Religion in the Making? Animality, Savagery, and Civilization in the Work of A. N. Whitehead

2000 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Palmer
Keyword(s):  
Writing Process ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
History Of Religions ◽  
Colonial Theory ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Behaviors

AbstractConstructions of the animal and animality are often pivotal to religious discourses. Such constructions create the possibility of identifying and valuing what is "human" as opposed to the "animal" and also of distinguishing human beliefs and behaviors that can be characterized (and often disparaged) as being animal from those that are "truly human." Some discourses also employ the concept of savagery as a bridge between the human and the animal, where the form of humanity but not its ideal beliefs and practices can be displayed. This paper explores the work of the influential scientist, philosopher, and theologian A. N. Whitehead in this context. His ideas of what constitutes "the animal," the "primitive" and the "civilized" are laid out explicitly in his now little-used history of religions text, Religion in the Making. This paper explores these ideas in this history and then considers how the same ideas permeate his currently more popular philosophical and theological writing Process and Reality. Drawing on some work in post-colonial theory, the paper offers a critique of this understanding of animality, savagery, and civilization and suggests that using Whitehead to underpin modern theological work requires considerable caution.

Religion in the Making? Animality, Savagery, and Civilization in the Work of A. N. Whitehead

2000 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 287-304
Author(s):  
Clare Palmerl
Keyword(s):  
Writing Process ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
History Of Religions ◽  
Colonial Theory ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Behaviors

AbstractConstructions of the animal and animality are often pivotal to religious discourses. Such constructions create the possibility of identifying and valuing what is "human" as opposed to the "animal" and also of distinguishing human beliefs and behaviors that can be characterized (and often disparaged) as being animal from those that are "truly human." Some discourses also employ the concept of savagery as a bridge between the human and the animal, where the form of humanity but not its ideal beliefs and practices can be displayed. This paper explores the work of the influential scientist, philosopher, and theologian A. N. Whitehead in this context. His ideas of what constitutes "the animal." the "primitive" and the "civilized" are laid out explicitly in his now little-used history of religions text, Religion in the Making.This paper explores these ideas in this history and then considers how the same ideas permeate his currently more popular philosophical and theological writing Process and Reolity. Drawing on some work in post-colonial theory the paper offers a critique of this understanding of animality, savagery, and civilization and suggests that using Whitehead to underpin modern theological work requires considerable caution.

Perfection Makes Practice

2006 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 98-100
Author(s):  
Muhamad Ali
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Muslim Community ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Psychological Dimension ◽  
South Sulawesi ◽  
Complex Dimensions ◽  
History Of Religions ◽  
History Of

Studies of Islam in Southeast Asia have sought to better understand its multifacetedand complex dimensions, although one may make a generalizedcategorization of Muslim beliefs and practices based on a fundamental differencein ideologies and strategies, such as cultural and political Islam.Anna M. Gade’s Perfection Makes Practice stresses the cultural aspect ofIndonesian Muslim practices by analyzing the practices of reciting andmemorizing the Qur’an, as well as the annual competition.Muslim engagement with the Qur’an has tended to emphasize the cognitiveover the psychological dimension. Perfection Makes Practice analyzesthe role of emotion in these undertakings through a combination ofapproaches, particularly the history of religions, ethnography, psychology,and anthropology. By investigating Qur’anic practitioners in Makassar,South Sulawesi, during the 1990s, Gade argues that the perfection of theQur’an as a perceived, learned, and performed text has made and remade thepractitioners, as well as other members of the Muslim community, to renewor increase their engagement with the holy text. In this process, she suggests,moods and motivation are crucial to preserving the recited Qur’an and revitalizingthe Muslim community.In chapter 1, Gade begins with a theoretical consideration for her casestudy. Drawing from concepts that emphasize the importance of feeling andemotion in ritual and religious experience, she develops a conceptualizationof this engagement. In chapter 2, Gade explains memorization within thecontext of the self and social relations. She argues that Qur’anic memorizershave a special relationship with its style and structure, as well as with thesocial milieu. Although Qur’anic memorization is a normal practice for mostMuslims, its practitioners have learned how to memorize and recite beautifullysome or all of the Qur’an’s verses, a process that requires emotion ...

