Sociology of Religion

This study integrates social capital theory and network analysis to explore the relationship between interorganizational networks and organizational action. It analyzes the collaborative partnerships that religious congregations form to provide social services, and it examines how these ties are associated with the number and types of programs they offer. Using cross-sectional and panel data from a national study of congregations, the analysis finds significant relationships between congregations' interorganizational ties and their social service provision patterns. Congregations that collaborate with other organizations offer more programs, and the effect is even greater for congregations with a diverse portfolio of collaborators. Furthermore, a network analysis indicates that congregations with a similar portfolio of collaborators offer a similar menu of services. This study demonstrates that an organization's collaborative ties, above and beyond its internal characteristics, are significantly associated with both the volume and scope of its activity.

The article used curricular documents affiliated with 3 different subgenres of Catholic schooling. The author suggests a critical reading of these curricular materials for the purpose of better understanding the kinds of educational messages sent to students through a) the hagiography of saints affiliated with the schools as well as in the b) documents produced by religious orders for lay and avowed teachers meant to propagate a unique schooled experience. In the process, the author draws upon curriculum theory as a way to critique the largely unquestioned kinds of theology-as-pedagogy that become intrinsically influential for teachers and students.

This article puts the focus on the role of religion during the French Revolution. It tries to combine two often separated streams of research: the sacralisation of the nation and the pluralisation of religions. It will also be argued that there is not only one type of violent religion during revolution. "Religion" does not necessarily lead to violent conflicts but there are other kinds of religion during revolutions: for example religions of political indifference as well as concepts of universal religion.

In ecclesia militares musicae
Usages et répertoire des musiques militaires dans les édifices religieux de 1801 à 1870.

  Du Concordat à la chute du Second Empire, les musiques militaires, formations musicales typées et particulières, sont appelées à se faire entendre lors des offices religieux. Musiques ostentatoires liées au plein air, à la parade bruyante ou à la « rumeur des batailles », les ensembles à vent ont bien du mal à intégrer le recueillement induit et à exprimer la Sainte parole.
  Une typologie des usages de ces musiques militaires à l’intérieur du lieu clos consacré se profile. Incarnant le pouvoir temporel, elles ne peuvent être utilisées que lors de grandes fêtes religieuses liant État et Église. Selon les divers régimes (Premier Empire, Restauration, Monarchie de Juillet, Deuxième République ou Second Empire) la présence des formations militaires est plus ou moins favorisée. Peu sollicitées pendant la première moitié du XIXe siècle, on ne trouve leur présence régulière et attendue in cathedra que sous le Second Empire à l’occasion des fêtes annuelles de l’Empereur (15 août) et de Sainte-Cécile (22 novembre). De façon naturelle, les célébrations des victoires militaires et les hommages funèbres impliquent les musiques militaires. Quelques « concerts spirituels » donnent l’occasion à l’État d’instrumentaliser sa présence dans une rencontre entre charité chrétienne et esprit philanthropique.
  Très vite se pose la délicate question du répertoire. En l’absence de compositions spécifiques destinées à cet emploi, les transcriptions sont d’un usage courant. Cependant, entre mauvais goût et emprunts à des romances populaires, les « erreurs de programmation » ne manquent pas, provoquant à l’occasion des situations cocasses qui indignent le clergé, les militaires mélomanes, les critiques musicaux ou l’État. Des compositeurs tentent de remédier à cette situation: Bochsa et Reicha dans l’espoir de servir quelques cérémonies officielles sous la Restauration, Choulet, Neukomm et Thomasson pour la Monarchie de Juillet avec un objectif moins intéressé. Sous le Second Empire, une politique culturelle officielle s’immisce dans le domaine cultuel et fait naître un véritable « répertoire militaire à vocation religieuse » sous les plumes de Colin, Dietsch ou Sain-d’Arod.
  Entre choix esthétiques, désinvolture et tentative de moralisation, la période porte en elle de nombreux aspects des relations complexes qu’entretient le pouvoir politique avec la création artistique à destination des offices liturgiques. En toile de fond, les nombreux débats sur la nature de la musique religieuse ne sont pas absents et influent sur cette branche typée et limitée du répertoire des musiques militaires souvent ignoré de la musicologie.

L’article considère l’épisode du mariage pour tous comme un observatoire privilégié des transformations à l’œuvre dans le catholicisme français depuis une trentaine d’années. Parmi les opposants au projet de loi, les catholiques sont apparus comme des acteurs clés. La force de la mobilisation catholique et surtout sa capacité à recruter au-delà des rangs des fidèles, qui sont réduits en nombre, étaient inattendues.
Ce réengagement en politique a montré les ressources d’un groupe religieux considéré depuis des décennies, à tort, comme atone. Le mouvement a également donné à voir la grande pluralité interne au catholicisme français. Principalement conduite par des catholiques d’« identité » en phase avec l’aile conservatrice de l’appareil ecclésiastique, la mobilisation n’était pas unanime. Elle a révélé d’importantes divisions internes.

