Religion and the Domestication of DissentOr, How to Live in a Less than Perfect Nation
Russell T. McCutcheon
Series: Religion in Culture:Studies in Social Contest & Construction Hardback Price £45.00/$85.00 Paperback Price £14.99/$28.95 |     |
Description
In their efforts to apportion blame and channel retaliatory action in the post September 11 world, scholars and pundits alike have used a series of rhetorical techniques to great effect, manufacturing an image of Islam, the proverbial Other, that is highly conducive to the needs of liberal democracies but hardly a reflection of any one of the many 'authentic' Islams.
This has largely been achieved by ignoring the many differences within the Islamic movement and asserting that social identities are based on a stable, uniform kernel that moves unchanged throughout history and across the globe. This inevitably results in caricatures that have many uses; in portraits of dissenting groups it tends towards demonization.
In this wide-ranging essay--which considers a variety of discursive sites, from contemporary film and art to the War on Terror--a scholar of religion asks the reader to consider how the classifications we use to name and thereby negotiate our social worlds--foremost among them the classification "religion" itself--are implicitly political and are being wielded in the public arena to carry out generally undisclosed/under analyzed social work.
In their efforts to apportion blame and channel retaliatory action in the post September 11 world, scholars and pundits alike have used a series of rhetorical techniques to great effect, manufacturing an image of Islam, the proverbial Other, that is highly conducive to the needs of liberal democracies but hardly a reflection of any one of the many 'authentic' Islams.
This has largely been achieved by ignoring the many differences within the Islamic movement and asserting that social identities are based on a stable, uniform kernel that moves unchanged throughout history and across the globe. This inevitably results in caricatures that have many uses; in portraits of dissenting groups it tends towards demonization.
In this wide-ranging essay--which considers a variety of discursive sites, from contemporary film and art to the War on Terror--a scholar of religion asks the reader to consider how the classifications we use to name and thereby negotiate our social worlds--foremost among them the classification "religion" itself--are implicitly political and are being wielded in the public arena to carry out generally undisclosed/under analyzed social work.
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgements
1. “Religion” and the Lust for Dogmatic Rule
2. Swapping Spit around the Campfire
3. The Tricks and Treats of Classification
4. A Little More Authentic than was Really Necessary
5. Another Reason why Societies Need Dissent
6. That Versatile Little Problem-Solver
Afterword
References
Reviews
'This is an important, provocative and challenging book. McCutcheon's arguments demand the consideration of anyone with a stake in the future of religious studies as a serious and meaningful academic pursuit.'
Nathan Rein, Ursinus College, in Religion 37, 2007
Specifications
| ISBN-10 (Hardback) | 1845530004 |
| ISBN-13 (Hardback) | 9781845530006 |
| Price (Hardback) | £45.00/$85.00 |
| ISBN-10 (Paperback) | 1845530012 |
| ISBN-13 (Paperback) | 9781845530013 |
| Price (Paperback) | £14.99/$28.95 |
| Publication Date | February 2005 |
| Pages | 160 |
| Size | 216 x 138mm |
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