My Religious Identity : An Unfinished Project
Fridlund, Patrik LU
(2023)
In Norsk tidsskrift for misjonsvitenskap
77(1).
p.53-69
- Abstract
- The matter of identity is ever present in academic, and non-academic, discourses on religion and interreligious relations: identity as a category of something that can be nailed down, established and maintained with the help of definitions and logic; identity as a matter of something stable and even rigid. This is significant in deliberations regarding syncretism. In this paper, references are made to a previous study in which it is argued that a ‘religious approach’ to syncretism is wiser in several respects than what may be labelled a ‘logical approach’. The opposition should by no means be pushed too far, and there are of course many interesting in-between positions. Nonetheless, fundamentally one could have one approach rather than... (More)
- The matter of identity is ever present in academic, and non-academic, discourses on religion and interreligious relations: identity as a category of something that can be nailed down, established and maintained with the help of definitions and logic; identity as a matter of something stable and even rigid. This is significant in deliberations regarding syncretism. In this paper, references are made to a previous study in which it is argued that a ‘religious approach’ to syncretism is wiser in several respects than what may be labelled a ‘logical approach’. The opposition should by no means be pushed too far, and there are of course many interesting in-between positions. Nonetheless, fundamentally one could have one approach rather than another and this indeed forms a watershed: the one and not the other as the point of departure. This paper starts in the question of ‘identity’. The aim is to bring light to a different approach altogether, an approach that is made possible through a reading of Emmanuel Levinas. Although interreligious relations and syncretism are not thematised in the texts read, it is suggested that reading them is fruitful. Giving space to the unexpected, the unforeseeable, the impossible, means also giving space to ‘human’ and to God. Here is a watershed, which has little to do with ‘religion’, ‘religious belief and practice’, religious belonging and adherence; what is at stake is whether there is a strong value in the unknown, the unknowable and the impossible, or not. The argument here is that this is crucial when issues of religious identity are tabled. (Less)
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Abstract in Norweigan
Sammenfatning: Spørsmålet om identitet er alltid tilstede
i akademiske og ikke-akad-emiske
diskurser om religion og interreligiøse relasjoner: identitet som en kategori av noe som kan spigles fast, etableres og
opprettholdes ved hjelp av de"nisjoner
og logikk; identitet som et spørsmål om noe stabilt og til og med rigid. Dette
er viktig i overveielser om
synkretisme. I denne artikkelen refereres det til en tidligere studie der det argumenteres for at en «religiøs
tilnærming» til synkretisme er klokere i #ere
henseender enn det som kan
kalles en «logisk tilnærming». Opposisjonen skal på ingen måte presses for langt, og det er
selvsagt mange interessante... (More) - Abstract in Norweigan
Sammenfatning: Spørsmålet om identitet er alltid tilstede
i akademiske og ikke-akad-emiske
diskurser om religion og interreligiøse relasjoner: identitet som en kategori av noe som kan spigles fast, etableres og
opprettholdes ved hjelp av de"nisjoner
og logikk; identitet som et spørsmål om noe stabilt og til og med rigid. Dette
er viktig i overveielser om
synkretisme. I denne artikkelen refereres det til en tidligere studie der det argumenteres for at en «religiøs
tilnærming» til synkretisme er klokere i #ere
henseender enn det som kan
kalles en «logisk tilnærming». Opposisjonen skal på ingen måte presses for langt, og det er
selvsagt mange interessante mellomposisjoner. Ikke
desto mindre kan man fundamentalt ha en tilnærming snarere enn en annen, og dette danner faktisk et vannskille: den
ene og ikke den andre som utgangspunkt. Denne
artikkelen starter med spørsmålet om ‘identitet’. Målet er å bringe lys til en helt annen tilnærming, en tilnærming som er
muliggjort gjennom en lesning av Emmanuel
Levinas. Selv om interreligiøse relasjoner og synkretisme ikke tematiseres i de leste tekstene, antydes det at det er
fruktbart å lese dem. Å gi rom til det uventede, det
uforutsigbare, det umulige, betyr også å gi rom til ‘menneske’ og til Gud. Her er et vannskille, som har lite å gjøre med
‘religion’, ‘religiøs tro og praksis’, religiøs tilhørighet
og tilslutning; det som står på spill er om det er en sterk verdi i det
ukjente, det ukjente og det
umulige, eller ikke. Argumentet her er at dette er avgjørende når spørsmål om religiøs identitet tas opp.
(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/f313d104-8125-42f9-a151-da6402d7d221
- author
- Fridlund, Patrik
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023-07-10
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Emmanuel Levinas, syncretism, identity, jealousy, logic
- in
- Norsk tidsskrift for misjonsvitenskap
- volume
- 77
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 17 pages
- ISSN
- 2464-1936
- DOI
- 10.48626/ntm.v77i1.5497
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- f313d104-8125-42f9-a151-da6402d7d221
- alternative location
- https://journals.mf.no/ntm/article/view/5497/4535
- date added to LUP
- 2023-07-11 11:55:12
- date last changed
- 2023-08-14 15:38:28
@article{f313d104-8125-42f9-a151-da6402d7d221,
abstract = {{The matter of identity is ever present in academic, and non-academic, discourses on religion and interreligious relations: identity as a category of something that can be nailed down, established and maintained with the help of definitions and logic; identity as a matter of something stable and even rigid. This is significant in deliberations regarding syncretism. In this paper, references are made to a previous study in which it is argued that a ‘religious approach’ to syncretism is wiser in several respects than what may be labelled a ‘logical approach’. The opposition should by no means be pushed too far, and there are of course many interesting in-between positions. Nonetheless, fundamentally one could have one approach rather than another and this indeed forms a watershed: the one and not the other as the point of departure. This paper starts in the question of ‘identity’. The aim is to bring light to a different approach altogether, an approach that is made possible through a reading of Emmanuel Levinas. Although interreligious relations and syncretism are not thematised in the texts read, it is suggested that reading them is fruitful. Giving space to the unexpected, the unforeseeable, the impossible, means also giving space to ‘human’ and to God. Here is a watershed, which has little to do with ‘religion’, ‘religious belief and practice’, religious belonging and adherence; what is at stake is whether there is a strong value in the unknown, the unknowable and the impossible, or not. The argument here is that this is crucial when issues of religious identity are tabled.}},
author = {{Fridlund, Patrik}},
issn = {{2464-1936}},
keywords = {{Emmanuel Levinas; syncretism; identity; jealousy; logic}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{07}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{53--69}},
series = {{Norsk tidsskrift for misjonsvitenskap}},
title = {{My Religious Identity : An Unfinished Project}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/152389126/Fridlund_MyReligiousIdentity.pdf}},
doi = {{10.48626/ntm.v77i1.5497}},
volume = {{77}},
year = {{2023}},
}