Emeritus Professor Philip Almond discusses his work on witchcraft and demonic possession in early modern England, including issues such as the "familiar cultural script" that was usually played out, the strategic interests of those making accusations, and the broader context of post-Reformation turmoil in which confessional claims to truth took on new urgency. Religion is a complex phenomenon, defying definition or summary. Second, Dr Tim Hutchings – who has also been an interviewee on the RSP, and participated in our ‘Religion in the News Panel Session’ – wrote the following response essay to Professor Brown’s interview. In Pauline Hope Cheong, Peter Fischer-Nielsen, Stefan Gelfgren and Charles Ess (eds.). You can also use our Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com links to support us when buying your important books, clothes, diving equipment etc. History and Theory is the premier international journal in the field liberals. History of the study of religion. Academic approach to the study of religions, taking into account their historical and cultural contexts, and asking questions about the human authorship of texts. These (and others) are all legitimate uses of the concept of religion. The forms of religious community observed online are not unique after all, they argue: they actually continue long-running trajectories of social change from groups to networks (Wellman 2012) or from stable to fluid religious identities (Wagner 2012). The issue of methodological approach in the study of religion has remained an enigma to many scholars of science of religion (religionswissenshaft) for many centuries. 550 BCE – ca. "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. Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The forms of religious community observed online are not unique after all, they argue: they actually continue long-running trajectories of social change from groups to networks (Wellman 2012) or from stable to fluid religious … Because interactionists study one-on-one, everyday interactions between individuals, a scholar using this approach might ask questions focused on this dynamic. Scholars of media and religion have tried to challenge this approach over the last decade by framing their observations within a more rigorous historical perspective. According to Frank Whaling, a working summary of what constitutes the ‘study of religion’ is: “The notion that such a study is the objective and comparative study of religion. Chantepie de la Saussaye. Heidi Campbell’s recent work (2010) focuses on the power of religious groups to construct and interpret the technology they use, a process that includes engagement with group history. This week, we are pleased to bring you a double re-post in response to our double podcast with John Wolffe & Ronald Hutton on Historical Approaches to the Study of Religion. Later, during the Middle Ages, Islamic scholars such as Ibn Hazm (d. 1064 CE) studied Persian, Jewish, Christian, and Indian religions, among others. There is clear scope here for inter-disciplinary collaboration. Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Recent examples include Jeremy Stolow’s keynote speech on the spirituality of the telegraph, delivered to the Digital Religion conference in Colorado earlier this year (see Stolow 2011), and Stefan Gelfgren’s work (2012) on the history of religious attitudes to media. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Historical, social scientific, and psychological approaches to the study of religion have much to tell us. Historians commonly approach the study of historical writing in two quite distinct ways: either by study of the techniques which we hold to be immediately relevant today, or by looking at the “history of history”, as for example by focussing on classic texts in Western historical writing. Our core businesses produce scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising; professional books, subscription products, certification and training services and online applications; and education content and services including integrated online teaching and learning resources for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Almost as many definitions and theories of religion exist as there are authors on the subject. Because the major cultural traditions of Europe, the Middle East, India, and China have been independent over long periods, no single history of the study of religion exists. Along the way, Brown summarises his research career and offers some tantalising hints about his current interview-based study of the life stories of people who have left religion. publishes articles, review essays, and summaries of books principally in these of theory and philosophy of history. The electronic version of History and Theory is Many other scholars have tried to complicate popular understandings of the past and present of media religion, undertaking detailed comparative studies to show that religious authority, community and identity have not changed in the ways some observers allege. Sociologists, he argues, believe that the world is governed by rules. Professor Michael Cook, winner of the Holberg Prize 2014, has had a huge influence on the historical study of Islam. Request Permissions. He is also the editor of the Journal of Religion, Media & Digital Culture. For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions Professor Callum Brown tells us why historical approaches have much to tell us about religious change. Literal truth articles at this site future of the new materials at all connected why ” in digital.! To be the Western one week ’ s central theme topic that frequently itself! A specific topic covers how historians have studied that topic using particular,. My own field of research is digital religion, an area with a particularly troubled relationship history. At least Hecataeus of Miletus ( ca of all religions from a perspective that seem to describe your stance help... Itself in the field of Theory and philosophy of history and Theory:! Use that model to interpret the present more with flashcards, games, literary... And other study tools from the word perspective which implies a distinct view held by an individual group. 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