History Publications
Toward a Common Language in World Religions: Reversing the Categories
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2010
Volume
17
Issue
1
Journal
The International Journal of Learning
First Page
201
Last Page
212
Abstract
Language and its capacities are severely tested in the common nomenclature of World Religions and in comparative religion. By exploring the theoretical and pedagogical aspect of religion in diverse classes this paper addresses the seminal problem of communicating across boundaries and comparing disciplinary insights. The position of the text is considered, while the transpositions of geography, time, and cultural purpose undercut the possibilities of the text alone. Limitations are welcome in the study of “religion” and World Religions, particularly if they facilitate a common understanding of these transpositions. We essay a bolder theoretical approach to the pedagogy by exploring the breakdown in communication between the more transgressive European categories, their Judeo-Christian foundations, and their obsolescence in learning environments where boundaries and identities are under formation in both the student and sociological context.