In the field of identity politics and cultural identity, the representation of differences plays a crucial role. The extent of the differences a society has determines the social outcomes in divergent ways. Surely, there are other variables that cause social anxiety or communal solidarity such as religious views, socio-political conditions and also gender relations. To the point of departure, the case of homosexuality, or in a general way, the boundaries of sexuality is very controversial field so as to reveal the effects of ideologies, social conditions and historical past where all of these evolved through times. In order to understand and to reach a general view, the experiences of small towns are very decisive and unavoidable parts of such studies. As a basic explanation, that is why Arlene Stein chooses to make an ethnographic study in the USA around 1990s. In this paper, I will try to make a basic analysis of ‘The Stranger Next Door: The Story of a Small Community’s Battle Over Sex, Faith and Civil Rights’ by presenting my reading of this story and through reacting to the general points.

The question of religion in the public sphere is an important issue in many Western countries today that is characterised by disintegration of Christian hegemony (secularization), and by the emergence of religious diversity. The starting point for the
discussion in this paper is the new relations between Church and State in Norway, i.e. how the connection between them is considerably weakened in the Norwegian Constitution at the same time as other religions and Christian denominations than
Lutheran Christianity are becoming more visible in the public sphere. The new Constitutional wording is a result of a search for possible common values across religious affiliations in a post-Lutheran state.I argue, with references to important strands of thought in the discourse of religion and secularism,for the importance of having a unifying values base and a key strategy for future social integration in today’s societies, where religious minorities including the Catholic Church are recognized and supported.

Religion and Orientalism in Asian Studies analyzes the role of religion in past and present understandings of Asia. Religion, and the history of its study in the modern academy, has exercised massive influence over Asian Studies fields in the past century. Asian Studies has in turn affected, and is increasingly shaping, the study of religion. Religion and Orientalism in Asian Studies looks into this symbiotic relationship - both in current practice, and in the modern histories of both Orientalism and Area Studies

Post-modern theology is highly suspicious of social theory and its secular origins. After all, the founder who gave us the word “sociology” also coined the term “positivism.” An alternative strategy is that of Bernard Lonergan, a theologian with a highly developed sociological imagination. He was quite aware of the secularity but devoted a life-time in trying to think through some of the key issues. His was a mind on the move and perhaps it is not surprising that his contribution has yet to be assimilated.
In this paper I shall take a look at a key text from Lonergan’s magnum opus, Insight. I will suggest that, in a sense, this may be regarded as “social physics” (another phrase from Auguste Comte). As we shall see, Lonergan’s thought wrestled with many issues of concern to the other founders of sociology: Karl Marx, Émile Durkheim, and Max Weber, but his vision is quite original, and in fact, he will draw on Arnold J. Toynbee.
I do not believe Lonergan’s work is beyond criticism—as his later developments suggest—so I will try to identify some difficulties by examining closely some of those later changes. Before offering my appraisal, then, I will look at Lonergan’s social theory from five periods. First, I shall simply record his interest in the 1930s by referring to some work he retained in a file but never published. Then I shall give a more careful exposition of a chapter written in the early 1950s. I will suggest that Lonergan’s deployment of mathematical analogies to understand social theory underwent some changes and so I will look at that transition in the 1960s. I will then be able to take a glance at the new way Lonergan presented his ideas in Method in Theology (1972) and go on to sample a few developments in the last decade up to 1980. In my appraisal we will be able to see some of the strengths and weaknesses Lonergan encountered in his project of social physics and perhaps make a small increase to the stock of ideas myself.

We are organising a 2-day symposium on yoga and the body to be held at the Australian National University, Canberra.

Here is the link to register: https://chl.anu.edu.au/news-events/events/658/yoga-and-body-past-and-present-symposium

Here is the link to download the flyer and schedule: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0ONiOO-EUx-c0w1ZnFQZ0pnWFE

This essay was published in The Bible and Early Trinitarian Theology, edited by Christopher A. Beeley and Mark E. Weedman, for the CUAP Studies in Early Christianity (Washington DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2018); this is the uncorrected proofs. Exploring the humanity and divinity of Jesus, the Son's relation to the Father, and the agency of the Holy Spirit, it is one of five essays suggesting Johannine contributions to trinitarian discussions in the early church.

In order to better cope with the pressures and stresses of the current day, modern psychology is anxiously seeking to find new therapies to address the increasing disorders within the human psyche. In the process new fields of research, such as humanistic and transpersonal psychology, curiously appear to borrow more and more from the wisdom of the ages. This volume, containing eighteen articles by noteworthy expositors of the perennial philosophy such as Huston Smith, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, and Frithjof Schuon, presents the spiritual psychology of the wisdom traditions as a much-needed antidote to the current impasse in modern psychology.

