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  3. Religion in Culture: Studies in Social Contest and Construction

Religious practices are social practices inextricably embedded in contingent, cultural worlds. The books in the series conceptualize religion as the practice of everyday life, on which communities draw when defining and reproducing themselves in opposition to others.

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5 results in Religion in Culture: Studies in Social Contest and Construction

Theorizing Islam
  • Disciplinary Deconstruction and Reconstruction
  • Aaron W. Hughes
  • Published by:
    Acumen Publishing
    Published online:
    05 June 2014
    Print publication:
    31 March 2012
  • The scholarly study of Islam has become ever more insular and apologetic. Academic Islamic Studies has tried to maintain a focus on truth, authenticity, experience and meaning and has effectively avoided discussion of larger social, cultural and ideological issues. Many scholars of Islam have presented themselves to their colleagues, the media and the public as the interpreters of Islam and have done so with an interpretation which tends, almost universally, to the liberal and egalitarian. The ignorance and hostility which the Islamic faith has faced since 9/11 has partly necessitated the taking of such a position. But, as Theorizing Islam argues, the issue remains that only one interpretation of Islam is generally being presented and, as with any interpretation, this has its own assumptions. The aim of Theorizing Islam is to explore the potential for a fuller, more honest and more sophisticated approach to both theory and methodology in the academic study of Islam.

Rethinking Hindu Identity
  • Dwijendra Narayan Jha
  • Published by:
    Acumen Publishing
    Published online:
    05 June 2014
    Print publication:
    28 February 2009
  • Recent years have seen the emergence of a virulent version of Hindu nationalism and fundamentalism in India under the banner of Hindutva. This xenophobic movement has obfuscated and mystified the notion of Hindu identity and reinforced its stereotypes. Its arguments range from the patently unscientific - humankind was created in India, as was the first civilisation - to historical whitewash: Hinduism has continued in one, unchanged form for 5000 years; Hinduism has always been a tolerant faith. Rethinking Hindu Identity offers a corrective based on a deep and detailed reading of Indian history. Written in a riveting style, this study provides a fresh history of Hinduism - its practices, its beliefs, its differences and inconsistencies, and its own myths about itself. Along the way, the book systematically demolishes the arguments of Hindu fundamentalism and nationalism, revealing how the real history of Hinduism is much more complex.

Myth and the Christian Nation
  • A Social Theory of Religion
  • Burton L. Mack
  • Published by:
    Acumen Publishing
    Published online:
    05 May 2014
    Print publication:
    31 December 2008
  • America is widely regarded as the ultimate 'Christian Nation' Religious language has always been at the forefront of American politics but this has increased since the events of 9/11. Myth and the Christian Nation presents a startling analysis of how and why Christianity and national identity have been woven together in recent American political discourse. Drawing on examples of religious myth-making across the ancient world Myth and the Christian Nation brings the weight of history to bear on America today, a place where myth, monotheism, sovereignty and power can be harnessed together in the service of specific interests. The book invites readers to rethink the role of religion in the construction of social democracy and to see America afresh.

Situating Islam
  • The Past and Future of an Academic Discipline
  • Aaron W. Hughes
  • Published by:
    Acumen Publishing
    Published online:
    05 May 2014
    Print publication:
    31 March 2008
  • Situating Islam argues that knowledge of Islam has never been innocent or about the collection of facts. The specific ways in which Islam has been interpreted have always been subject to broader currents, such as the reform of Judaism, Orientalism, the identity politics of the 1960s, the response to 9/11, and the creation of a liberal Islam. Whereas previous scholarship highlighted the influence of Orientalism and the construction of an essentialized Islam, Situating Islam argues that the opposite approach - the construction of an authentic Islam that fits with Western values - has now become equally problematic. The book demonstrates how Islamic Studies has shaped how Islam is now studied, represented and understood in both scholarship and the media.

Representing Religion
  • Essays in History, Theory and Crisis
  • Tim Murphy
  • Published by:
    Acumen Publishing
    Published online:
    05 June 2014
    Print publication:
    30 June 2007
  • If religion is continually in a state of flux how can the study of religion critically examine contemporary religious beliefs and values? Representing Religion critically examines this 'crisis of representation'. The volume traces the history of religious studies, critiquing the concept that 'experience' is central to understanding religion. The views of influential semioticians and philosophers - notably Nietzsche, Saussure, Foucault, Barthes, and Bakhtin - are used to construct a new methodology for the critical study of religion. Representing Religion will be of interest to students and scholars of semiotics as well as theory and method in religious studies.