The Realism of Discourse: Critical Reflections on the Work of Kevin Schilbrack

Abstract

Abstract In recent years, there has been an increasing number of scholars who have argued that “religion” is a specifically modern category which first emerged in Western Europe in the seventeenth century and was further developed, and extended to the rest of the world, in the context of colonialism. This, in turn, has led to a discussion of what these studies mean for the study of religion. In this article, I examine an influential answer to this question as it emerges in the work of Kevin Schilbrack, who argues in favour of a critical realist position. I argue, however, that Schilbrack misrepresents the nature of one of the other main theoretical approaches on offer, namely the discursive study of religion. This is a problem because of the relational nature of Schilbrack’s project, in that he argues for his own position based on the problems he identifies in other alternatives.