Smith has been among the most important voices of critical reflection within the academic study of religion. Among his numerous publications are imagining religion, to take place, and drudgery divine, all published by the university of chicago press. Sep 01, 2014 the essay makes use of the motif of the man behind the curtain to explore and critique theories of myth and religion from karl marx to russell mccutcheon, sam gill, and jonathan z. One of the most influential theorists of religion, jonathan z. I first came across nongbris book in a footnote in peter harrisons forthcoming the territories of science and religion 2014. The wizard of oz, karl marx, russell mccutcheon, jonathan z. Hughes, the conferences keynote speaker, joined the religious studies project to discuss some of what was discussed during the conference and primarily the legacy of j. Unlimited viewing of the articlechapter pdf and any associated supplements and figures. Smith has pointed the academic study of religion in a new theoretical direction, one. From babylon to jonestown chicago studies in the history of judaism, by jonathan z. Anderson distinguished service professor of the humanities, university of chicago. Over the course of a career of more than forty years, jonathan z.
Smiths essay religion, religions, religious is a foundational essay in the study of religion as a taxonomic category. Smith i believe that section meetings in the history of judaism at the american academy of religion should be so planned as to interest scholars in diverse areas of religious studies. Smith, adde parvum parvo magnus acervus erit, history of religions. Anderson distinguished service professor of the humanities at the university of chicago and associate faculty in the divinity school. Of all published articles, the following were the most read within the past 12 months. Professor smith offers insights into how he thinks about his classroom teaching and his students learning through descriptions of various assignments and classroom activities he has developed over more than forty years of teaching. In the second earliest account of the new world published in english, a treatyse of the newe india 1553, richard eden wrote of the natives of the canary islands that, at columbus first comming thether, the inhabitantes went naked, without shame, religion or knowledge of god.
Smith november 21, 1938 december 30, 2017 was an american historian of religions. Smith i n the seco nd earliest account of the e\ world, pu blishcd in english a treatse of the newe india 1553, richard ed n wr tc f the natives ft he cana ry islands that, at lumbu fir t co mmin g thcthc r, the inhabitlllltc went naked, without shame, religion or knowledge of god. In the same year, toward the beginning of the first part of his massive cronica del peru 1553. Smith showed that the notion that there was a widespread category of gods who died and rose again was, in fact, a modern myth, not based on a careful reading of ancient. Smith in the late 1980s, chiefly in an article on the dyingrising gods in the scholarly and authoritative encyclopedia of religion. Making use of examples as apparently diverse and exotic as the maori cults in nineteenthcentury new zealand and the events of jonestown, smith shows that religion must be construed as conventional. Jones i my starting point in this essay will be three curious titles that are attached. Smith engages previous interpretations of religious texts from late antiquity, critically evaluates the notion of sacred space and time as it is represented in the works of mircea eliade, and tackles important problems of methodology. Smith conference hosted by the norwegian university for science and technology in trondheim, norway, aaron w. It was in my reading of this book that i first encountered jonathan z. I had ordered a number books before my trip, and among them was brent nongbris before religion.
Smith in memoriam january 21, 2018 i loved this essay by bret colasacco, one of j. I believe that section meetings in the history of judaism at the american. Upon returning from my trip to england, i was delighted to find amazons trademark smiling boxes waiting for me. Smith is best known for his analyses of religious studies as a discipline and for his advocacy and refinement of comparison as the basis for the history of religions. The essay makes use of the motif of the man behind the curtain to explore and critique theories of myth and religion from karl marx to russell mccutcheon, sam gill, and jonathan z. He was based at the university of chicago for most of his career.
In the second earliest account of the new world published in english, a. In short, this whole book needs to be read again and again, notes and all, with extraordinary care. Making use of examples as apparently diverse and exotic as the maori cults in nineteenthcentury new zealand and the events of jonestown, smith shows that religion must be construed as conventional, anthropological. Anderson distinguished service professor of the humanities at the university of chicago where he is also a member of the committee on the history of culture. He is the author of numerous works, including map is not territory, imagining religion, to take place, and drudgery divine. Smith is the enfant terrible of the history of religions discipline, although hes no longer young.
