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The Numinous, the Political, and the Epistemic : Analytical Categories for Exploring the Historical Intersections of Spirituality, Ideology, and Knowledge

Hamnell, Bruno LU orcid (2025) In History of Intellectual Culture: International Yearbook of Knowledge and Society 2025(4). p.195-214
Abstract
Historians of knowledge recognize that scientific knowledge is insepa- rable from ideology, which means that the intertwinement of the epistemic and the political constitutes a key topic of study. However, historians of knowledge have thus far not focused sufficiently on intersections with religiosity and spiritu- ality. To address this gap, this article introduces the numinous as a complemen- tary analytical category alongside the epistemic and the political with the aim of capturing these overlooked dimensions, which are essential to the circulation of knowledge. Through case studies regarding holism in the thought of Jan Smuts and Abraham Maslow, the article demonstrates how this expanded framework reveals the entanglement of scientific... (More)
Historians of knowledge recognize that scientific knowledge is insepa- rable from ideology, which means that the intertwinement of the epistemic and the political constitutes a key topic of study. However, historians of knowledge have thus far not focused sufficiently on intersections with religiosity and spiritu- ality. To address this gap, this article introduces the numinous as a complemen- tary analytical category alongside the epistemic and the political with the aim of capturing these overlooked dimensions, which are essential to the circulation of knowledge. Through case studies regarding holism in the thought of Jan Smuts and Abraham Maslow, the article demonstrates how this expanded framework reveals the entanglement of scientific knowledge, ideology, and spirituality. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
analytical categories, boundary work, history of knowledge, science and religion, Jan Smuts, Abraham Maslow
host publication
History of Intellectual Culture 4/2025 : Gender, Archiving, and Knowledge Production after the Holocaust. A Postwar Republic of Letters? - Gender, Archiving, and Knowledge Production after the Holocaust. A Postwar Republic of Letters?
series title
History of Intellectual Culture: International Yearbook of Knowledge and Society
editor
Lerg, Charlotte A. ; Östling, Johan and Weiß, Jana
volume
2025
issue
4
pages
20 pages
publisher
De Gruyter Oldenbourg
ISSN
2747-6774
2747-6766
ISBN
9783111636726
9783111636603
DOI
10.1515/9783111636726-009
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
bb66ee89-29fa-4dc4-b108-76861d5d8166
date added to LUP
2025-10-16 11:15:46
date last changed
2025-10-24 03:16:50
@inbook{bb66ee89-29fa-4dc4-b108-76861d5d8166,
  abstract     = {{Historians of knowledge recognize that scientific knowledge is insepa- rable from ideology, which means that the intertwinement of the epistemic and the political constitutes a key topic of study. However, historians of knowledge have thus far not focused sufficiently on intersections with religiosity and spiritu- ality. To address this gap, this article introduces the numinous as a complemen- tary analytical category alongside the epistemic and the political with the aim of capturing these overlooked dimensions, which are essential to the circulation of knowledge. Through case studies regarding holism in the thought of Jan Smuts and Abraham Maslow, the article demonstrates how this expanded framework reveals the entanglement of scientific knowledge, ideology, and spirituality.}},
  author       = {{Hamnell, Bruno}},
  booktitle    = {{History of Intellectual Culture 4/2025 : Gender, Archiving, and Knowledge Production after the Holocaust. A Postwar Republic of Letters?}},
  editor       = {{Lerg, Charlotte A. and Östling, Johan and Weiß, Jana}},
  isbn         = {{9783111636726}},
  issn         = {{2747-6774}},
  keywords     = {{analytical categories; boundary work; history of knowledge; science and religion; Jan Smuts; Abraham Maslow}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{10}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{195--214}},
  publisher    = {{De Gruyter Oldenbourg}},
  series       = {{History of Intellectual Culture: International Yearbook of Knowledge and Society}},
  title        = {{The Numinous, the Political, and the Epistemic : Analytical Categories for Exploring the Historical Intersections of Spirituality, Ideology, and Knowledge}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/9783111636726-009}},
  doi          = {{10.1515/9783111636726-009}},
  volume       = {{2025}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}