‘Senses’: Assessing a Key Term inDavid Chidester’s Analysis of Religion
The purpose of this article is to illustrate and assess Chidester’suse of the ‘senses’ as an analytical term in his study of religion. Under ‘senses’ Chidester includes not only the five conventional senses of Aristotle, but also analyzes metaphorical uses of the senses in religious discourse, the...
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| Language: | English |
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Association for the Study of Religion in Southern Africa
2018-07-01
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| Series: | Journal for the Study of Religion |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/ReligionStudy/article/view/318 |
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| author | Johan M. Strijdom |
| author_facet | Johan M. Strijdom |
| author_sort | Johan M. Strijdom |
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The purpose of this article is to illustrate and assess Chidester’suse of the ‘senses’ as an analytical term in his study of religion. Under ‘senses’ Chidester includes not only the five conventional senses of Aristotle, but also analyzes metaphorical uses of the senses in religious discourse, the visions and dreams of mystics and shamans, and eventually new media as extensions of the human senses. Chidester’s analysis of the senses in European Christian discourses on the one hand, and in colonial and postcolonial African indigenous religion and imperial religious studieson the other hand, is compared and assessed. Although he does not offer a systematic comparison of these case studies, I argue that his analysis lends itself to an explicit comparison of the senses as material aspects of religion and showhow his contextualized and historically nuanced analysis of the senses in religion and religious studies informs a critical study of religion. Since criticalassumes judgment, values need to be explicated in terms of critical theories, which in my view need further elaboration.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2a000cf6692449039ed4646746fcc18a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1011-7601 2413-3027 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2018-07-01 |
| publisher | Association for the Study of Religion in Southern Africa |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal for the Study of Religion |
| spelling | doaj-art-2a000cf6692449039ed4646746fcc18a2025-01-29T09:01:39ZengAssociation for the Study of Religion in Southern AfricaJournal for the Study of Religion1011-76012413-30272018-07-01312‘Senses’: Assessing a Key Term inDavid Chidester’s Analysis of ReligionJohan M. Strijdom The purpose of this article is to illustrate and assess Chidester’suse of the ‘senses’ as an analytical term in his study of religion. Under ‘senses’ Chidester includes not only the five conventional senses of Aristotle, but also analyzes metaphorical uses of the senses in religious discourse, the visions and dreams of mystics and shamans, and eventually new media as extensions of the human senses. Chidester’s analysis of the senses in European Christian discourses on the one hand, and in colonial and postcolonial African indigenous religion and imperial religious studieson the other hand, is compared and assessed. Although he does not offer a systematic comparison of these case studies, I argue that his analysis lends itself to an explicit comparison of the senses as material aspects of religion and showhow his contextualized and historically nuanced analysis of the senses in religion and religious studies informs a critical study of religion. Since criticalassumes judgment, values need to be explicated in terms of critical theories, which in my view need further elaboration. https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/ReligionStudy/article/view/318sensesvisionsdreamsmediaanalytical terms in religious studiescritical theory |
| spellingShingle | Johan M. Strijdom ‘Senses’: Assessing a Key Term inDavid Chidester’s Analysis of Religion Journal for the Study of Religion senses visions dreams media analytical terms in religious studies critical theory |
| title | ‘Senses’: Assessing a Key Term inDavid Chidester’s Analysis of Religion |
| title_full | ‘Senses’: Assessing a Key Term inDavid Chidester’s Analysis of Religion |
| title_fullStr | ‘Senses’: Assessing a Key Term inDavid Chidester’s Analysis of Religion |
| title_full_unstemmed | ‘Senses’: Assessing a Key Term inDavid Chidester’s Analysis of Religion |
| title_short | ‘Senses’: Assessing a Key Term inDavid Chidester’s Analysis of Religion |
| title_sort | senses assessing a key term indavid chidester s analysis of religion |
| topic | senses visions dreams media analytical terms in religious studies critical theory |
| url | https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/ReligionStudy/article/view/318 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT johanmstrijdom sensesassessingakeytermindavidchidestersanalysisofreligion |