The Commitment to Go on Theorizing “Religion”

Abstract

There are two kinds of scholars in the world, those who do theory and those who do not. This is one of the main organizing binaries inTheory in a Time of Excess(edited by Aaron W. Hughes). All contributors of the volume agree that theory is something that is valuable. In this essay I explore what theory means in this book and how contributors to the volume highlight different aspects of theorizing. This opens up the question of who are the most fruitful conversation partners that potentially maintain and extend a commitment to theorizing.

The Historicization of “Religion” and The Devastation of Study of Religion Departments

“…I was also immersed in cultural studies scholarship then. In my study of religion department, we were happy to study all kinds of cultural values and worldviews (not just "religion"), so it is not surprising that I was very inspired by IRS and that it was one of several studies that actually convinced me to pursue a PhD in the study of religion rather than cultural history (see Taira 2018).…”