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Discourse on the Invention of Discourse: Why We Need the Terminology of “Religion” and “Religions”
Author(s) -
Hedges Paul
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of religious history
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.117
H-Index - 13
eISSN - 1467-9809
pISSN - 0022-4227
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9809.12141
Subject(s) - terminology , deconstruction (building) , scholarship , nexus (standard) , context (archaeology) , epistemology , sociology , reflexivity , history of religions , comparative religion , set (abstract data type) , history , social science , philosophy , religious studies , linguistics , anthropology , political science , computer science , archaeology , law , ecology , biology , embedded system , programming language
T imothy F itzgerald's deconstruction of religion occurs at the nexus of Critical Studies and the history of ideas. Set within the context of scholars like T omoko M asuzawa and R ussell M c C utcheon, it is suggested that his work provides an important aid to reflexivity in Religious Studies scholarship, but that like other deconstructive work in this area it is beset by a number of flaws. In particular, the historical evidence is open to alternative readings that suggest the development of the category “religion” may be as much about “discovery” as “invention,” while the continued need for F itzgerald and other scholars to use some term to substitute for “religion,” such as the “sacred,” shows the continued usefulness of the term as a descriptive tool.