From his first essays collected in map is not territory to his more recent musings in to take place and drudgery divine, he has outraged, stimulated, challenged, and restructured the study of religion in the modern academy. We discuss you additionally the way to get this book imagining religion. Among his numerous books are to take place, drudgery divine, and map is note territory, all published by the university of chicago press. Smith english adverbial construction religiously designating a conscientious repeti tive action such. This interview was recorded in november 2012 in jonathan z. Smith was among the most important voices of critical reflection within the academic study of religion, distinguishing himself as perhaps the most influential theorist of religion of the last half century. Smith and explore their bibliography from s jonathan z. He was based at the university of chicago for most of his career his research includes work on such diverse topics as christian origins, the theory of ritual, hellenistic religions, maori cults in the 19th century, and the mass suicide in jonestown, guyana, as well as. Smiths theory of ritual is influential in the field of religious studies. From babylon to jonestown philpapers he begins with the problem of classification, and stresses again and again the structuralist insight of how things only obtain significance by being placed in relation to a bunch of other things but in more concrete historical contexts. Nathan rated it really liked it jun 29, smith paperback, delivery us shipping is usually within 12 to 17 working days. Smith is an historian of religion whose research has focused on such wideranging subjects as ritual theory, hellenistic religions, nineteenthcentury maori cults, and.
I found it quintessentially smith and those of us who have taken that elevator ride to his office, or sat in one of his amazing courses, will identify with every part. Mar 23, 2018 the front page of the paper on may 4, 1979 had two photo slots, each one column in width. Smith is one of the two or three most widely read and discussed living theorists of religion. In the same year, toward the beginning of the first part of his massive cronica del peru 1553, the conquistador. Myth, religion, and the man behind the curtain the journal. Smith, a historian and theorist of religion widely admired for his analytic rigor in comparing religions, has died. Smiths most popular book is the myth of the eternal return or, cosmos and his. Relating religion gathers seventeen essaysfour of them never before publishedthat together provide the first broad overview of. Smith has pointed the academic study of religion in a new theoretical direction, one neither theological nor willfully ideological. Anderson distinguished service professor of the humanities at the university of chicago, where he is also a member of the committee on history of culture. Since that time, scholars have continued to compare phenomena in multiple. Fitzgeralds book shook the conceptual foundation upon which i had stood until that point, and made me realize that the religioussecular distinction is an ideological construction making such a distinction is a classificatory practice. Smith s unrelentingly etic methodology with a critical assessment. The period of hellenistic influence, when taken as a whole, constitutes one of the most creative periods in the history of religions.
You could remain to check out the web link that we. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. If these section meetings do not win the attention and participation of a fair cross section of scholars in the field as a whole. Relating religion gathers seventeen essaysfour of them never before publishedthat together provide the first broad overview of smiths thinking since his. Relating religion gathers seventeen essaysfour of them never before publishedthat together provide the first broad overview of smith s thinking since his. Smith with this influential book of essays, jonathan z. Smith religion as a modern invention upon returning from my trip to england, i was delighted to find amazons trademark smiling boxes waiting for me. Smith has also produced a significant corpus of essays and lectures on teaching and on the essential role of academic scholarship on religion in matters of education and public policy. Among his significant body of work are essays and lectures on teaching and the essential role of academic scholarship on.
Smiths undergraduate students in years before he retired. Hellenistic religion, any of the various systems of beliefs and practices of eastern mediterranean peoples from 300 bc to ad 300. An excellent sense can be had from this volumeand most especially from its opening autobiographical chapterof the state of play in the academic study of religion. The theory is essentially spatial, rendering place determinative of sacrality and emphasising the incongruity between ritualised and nonritualised domains. The front page of the paper on may 4, 1979 had two photo slots, each one column in width. Smith, imagining religion smiths comment here may be the most forthright and straightforward statement of the there is no such thing as religion school of thought.
His research includes work on such diverse topics as christian origins, the theory of ritual, hellenistic religions, maori cults in the 19th century, and the. Jul 02, 2019 right at the start, in fences and neighbors, smith shows his true colors. In the same year, toward the beginning of the first part of his massive. The only distinctively christian usage was the fifthcentury extension of this cultic sense to the totality of an individuals life in monasticism. Smith, whose article, in comparison a magic dwells, was among the most influential of these postmodernist critiques, concludes his work with a dramatic insistence on the need for viable, methodologically defensible comparisons of religion 1982a.
Myth, religion, and the man behind the curtain the. Smiths unrelentingly etic methodology with a critical assessment. From this perspective, canon is not unique to a given religious tradition, and smith provides a number of examples from a variety of societies. Among his significant body of work are essays and lectures on teaching and the essential role of academic. Anderson distinguished service professor of the humanities in the college and the committee on the ancient mediterranean world at the university of chicago. Hellenistic religion, any of the various systems of. He has been publishing in that field for almost forty years.
Council of societies for the study of reli gion 29 2000. The theory is essentially spatial, rendering place determinative of sacrality and. Academy of religion should be so planned as to interest. Right at the start, in fences and neighbors, smith shows his true colors.
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