Religious Studies Research Articles

RUSSIAN PAINTING OF THE 19TH - EARLY 20TH CENTURY AS A REFLECTION OF CULTURAL IDENTITY (REVIEW OF A MONOGRAPH BY KOPTSEVA N.P., KOLESNIK M.A., LESHCHINSKAYA N.M., SAMARINA D.N. “RUSSIAN CULTURAL IDENTITY IN THE FINE ARTS OF THE 19TH - EARLY 20TH CENTURIES.

The article is a review of the collective monograph authored by the Siberian Federal University scholars — Koptseva N.P., Kolesnik M.A., Leshchinskaya N.M., Samarina D.N. “Russian cultural identity in the Fine Arts of the 19th — early 20th century”. The researchers examined the features of Russian cultural identity construction in the works by V.G. Perov, I.Ya. Bilibin, M.V. Nesterov and B.M. Kustodiev. The relevance of the book lies in the fact that it is the first of its kind in the series of scientific art criticism and cultural literature “Russian Culture”. The scientific novelty of the monograph consists in the philosophical and art criticism analysis of religious philosophy as a source of cultural identity, in the substantiation of new theoretical concepts such as area-critical and area-romantic styles. The results of the presented work contribute to the study of the process of constructing Russian cultural identity from the standpoint of God-seeking in works of fine art of the late 19th — early 20th centuries. The practical value of the book lies in the systematization of the basic content of Russian cultural identity and the establishment of a connection with the key concepts of Russian religious philosophy, including the ideas of Russian Orthodoxy, Slavophilism, the concept of Sophia — the Wisdom of God in the interpretation of V.S. Solovyov, the application of the sociology of imagination in the study of mythology, symbolism, semiotics of signs, visual perception of painting. The results of the research outlined in the book can be used in teaching courses on the history and theory of Russian culture as well as in the creation of special courses and programmes based on the relationship between culture, philosophy, Religious Studies and literature.

Research Methods – For Students and Scholars of Theology and Religious Studies, written by Joshua Iyadurai

Research Methods – For Students and Scholars of Theology and Religious Studies, written by Joshua Iyadurai

Strategi Dakwah Radio BHASA FM dalam Meningkatkan Pemahaman Keagamaan Masyarakat Situbondo

This article examines Bhasa FM radio's da'wah strategy in increasing the religious understanding of the Situbondo community. Radio has been known for a long time as a medium for conveying information, education and entertainment to the public. However, it is different for Bhasa FM Situbondo radio, a radio whose orientation is not only on these three things but more on the domination of Islamic preaching. Seeing that modern society currently tends to be less interested in religious studies in mosques or prayer rooms, it is hoped that radio can be an alternative in filling and providing religious nutrition for Situbondo Muslims. The research uses field research methods. The researcher looked directly into the field in conducting observations, interviews and documentation studies, to collect complete data and then carry out descriptive analysis to then look for an answer to the focus of this paper. Bhasa FM radio's da'wah strategy uses a sensory da'wah strategy (al-manhaj al-hissy) which is also called an experimental strategy or scientific strategy which is oriented to the five senses and adheres firmly to the results of research and experiments. Bhasa FM Radio invites audiences to join online or off air, apart from that there is also social media such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and so on. Apart from that, there is also an external approach, namely data produced by Nielsen surveys, once a month. The aim of this strategy is to find out the age, social and economic status of the listener and all demographic aspects of the listener.

Argument in religious studies at GCSE: a collaborative developmental research project

ABSTRACT This paper describes a developmental research project that started from the desire amongst several religious education teachers across different schools to work collaboratively to improve their teaching of argumentation. It specifically focuses on GCSE religious studies examinations in England. We were particularly interested in how students express their own arguments in written examination essays, which have specific requirements. The intention was to think more deeply about what is meant by argument without resorting to pure philosophy, and thereby develop our pedagogy in teaching these skills through deeper reflection, learning and experiment in the classroom, as well as sharing our experience. Working with a researcher, we adopted a particular theory of argumentation, from Toulmin, and then heuristically developed techniques to refine our practice. Through collaborative self-study with a researcher, we draw on qualitative data to consider both what strategies were developed and how our collaboration supported our professional development. The strategies for teaching argumentation were through simplification and the use of metaphor. Collaboration was through inter-school support in developing and trying out new techniques. Significantly, we found that argumentation could be developed without explicitly teaching philosophy.