Some Endorsements for Psychology and the Perennial Philosophy:

“[Psychology and the Perennial Philosophy] is more than an anthology. It is a wisely crafted collection of classic and contemporary scholarship noting that what many are seeking is what has always been, a perennial philosophy, that remains foundational. As one of the authors, Tage Lindbom, properly notes, ‘Secularization is a fish in troubled waters.’ This book claims the waters and is essential reading for all those who may have forgotten or are simply ignorant of the rich foundation provided by the perennial philosophy.”
—Ralph W. Hood, Professor of Psychology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, past president of the Psychology of Religion division of the American Psychological Association, co-founder of The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion and co-author of The Psychology of Religion

“A necessary and bracing critique of the assumptions and limitations of contemporary Western psychology, this generous volume is also a passionate call and learned guide towards a truer perspective that embraces man's spiritual nature.”
—Gabor Maté, M.D., and author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

“Knowing the nature of the mind is perhaps the most difficult undertaking, especially in today’s world. To comprehend the nature of mind one needs to turn to the domain of religion and spirituality. Yet the truth of the mind and its complexity cannot explicitly be defined in words. Inner or transcendent wisdom sees the mind’s own nature without the duality of the seer. Suchness (tathatā) of mind is only experiential and not expressible. The words used to describe thought are themselves a product of thought, which is conditioned and limited. Thus, differences and contradictions are unavoidable. Therefore, a comparative study of different viewpoints and commentaries is immensely important to awaken the inner intelligence to see the mind as it is. Psychology and the Perennial Philosophy: Studies in Comparative Religion edited by Samuel Bendeck Sotillos is an outstanding effort in this direction.”
—Samdhong Rinpoche, former Prime Minister (Kalon Tripa) of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, author of Uncompromising Truth for a Compromised World: Tibetan Buddhism and Today’s World

“The rise of psychology has impacted the study and practice of spirituality, the experiences and attitudes relevant to ultimate human values that transcend ordinary behavior. Each chapter of this remarkable book demonstrates this interaction in a unique and provocative way. But rather than using psychology to reduce and ‘psychologize’ spiritual topics, its authors demonstrate how directives from the spiritual traditions can enhance and even illuminate the enduring importance of psychology in the 21st century.”
—Stanley Krippner, Saybrook University, co-author of Spiritual Dimensions of Healing

“The work at hand is a thinking and debating man’s delight. If you have any interest at all in attempting to include an educated and enlightened view of man’s higher functions in your purview of the world, you will learn from and enjoy this collection of essays. If you already have some knowledge in this area, brace yourself: you may see some of your favorites sharply criticized. A thought-provoking work.”
—Bruce W. Scotton, University of California, San Francisco, co-editor of Textbook of Transpersonal Psychiatry and Psychology

“This book, superbly edited by Samuel Bendeck Sotillos, is a masterful critique of the field of psychology and its loss of the sacred ground in which it once was rooted. It offers depth psychologists an opportunity to contemplate timeless truths echoed through the centuries by perennial philosophers who have always claimed psyche is subordinate to Spirit. Although ignored in depth psychology’s early years due to prejudice and lack of understanding, this is a message today’s psychotherapists must take seriously. Human beings need a deeper and wider transpersonal vision of who and what we are, which the saints and sages of the world’s spiritual traditions have always pointed to. In psychotherapy with a therapist committed to such a vision, patients penetrate into their unconscious depths and not infrequently awaken to the Ground of all Being. Their suffering itself occurred because they had turned away from Spirit. Above all, this volume passionately calls upon depth psychology to remember its origin in the perennial wisdom at the core of the great religions. There is something of a polemic in these pages. It deserves to be considered by depth psychologists of all persuasions.”
—Bryan Wittine, Transpersonal psychologist and Jungian psychoanalyst

“This anthology from Samuel Bendeck Sotillos is a must reference for anyone who is interested in psychology and its relationship to spirituality, and in developing an inclusive dialogue between disciplines that favor an integral outlook on the person and his or her potential. Selections in this anthology will inspire us to reexamine the metaphysical underpinnings of psychology, and remind us how important it is to rise above science’s attempt to reduce the human being to an epistemic object.”
—Sangeetha Menon, National Institute of Advanced Studies (Bangalore, India), Board Member of the International Transpersonal Association (ITA), author of The Beyond Experience: Consciousness in Bhagavad Gita

“This anthology has some of the most discerning essays and reviews on spirituality and psychology, which provide much-needed care and caution to all those engaged in bringing them together or who wish to do so in future. Therefore, it is a must-read for all those who teach, research, consult, or study in such frontier areas as transpersonal psychology, states of consciousness, mind-body relation, holistic health, Indian psychology, and so on. It will be an invaluable textbook for courses in these and other related areas. I congratulate the editor of the book.”
—Kiran Kumar K. Salagame, University of Mysore (India), Board Member of the International Transpersonal Association (ITA), author of The Psychology of Meditation: A Contextual Approach

