Sociological definitions, language games, and the "essence" of religion Export

@article{citeulike:2186738, abstract = {Sociologists of religion have long debated the definition of religion. In this article, I survey the debate and find a partially hidden consensus. This debate, in conjunction with recent criticisms of the concept "religion" in religious studies, and by drawing on Ludwig Wittgenstein's notion oflanguage games, provides helpful pointers for developing a non-essentialist conception of religion. I argue that "religion" (as a phenomenon and as a concept) is a historical and social construction, but that this does not require us to dispense with the concept altogether.}, author = {Mckinnon, Andrew M.}, citeulike-article-id = {2186738}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/brill/mtsr/2002/00000014/00000001/art00005}, comment = {Criticized very directly by Fitzgerald in his "Playing Language Games" article. }, journal = {Method \& Theory in the Study of Religion}, keywords = {asch08paper, religion, theory}, number = {1}, pages = {61--83}, posted-at = {2008-01-02 02:49:24}, priority = {2}, title = {Sociological definitions, language games, and the "essence" of religion}, url = {http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/brill/mtsr/2002/00000014/00000001/art00005}, volume = {14}, year = {2002} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:2186738 L3 - citeulike-article-id:2186738 N2 - Sociologists of religion have long debated the definition of religion. In this article, I survey the debate and find a partially hidden consensus. This debate, in conjunction with recent criticisms of the concept "religion" in religious studies, and by drawing on Ludwig Wittgenstein's notion oflanguage games, provides helpful pointers for developing a non-essentialist conception of religion. I argue that "religion" (as a phenomenon and as a concept) is a historical and social construction, but that this does not require us to dispense with the concept altogether. IS - 1 JF - Method & Theory in the Study of Religion EP - 83 TI - Sociological definitions, language games, and the "essence" of religion VL - 14 SP - 61 KW - asch08paper KW - religion KW - theory N1 - Criticized very directly by Fitzgerald in his "Playing Language Games" article. AU - Mckinnon, Andrew PY - 2002/// UR - http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/brill/mtsr/2002/00000014/00000001/art00005 ER -