Re-imagining Religion: Towards a Thematic Approach to Religious Studies at UKZN

Re-imagining Religion: Towards a Thematic Approach to Religious Studies at UKZN

Koszmar menedżera? Wstępne uwagi dotyczące możliwości zarządzania fandomami

Management more and more often turns to the organization as the subjects of its activities in their functional aspect, not the material one. One of such spaces are virtual communities, including fandoms. However, the achievements of fan studies dealing with them have relatively rarely appeared in management sciences so far. In order to determine the state of scientific considerations related to the management of fandoms, a study of the available literature was carried out, covering the leading scientific journals from the list prepared by the Polish Ministry of Education and Science in the field of management sciences, as well as cultural and religious studies, which deal with topics related to management, and thirdly from the Scopus database. Therefore, the article is of a review nature and its main purpose is to indicate the research gap for the issue of fandom management. Therefore, it constitutes a preliminary diagnosis of the current state of research and seeks an answer to the question: does the issue of fandom management appear in the researched scientific journals? The answer to this question remains essentially negative – although some of the topics discussed in the journals are related to the selected issue, the leading titles included in the list of the Ministry of Education and Science so far lack a comprehensive analysis of it. They appear in journals indexed in the Scopus database and in other publications (e.g. monographs). This situation means a specific lack of systemic support for the entry of texts dealing with fandom management into the mainstream of Polish scientific research.

Religious Transhumanism as a New Religious Movement: Sketching a Model of the Development of Religious Transhumanism

This essay proposes a new model for understanding religious transhumanism by extending existing frameworks that have been useful for predicting the success of new religious movements (NRMs). This paper focuses on the Mormon Transhumanist Association as a case of religious transhumanism that is incongruent with existing models of NRMs, thereby highlighting the limitations of these models. First, I demonstrate how the Morman Transhumanist Association challenges religious scholars’ conventional concepts for understanding NRMs, particularly within anthropology, cosmology, and eschatology. Then, I present a model that effectively accounts for the unique characteristics of religious transhumanist groups, thereby demonstrating and addressing the field’s current lack of an explanatory framework.

Interconnection Between Religious Studies and Islamic Studies; Theoretical and Practical Approaches

Religious studies generally covers various religious traditions around the world, while Islamic studies specifically focuses on Islamic teachings, history, and practices. This research aims to explore the interconnection between religious studies and Islamic studies through theoretical and practical approaches. This research uses a qualitative methodology with literature analysis as the main instrument to understand how these two fields interact and enrich each other. The theoretical approach includes analysis of key concepts in religious studies and Islamic studies, as well as how methodological approaches from these two disciplines can complement each other. The practical approach reviews the implementation of Islamic studies in religious studies programs at various higher education institutions, as well as its impact on cross-cultural understanding and interreligious dialogue. The research results show that the integration of Islamic studies within a religious studies framework not only broadens the scope of academic studies but also enriches theological and ethical discussions in a multicultural and multireligious context. This research concludes that the link between religious studies and Islamic studies offers great potential for the development of a more holistic and inclusive science.

Understanding Islamic Aqidah Through the Lens of Religious Studies in Education: A Literature Analysis of Its Influence and Implications

Understanding Islamic Aqidah Through the Lens of Religious Studies in Education: A Literature Analysis of Its Influence and Implications

Prospects for the Study of Harriet Jacobs

ABSTRACT Jean Fagan Yellin’s 1987 annotated edition of Harriet Jacobs’s Incidents in the Life of Slave Girl, Written by Herself, documenting Jacobs as the author and the narrative as nonfiction, ushered in a wave of Jacobs scholarship. Yellin’s Harriet Jacobs: A Life (2003) and the two-volume Harriet Jacobs Family Papers (2008), along with criticism on Incidents in the context of sentimentalism and slave narratives, helped spur another generation of scholarship and popular interest in Jacobs. Jacobs is now found as a source in fields spanning from the expected literature and history to medicine, psychology, political theory, aging, girlhood, and religious studies. This survey of scholarship appearing after the publication of Papers highlights religion, health, biographical studies of Jacobs and her circle, and analysis of Jacobs in popular culture as areas of development and urges more engagement with the archival sources available for Jacobs’s life after the publication of Incidents.

Influence of daily life and health profile in subtle cognitive decline of women residing in Spanish religious communities: DeCo religious orders study.

Prior to the onset of dementia, individuals commonly undergo a phase marked by subtle cognitive changes, known as subtle cognitive decline. Recognizing these early cognitive alterations is crucial, as they can serve as indicators of an impending decline in cognitive function, warranting timely intervention and support. To determine the incidence of subtle cognitive decline in a population of Spanish women and establish the relationship with possible protective and/or risk factors such as cognitive reserve, cardiovascular risk factors, medication consumption and psychosocial factors. This is a cross-sectional observational study with women from the general population and a more homogeneous population composed of nuns from the Valencian region (Spain). A validated questionnaire was used including lifestyle variables, chronic illnesses, level of education and pharmacological treatments. Three validated subtle cognitive decline screening tests with varying levels of sensitivity and specificity were used: Memory Impairment Screening, Pfeiffer's Short Portable Mental State Questionnaire, and Semantic Verbal Fluency. Our results suggest that nuns may have a significantly reduced risk of cognitive decline compared to the general population (20.67% in nuns vs. 36.63% in the general population). This lower risk for subtle cognitive decline in nuns may be partly attributed to their higher cognitive reserve and long-time engagement in intellectually stimulating activities. Additionally, nuns tend to adopt healthy lifestyles, they are not isolated because they live in community and obtained lower scores for risk factors such as depression, anticholinergic burden, and benzodiazepine consumption. A healthy lifestyle combined with intellectually stimulating activities is related with preserved cognitive function.

