Theories of Religion

Catalog description

Surveys the main theoretical orientations that have guided the study of religions within the Humanities and Social Sciences as these fields have developed since the 18th century within the academic institutions of Europe and the United States. Begins with early Enlightenment thinkers who were responding to the wars of religion and the rise of rationalism and empiricism. Continues with 19th and early 20th century scholars who confronted the impact of industrialization, nation-state formation, bureaucratization, technologization, and most of all, the colonization of entire societies and cultures beyond Europe. To listen in on discussions about religion among U.S. and European thinkers during these three centuries is to become privy to the struggles of North Atlantic societies with ‘the disenchantment of the world,’ that is, the loss of faith in a transcendent purpose connected to a larger divine will. After surveying the classical theories, examines the impact of decolonization on the inherited Enlightenment assumptions concerning religion. Discussion today has raised substantial doubts that the category of ‘religion’ is of any real empirical or analytical use. Instead, many theorists argue that the inherited conceptions of ‘religion’ are nothing more than a mask that obscures and justifies Western domination. Other theorists, however, have argued the ‘religion’ concept is still useful if corrected for its biases. Explores this debate and tries to arrive at one’s own conclusions about whether the religion concept is still helpful.