Durkheim, Eliade, Geertz, Derrida

Question 1

Who is Clifford Geertz?

Answer 1

A prominent cultural anthropologist associated with symbolic anthropology, known for analyzing culture as a system of shared symbols.

Question 2

What are the five elements of Geertz’s definition of religion?

Answer 2

• Symbols
• Moods and motivations
• A conception of an invisible order
• Believed to be true

Question 3

What do symbols encompass in Geertz’s definition of religion?

Answer 3

• Material symbols (e.g., the cross)
• Ritual activities (e.g., prayer, singing)

Question 4

What do moods and motivations in religion relate to?

Answer 4

• Emotions like awe, fear
• Moral drives such as love and hate

Question 5

How does Geertz define the conception of an invisible order?

Answer 5

Religion posits a structure to reality beyond mere physical facts.

Question 6

What does Geertz mean by ‘believed to be true’?

Answer 6

Participants genuinely take religion’s claims to be real, distinguishing it from satire or parody.

Question 7

True or False: Geertz’s definition of religion is often condensed to four elements.

Answer 7

True

Question 8

What is Jacques Derrida known for?

Answer 8

A French philosopher central to postmodernism and deconstruction, influencing literary theory and religious studies.

Question 9

What historical events contributed to the ‘return of religion’ according to Derrida?

Answer 9

• Iranian Revolution
• Growth of evangelical Christianity
• Salman Rushdie affair

Question 10

What did Derrida emphasize about the context of conversations on religion?

Answer 10

The Western, Christian, and Eurocentric context, highlighting the exclusion of non-European perspectives.

Question 11

What is the difference between Islam and Islamism as per Derrida?

Answer 11

Islam is the religion, while Islamism refers to political ideologies that incorporate or weaponize religion.

Question 12

What is Derrida’s critique of Kant’s definition of religion?

Answer 12

Kant’s definition may not be truly universal, as it is influenced by Christian presuppositions.

Question 13

What is ‘messianicity’ in Derrida’s thought?

Answer 13

A secularized interpretation of the Messiah concept, focused on universal hope for justice and redemption.

Question 14

What does Derrida mean by a ‘universalizable culture of singularities’?

Answer 14

• Universality: A unifying principle, identified with justice
• Particularities: Different faiths and identities

Question 15

What are the potential contradictions of inclusivity in postmodernism?

Answer 15

Inclusivity may still draw boundaries and exclude certain views, even while aspiring to include diverse voices.

Question 16

What is the significance of Geertz’s definition of religion in anthropology?

Answer 16

It captures cultural and experiential dimensions of religion.

Question 17

What does the term ‘phallocentrism’ refer to in Derrida’s critique?

Answer 17

A critique of hierarchical, patriarchal authority, illustrating power structures in religious-political contexts.

Question 18

Fill in the blank: Geertz emphasizes that religious claims are believed to be _______.

Answer 18

[true]

Question 19

What is the relationship between belief and practice in religious studies?

Answer 19

Belief does not always guarantee perfect conformity to actions.

Question 20

How does Derrida’s approach influence modern religious studies?

Answer 20

• Emphasizes inclusivity
• Highlights contextualization
• Advocates for the secularization of religious concepts

Question 21

What core concepts did Mircea Eliade focus on?

Answer 21

• The sacred vs. the profane
• The manifestation of the sacred in human life

Question 22

What is the foundational split between the sacred and the profane?

Answer 22

The sacred represents a mode of being in the world, while the profane represents the ordinary, mundane world.

Question 23

Define hierophany.

Answer 23

A manifestation of the sacred in the profane world.

Question 24

What is the history of religion according to Eliade?

Answer 24

The history of religion is essentially the history of hierophanies.

Question 25

What does Eliade believe about modern, secular societies?

Answer 25

They have undergone a profound desacralization, isolating religion from everyday life.

Question 26

How does Eliade categorize the study of the sacred?

Answer 26

Into four major categories: Sacred Space, Sacred Time, Sacred Nature, Sacred Life.

Question 27

Give an example of 'holy ground' in biblical tradition.

Answer 27

Exodus 3—God tells Moses to remove his sandals because the ground is holy.

Question 28

What is meant by the 'Center of the World' in many religions?

Answer 28

A place marked as a center where the sacred order touches the profane world, often identified as the axis mundi.

Question 29

What are 'crypto-religious' attitudes?

Answer 29

Attachments or reverence for certain places that echo a sense of sacred space, even in secular contexts.

Question 30

What characterizes sacred time in traditional societies?

Answer 30

It is shaped around liturgical or holy times, involving the reenactment of original mythic events.

Question 31

What is the difference between liturgical time and secular time?

Answer 31

Sacred time is cyclical or regenerative, whereas secular time is purely linear.

