rels 205 lecture 2.1 research methods for studying religion and ritual
TRANSCRIPT
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Rels 205 Lecture 2.1Research Methods for Studying
Religion and Ritual
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Lecture Outline for Part One of Rels 205.01
Week 2Lecture 1 Ritual and the Study of ReligionLecture 2 Religious and Secular TraditionsWeek 3Lecture 1 Sacral SentimentsLecture 2 The meaning of mythWeek 4Lecture 1 Arguments for Belief in GodLecture 2 Traditional ChristianityWeek 5Lecture 1 Changing WorldviewsLecture 2 ReviewWeek 6 Reading WeekWeek 7Lecture 1 First in class test
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Studying Religion
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Religious Studies
Discipline or area?
Problem of inter-disciplinary research
Jack of all trades master of none
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Marx on Prodhon
In France where philosophy in king they call him an economist, in Germany, where economics is King, they call him a philosopher, I say he is neither.
Pierre Joseph Prodhon(1809-1865)
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Ninian Smart on methods
Religion
history
philosophy psychology
social
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Practical methods
History
Philosophy (logic)
Social:anthropology/sociology
Religion
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Common valid methodsInterdisciplinary approach
Participant observation
Life history interviews
Random sample survey research
Historical research
Archival research
Analysis of texts
Content analysis of literature
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Anthropology – Sociology
Originally:Anthropology = non-Western societiesSociology = Western societies
Today:Anthropology = qualitative methodsSociology = quantitative methods
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Anthropological methods
Participant observation
Life history interviews
Topical interviews
Survey research
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Sociological methods
Survey research
Participant observation
Life history interviews
Topical interviews
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Flawed Methods
Use of proof texts
Reliance on testimony of ex-members
Selective survey research
Uni-disciplinary approach
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Reliance on testimony of ex-members
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Selective survey researchElda Susan Morran and Lawrence Schlemmer, Faith for the Fearful?,
Center for Applied Social Sciences, Durban, 1984.
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Selective survey research
Elda Susan Morran and Lawrence Schlemmer, Faith for the Fearful?,
Center for Applied Social Sciences, Durban, 1984.
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Faith for the Fearful
Snowball sample. They said only 5% of Church members were Blacks when over 60% were Black one year later.
Made no distinction between language Groups. Compared working class Afrikaners with English elite.
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Use of proof texts“Judas went out and hanged himself”Luke 27.5
“Go thou and do likewise”Luke 10.37
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Uni-Disciplinary
Religion history
Catholics do not eat meat on Fridays.Therefore, meat sales in the Italian areas of
Chicago are significantly reduced on Fridays.
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Triangulation
No one method is reliable. Therefore more than one method is needed. Results must be checked against other results.
Life historyinterviews
Surveyresearch
Participantobservation
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Pitfalls
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~hexham/study/plag.html
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~hexham/study/T-2.html
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~hexham/study/T-1.html
Bias
Faulty references
Plagiarism
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“A set of institutionalized rituals …”
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Ritual
Repetitive behaviour, fixed by tradition, that signifies a meaning or reality beyond the act itself.
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Cultural Adaption – Modernizing Rituals
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Religious Rituals
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Victor Turner (1920-1983)
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Rites of PassageA social transition from one stage of life to another.
e.g. birth, puberty, marriage, birth, divorce,re-marriage, old age, death .
Trauma and life-crises
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Source for Rites of Passage
Victor Turner The Ritual ProcessChicago, Aldine Publishing, 1969
Arnold van Gennep, Rites of Passage
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Rites of Passage illustrated
Original state Liminality New state
Trauma
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Mary Douglas (1921-2007)
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Purity and Danger (1966)
“You shall be Holy; for I the Lordyour God am holy.”
Leviticus 19:2
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Natural Symbols (1970)
Vatican II (1962-1965) and “the bog Irish”
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Perceived Constraints What prevents you from doing whatever you want?
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Constraints of Group and Grid
Grid = rules
Group = Personal
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Social StructureGrid
Group
Ridged rulese.g. Army
No rules or personal constraints.e.g. Californian society
Personal powere.g. Patriarchal societyAbraham: Gen. 12-50
Rules with personalinfluences.e.g. Medieval Kingship