“One of the finest collections of essays on the Perennial Philosophy—a must-read for all psychologists who are engaged with spirituality and transpersonal psychology. The essays which critique modern psychology (including transpersonal psychology, and the framework of Carl Jung), in the light of the Perennial Philosophy are a revelation and make compelling reading. The book serves as a corrective to the excesses of modern psychology, and to this end Sotillos has done a commendable job. I for one will include the book in some of the graduate courses that I teach.”
—Suneet Varma, University of Delhi, co-editor of Foundations of Indian Psychology

“To its credit modern science by-and-large is becoming more cognizant of the essential connection between spirituality and psychological health and well-being and most of all its positive implications within the field of psychology. While there is ample data to document this in a plethora of academic journals and books, this new book Psychology and the Perennial Philosophy adds a novel contribution to the dialogue between psychology and spirituality, which captures many nuances that for the most part go unnoticed within these discussions, and last but not least, it provides a keen eye of discernment to understand this intricate relationship on a deeper level that is crucially needed. This work will be a valuable asset to students and long term mental health practitioners and professors alike who seek to better understand the relationship between psychology and spirituality.”
—Harold G. Koenig, Duke University, Director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, co-author of The Handbook of Religion and Health

This article is concerned with science, spirituality, and ecology. It analyses how certain scientific based metaphors, myths, and visions are being used as new cosmologies or ‘sacred stories’; new worldviews reassessing the relationship of humanity to the environment, expressing different (possibly more spiritual, possibly more environmentally friendly) ways of relating to it than the ‘modern’ ‘secular’ worldview that may be causing environmental degradation. The paper ethnographically and qualitatively analyses three such visions - ‘Deep Ecology’, ‘Gaia’, and the ‘Epic of Evolution’ - assessing their views and arguing for them as centres of ecological dialogue, challenging dominant modern views through stimulating a re-imagining and re-evaluating of the environment based on its interconnectedness, mutuality, and sacredness, thereby (possibly) encouraging (spiritual) re-connection to it and human responsibility towards it.

Jürgen Habermas und Talal Asad zählen zu den bedeutendsten Protagonisten des Diskurses um die postsäkulare Gesellschaft. In der vorliegenden Arbeit unternehme ich eine vergleichende Lektüre zentraler Schriften beider Autoren. Dabei versuche ich, möglichst präzise zu beschreiben, wie Habermas und Asad einen neuen Blickwinkel auf die Verhältnisbestimmung von Religion und Gesellschaft in der Gegenwart freigeben und plausibilisieren.
Einen zentralen Stellenwert schreibe ich der Tatsache zu, dass hierfür von beiden der Begriff der ‚Übersetzung‘ herangezogen wird. Ziel der Untersuchung ist es folglich, erste systematisierende Vorstöße bezüglich des Begriffspaars ‚Religion übersetzen‘ zu leisten. Dabei gilt es ein Bündel an Forschungsfragen zu beantworten: Wie wird der Begriff der Übersetzung verstanden? In welcher Art und Weise kommt Religion im Werk der Autoren zur Sprache? Auf welche Aspekte der Religion soll sich die Übersetzungsleistung beziehen? Wer sind die Subjekte dieser Übersetzung? Und schließlich, welche Chancen und Probleme bringen die beiden Ansätze für eine politiktheoretische Perspektive auf religiös-gesellschaftliche Fragestellungen mit sich?

As pornography use becomes more commonplace in the United States, and increasingly so among younger cohorts, a growing literature is considering its potential connection to key social and cultural institutions. The current study examines the relationship between pornography use and one such institution—marriage. We draw on three-wave longitudinal data from 2006-2014 General Social Survey panel studies to determine whether married Americans' pornography use predicts their likelihood of divorce over time and under what social conditions. We employ a doubly robust strategy that combines entropy balancing with logistic regression models. We find that the probability of divorce roughly doubles for married Americans who begin pornography use between survey waves (N = 2,125; Odds Ratio = 2.20), and that this relationship holds for both women and men. Conversely, discontinuing pornography use between survey waves is associated with a lower probability of divorce, but only for women. Additional analyses also show that the association between beginning pornography use and the probability of divorce is particularly strong among younger Americans, those who are less religious, and those who report greater initial marital happiness. We conclude by discussing data limitations, considering potential intervening mechanisms and the possibility of reverse-causation, and outlining implications for future research.

Il libro analizza le vesti liturgiche cristiane dal punto di vista storico, simbolico ed iconografico. Il testo, rigoroso e documentato, approfondisce in particolare il rapporto tra uomo e corpo, tra corpo e società, tra corpo e vestire liturgico, Il volume è diviso in due parti, di cui la seconda nello specifico presenta la storia e l'evoluzione dei singoli 'capi' dell'abbigliamento liturgico cattolico. Il testo è illustrato con disegni al tratto dell'autrice.

by Aloysius Muzzanganda Lugira (z-lib.org) -- The World Religions series, of which
this book is a part, sets out to achieve this aim. It is written and designed to appeal to both students and general readers. The books offer clear, accessible overviews of the major religious traditions and institutions of our time. Each volume in the series describes where a particular religion is practiced, its origins and history, its central beliefs and important rituals, and its contributions to world civilization. Carefully chosen photographs complement the text, and sidebars, a map, fact file, glossary, bibliography, and index are included to help readers gain a more complete understanding of the subject at hand.

