RELIGST 1B03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Mircea Eliade, Oedipus Complex, Glossary Of Ancient Roman Religion
22 Apr 2019
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Smith suggests that religion and its scholarly study are relatively recent phenomena, and a creation of academia. There is nothing expressly regarded as outside" the scholar"s range of choices. The scholar should not be constrained by the de nitional criteria of religious insiders" (p. 72). Smith is also noted for his critique of comparative studies in religion, such as those by joseph. Campbell and mircea eliade, which seek to demonstrate shared propensities among human beings across disparate cultures. Smith emphasizes that there is much to be gained by looking at the differences rather than the commonalities. Yet these procedures of drawing distinctions between them" and us," or of othering," and of boundary creation, are a hallmark of human behavior and often particularly linked to religion (p. 72) . Smith: religion is anything the scholar wants to be religion. Geertz: discerning meaning from the insiders" perspective; telling their story.
