack_s1.jpg | |
CATEGORY: | Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | Invented Religions, New Religious Movements, Scientology | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/RSP3-cusack.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | What is an “Invented Religion”? Why should scholars take these religions seriously? What makes these “inventions” different from the revelations in other religions? What happens when an author does not want their story to become a religious text? You can also download this interview, and subscribe to receive our weekly podcast, on iTunes. | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/transcript/invented-religions-transcript/ |
CONTRIBUTOR: Carole Cusack
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/carole-cusack/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Cusack_72.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: David G. Robertson
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/david-g-robertson/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Mustaches009-1024x972-1.jpg
RESPONSE: Finding religiosity within a parody
RESPONSE_URL: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/response/essi-makela-finding-religiosity-within-a-parody/
RESPONSE_CONTRIBUTOR: // not sure how to do this yet
Episode Data for #2, Cognitive Approaches to the Study of Religion | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | Cognitive Approaches to the Study of Religion | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | 2 |
The cognitive study of religion has quickly established itself as the paradigmatic methodology in the field today. It’s grounded in the concept that religiosity is natural because it is well adapted to the cognitive propensities developed during the evolution of our species. In this episode, Professor Armin Geertz tells Chris why it deserves its prominent profile, and how it is developing. What we’re learning from the cognitive study of religion. This interview was recorded at the European Association for the Study of Religions‘ Annual Conference in Budapest in September 2011. Out of necessity it was not recorded on our normal equipment, and we apologise for the poorer quality of the sound this week. |
DATE | 2012-01-23 00:07:28 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-armin-geertz-on-cognitive-approaches-to-the-study-of-religion/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/featured_geertz_s1.png | |
CATEGORY: | Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | Cognition, Cognitive Study of Religion, Evolution | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/RSP2-geertz.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | The cognitive study of religion has quickly established itself as the paradigmatic methodology in the field today. It’s grounded in the concept that religiosity is natural because it is well adapted to the cognitive propensities developed during the evolution of our species. In this episode, Professor Armin Geertz tells Chris why it deserves its prominent profile, and how it is developing. | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/transcript/cognitive-approaches-to-the-study-of-religion-transcript/ |
CONTRIBUTOR: Armin Geertz
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/armin-geertz/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Armin_W_Geertz.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: Christopher R. Cotter
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/christopher-r-cotter/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1Chris_Elephants-Breann-Fallon.jpg
RESPONSE: What We're Learning from the Cognitive Study of Religion
RESPONSE_URL: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/response/erika-salomon-what-were-learning-from-the-cognitive-study-of-religion/
RESPONSE_CONTRIBUTOR: // not sure how to do this yet
Episode Data for #1, The Phenomenology of Religion | CONTENT: | |
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TITLE: | The Phenomenology of Religion | ![]() |
EPISODE_#: | 1 |
Phenomenology is an important methodology in the study of religions, but can be inaccessible to the student. In this interview, James Cox outlines the phenomenology of religion to David in a clear, concise way, avoiding jargon and placing the methodology in the broader context of the history of European philosophy and comparative religion. Cox’s latest and most complete work on the subject is An Introduction to the Phenomenology of Religion (2010), published by Continuum. A review which questions his relating phenomenological and cognitive approaches by Paul Tremlett in Culture and Religion 11/4 (2010) is available here. Also recommended is his earlier A Guide to the Phenomenology of Religion (2006), also published by Continuum. His 2008 article from DISKUS, the BASR journal, “Community Mastery of the Spirits as an African Form of Shamanism” applies the phenomenological method to certain African practices in order to argue for Shamanism as a universal category. If you are interested in what Professor Cox had to say about the development of Religious Studies more broadly, we heartily recommend From Primitive to Indigenous: The Academic Study of Indigenous Religions (Ashgate, 2007). It is simultaneously an account of colonial contact with indigenous religions, a history of how scholars have conceptualised religion, and an attempt to create a new definition of “religion”. A transcription of this interview is also available as a PDF. |
DATE | 2012-01-14 00:01:28 | |
PERMALINK: | “https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-james-cox-on-the-phenomenology-of-religion/” | |
FEATURED_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/51l6FhpzCL._SX318_BO1204203200_.jpg | |
CATEGORY: | Podcasts, Season 1, Updated Episodes | |
TERMS: | Cognition, defining religion, History of Religious Studies, Phenomenology | |
TYPE: | podcast | |
YOUTUBE_LINK: | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypfitkcldmX1CpAqCp7PKw | |
AUDIO_URL: | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/RSP1-cox-joint1.mp3 | |
EXCERPT: | Phenomenology is an important methodology in the study of religions, but can be inaccessible to the student. In this interview, James Cox outlines the phenomenology of religion to David in a clear, concise way, avoiding jargon and placing the methodology in the broader context of the history of European philosophy and comparative religion. | |
TRANSCRIPT_URL | https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/transcript/the-phenomenology-of-religion-transcript/ |
CONTRIBUTOR: James L. Cox
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/james-l-cox/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/James_Cox-1030x579-1-e1595019409697.jpg
CONTRIBUTOR: David G. Robertson
BIO LINK: "https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/david-g-robertson/"
HEADSHOT: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Mustaches009-1024x972-1.jpg
RESPONSE: What is Phenomenology?
RESPONSE_URL: https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/response/jonathan-tuckett-what-is-phenomenology/
RESPONSE_CONTRIBUTOR: // not sure how to do this yet