‘[A] valid concept of “Islam” must denote and connote all possible “Islams,” whether abstract or “real,” mental or social’ (104)... Ahmed seeks to avoid two major pitfalls: (1) making Islam into a static essence or a category within an essentialist framework – such as proscription/prescription, ‘religion’,‘civilization’, ‘culture’, ‘orthodoxy’, etc., and (2) rendering Islam into a totally incoherent concept by conceding that there are as many islams as there are communities or individuals. Ahmed’s thesis (presented in Chapter 5) is that Islam is best conceptualized as a process of meaning-making or hermeneutical engagement in which the human agent engages with the Divine Revelation granted to Muhammad in one or more of this Revelation’s hierarchical dimensions – Pre-Text, Text, and Con-Text – in order to constitute meaning for himself."

Au cours des dernières décennies, la proportion des individus se déclarant « sans religion » dans le cadre de sondages et d’enquêtes de population a connu une hausse marquée dans la plupart des sociétés occidentales. Le Québec n’échappe pas à cette tendance, alors que ce phénomène de désidentification religieuse semble gagner en importance auprès des jeunes générations. En contexte franco-québécois, les études de nature qualitative et menées auprès de ce groupe démographique hétérogène se font rares. Alors que de plus en plus de jeunes s’identifient comme sans religion, force est d’admettre que nous en savons bien peu sur l’état de leurs croyances. Qui sont-ils et qu’est-ce qui les pousse à s’identifier ainsi ? Comment l’étiquette qu’ils réclament traduit-elle leur non-appartenance ? Comment le récit biographique de ces jeunes, issus de différents horizons, nous informe-t-il sur l’évolution de leur rapport à la religion ? Ce ne sont là que quelques-unes questions à l’origine de notre réflexion sur les manières implicites ou explicites dont est vécue l’absence de religion dans la vie de jeunes Québécois. Le spectre des sans religion est large et les identités sont poreuses, mais le principe de nonaffiliation constitue un facteur d’affirmation fort, dans une société où les débats entourant la place de la religion ne cessent de polariser. Ce mémoire veut décrire la configuration et la dynamique de l’imaginaire de jeunes Québécois sans religion en cernant leurs croyances, valeurs, normes, visions de la vie et de la mort et en saisissant comment ces différentes composantes interagissent entre elles. À partir de cette exploration, nous tenterons de dégager certains axes de la recomposition religieuse en cours

Türkiye'de İlahiyat Fakültelerinin, özellikle son on yılda, gerek öğrenci sayısı gerekse akademisyen sayısı bakımından oldukça hızlı bir şekilde büyüyerek neredeyse her üniversitede faaliyet gösterdiği gözlenmektedir. Böylesine yaygınlaşan ve bir bakıma yıldızı parlayan bu kurumların akademik yayın performansını ortaya koymak ve bilimsel yayın açısından gelinen noktayı tespit etmek son derece önemlidir. Bu nedenle bu çalışmamızda Türkiye'deki devlet üniversiteleri bünyesinde faaliyet gösteren İlahiyat Fakültelerinin akademik yayın profili, İlahiyat Fakültesi dergileri ve Akademik Teşvik Ödeneği temelinde analiz edilmeye çalışılacaktır. anahtar kelimeler İlahiyat Fakültesi, bilimsel yayın, akademik teşvik ödeneği, akademik yayın performansı. abstract Akademic Publication Performance of the Divinity Faculties It has been observed that Faculties of Theology in Turkey, especially in the last decade, have virtually operated in every university by growing larger and larger in terms of either the number of students or academics. It is extremely © Toplum Bilimleri • Ocak-Haziran • 10 (19) : 379.-396

We live in an age of movement. More than at any other time in history , people and things move longer distances, more frequently, and faster than ever before. All that was solid melted into air long ago and is now in full circulation around the world like dandelion seeds adrift on turbulent winds. We find ourselves, in the early twenty-first century, in a world where every major domain of human activity has become increasingly defined by motion. 1 We have entered a new historical era defined in large part by movement and mobility and are now in need of a new historical on-tology appropriate to our time. The observation that the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first was marked by an increasingly " liquid " and " mobile modernity " is now something widely recognized in the scholarly literature at the turn of the century. 2 Today, however, our orientation to this event is quite different. Almost twenty years into the twenty-first century we now find ourselves situated on the other side of this heralded transition. The question that confronts us today is thus a new one: how to fold all that has melted back up into new solids. 3

Religious and Philosophical Traditions of Korea, by Kevin N. Cawley, London and New York: Routledge, 2019, xxiii + 197 pp.

