Researching religious communities in the twenty-first century : the phenomenology of religion, local agency and the joint ownership of knowledge

James L. Cox

doi:10.1163/9789004549319_005

Researching religious communities in the twenty-first century : the phenomenology of religion, local agency and the joint ownership of knowledge

James L. Cox

Western Sydney University

Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference Paper › Chapter

Abstract

The phenomenology of religion increasingly is being criticized as outdated. This chapter argues that phenomenology retains relevance to contemporary research methods, as illustrated by two differing projects in Australia on the repatriation of Indigenous knowledge. After presenting these cases, they are analyzed in light of the contrasting arguments of the phenomenologist Wilfred Cantwell Smith and the philosopher Wayne Proudfoot about the influence of believers on research findings. The chapter concludes that the phenomenological method, when re-configured in terms of relationality, local agency and the joint ownership of knowledge, can play a decisive role in determining future directions in religious studies.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Dynamics in the History of Religions
Editors	Maran Freudenberg, Frederik Elwert, Tim Karis, Martin Radermacher, Jens Schlamelcher
Place of Publication	U.K.
Publisher	Brill
Pages	97-123
Number of pages	27
ISBN (Electronic)	9789004549319
ISBN (Print)	9789004516274
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004549319_005
Publication status	Published - 2023

Publication series

Name	Dynamics in the History of Religions
Volume	13
ISSN (Print)	1878-8106
ISSN (Electronic)	1878-8114

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© James L. Cox, 2023.

Open Access - Access Right Statement

This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the CC BY-NC 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

Keywords

phenomenology
reductionism
repatriation
agency
dialogue
locality
relationality
power
methodology
knowledge

Access to Document

10.1163/9789004549319_005

Cite this

Cox, J. L. (2023). Researching religious communities in the twenty-first century : the phenomenology of religion, local agency and the joint ownership of knowledge. In M. Freudenberg, F. Elwert, T. Karis, M. Radermacher, & J. Schlamelcher (Eds.), Dynamics in the History of Religions (pp. 97-123). (Dynamics in the History of Religions; Vol. 13). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004549319_005

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Cox, JL 2023, Researching religious communities in the twenty-first century : the phenomenology of religion, local agency and the joint ownership of knowledge. in M Freudenberg, F Elwert, T Karis, M Radermacher & J Schlamelcher (eds), Dynamics in the History of Religions. Dynamics in the History of Religions, vol. 13, Brill, U.K., pp. 97-123. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004549319_005

Researching religious communities in the twenty-first century : the phenomenology of religion, local agency and the joint ownership of knowledge. / Cox, James L.
Dynamics in the History of Religions. ed. / Maran Freudenberg; Frederik Elwert; Tim Karis; Martin Radermacher; Jens Schlamelcher. U.K.: Brill, 2023. p. 97-123 (Dynamics in the History of Religions; Vol. 13).

Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference Paper › Chapter

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Researching religious communities in the twenty-first century : the phenomenology of religion, local agency and the joint ownership of knowledge

Abstract

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Bibliographical note

Open Access - Access Right Statement

Keywords

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