The Role of Tahfidz Al-Quran Learning in Assisting Religious Studies

Background. Islamic religious learning in schools generally focuses on the discussion of Qur'anic verses. However, many students have difficulty in reading the Qur'an correctly and precisely, even more so in memorizing these verses. This raises questions about the effectiveness of existing learning methods and the potential role of learning tahfidz Al-Qur'an in helping religious lessons. Purpose. This study aims to determine the role of learning tahfidz Al-Qur'an in helping religious lessons, especially in the context of learning Al-Qur'an Hadith. Method. The research uses a qualitative descriptive method. Sampling was carried out by the purposive method, with the key informants being class teachers and students of SDIT Nurul 'Ilmi Tenggarong. Data collection techniques include observation, interviews, and documentation. Results. The results of the study show that the learning of tahfidz Al-Qur'an has a very important position in helping religious learning, especially the learning of the Qur'an Hadith. Al-Qur'an tahfidz activities have a positive influence on students' learning of the Qur'an Hadith. Students who are diligent in reading and memorizing the Qur'an tend to have better learning activity. Conclusion. Learning tahfidz Al-Qur'an plays an important role in improving students' abilities in learning Al-Qur'an Hadith. Discipline in reading and memorizing the Qur'an is positively correlated with learning discipline, which ultimately improves the learning outcomes of the Qur'an Hadith subject. This research highlights the importance of integrating tahfidz Al-Qur'an learning in the Islamic religious education curriculum to improve students' understanding and skills in understanding and practicing Islamic teachings.

Efforts Of Islamic Boarding School Management To Improve The Life Skills Of Students At The Raudlatul Ulum 1 Putri Islamic Boarding School

Islamic boarding schools (pondok pesantren) are regarded as vital educational institutions that play an important role in the progress and development of education. Additionally, they are considered alternative solutions for various educational challenges. This educational model, which focuses on religious studies, particularly Islam, has become a model and the precursor for the current educational system in Indonesia. Implementing life skills education within these institutions produces highly competitive students. With life skills training, they become more productive and capable of competing in the job market. The research questions are: (1) What efforts do the administrators of Pondok Pesantren make to enhance students' life skills? (2) What are the outcomes of these efforts? The objectives are: (1) To identify the efforts made by Pondok Pesantren administrators to enhance the life skills of students, and (2) To determine the results of these efforts. The findings indicate that instilling educational values in Islamic boarding schools through muhadhoroh (speeches) and extracurricular activities have a positive impact. The strategies used to instill Islamic educational values through muhadhoroh and extracurricular activities have proven effective. Keywords: Islamic boarding schools, Life skills, Religious education

Community Transformation Through Mosque-Based Empowerment in Amplas Village Kota Medan

Seeing the phenomenon that occurs, there is a lack of public awareness regarding mosque-based empowerment. The people there consider the mosque only a place of worship. This research aims to determine the level of pb;ic awarenessof the function of the mosque, which is not only a place of worship for muslims but also for activities related to the Islamic religion in the amplas sub-district, Medan city. The method that the researcher used was qualititave descriptive method in which the researcher conducted observation interviews and documentation related to the problem. The results of the research show that many people still thinkthat mosques are only places of worship, even in the amplas sub-district of Medan city, religious studies, recitations are held, as well as various social and humanitarian activities such as donations and social service. Initially they agreed with this, but over time the community became inconsistent in doing things related to the mosque. There are several factors that cause people to be unable to take part in these social activities over time, including being busy with their respective jobs.

The Hijab: Islam, Women and the Politics of Clothing

Dedicated to the 'Muslim girls and women protesting for their rights in India and Iran', historians P. K. Yasser Arafath and G. Arunima have compiled a deeply engaging collection of essays that explore the wearing of the hijab from a multitude of perspectives. The contributions traverse different national contexts and explore multiple and entangled strands of the debates around the hijab, underscoring its breadth and complexity. And as the essays in The Hijab: Islam, Women and the Politics of Clothing demonstrate, not only is this is a complex debate, but also one on very rugged terrain. To dispel misconceptions, prejudices and generalities that abound on the subject, the contributors gathered here come with expertise, variously, in religious studies, sociology, English literature, law, theatre, liberal studies, political science, development studies, journalism, education and historical studies. The essays are grouped into sections - 'Context and Questions', 'Reading the Ban', 'Ethno/History/Life Writing' and 'Many Feminisms' - and read together illuminate the cross-cutting historical, ethnographical and political trajectories in which the question of the hijab is embedded.