This volume is a comprehensive intellectual guide to the religio-philosophical landscape of Korean history in the context of East Asian cultural transmission. The six chapters of this textbook for courses on the history of Korean religion, philosophy, or culture demonstrate the transformation and glocalization of both transnational and local religions, such as Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Shamanism, and native new religious movements. What are the religious traditions of East Asia? How did they interact with Korean thought? What geopolitical affect did these regional philosophical movements have on Korean kingdoms and dynasties? How were Korean religions unique? What were the identities of the new religions and how did they emerge in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries? Kevin Cawley explores the cultural and political roles of each religion as the key ideology of given eras of Korean history, from the Three Kingdoms to contemporary times. The author argues not only that Korea’s religious and philosophical traditions will continue to shape the country’s future, but also that perceiving the combination of those traditions is a way of understanding “how Koreans think, live, and practice religions, which in the Korean context is inseparable from a long philosophical tradition” (xvi).
First, in terms of definition, religion and philosophy are regarded as “pathways” towards self-transformation in a Korean/East Asian context. The author warns that insofar as its etymological meaning, the Western word “religion” should not to be applied to East Asia. Rather, it is argued, the ideological traditions of Korea should be understood as cultural ideas (the “Three Teachings” in the form of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism) from ancient China, with shamanism an indigenous concept of the people of the Korean Peninsula. Philosophy in the East Asian context is understood as the set of teachings by morally cultivated scholars, wherein wisdom is seen as a realistic and achievable goal, and “which emphasizes that learning should transform how one thinks” (p. 19). Chapter 2 points out the process of cultural adoptation and interaction whereby Chinese traditions were transmitted to the Korean Peninsula in what the author calls unique “Korean ways.” Although the Legends and History of the Three Kingdoms (Samguk yusa 三國遺事) details the myth of Tan’gun, who is known as the progenitor of the Korean ethnic group, Buddhism and Confucianism were introduced to the peninsula during the Three Kingdoms period (trad. 57 CE–668). Cawley makes particular mention of the Silla military tradition of the Hwarang (“Flowering Youth” knights), who “followed Buddhist precepts and morality in order” to upgrade the prestige of the royal family  for its prestige to further validate their rule” (p. 29). The author explores the Korean monks Wŏnhyo and Ŭisang as Buddhist pioneers. The il-sim (one-mind) teaching of Wŏnhyo is reflected as “t’ong pulgyo” 通佛敎 (being with others), or “integrated Buddhism,” in Silla (617–686), while Ŭisang (625–702) is examined as the founding patriarch of the Hwaŏm 華嚴 lineage (a tradition of Mahayana Buddhist philosophy based on the Avatamsaka Sutra [華嚴經]).
Chapter 3 provides evidence on the emergence of Sŏn (Ch. Chan, J. Zen) Buddhism (with its focus on meditation) during the Unified Silla (668–935) period. The transformative feacture of Sŏn Buddhism tradition becamse integrated with other Buddhist traditions. The works of Ŭichŏn (1055–1101), with their emphasis on kyo (doctrine?), and Chinul (1158–1210), who taught kanhwa Sŏn (a method of meditation through studying or examiningmeaning?), brought about a consolidation in Sŏn thought. The Koryŏ dynasty (918–1392) witnessed the further development of Sŏn Buddhism as it transformed into “hoguk pulgyo” (state-protecting Buddhism). The completion of the Koryŏ Taejanggyŏng (高麗大藏經 (Tripitaka Koreana 高麗大藏經Great Buddhist Scriptures), comprising 81,000 print blocks, demonstrated this close relationship between the state and religion. In the following Chosŏn dynasty (1392–1897) the state ideology transitioned away from Buddhism to Neo-Confucianism. Cawley maintains that Kihwa’s thought of the Way of Humanity (injido 仁之道) was one of the main rejoinders to period socio-religious critiques of Buddhism and Shamanism. Chapter 4 introduces the Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning (Sŏnghak sipto 聖學十圖Korean title) of T’oegye Yi Hwang (1502–1571) and Essentials of the Learning of the Sages (Sŏnghak chibyo  聖學輯要 Korean/hanmun) of Yulgok Yi I (1537–1584) as the canonical texts of the early Neo-Confucian tradition in Korea of the sixteenth century. The metaphysical prosperity of the Chosŏn dynasty then confronted the new thinking called “Western learning” (sŏhak) when Catholic texts, such as Matteo Ricci’s The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven (Ch’ŏnju sirŭi 天主實義), arrived in Korea via Beijing. Based on Hwang Sayŏng’s Silk Letter, Cawley argues that the method of early evangelization was extended through the publication of the han’gŭl (Korean) Catechism and the work of women (a marginalized group of the society). Tasan Chŏng Yakyong (1762–1836) was also mentioned as one of the Confucian scholars who turned away from the Catholic belief but became a synthesizer of sirhak thought 實學 thought (sil/sir meaning “actual” or “practical,” and hak “studies” or “learning”), a Confucian social reform movement.
In chapter 5, narratives of Tonghak (Eastern learning) is reviewed by Cawley as a reaction to sŏhak (Western learning). Su-un Ch’oe Cheu (1824–1864), the founder of this anti-Catholic movement, had “a sense of hostility toward Western Learning” (p. 118). The movement’s canonical texts, like the Songs of the Dragon Pool (Yongdam Yusa 龍潭遺詞) and the Eastern Scripture (Tonggyŏng Taejŏn 東經大全), expose the key teachings of Korea’s first new religion, including Su-un’s personal experience of encountering God. The practioners of Tonghak y, unlike elsewhere in East Asia, used locally generated talismans and incantations that were “initially two very specific features of the new religion” (p. 122). The key Tonghak doctrine of in nae ch’ŏn 人乃天 (man is heaven) was transmitted into later new religions in a slightly different formation. Cawley’s book addresses the close relationship between Tonghak and the peasant rebellion of 1894 (led by Chŏn Pongjun, a Tonghak follower) in terms of the idea of kaebyŏk 開闢, referring to a new time of “creation.” The Jeungsan (Jeungsan) movement is also explored in case studies of Jeung Ssan Ddo (better known overseas) and Daesoon Jinrihoe (better known in Korea), but the history of the Jeungsan movement can best be traced in the philosophy of its major leaders, including Kang Jeungsan (1871–1909), Cha Gyeongseok (1880–1936), and Jo Cheol-Je Cho Ch’ŏlche (1895–1958). The myth of Tan’gun is re-reformulated pictured by Na Chŏl (1863–1916) in the anti-Japanese new religion of Taejonggyo. Among these new religions, Cawley also discusses the newly arrived Protestants. The Protestant chŏndo puin 傳道夫人 (Bible women), with their enlightened education, proved a useful means of proselytizing, but the choice of terminology for the name of God became a controversial issue among both missionaries and locals.
The final chapter focuses on the complex modernity of Korea in the early and mid-twentieth century. The Korean Buddhists tried to protect their own distinctive legacy from Japanese Buddhist groups in Korea, if one sees The Korea’s independence efforts of the monk Manhae Han Yongun (1887–1944) “in the context of conflict vis-à-vis Japanese colonization” (p. 152). The establishment of Sot’aesan (1891–1943)’s Wŏn Buddhism is another illustration of the creative work of Korean Buddhism under the social and legal oppression involvement of Japanese Buddhism in the Korean peninsula. The Irish scholar investigates the so-called “new post-Christian movements” that emerged during the post-Korean War period, such as Pak T’aesŏn’s (1916–?) Olive Green Church (Ch’ŏndogwan) and Moon Sun Myung’s (1920–2012) Unification Church (T’ongilgyo). The juche (chuch’e) thought of Kim Il-sung, promoting the principles of North Korea’s chaju (independence), charip (self-sustainability), and chawi (self-defense), is included in this study of religious and philosophical traditions. The fact that Korean shamans (mudang), numbering over 300,000 in 2007, no longer limit themselves to physical space, but now promote themselves in cyberspace, is also considered a contemporary pathway for Korean religion.
Thus, Religious and Philosophical Traditions of Korea does not take a political or military perspective on Korean history, rather, it encourages readers to consider the intellectual wisdom and knowledge transmitted from traditional Chinese philosophies. Each generation of the Korean people, who were self-transformative, sublimated these key teachings into their own geopolitical environment as new pathways. This volume contains integral collective and insightful material for those scholars, students, and practitioners in Asian studies, philosophy, sociology, history, anthropology, ethnology, cultural studies, and religious studies.

