narrative

The Cycle of Conspiracy Theories

Response
In his response to our interview with Carmen Celestini, Raymond Radford builds on Celestini's discussion of conspiracy theories as "history repeated" in his analysis of social responses to pandemics "then and now."

“A Jesus Before Paul?”

Response
Kicking off our Season 11 Response essays, Robyn Faith Walsh builds on Willi Braun's discussion of the emphasis on origins in New Testament studies to explore the strategic use and employment of Paul's letters in the history of Christianity.

Rethinking Narratives of ‘American Values’ in the US Military

Response
Jessica Cooperman writes that Stahl's work demonstrates how racism shapes religious institutions and argues that "it points to the necessity of re-examining American narratives of religious freedom through the analytical lenses of both race and gender."

Telling Stories to Change the World

Response
"How is a myth different from a story or narrative?" Susannah Crockford says the answer "shifts dramatically with different disciplinary definitions and assumptions." Read on to learn why this matters in her response to our episode with Tim Stacey on "Myth-Making, Environmentalism, and Non-Religion"

The Moral Narratives of New Materialism and Posthumanism

Response
Who or what are the actors in Posthuman and New Materialist narratives, asks Peter J. Bräunlein in this response to our interview with Paul-Francois Tremlett. In the face of populist "great simplifiers like Trump Bolsonaro or Modi," what will scholars do with our increasingly complex and diverse narratives about religious change?

Myth-making, Environmentalism, and Non-Religion

Podcast
What myths do non-religious people use in their climate and environmental activism? What does the study of everyday stories bring to the study of 'religion' and 'non-religion'? Find out in this interview with Dr. Tim Stacey by RSP Co-Founder Christopher R. Cotter.

Near Death Experiences

Podcast
In this episode, Christopher Cotter discusses Near Death Experiences with Jens Schlieter. How does one study reports of such experiences from a critical study of religion perspective? How are such reports related to modern societal developments such as ‘secularization’, individualization, or advances in medical science?

Artificial Intelligence and Religion

Podcast
Chris Cotter and Beth Singler discuss the intersections between religion and Artificial Intelligence from slavery and pain to machines taking over religious functions and practices.

The Essential and Complex Relationship of Religion and Media

Response
The use of new digital media may sometimes be clumsy, not well understood, and subject to failure at times, writes Robin Harragin Hussey, but it is the current and future manifestation of the way many religions and religious people want to share and make themselves known.

Media and the Study of Religion

Podcast
Vivian Asimos, Chris Cotter, Time Hutchings and Suzanne Owen discuss the intersections of Media and the Study of Religion.

Changing Your Story: Assessing Ex-Member Narratives

Podcast
Ex-member testimony can be a difficult to deal with. Such testimony tends to receive privileged treatment in anti-cult literature, while some academics are prone to be sceptical, even suggesting ex-member testimony is worthless due to the danger of adaption and fiction.

Narrative and Reflexivity in the Study of Religion: A Roundtable Discussion (with video)

Podcast
The idea for this roundtable was that it would follow on directly from this week's interview on religion and literature, but expand the discussion to cover a variety of points relating to narrative, autobiography and (auto)ethnography in the study of religion. Featuring Dr Wendy Dossett, Prof. Elaine Graham, Dr Dawn Llewellyn, Ethan Quillen, and Dr Alana Vincent.

There be Spoilers Here: Durkheim, ‘Breaking Bad,’ and the Uncertainty of Religious Theory

Response
"When I think back on it, one thing I truly enjoyed about Professor Strenski’s book—as well as his teaching style—was his ability to tangentially veer off topic while not losing complete track of the subject at hand. Tangents, I have always felt, are the instructor’s greatest tool. Not only do they assist in keeping the student’s attention, but as metaphor, paint the instruction in different hues than mere black and white."

John Wolffe and Ronald Hutton on Historical Approaches

Podcast
"History can be of tremendous value for a society that is looking for roots... and can sometimes be a bit uncritical in its search for roots. People want an identity and may be clutching at something that can be a bit confrontational, for example, Muslims looking for an identity rooted in current conflicts in the Middle East, rather than reflecting on what is quite a long-standing presence in British society and culture."
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