Against the Grain and Over the Line: Reflections on Comparative Methodology
Journal Title: Religions - Year 2018, Vol 9, Issue 2
Abstract
This article distills theoretical arguments that I advance in Foreigners and Their Food, arguments relevant to a wide range of religious studies scholars. In addition, it makes the case for comparison as a method that sheds light not only on specific comparands and the class of data to which they belong but also on the very boundaries which the comparison transgresses. Through a comparison of Latin Christian and Shiʿi Islamic discourse about the impurity of religious foreigners, I illustrate methods by which religious authorities develop and transmit conceptions of foreigners. I then analyze this case study using Oliver Freiberger’s “Elements of a Comparative Methodology” while assessing the strengths and limitations of Freiberger’s methodical framework. I offer personal reflections on the process of conducting comparative scholarship, advice for those embarking on this demanding yet rewarding approach to the study of religion, and desiderata for further reflection on comparative methodology.
Authors and Affiliations
David M. Freidenreich
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP25912
- DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/rel9020044
- Views 327
- Downloads 11
Ethnography of Religious Instants: Multi-Sited Ethnography and the Idea of “Third Spaces”
Attempts to understand contemporary religious practice, and its associated communities and identities, must take into consideration the way that these phenomena exist in both virtual and physical spaces, as well as the...
A Concept Analysis of Spiritual Care Based on Islamic Sources
The cultural and religious resources of every community influence the definition of spiritual care. This paper discusses a concept analysis of spiritual care in an Islamic context. The Quran, narrations (Shie’h) and co...
Special Issue “International Conference of Spirituality in Healthcare. Sowing the Seeds”—Trinity College Dublin 2015
This is an editorial of a Special Issue concerning the International Conference of Spirituality in Healthcare held in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Republic of Ireland (ROI), in June 2015...
Does Religious Involvement Generate or Inhibit Fear of Crime?
In victimology, fear of crime is understood as an emotional response to the perceived threat of crime. Fear of crime has been found to be affected by several variables besides local crime rates and personal experiences...
Re-Building Coal Country: A Church/University Partnership
This paper describes a developing partnership between a church-based service learning center and a university initiative to build a field station in a low-income community in the anthracite coal region of Pennsylvania....