  David W. Kim
  Australian National University

‘Shamanism’ is a problematic and contested concept. After Westerners first heard the term in Siberia at the end of the seventeenth century, it rapidly acquired a remarkable range of meanings in different contexts. Theologians saw shamans as sidekicks of the devil, enlightenment thinkers considered them as mentally ill or retarded. From the eighteenth century onwards, the Romantic image of the shaman as an artistically gifted mystic became fashionable, whereas nineteenth-century folklorists, in turn, used the term ‘shamanism’ in nationalist quests for the essence of the Volksgeist of their nation. Twentieth-century psychologists identified shamans both as schizophrenics and as primal therapists. During the 1960s shamans came to be perceived as psychonauts who used hallucinogens to gain access to the divine essence of life.
During the 1970s an American anthropologist created workshops that, he claimed, were based on universal shamanic principles and practices. Through so-called archaic techniques his students could get in touch with the healing forces of nature. Contemporary forms of shamanism present themselves as countercultural, but a historical-sociological interpretation suggests that it is no coincidence that shamanism especially gained popularity at the time that neoliberal capitalism became dominant. Neoliberalisation disempowered people over their working lives and forced them to exert self-authority and make choices in their lives. Contemporary shamanic practices are also focused on self-authority, can be consumed in a free market and offer opportunities for empowerment. Instead of changing society, however, contemporary Western shamanism contributes to structure the structures it claims to resist.

