What is the Anthropology of Religion?

[@ArmchairAcademics]

Thanks for watching! The anthropology of religion is a fantastic and still very relevant field. If you would like us to make more content on the subject... on specific authors, concepts, or theories, let us know in the comments below! 👇🍻

[@abdullahmukti2939]

Please give subtitle in Indonesian language

[@bowmain1577]

I love this subject! A question I have is how does this and religious studies differ? Or are they the same?

[@ArmchairAcademics]

Thanks for posting. That's a great question and good topic for a video, as well. In very broad strokes, there are two main differences: (1) the methods that researchers use; and (2) the way that each field views religion as a topic for study. Anthropology, for example, will primarily use ethnographic methods, as well as surveys and qualitative interviews all aimed at assessing the individual, subjective experiences of our subjects. We then weigh those experiences against the social and cultural forces that shape religious traditions to make broad cultural observations. It's more of a 'bottom up' way of looking at religion that emphasizes everyday lived 'experience' rather than focusing on philosophy or theology. By contrast, religious studies focuses much more on textual study and translation with the goal of contextualizing the philosophical or theological structure of a religion. It has a more 'top down' approach that focuses either on history or strives to see a religion though the eyes of religious specialists themselves (e.g. monks, nuns, ritual specialists, etc.) and the ways in which they represent and understand their own religious traditions. In short, the anthropology of religion focuses more on the ways in which religious beliefs can be muddy or vague and often more heterogenous than they appear on paper. Religious studies, then, focuses more on the history of religions, their intellectual heritage, and on the preservation of specific religious traditions. With that said, there can be a lot of overlap between the two. Religious studies scholars sometimes use qualitative methods in their work. And some anthropologists focus on textual research (as I actually did during my PhD). So it's not always a clear cut distinction. Anyway, I hope that helps. Great question! Thanks for watching.

[@bowmain1577]

@@ArmchairAcademics It does! Very interesting! Thanks for the clarification!

[@ab-jc8nv]

Hii

[@user-lv6ez8fp8u]

Thanks. very informative. Can you please do a video on digital anthropology.

[@ArmchairAcademics]

Great suggestion! It's something I've been thinking of writing -- I'll put it on the books 🍻

[@antoninovicenzot3168]

thank you! Greetings from Chile !

[@shindishindi5069]

A little off topic; Can you recommend anthropology books for sociologists (more interested in micro-sociology)?

[@mckaybowman]

I am interested in the intersection of Religion and Violence/Nonviolence. Currently I am studying my undergrad double majoring in Philosophy/Theology and Political Science. But I am interested in potentially studying anthropology in grad school (instead of PoliSci) because it seems it might be able to take more seriously the religious experience of the individual. Do you think anthropology of religion would be a good fit for asking questions about why a religious person might engage in a violent act or a nonviolent lifestyle? With your knowledge of Tibet I figured you'd be the right person to ask considering they have a great tradition of nonviolence.

[@ArmchairAcademics]

Thanks for posting. Great questions, as well. I generally don't go too deeply into MA/PhD career coaching here (although it's something I do offer over on Patreon as a service), but the field is near and dear to my heart. So, here's my two cents. There's a pretty well established pipeline that moves from a BA in Philosophy and Religion (as it's taught in the US) to MA/PhD programs in the anthropology of religion. If you'd like to move away from text-based research and translation (which will be your bread and butter if you continue in Philosophy/Theology at the MA level) and begin to conduct qualitative research, then the anthropology of religion would be a natural fit. That's actually what I did myself (BA: Philosophy and Religion; MA area studies [Tibet]; PhD Anthropology of Tibet with an emphasis on the anthropology of religion). The move from philosophy to anthropology entails a huge shift, though, in methodology and research-orientation that you need to be ready for. In your current field, the emphasis is often placed on philology, intertextual research, and translation work, which is secondary or tertiary (at best) in anthropology where language-skills, intellectual history, and qualitative research methods are king. I struggled with that myself, to be honest. In short, anthro of religion is a natural fit, but do consider the fieldwork component of studying anthropology and begin investing early in the communities that you would like to specialize in later in your MA/PhD. As for your question about antho of religion and violence/non-violence... the short answer is: yes, absolutely. Qualitative research has consistently shown that our faith-based actions are often linked more closely with socialization and sub-cultural peer influence than they are on an individual's personal relationship with religious texts and doctrine. That's something that researchers tend to see when they stop relying on surface level interviews and begin doing long-term participant observation. So anthropology -- in a disciplinary sense -- would open a window for you to deeply engage with non-violence that researchers in religious studies rarely have the time or funding to pursue. On the downside, that does sometimes come with a shallower understanding of religious texts. In short, I would suggest viewing an MA/PhD track in philosophy/theology as a way of viewing religious experience from the top down. You'll have a very deep understanding of texts and doctrine and the ways in which those influence practitioners; while the MA/PhD track in anthropology of religion offers a way of viewing religious experience from the bottom up. It would offer a more comprehensive understanding of the inner lives and beliefs of individuals and the (emic) ways in which they personally view religious doctrines. Best of luck. From my (very biased) position, I think the anthropology of religion rocks. But the 'best' department for you will always depend on where you find the most engaged and talented supervisors and, of course, on whether the department's resources can cater to the research environment in which you'd like to work.

[@SamanthaBloodsaw-gu4zm]

Bpsit god