scholarly journals Matrices of ‘Love and Theft’: Joan Baez Imitates Bob Dylan

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-31
Author(s):  
MIMI HADDON
Keyword(s):  
Final Section ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
First Century ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
The Third ◽  
Bob Dylan ◽  
Colonial Theory ◽  
History Of ◽  
Asymmetrical Power ◽  
American Popular Music

Abstract This article uses Joan Baez's impersonations of Bob Dylan from the mid-1960s to the beginning of the twenty-first century as performances where multiple fields of complementary discourse converge. The article is organized in three parts. The first part addresses the musical details of Baez's acts of mimicry and their uncanny ability to summon Dylan's predecessors. The second considers mimicry in the context of identity, specifically race and asymmetrical power relations in the history of American popular music. The third and final section analyses her imitations in the context of gender and reproductive labour, focusing on the way various media have shaped her persona and her relationship to Dylan. The article engages critical theoretical work informed by psychoanalysis, post-colonial theory, and Marxist feminism.

scholarly journals Pesan Suci yang Terkontaminasi: Suatu Tinjauan atas Pendekatan Pascakolonial Sugirtharajah dan Konteks Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 187
Author(s):  
Haleluya Timbo Hutabarat
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Biblical Criticism ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Sacred Texts ◽  
History Of Religions ◽  
History Of ◽  
Persistent Violence ◽  
Qualitative Literature

Abstract The history of religions records the existence of persistent violence in religions. Many rulers, with the help of clergies, misuse sacred texts for their conquering interests. The coming of Christianity to Indonesia was linked to Western colonialism with its exploitating ambition. Todate, the fruit of the agenda of misusing Scriptures can still be found in the theology and traditions of the Indonesian churches. This study presents the post-colonial biblical criticism of Sugirtharajah as an inclusive, collaborative hermeneutic umbrella for efforts to liberatetexts, traditions, and contexts of Indonesia. Rasiah S. Sugirtharajah has pioneered the post-colonial biblical criticism as a hermeneutics that criticizes domination and alienation. This study looks at the relevance of Sugirtharajah’s thinking for the context of Indonesian Christianity. The methods used include qualitative literature review on the postcolonialpublication in Indonesia to find out the progress of the existing post-colonial hermeneutic works. Abstrak Sejarah agama-agama mencatat hadirnya kekerasan secara persisten. Penguasa, dengan bantuan rohaniwan, sering kali menyisipkan kepentingan penaklukannya ke dalam penggunaan ayat-ayat suci. Kekristenan di Indonesia datang berkaitan dengan kolonialisme Barat dengan ambisi eksploitatifnya. Dalam hal itu terjadi juga kolaborasi saling menguntungkan antara misionaris dan penguasa (ekonomi dan militer) kolonial. Produk agenda penundukan dan pembodohan yang menggunakan ayat-ayat Kitab Suci masih terasa dalam teologi dan tradisi gereja Indonesia hingga sekarang. Bentuk kolonialismebaru juga terus bermekaran di dalam dan sekitar gereja. Studi ini menyelidiki pendekatanhermeneutik yang dapat melawan upaya mengkontaminasi Kitab Suci. Studi ini menyuguhkan Kritik Alkitabiah Pascakolonial Sugirtharajah sebagai payung hermeneutis kolaboratif inklusif bagi banyak upaya membebaskan teks, tradisi, dan konteks. Metode yang dipakai adalah analisis historis mengikuti kerangka teori Sugirtharajah. Juga dilakukan tinjauan literatur terhadap buku-buku teologi bernafas pascakolonial yang banyak dipakai di Indonesia guna melihat sejauh mana upaya pascakolonial telah ada sekaligus perlu dikembangkan sesuai pemikiran Sugirtharajah. Hasil studi ini diharapkan bisa membantu kekristenan Indonesia untuk lebih merdeka dan terampil dalam membebaskan teks, teologi, tradisi, dan penafsiran Alkitab secara pascakolonial berdasarkan konteks semesta dan manusia Indonesia.

