Transcript Anthropological Perspectives on Religion

 Since 1960’s: people
worldwide have become
more “religious” than
predicted
 On the rise: televangelism,
fundamentalisms, Islam,
Hinduism, Buddhism,
Pentecostalism, Neopaganism
 Still going strong: belief in
afterlife, heaven, angels,
miracles, power of prayer to
heal
 Holistic: studying humans societies as
systematic sums of their parts, as integrated
wholes
 Comparative: we are able to gain insight into
a culture by comparing it to another
 Multiple Perspectives: we look for the
dominant or “hegemonic” way of thinking as
well as the various counter-perspectives
 5 interconnected subfields: Physical,
Archaeology, Linguistics, Cultural, Applied
 Started out investigating small-scale,
nonwestern societies (1880’s) v. large-scale,
industrialized societies
 Methodology: Ethnographic = participant-
observation, interviews, life histories, “deep
hanging out,” field notes, photography, video,
key informants, long-term collaborations
 Ethnocentrism: using your own culture as the
basis for interpreting and judging other
cultures
* Is it possible not to be ethnocentric?
 Cultural Relativism: Attempting to
understand and evaluate another culture on
its own terms
* When do we have the responsibility to judge?
Anthropology CAN NOT:
Anthropology CAN:
 Verify, disprove, or
 Investigate
judge anyone’s
religious or spiritual
beliefs
relationships among:
religious traditions,
doctrines, & aspects of
society (economy,
culture, politics, media,
etc.)
 Offer new insights into
your own religious
traditions & cultures
 Blurring boundaries between
social sciences & humanities
 Cultures: texts to be read and
interpreted
 Interpretation: way people
make sense of differences
 Creative Process: take
something that makes sense in
one context and figure out its
meaning in another
 “Native’s Point of View”:
Perspective of people you are
working with
 Meanings are not private or in people’s
heads but public & talked about everyday
 People are sophisticated interpreters of
their own culture
 Anthropologists seek access to stories
people tell themselves about themselves
 “thick description”: layers of meaning
stacked on top of each other
 Cultural mixing at national & community borders
 Borders are everywhere: groups once defined by
religion, race, class, gender, sexuality (etc.) are in
contact
 Relationship between Power & Culture: analyze
social inequality to move toward equality
 Shift from looking at cultures as consistent wholes
to looking at differences within cultures—
difference is more typical than sameness
 Culture is emergent (always being created) &
contested (always being debated)
 VALUES = widely shared assumptions in a
society (eg. “freedom,” “equality”)
 BELIEFS = cultural conventions concerning
true or false assumptions, individual variation,
not subject to scientific method (eg. ghosts,
omens)
 WORLDVIEW = Beliefs & assumptions about
the nature of reality (eg. the nature of human
nature)
 COSMOLOGIES = beliefs & assumptions about how
we are interconnected with the universe (who are
we?, where did we come from?, why are we here?)
 NORMS = right or wrong behavior according to
society (eg. the appropriate family)
 MORES = core rules for maintaining a decent &
orderly way of life; upheld by law (eg. ten
commandments)
 SPIRITUALITY = supernatural experience, intensely
personal or private experience (how do we research
this?)
A religion is a :
1. System of symbols which acts to
2. Establish powerful, pervasive, & long-lasting
moods and motivations in men by
3. Formulating conceptions of a general order
of existence and
4. Clothing these conceptions with such an
aura of factuality that
5. The moods & motivations seem uniquely
realistic
 Symbol = external source of information
publically shared within a society
 Ex. The meaning of Jesus Christ
 Son of God who died for our sins
 Human suffering
 Human sacrifice
 Hope
 Human goodness
 Moods = religions teach us how to feel about
humanity
Ex. Reflecting on the crucifixion or human
suffering
 Motivations = religions teach us what to work
towards or hope for
Ex. Eternal salvation, inner peace,
enlightenment
 Religions teach a particular worldview that
helps to provide meaning or purpose in life
 Religions provide us with ways to endure pain,
suffering, injustice
 Ex. Belief in Satan, karma, the law of 3-fold,
etc.
 We come to believe in metaphysical ideas
about spirits, souls, revelations through
participating in RITUALS
 Deeper religious realities are reached through
rituals
 Ex. Catholic mass, Jewish Passover, Native
American sweat lodges, pilgrimages to holy
places, etc.
 Religions teach us to experience, inhabit, or
believe in an underlying spiritual reality that
fulfills a purpose in our lives
 Religions are based on faith & commitment,
not the scientific method
 Ex. Religious practice can make us feel
hopeful, grounded, happy, etc.
 All humans share in the “human condition”
 No room for “extreme cultural relativism”:
anthropologists bear the responsibility to
publicize violent practices so as to protect
human rights
 Understanding & respecting differences in
religion & culture will lead towards respect for
all human beings, a perspective that will
create a more peaceful & sustainable world