Totem

Abstract Although the term “totem” constituted a key term in classical theories of religion, it has not played a notable role in the recent material turn in the study of religion. This essay offers a critical reconsideration of the term by comparing its function in Durkheim’s sociology of religion with David Chidester’s postcolonial analysis of its function in religion and Religious Studies from a South African location. The comparison not only highlights problematic uses of the term in its history, but also sheds light on the question whether the term might be rehabilitated for use in the study of material religion. In assessing the term’s genealogy as well as its possible use in the study of material religion, the ethical question is of paramount importance: informed by critical theories of race, class and gender, which values may serve in our assessment?

Breaking the Postmodern Deadlock: Metamodernism’s Methodological Revolution

Abstract This paper is a response to the roundtable on Metamodernism: The Future of Theory, focusing on the work’s methodological implications and theoretical advancements. Using traffic jams as a case study, Jason Ānanda Josephson Storm illustrates how his approach both incorporates and transcends the insights of discourse studies. He abridges a version of his theory of process “social kinds,” which he describes as dynamic, socially constructed clusters of properties, defined by the anchoring processes – dynamic-nominalist, mimetic, and ergonic – that uniquely contribute to their properties. He shows how focusing on these anchoring processes challenges conventional methodologies and could herald new research paths in religious studies and other fields, advocating for a shift towards a more inclusive and dynamic interpretation of social phenomena.

Religion after Critique

Abstract In the last few decades, religion and its terms have shown to be implicated in projects of colonial modernity. While this critique of religion is now generally accepted, the term continues to be used in the field with little regard to its history and its colonial construction. This essay aims to bring greater attention to the continuing relevance of religion in contemporary society as articulated in postcolonial scholarship. It proposes closer attention to the critique of religion in the work of David Chidester, Talal Asad and Charles Long. Two distinct dimensions of religion are identified in their work. The first is a construction of religion in colonial modernity, while the second suggests ways of studying religions in light of this construction. I show in this essay that their work points to multiple complementary ways of studying religions in the contemporary. Their work suggests that the field of religious studies cannot ignore its discursive history and construction.

The Christian Trinity in the Writings of Quranic Exegetes: A Comparison with Islamic Polemicists

Objectives: This paper compares the perspectives of sixteen Quranic exegetes with those of Islamic polemicists specialised in Christian studies, particularly in their treatment of the Christian concept of the Trinity. Methodology: The paper employs an inductive approach to uncover the views of various Quranic interpreters and Islamic polemicists regarding the Trinity. Besides, it utilises a comparative method to discuss and contrast their opinions on the subject matter. Findings: Comparing the polemicists’ views with those of the exegetes reveals the precision and consistency of the former in conveying the Christian understanding of the Trinity. In contrast, the exegetes' interpretations vary, with some describing it as three hypostases, others as three gods, and occasionally an exegete may mention both interpretations. There is also a distinction in addressing the third entity of the Trinity. While the polemicists identify it as the Holy Spirit, some exegetes alternatively mention Mary, and others refer to both views. Originality: The paper underscores the importance of cautiously conveying Christian beliefs about the Trinity based on certain exegetes, highlighting the specialisation of polemicists in religious studies.

Exploring the Dynamic Interplay between Religion and Culture: A Multidisciplinary Inquiry

This interdisciplinary study explores the symbiotic relationship between religion and culture, analyzing their dynamic interaction across diverse historical and geographical landscapes. Religion, as a non-material facet of culture, operates as a central institution characterized by rituals, beliefs, and communal practices, addressing existential questions concerning life, death, and purpose. Conversely, culture provides the contextual framework within which religious beliefs and practices develop and are expressed, reflecting the values, norms, and traditions of a particular society. Through a qualitative research framework drawing insights from anthropology, sociology, history, and religious studies, this study examines historical texts, scholarly articles, ethnographic data, and case studies to elucidate the multifaceted dimensions of the relationship between religion and culture. By integrating insights from various disciplines, this study aims to provide a nuanced understanding of the dynamic interdependence between religion and culture, offering fresh perspectives on how religion shapes cultural identity, societal norms, and individual beliefs. Furthermore, by highlighting the adaptability and resilience of cultural traditions in the face of religious influences, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the complexities of human societies and the enduring influence of religion on cultural evolution. Through its comprehensive analysis, this study underscores the importance of studying religion and culture as intertwined phenomena that shape human experience and identity across diverse contexts.