Mapping the Discursive Study of Religion

Hjelm, Titus

doi:10.1093/jaarel/lfaa045

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…The second and most important aspect of a genealogical approach is that it shows the interdependence between concepts and categories (the labeling and objectifying power of language) and the social phenomena they address. In other words, the genealogical method acknowledges the productive power of language and discourse to create that of which they speak (Hjelm 2020;Moberg 2013;von Stuckrad 2013;Taira 2013Taira , 2016. As Granholm (2011, 787) correctly notes, building on Hanegraaff's seminal work on esotericism: "A researcher interested in doing sociological studies on esotericism [or on contemporary spiritualities and yoga for that matter] does well to bear in mind that the esotericism of academic research is a scholarly construct; in Hanegraaff's words, it is 'not "discovered" but produced' (Hanegraaff 1998, p. 16).…”

Section: The Genealogical Approach and The Discursive Study Of Religionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Preliminary Genealogy of Yoga in Italy: Between Religion and Contemporary Spirituality

Placido

Palmisano

2023

Religions

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In this article, we design a preliminary genealogy of yoga in Italy, showing its positioning within the growing field of “contemporary spiritualities”, their premodern, esoteric and theosophical roots and Catholicism. Our main claim is that yoga and contemporary spiritualities as practiced in XXI-century Italy are neither entirely new nor are they clearly an alternative to more established religions. We rely on the methods and tools of a “discursive study of religion” approach to unpack the intricacies, genealogical roots and definitional boundaries that yoga, contemporary spiritualities and religion in Italy share. More specifically, we question the novelty of contemporary spiritualities in Italy, unveiling some of their esoteric, theosophical and anthroposophical roots, presenting, in turn, a preliminary genealogy of yoga in Italy, discussing its positioning amid Catholicism and contemporary spiritualities. We conclude by reflecting on the creation, use and limits of sociocultural theorizing about interpreting and understanding the spiritual and religious field, with a specific emphasis on the overlapping and porous boundaries between the concepts of religion, contemporary spiritualities, Western esotericism and modern yoga.

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Section: The Genealogical Approach and The Discursive Study Of Religionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Preliminary Genealogy of Yoga in Italy: Between Religion and Contemporary Spirituality

Placido

Palmisano

2023

Religions

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“…Before moving on, it is important to say that "the discursive study of religion" is not one thing, but is rather best seen as a collection of different positions (Hjelm 2020). It could be argued, however, that what they all share in common is their connection to the work of Michel Foucualt (see von Stuckrad 2015: 2).…”

Section: Schilbrack's Argumentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Realism of Discourse: Critical Reflections on the Work of Kevin Schilbrack

Rasmussen

2023

Method Theory Study Relig.

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In recent years, there has been an increasing number of scholars who have argued that “religion” is a specifically modern category which first emerged in Western Europe in the seventeenth century and was further developed, and extended to the rest of the world, in the context of colonialism. This, in turn, has led to a discussion of what these studies mean for the study of religion. In this article, I examine an influential answer to this question as it emerges in the work of Kevin Schilbrack, who argues in favour of a critical realist position. I argue, however, that Schilbrack misrepresents the nature of one of the other main theoretical approaches on offer, namely the discursive study of religion. This is a problem because of the relational nature of Schilbrack’s project, in that he argues for his own position based on the problems he identifies in other alternatives.

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“…Methodologically, the article relies on discourse analysis of three yoga manuals and on twenty-seven anonymized biographical interviews of Italian yoga teachers and practitioners (2017-2020) conducted as part of a broader ethnographic project on the pedagogies of modern yoga (2017-present). Discourse analysis, approached through a variety of theoretical sensitivities, has been widely applied to the study of religious discourses and phenomena (Asad 1993;Beaman 2020;Hjelm 2020;Johnston and von Stuckrad 2020;Qadir 2023), showing the socially and discursively constructed nature of concepts, practices and ideologies central to the disciplines comprising the social scientific study of religion. In this article, I build on this critical tradition and apply it to the study of situated discourses and of how language "simultaneously reflects and constructs the situation or context in which it is used" (Gee [1999(Gee [ ] 2014.…”

Section: Discourse and Practice In The Social Scientific Study Of Rel...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Spiritualities of the Body: Yoga, Spirituality and Health in Italy

Di Placido

2023

Religions

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Modern postural yoga, a body–mind practice developed in the last hundred and fifty years at the intersection of therapeutic, fitness and spiritual logics, is experiencing an unprecedented worldwide diffusion, including in Italy. This article, relying on discourse analysis of three yoga manuals and twenty-seven biographical interviews of yoga practitioners, aims at exploring yoga’s positioning in the Italian context, with particular attention paid to its practical–discursive construction as a contemporary form of spiritualities of the body, defined as spiritualities oriented towards practitioners’ ‘unmediated’ relationship with the sacred and the cultivation of well-being through “body work”. More specifically, the article investigates the “cultural pragmatics” of a selection of Italian yoga manuals, scripted performances (regarding health and spirituality) capable of directly influencing and impacting practitioners’ “social imaginaries” of yoga in their everyday practice. In so doing, it also contributes to discussing the circular and reciprocal relationship between “discourses” and “practices” within specific contexts of practice, such as yoga classes and teacher training courses. The article concludes by emphasizing which conceptualizations of health and spirituality are promoted, transmitted and in turn embodied during yoga practice, the role of health discourses and pedagogies in the professionalization of yoga and the growing practical–discursive construction of the yoga teacher as a spiritual director and health expert.

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Mapping the Discursive Study of Religion

Cited by 9 publications

References 31 publications

A Preliminary Genealogy of Yoga in Italy: Between Religion and Contemporary Spirituality

A Preliminary Genealogy of Yoga in Italy: Between Religion and Contemporary Spirituality

The Realism of Discourse: Critical Reflections on the Work of Kevin Schilbrack

Spiritualities of the Body: Yoga, Spirituality and Health in Italy

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