Greek and Roman in dialogue: the pseudo-Lucianic Nero

1999 ◽  
Vol 119 ◽  
pp. 142-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Whitmarsh
Keyword(s):  
Cultural History ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Aegean Island ◽  
Greco Roman ◽  
Colonial Theory ◽  
History Of ◽  
Of Greece

The short dialogue entitled Nero or on the digging of the Isthmus, preserved in the manuscripts of Lucian, is an intriguing piece. The contents are quickly summarised. Nero's abandoned attempt to dig through the Isthmus of Corinth is discussed by the two interlocutors, a certain Menecrates and the philosopher Musonius Rufus, who is said to have taken part in the digging (1). The scene is apparently the rugged Aegean island of Gyara to which the historical Musonius was exiled. The discussion broadens out to include Nero's tour of Greece, with a particular focus upon his singing; and it concludes as the news breaks of Nero's death (11). Menecrates' role in the discussion is limited to that of ‘prompter’, while Musonius assumes the authoritative, pedagogic role in the dialogue. Is there any unified meaning to this text? And why the dialogue form (given that Menecrates' role in it is so perfunctory)? This paper proposes one set of answers to these questions, by siting the Nero in the context of the cultural history of Greco-Roman relations, an area that has attracted much attention over the years (and has been further reinvigorated in the light of post-colonial theory).

The Oxford Handbook of International Law in Asia and the Pacific

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Dispute Settlement ◽  
International Order ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Asia Pacific Region ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Colonial Theory ◽  
History Of ◽  
History Of International Law

The growing economic and political significance of Asia has exposed a tension in the modern international order. Despite expanding power and influence, Asian states have played a minimal role in creating the norms and institutions of international law; today they are the least likely to be parties to international agreements or to be represented in international organizations. That is changing. There is widespread scholarly and practitioner interest in international law at present in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as developments in the practice of states. The change has been driven by threats as well as opportunities. Transnational issues such as climate change and occasional flashpoints like the territorial disputes of the South China and the East China Seas pose challenges while economic integration and the proliferation of specialised branches of law and dispute settlement mechanisms have also encouraged greater domestic implementation of international norms across Asia. These evolutions join the long-standing interest in parts of Asia (notably South Asia) in post-colonial theory and the history of international law. This book analyses the approach to, and influence of, key states of the region, as well as whether truly ‘Asian’ trends can be identified and what this might mean for international order.

scholarly journals Writing on the earth: Early European travellers to South Africa

Literator ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Sienaert ◽  
L. Stiebel
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Spatial History ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Colonial Theory ◽  
History Of

The issue of land in South Africa has always been problematic. This is to be expected in a country whose history has been one of colonisation, contested borders and, in the more recent apartheid past, of legalised removals of people from the land. In recent post-colonial theory too, the notion of spatiality has proved to be significant: to write a history of a country and its people is to write a spatial history through the processes of naming, mapping, classifying and painting. Our project in this article is to explore some of the ways in which early European travellers to South Africa traced their presence in this country, and in so doing began a chapter of “writing on the earth", the ideological marks of which linger on into this century.

scholarly journals Pushing the frontiers of critical international business studies

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 96-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehdi Boussebaa ◽  
Glenn Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Structures ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Business Studies ◽  
Colonial Theory ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Power Analyses

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss the context- and power-sensitive approach to the study of multinationals that has emerged in the last decade, argues for the need to supplement it by a clearer focus on the wider geopolitical context in which multinationals operate and outlines the implications for the development of IB research in this area. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a summary overview of context- and power-sensitive studies of multinationals before proposing a research agenda for the next decade. In particular, it argues for the need to combine the institutionalist angle taken by context/power analyses with post-colonial theory as a means of bringing geopolitics into the study of multinationals, a task that CPoIB is well positioned to accomplish. Findings – The paper identifies a lack of “criticality” in context/power research and, in particular, a lack of attention to the neo-imperial character of multinationals with specific regards to their management and organisation. Research limitations/implications – The implications of this paper are that the nature of contemporary multinationals is further illuminated, especially their role in (re-)producing (neo-)imperial relations in a supposedly post-colonial world. Further, the paper suggests an agenda for future research on the relationship between imperialism and multinationals. Originality/value – The value of the paper is in drawing together more closely the study of multinationals as organizational structures and political systems with the history of imperialism and contemporary post-colonial theorising.

scholarly journals REPRESENTATION OF JAPANESE POST-COLONIAL EXPERIENCE IN THE YEAR OF 1942-1945 BASED ON PRAMOEDYA ANANTA TOER’S NOVEL “PERBURUAN”

