Neutrality in the Study of Religion

The Archive is a feature of the Bulletin in which previous publications are reprinted to reinforce the modern relevance of archived arguments. “Neutrality in the Study of Religion,” originally published in 1981, comes from Dr. John H. Whittaker (1945-2019), who was the Department Chair of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Louisiana State University until 2006. This article is relevant 30 years after its original publication, as it explores an ongoing debate in the field: the limits of objectivity in religious studies. Whittaker critiques a claim made by sociologist Robert Bellah in order to argue that religion can and should be taught from what he terms a “neutral” standpoint that encourages critical inquiry. The role of the scholar of religion as a researcher, observer, and teacher is one that remains contended across the field of religious studies today.

Modern Yoga Research as a Discursive Formation

The practice of yoga is on the rise, as much as its academic scrutiny. Scholars, especially within the disciplinary boundaries of religious studies, South Asian studies, Indology, anthropology, and sociology, have recently started to critically inquire into the birth and transnational developments of modern forms of yoga, tracing their genealogies and textual roots. This expanding literature has in turn contributed to the constitution of the emergent and multidisciplinary field of modern yoga research, or yoga studies. The primary aim of this article is thus to analyze the field of modern yoga research as a ‘discursive formation’ (Foucault [1971]1972), that is, an ensemble of texts constituting – or contributing to the constitution of – a specific object of analysis, namely modern yoga. In so doing, it also aims to contribute to the advancement of the discursive study of religion more in general. The article relies on a ‘discursive study of religion’ approach (e.g., von Stockrad 2003, 2010, 2013) with a focus on its archaeological leaning (e.g., Foucault 1965, 1972, [1963] 1973, [1966] 2002). More specifically, I underline the affinity that modern yoga research’s discursive references have with a number of discursive currents that characterize the disciplines it emerged from, such as radical historicism, cultural relativism, modernism, Orientalism and neo-colonialism. Finally, I conclude by summarizing the main results of this contribution and exploring their relevance to the self-reflexive development of the overlapping fields of cultural analyses and the study of religion.

Society, Spatiality, and the Sacred

The Essay provides space for scholars to present peerreviewed research in a manner that uses data studies and critical reflection as occasions for advancing currents in the broader academic study of religion. In this issue, we have two contributions. Umur Ko?al revisits Jerusalem’s Western Wall and submits that a spatial approach can help scholars reconsider the complex relation of sites classified as sacred. And Matteo Di Placido takes yoga studies as an example of a Foucauldian discourse formation and considers the historical and political textures that appear when examined under the light of recent research in the discursive study of religion.

The 2020 Aronov Lecture with Dr. Annette Yoshiko Reed

In this edition of The Interview, Annette Yoshiko Reed(New York University) joins Bulletin editor RichardNewton for a conversation and discussion as part of the University of Alabama’s 18th annual Aronov Lecture. The Aronov Lecture invites an accomplished and internationally renowned research scholar in the field of religion to bring insights that can inform the larger work of the human sciences. Reed discusses her work on the tensions, rhetoric, and myths involved in the construction of Jewish and Christian identities in the late antique Mediterranean and beyond, as well as her current thinking about how we approach the past through remembering and forgetting. She shares with the audience engaging stories, thought-provoking scholarship, and practical advice on navigating academia and the development of research interests.

“What Kind of Venues Should I (not) Publish In?”

In this edition of The Question, Sage D’Vice is back with answers to help you make sense of the question of publishing. The debate abounds about the mathematics of academic genres. But as we learn, journal articles, chapters, edited volumes, and monographs come with their own considerations, and institutional setting can make all the difference.

Mark Eaton—A Non-traditional Path to Librarianship

In The Profession the Bulletin showcases some of the creative ways the study of religion can be put to use in and beyond academia. The Bulletin staff sat down with Mark Eaton, a librarian at The City University of New York (CUNY), which consists of 25 campuses and 31 libraries. Mark Eaton obtained his Bachelor of Arts in religious studies at McGill University before receiving a Master of Information Studies in library studies at the University of Toronto and later, a Master of Arts in religious studies at Queens University. Between his degrees, Eaton worked at the London Metropolitan University Library, at a bakery, and on a farm. Eaton describes how his journey in academia and various professions led him down an unexpected, but fulfilling, path.

Leading Works in Religion and Law

“The Experiment” presents scholars of religion with an opportunity to draw upon their training to reflect upon a contemporary issue. Editorial assistant Jacob Barrett engages with a recent edited volume from Routledge titled Leading Works in Law and Religion that, while focusing on the identity of the subfield of law and religion within the discipline of legal studies in the United Kingdom and Ireland, provides many sites for comparison with the religion and law subfield of religious studies in the United States context. Drawing upon the model set by the volume, Barrett imagines what a volume titled Leading Works in Religion and Law could look like and what the subfield of religion and law stands to gain from engaging in a project like the one done by its law and religion counterpart.

Underdogs and Englishmen—Diana and the Secular Worship of the Nation

In “The Archive” we republish articles that, in hindsight, may have been ahead of their time in its prescience. Our pull for this issue is a 1997 piece from Stephen Heathorn originally written in the wake of the death of Princess Diana. Drawing on the outpouring of emotion displayed worldwide following Diana’s death, Heathorn discusses the role royal mythmaking plays in the maintenance of British nationalism and policing of British identity during a time of declining British imperialism. Through an engaging and exciting piece of scholarship that discusses one of the world’s most beloved public figures, Heathorn encourages a critical, sociopolitical interrogation of the myths we may not even realize we subscribe to.

Can You Show Me a Less Painful Way to Grade?

In the Bulletin’s advice column, Sage D’Vice addresses questions and concerns from readers while providing insightful and thoughtful advice. This issue, Sage D’Vice responds to a submission addressing a professor’s least favorite part of the job—grading. The response begins with a conversation about understanding what grading is, a look at how different assignments require different kinds of grading, and the reminder that a professor need only grade the assignments they assign. A lighthearted and fun discussion about the part of the job that consumes a significant amount of time (especially at the end of a semester), Sage D’Vice provides practical and thoughtful advice on what it means to grade smarter, not harder.