Applied Religious Studies

• The self-understanding of religious studies has since its inception in the late 19th century been marked by a demarcation in relation to Christian theology, which constitutes its significant Other. The ‘scientific’ study of religion according to this view seeks knowledge about religion based upon empirical facts and abstains from value judgements and metaphysical discussions regarding religious beliefs and practices. The study of religion is, then, foremost an activity of the theoretical reason, leaving to extra-academic contexts, such as politics, the application of scholarly knowledge. However, this self-understanding of the discipline has been undermined by postmodern criticism, emancipatory agendas, the increased public visibility of religion and the pressure of usefulness exerted on academic disciplines. In the following, four versions of applied religious studies will be very shortly outlined in order to provide a starting point for a discussion of this development toward practical application; namely: the modernist position, the postmodern, the monetary utilitarian and that of human rights and natural law. These have been designed as Weberian ideal types and not as detailed representations of the actual positions of individual researchers. With this overview, I want to open the floor for a rethinking of religious studies that takes its practical application seriously.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Filosofi, etik och religion -- Religionsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Philosophy, Ethics and Religion -- Religious Studies (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

applied studies

religion

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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