Given the prominence of Muslim veils—in particular the hijab and full-face veil—in public discourse concerning the place of Muslims in Western society, we examined their impact on non-Muslims’ responses at both explicit and implicit levels. Results revealed that responses were more negative toward any veil compared with no veil, and more negative toward the full-face veil relative to the hijab: for emotions felt toward veiled women (Study 1), for non-affective attitudinal responses (Study 2), and for implicit negative attitudes revealed through response latency measures (Studies 3a and 3b). Finally, we manipulated the perceived reasons for wearing a veil, finding that exposure to positive reasons for wearing a veil led to better predicted and imagined contact (Study 4). Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

The early 2000s saw a sharp rise in the popularity of Wicca, most obviously in the number of teenagers practising Witchcraft. This period similarly saw the introduction of a new era, in which identity formation underwent dramatic changes and the world became increasingly connected, with new forms of media playing a large role in both aspects. In this thesis, I show that teenage Witchcraft can and should be seen within the context of these postmodern developments. Witchcraft offers teenagers an attractive alternative to conventional lifestyle by placing an emphasis on nature and the environment and by providing a possibility for identity formation, yet while still leaving teenagers with a lot of options regarding the practise of their religion.

Although there has been a cultural, historical and social potential will allow to produce
their own original concept, the sociology of religion in Turkey is not built on original researches
to understand and explain the sociological interpretation of Islam and to explore the social
reality of Islam in Turkey. On the contrary, it is attached in a distorted way on the paradigms
of the classical period of the Western Christian community which is being industrialized in the
period of 19th century. This situation is one of the major factors that hindering the students’ and
other concerned sectors of society to develop positive attitudes towards the sociology courses or
the sociology of religion classes. In this context, to emerge from the crisis of legitimacy related
with the situation of the field of sociology of religion in Turkey the researches must be built on
the mentality that includes free from imitation and have terminological, methodological and theoretical
foundations that could reveal the sociological knowledge of the Turkish society This construction
process concerning about this theory can actualize primarily by narrowing the large gap
between its own historical saving.

Abstract: This response to Being Catholic in the Contemporary Philippines proceeds in three parts. Part 1 summarizes the contents of Cornelio’s book, which complicates popular assumptions and academic literature on contemporary Catholicism and, more specifically, religiosity among a segment of Filipino youths. Part 2 explores the book’s strengths, particularly how it provides a deeper understanding of contemporary Catholicism, religious identity, and the status of religious institutions among youth believers in the urban Philippines. Part 3 is a discussion of some of the book’s weaknesses, such as methodological limitations, problems with homogenization and generalization, and the need for a more critical appraisal of notions such as “the youth,” “religion,” “creative Catholics,” “isolated generation,” and “emotions.” I also discuss in the third part how insights from the anthropology of Islam and of Muslim youths, and my ethnography in the Cotabato region, can converse with Cornelio’s work and complicate “youth,” “religion,” creativity in/and religiosity, and youths’ political subjectivities.

It is sometimes argued that the non-therapeutic, non-consensual alteration of children’s genitals should be discussed in two separate ethical discourses: one for girls (in which such alterations should be termed ‘female genital mutilation’ or FGM), and one for boys (in which such alterations should be termed ‘male circumcision’). In this article, I call into question the moral and empirical basis for such a distinction, and argue that all children—whether female, male, or intersex—should be free from having parts of their genitals removed unless there is a pressing medical indication.

The hijab is seen as a tool of Gender oppression. Is it really a sign of women"s enslavement? Or "degrading prison"? Or is it a sign of women"s modesty and liberation? Why doesn"t anyone ask the women who choose to wear it"? Or is it simply cultural difference (ethnocentrism or xenophobia) that it is regarded as oppressive. Many people argue Islam oppresses and discriminates women by wearing veils or hijab, while few people view it as a sign of women"s protection or liberation. These two views are held by West and Europe, and Islam respectively. The tight, transparent or half nude dress which Islam prohibits is admired in western culture and flaunted by western women. Thus it would be quite improper and unfair to say that Islam oppresses women" unless we study it, research it or understand it in the light of Islamic perspective. In this paper, an effort has been made to throw light on hijab and its relevance with gender oppression or liberation in the light of Islamic and western perspective. This paper is primarily based on secondary data content analysis research methodology. The main objective of the paper is to make us understand what hijab is.? and to stimulate our brains regarding its relation with gender liberation or oppression.

Under Turkey’s neoconservative government, the Directorate of Religious Affairs deploys state-employed religious functionaries to provide Sunni Muslim citizens with advice and guidance on family life. By inculcating government-sanctioned sensibilities and dispositions related to kinship, these Islamic authorities have become instrumental to extending state power into the domestic lives of the religious majority. This particular entwinement of religion with state power is no aberration. Indeed, the Turkish case reveals a contradiction that lies at the heart of secular governance: the continuing involvement of religion in the politics of the family despite the assumed separation of religion and politics. Secular states may appropriate religious discourses and authority in regulating intimacy and the family while aligning these with biopolitical rationalities, as well as with secular laws and expertise. [secularism, kinship, family, intimacy, governmentality, the state, expertise, Islam, Turkey].