Question 32

How do many religious traditions view nature?

Answer 32

As never only natural but as created and shaped by divine or sacred forces.

Question 33

What role does sexuality play in many ancient societies?

Answer 33

It was often connected to religious life, with rituals honoring fertility.

Question 34

What are rites of passage in traditional societies?

Answer 34

Religious rites marking key life transitions like birth, puberty, marriage, and death.

Question 35

How does eating relate to the sacred in earlier societies?

Answer 35

Eating was infused with rituals or prayers, seen as spiritually significant.

Question 36

What is Rudolf Otto's emphasis in relation to the sacred?

Answer 36

The numinous, which is the mystery that is both terrifying and fascinating.

Question 37

Define Clifford Geertz's definition of religion.

Answer 37

A system of symbols that establishes powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations.

Question 38

What is the central thesis of Eliade's work?

Answer 38

The sacred is a foundational category for understanding all religions.

Question 39

What do essentialist theories of religion assume?

Answer 39

That 'religion' is a real, universal category of human experience.

Question 40

How does Durkheim view religion?

Answer 40

As an eminently social phenomenon.

Question 41

What is Durkheim's method for studying religion?

Answer 41

Investigating its earliest, simplest historical manifestations.

Question 42

What does Durkheim believe about the persistence of religion?

Answer 42

It fulfills a vital human need.

Question 43

What are 'privileged cases' in Durkheim's study?

Answer 43

Aboriginal Australian and certain First Nations societies seen as early forms of religion.

Question 44

What does Durkheim mean by 'uniform mentality'?

Answer 44

The idea that all humans share a common religious essence across time.

Question 45

How does Durkheim relate religion to group conformity?

Answer 45

He posits that humans have a moral necessity to belong and conform to a group.

Question 46

What is Durkheim’s central thesis regarding religion?

Answer 46

Religion is an eminently social thing.

Question 47

How does religion function according to Durkheim?

Answer 47

To arouse, maintain, and remake the mental attitudes of groups.

Question 48

In Durkheim’s framework, how are individual mystical experiences viewed?

Answer 48

They are secondary or derivative.

Question 49

What is Durkheim’s view on human nature and conformity to the group?

Answer 49

Human beings are inherently social and have a moral necessity to belong and conform to a group.

Question 50

What role does religion play in group cohesion according to Durkheim?

Answer 50

It strengthens group cohesion and moral unity.

Question 51

What critique does Durkheim offer about defining religion in terms of the supernatural?

Answer 51

Supernatural experiences appear later in religious history and are not fundamental to religion’s origin.

Question 52

Why can't 'belief in God' alone define religion across cultures?

Answer 52

Because some religions, like Theravada Buddhism and Jainism, do not center on a personal deity.

Question 53

What is the defining distinction for Durkheim between sacred and profane?

Answer 53

Sacred is set apart and revered, while profane is everyday and non-sacred.

Question 54

What are the characteristics of all religions according to Durkheim?

Answer 54

They make the distinction between sacred and profane, accompanied by prohibitions, beliefs, and rituals.

Question 55

How does Durkheim differentiate religion from magic?

Answer 55

Religion is communal and group-based, while magic is more individual and lacks social solidarity.

Question 56

What is Durkheim's response to religious individualism?

Answer 56

He argues that religion has always been a communal practice historically.

Question 57

What two strands does Durkheim identify in the study of early religion?

Answer 57

* Animism: Focus on spirits and many deities * Naturism: Focus on the sacredness of nature

Question 58

What is a totem in Durkheim's definition?

Answer 58

An emblem representing a clan’s ancestry and spiritual identity.

Question 59

What function does totemism serve in a group?

Answer 59

It binds the group together and creates unity and shared meaning.

Question 60

What does Durkheim claim about totemism as a prototype for all religion?

Answer 60

Totems are the simplest, earliest manifestation of religious symbolism.

Question 61

How can modern flags be compared to totems according to Durkheim?

Answer 61

Flags are socially imbued emblems representing allegiance and ritual acts.

Question 62

What is Durkheim recognized as in the fields of sociology and anthropology?

Answer 62

A foundational thinker.

Question 63

What concepts introduced by Durkheim remain influential?

Answer 63

* Collective consciousness * Mechanical vs. organic solidarity * Social function of religious rituals

Question 64

What criticism do later thinkers have regarding Durkheim's essentialist stance?

Answer 64

They argue that 'religion' may not be a single, uniform entity.

Question 65

What do contemporary anthropologists acknowledge about Durkheim’s work?

Answer 65

His emphasis on social cohesion remains central, but they may question generalizations about 'early' vs. 'advanced' religions.

Question 66

What remains central to many analyses of religious phenomena according to Durkheim?

Answer 66

The sacred–profane divide and the communal nature of religious life.