Humanus ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 105
Author(s):  
Rifqia Kartika Ningrum ◽  
Herman J. Waluyo ◽  
Retno Winarni
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Analysis Data ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Japanese Colonialism ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
Colonial Experience ◽  
Pramoedya Ananta Toer ◽  
Colonial Theory ◽  
History Of

REPRESENTASI POSKOLONIAL MASA PENJAJAHAN JEPANG  TAHUN 1942-1945 DALAM NOVEL PERBURUAN  KARYA PRAMOEDYA ANANTA TOERAbstractThis article is aimed to describe post-colonial forms which represented by the figures in the Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s novel Perburuan. This novel portrays about a character named Hardo who fought Japanese colonialism together with his two friends, Dipo and Karmin. However, their plan was failed to be implemented. It was making Hardo a Japanese fugitive. This novel is about the history of Japanese colonialism in Indonesia. Therefore, this novel can be studied with post-colonial theory. Type of this research is descriptive qualitative research using post-colonial approach. Researchers gathered the data by searching data in the novel that has relevance to the three formulations of the post-colonial theory that have been found. These three formulations include resistance, betrayal, and character’s self-doubt (ambivalence). The technique used in this article is content analysis. The research steps were determined the data source, collection the data, classification the data, and data analysis. Data analysis technique used was Miles and Huberman model that consists of data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. Through the representation of characters in the novel found the forms of resistance, betrayal, and characteristic’s self-doubts as forms of post-colonial representation.Key words : Representation, post-colonial analysis, novel          AbstrakArtikel ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan bentuk-bentuk poskolonial yang direpresentasikan oleh tokoh-tokoh dalam novel Perburuan karya Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Novel Perburuan menggambarkan tentang kondisi penjajahan Jepang yang pernah terjadi di Indonesia antara tahun 1942-1945. Novel ini bercerita tentang seorang tokoh bernama Hardo yang melawan penjajahan Jepang bersama dua kawannya, Dipo dan Karmin. Namun, rencana tersebut gagal dilaksanakan sehingga menjadikan Hardo sebagai buronan Jepang. Novel ini mengandung sejarah penjajahan Jepang di Indonesia. Oleh karena itu, novel ini dapat dikaji dengan teori poskolonial. Jenis penelitian ini adalah penelitian kualitatif bersifat deskriptif dengan menggunakan pendekatan poskolonial. Cara kerjanya yaitu dengan mencari data dalam novel yang memiliki keterkaitan dengan tiga formulasi dari teori poskolonial yang telah ditemukan. Tiga formulasi tersebut meliputi usaha perlawanan, pengkhianatan, dan kebimbangan tokoh (ambivalensi). Teknik yang digunakan yaitu analisis isi. Langkah penelitiannya adalah menentukan sumber data, pengumpulan, pengklasifikasian, dan analisis data. Teknik analisis datanya menggunakan model Miles dan Huberman yang terdiri dari reduksi data, sajian data, dan penarikan simpulan. Melalui representasi tokoh dalam novel tersebut ditemukan bentuk-bentu perlawanan, pengkhianatan, dan kebimbangan tokoh sebagai bentuk representasi poskolonial.Kata Kunci: Representasi, analisis poskolonial, novel

Everlasting Doubt: Uncertainty in Islamic Representations of the Past

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahzad Bashir
Keyword(s):  
Islamic History ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of Religions ◽  
History Of ◽  
Conscious Attention

Abstract:Utilizing treatments of uncertainty regarding history in four major Arabic and Persian works (Ṭabarī, Bīrūnī, Badāʾūnī, and Abū l-Fażl), this article treats Islam as an ever-changing set of arguments rather than a panoply of beliefs and practices. ‘Islamic history’ is internally varied, without necessary universality or internal cohesion. The Islamic case underscores the methodological point that the interrelationship between religion and history is a multichannel and multidirectional affair whose valences differ in treatments of history of Islam versus that of Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and so on. Each of these histories has its distinctive history as a subject, with attendant fields of possibility and impossibility. An overarching history of religions must then be a vast, ever-expanding matrix not reducible to generalizations except in thematic treatments conceptualized with self-conscious attention to categories of analysis.

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