
Modern Religion, Modern Race
Theodore Vial(Autor*in)
Oxford University Press Inc
Erschienen am 15. Juli 2016
Buch
Hardcover
296 Seiten
978-0-19-021255-1 (ISBN)
Beschreibung
Religion is a racialized category, even when race is not explicitly mentioned. Modern Religion, Modern Race argues that because the concepts of religion and race are rooted in the post-Enlightenment project of rethinking what it means to be human, we cannot simply will ourselves to stop using these categories. Only by acknowledging that religion is already racialized can we begin to understand how the two concepts are intertwined and how they operate in our
modern world.
It has become commonplace to argue that the category religion is not universal, or even very old, but is a product of Europe's Enlightenment modernization. Equally commonplace is the argument that religion is not an innocent category of analysis, but is implicated in colonial regimes of control and as such plays a role in Europe's process of identity construction of non-European "others." Current debates about race follow an eerily similar trajectory: race is not an ancient but a modern
construction. It is part of the project of colonialism, and race discourse forms one of the cornerstones of modern European identity-making. Vial focuses on the development of these ideas in the late-18th and early-19th centuries in Germany. By examining the theories of Kant, Herder, and Schleiermacher,
among others, Vial uncovers co-constitutive nature of race and religion, and how the two concepts are used today to make sense of the world. He shows that while we disdain the racist language of some of the founders of the religious studies discipline, our continued use of their theories leads us, unwittingly, to reiterate many of the same distinctions and hierarchies.
Although it may not be time to abandon the very category of religion, with all its attendant baggage, Modern Religion, Modern Race calls for us to critically examine that baggage, and the way in which religion has always carried within it race.
modern world.
It has become commonplace to argue that the category religion is not universal, or even very old, but is a product of Europe's Enlightenment modernization. Equally commonplace is the argument that religion is not an innocent category of analysis, but is implicated in colonial regimes of control and as such plays a role in Europe's process of identity construction of non-European "others." Current debates about race follow an eerily similar trajectory: race is not an ancient but a modern
construction. It is part of the project of colonialism, and race discourse forms one of the cornerstones of modern European identity-making. Vial focuses on the development of these ideas in the late-18th and early-19th centuries in Germany. By examining the theories of Kant, Herder, and Schleiermacher,
among others, Vial uncovers co-constitutive nature of race and religion, and how the two concepts are used today to make sense of the world. He shows that while we disdain the racist language of some of the founders of the religious studies discipline, our continued use of their theories leads us, unwittingly, to reiterate many of the same distinctions and hierarchies.
Although it may not be time to abandon the very category of religion, with all its attendant baggage, Modern Religion, Modern Race calls for us to critically examine that baggage, and the way in which religion has always carried within it race.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
"Theodore Vial's groundbreaking text on religion, race, and modernity is the most insightfully thought-out, clearly written, and invitingly compelling of all the recent publications on this subject. Clarity of argument represents clarity of thinking. And his, indeed, is a new voice in the field. He proves to us what we've all missed: the post-Kantian context and the decisiveness of language in how the West wedded race and religion."-Dwight N. Hopkins, author of Being Human: Race, Culture, and Religion "Modern Religion, Modern Race is a smart, nuanced, and accessible study of the birth of the twin concepts of 'religion' and 'race' in the modern world. With historical sensitivity and philosophical acumen, Theodore Vial traces the simultaneous development of these two concepts and brings his analysis to bear upon the contemporary, and often violent, ways in which these ideas continue to shape our world. Readers have much to gain from this thoughtful study."-Leora Batnitzky, author of How Judaism Became a Religion: An Introduction to Modern Jewish Thought "Theodore Vial has given us a wonderfully learned and rich treatment of race and religion in the German Idealist tradition. Long established as one of the leading Schleiermacher scholars in the English speaking world, Vial has done us an enormous service in this text. It not only brilliantly explains the thought of Schleiermacher, Herder, and Kant on race and religion, but he also gives us a beautiful genealogy that brings us to our present moment. His work complements and expands the seminal work of Emmanuel Chukwudi Eze and helps us see the racial architecture of modern religious studies. Yet what also commends this book is the clarity and precision with which Ted Vial writes. Generations of students will sing his praises for giving them a text that they will understand and remember."-Willie James Jennings, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies, Yale UniversityWeitere Details
Sprache
Englisch
Verlagsort
New York
USA
Zielgruppe
Für höhere Schule und Studium
Für Beruf und Forschung
Illustrationen
5 illus.
Maße
Höhe: 240 mm
Breite: 161 mm
Dicke: 20 mm
Gewicht
608 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-021255-1 (9780190212551)
Schweitzer Klassifikation
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Theodore Vial
Modern Religion, Modern Race
E-Book
06/2016
1. Auflage
OUP eBook
23,99 €
Als Download verfügbar

Theodore Vial
Modern Religion, Modern Race
E-Book
06/2016
1. Auflage
OUP eBook
23,99 €
Als Download verfügbar
Person
Theodore Vial teaches modern western religious thought. He is the author of Schleiermacher: A Guide for the Perplexed (2013), Liturgy Wars: Ritual Theory and Protestant Reform in Nineteenth-Century Zurich ( 2004); and co-editor of Ethical Monotheism, Past and Present: Essays in Honor of Wendell S. Dietrich (2001). Vial received his B.A. from Brown University and both M.A. and Ph. D. from The University of
Chicago.
Chicago.
Autor*in
Professor of Theology and Modern Western Religious ThoughtProfessor of Theology and Modern Western Religious Thought, Iliff School of Theology