The Study of Religion on the Other Side of the Good Religion/Bad Religion Binary
2022; Wiley; Volume: 50; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1111/jore.12397
ISSN1467-9795
Autores Tópico(s)Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies
ResumoABSTRACT One of the most resolute dichotomies in the modern and contemporary study of religion is that between good/bad religions. The bases for making such judgments are fluid, but the outcome is generally recognizable; “good” religions and good religious practitioners adhere to the expectations and norms of the bourgeois modern. The reasons for the endurance of the good/bad religion dichotomy are historical, rooted in the rise of the study of religion as an academic discipline, globally and in the United States; economic, reflecting recent trends in giving to higher education; and ideological. But in Meir Kahane , Shaul Magid upends the good/bad distinction, using a “bad” religious actor, in this case, a virulent anti‐Black racist, demagogue, and violent street fighter as a lens through which to explore recent Jewish history in the US and Israel. Magid's steadfast refusal to render Kahane safely other to this broader religious story is a powerful challenge to scholars of religion.
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