Tag Archives: Robert Orsi

Name it and Disclaim it: A Tool for Better Discussion in Religious Studies

by Joseph P. Laycock and Natasha L. Mikles Anyone who has led discussion in an introductory undergraduate Religious Studies class has experienced frustrating comments from students such as, “Jews practice empty ritual,” or “Buddhists are more spiritual than other religions.” … Continue reading

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Why are Chinese Grandmothers Giving Offerings to Video Game Characters? And Why Does the Internet Think it’s Funny?

by Natasha L. Mikles A strange set of pictures has been circulating on Chinese messaging apps this week. The photos—stills from the video footage of an internet café in an unknown Chinese city—show an elderly Chinese woman kneeling to make … Continue reading

Posted in Religion and Popular Culture, Religion and Society, Religion and Theory, Religion in the News, Southeast Asian Studies, Theory and Method, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Problem of the Mystic East

The following post originally appeared in a slightly different form on the author’s personal blog, which can be found here. After having read Robert Orsi’s rather odd essay on “The Problem of the Holy” (in The Cambridge Companion to Religious Studies, ed. … Continue reading

Posted in Craig Martin, Religion and Society, Religion and Theory, Theory and Method, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The First Day in Orientation to the Study of Religion

by Sean McCloud * This post originally appeared on the Practicum: Critical Theory, Religion, and Pedagogy blog. “Let’s start at the very beginning (a very good place to start).” “Everything seems to be up in the air at this time.” … Continue reading

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Serpents, Novelty, and Academic Fetish

by Travis Cooper * This is a revised version of a post originally found on the author’s personal blog. Novelty draws academics. This is no controversial claim. We cluster around the odd, the uncanny, and the strange. We gather around scenes … Continue reading

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Some Thoughts on Navigating the “Normative/Descriptive” Divide: Reflections on Islamic Studies

by Vernon Schubel Editor’s note: This post is part of a broader conversation on scholarship in Islamic Studies that was sparked by two recent articles, one by Omid Safi and one by Aaron Hughes. The Bulletin will be hosting a series of scholars in Islamic … Continue reading

Posted in Politics and Religion, Religion and Society, Religion and Theory, Theory and Method, Theory in the Real World, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Let’s Talk “Religion”: A Politically and Culturally Embedded Product

By Philip L. Tite The following is the editorial introduction to the most recent issue of the Bulletin for the Study of Religion (43.1, February 2014). We offer this introduction here in order to give readers of the Bulletin’s blog a sense … Continue reading

Posted in Academy, Announcements, Editorial, Philip L. Tite, Politics and Religion, Religion and Popular Culture, Religion and Society, Religion and Theory, Religion Snapshots, Theory and Method, Theory in the Real World | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment