If it's not Authentic, it's not a Religion

Fabricating Authenticity - Jason W.M. Ellsworth

Teemu Taira [+-]
University of Helsinki
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Teemu Taira is Senior Lecturer in the Study of Religion, University of Helsinki. His publications include Media Portrayals of Religion and the Secular Sacred (Ashgate 2013, co-authored with Kim Knott & Elizabeth Poole), Taking ‘Religion’ Seriously: Essays on the Discursive Study of Religion (Brill 2022) and more than 70 articles in journals and edited volumes.

Description

In this chapter, Taira unpacks the legal criteria for classifying certain groups as “authentic religions” and how those criteria are applied in the case of the Temple of the Jedi Order in the UK. In considering which groups are or are not granted legal (and protected status), Taira argues that these criteria reify a Christo-centric definition and legal classification of religion which fabricate non-normative religions as “inauthentic.”

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Citation

Taira, Teemui. If it's not Authentic, it's not a Religion. Fabricating Authenticity. Equinox eBooks Publishing, United Kingdom. p. Aug 2024. ISBN 9781800501454. https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/view-chapter/?id=40282. Date accessed: 29 Mar 2024 doi: 10.1558/equinox.40282. Aug 2024

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