Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Interreligious Hermeneutics


Book Description

Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Interreligious Hermeneutics: Ways of Seeing the Religious Other, edited by Emma O’Donnell Polyakov, examines the hermeneutics of interreligious encounter in contexts of conflict. It investigates the implicit judgments of Judaism and Islam that often arise in response to these conflicts, and explores the implications of these interpretations for relations between Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Addressing antisemitism and Islamophobia through the tools of interreligious hermeneutics, this volume brings together three distinct discourses: the study of ancient and new tropes of antisemitism as they appear in today’s world; research into contemporary expressions of fear or suspicion of Islam; and philosophical reflections on the hermeneutics of interreligious encounters.




Meaning and Method in Comparative Theology


Book Description

The first systematic overview of the field of comparative theology Meaning and Method in Comparative Theology offers a synthesis of and a blueprint for the emerging field of comparative theology. It discusses various approaches to the field, the impact of religious views of other religions on the way in which comparative theology is conducted, and the particularities of comparative theological hermeneutics. It also provides an overview of the types of learning and of the importance of comparative theology for traditional confessional theology. Though drawing mainly from examples of Christian comparative theology, the book presents a methodological framework that may be applied to any religious tradition. Meaning and Method in Comparative Theology begins with an elaboration on the basic distinction between confessional and meta-confessional approaches to comparative theology. The book also identifies and examines six possible types of comparative theological learning and addresses various questions regarding the relationship between comparative and confessional theology. Provides a unique and objective look at the field of comparative theology for scholars of religion and theologians who want to understand or situate their work within the broader field Contains methodological questions and approaches that apply to comparative theologians from any religious tradition Recognizes and affirms the diversity within the field, while advancing unique perspectives that might be the object of continued discussions among theologians Meaning and Method in Comparative Theology offers an important basis for scholars to position their own work within the broader field of comparative theology and is an essential resource for anyone interested in theology conducted in dialogue with other religious traditions. 2021 PROSE Finalist in the Theology & Religious Studies category.




Religious Hatred


Book Description

Why does religion inspire hatred? Why do people in one religion sometimes hate people of another religion, and also why do some religions inspire hatred from others? This book shows how scholarly studies of prejudice, identity formation, and genocide studies can shed light on global examples of religious hatred. The book is divided into four parts, focusing respectively on: theories of prejudice and violence; historical developments of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and race; contemporary Western antisemitism and Islamophobia; and, prejudices beyond the West in the Islamic, Buddhist, and Hindu traditions. Each part ends with a special focus section. Key features include: - A compelling synthesis of theories of prejudice, identity, and hatred to explain Islamophobia and antisemitism. - An innovative theory of human violence and genocide which explains the link to prejudice. - Case studies of both Western antisemitism and Islamophobia in history and today, alongside global studies of Islamic antisemitism and Hindu and Buddhist Islamophobia - Integrates discussion of race and racialisation as aspects of Islamophobic and antisemitic prejudice in relation to their framing in religious discourses. - Accessible for general readers and students, it can be employed as a textbook for students or read with benefit by scholars for its novel synthesis and theories. The book focuses on antisemitism and Islamophobia, both in the West and beyond, including examples of prejudices and hatred in the Islamic, Hindu, and Buddhist traditions. Drawing on examples from Europe, North America, MENA, South and Southeast Asia, and Africa, Paul Hedges points to common patterns, while identifying the specifics of local context. Religious Hatred is an essential guide for understanding the historical origins of religious hatred, the manifestations of this hatred across diverse religious and cultural contexts, and the strategies employed by activists and peacemakers to overcome this hatred.




Interreligious Studies


Book Description

The emergence of the field of interreligious studies is emerging as a response to critical issues within our religiously plural world. Religious conflicts, large and small, continue to plague our society, as the challenges of navigating religious difference emerge in daily encounters among people who would like to get along in the public square that they fashion together. These challenges unfold within families, congregations, college campuses, workplaces, communities, media, and cyberspace. This volume offers a comprehensive introduction to interreligious studies. Providing an overview of the history, terms, and characteristics of the field, Rachel Mikva explores the ethical, philosophical, and theological foundations for pluralism. She also presents guidelines and case studies that demonstrate how interreligious understanding and solidarity can be achieved. Designed for use in undergraduate and graduate courses, the volume also will be useful to medical doctors, social workers, police officers, corporate managers, and others whose work requires multi-cultural competence.




Narratives about Jews Among Muslims in Norway


Book Description

What is the nature of Muslim-Jewish relations in Europe today? Based on qualitative interview data, this book explores narratives about Jews among Muslims in Norway. Drawing on culturally embedded narratives as well as personal experiences, interviewees reflect on the relationship between Jews and Muslims. The interreligious exchange between Islam and Judaism is as old as Islam. Today, the Arab-Israeli conflict has become an important frame of reference in the public discourse on Muslim-Jewish relations. The narratives presented in this book delineate shifting community boundaries and identifications that transcend dichotomised notions of "Muslims versus Jews." The analysis shows how Jewish history in Europe and the history of modern antisemitism serve as interpretative keys in the narratives, used for explaining the situation of the Muslim minority today. Furthermore, the book demonstrates how interviewees' perceptions of society's attitudes toward Muslim and Jewish experiences also strongly influence their perceptions of Muslim-Jewish relations.




Practicing Interdisciplinarity


Book Description

In interdisciplinary projects and research collaborations, participants face multiple demands. However, these expectations encounter a reality that is characterized by time pressure, high demands in one's own discipline, and often increasingly administrative tasks. What can meaningful interdisciplinary work look like in an academic environment? What tasks and constraints do researchers face? And, considering the range of disciplines involved, how can interdisciplinary research projects be designed in a successful way? How does one meaningfully bring different disciplines, their methods, and theories into conversation with each other across the spatial and temporal distance of their subjects? And all that in a way in which the yield is effective and visible in all subprojects? This publication sheds light on this issue by way of example. It reflects on and formulates the experiences and outcomes of interdisciplinary work of a humanities and social science research training group with disciplinary breadth as well as historical depth. The disciplines involved are ancient history, archaeology, art history, music didactics, North American history, patristics, philology (Latin/Greek studies), religious studies, sociology, and theology with the subjects Old and New Testament. In pairs of advanced and young scholars, individual experiences and identifiable results of interdisciplinary work in the respective contributions or research projects are recorded; on a next level, discipline-specific outcomes, but also problems are pinpointed; on a third level, collective experiences with interdisciplinary research displayed. The contributions take a variety of forms: reflections, dialogues, experience reports as well as perspective observations. Rafael Barroso Romero, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain, Elisabeth Begemann, Max-Weber-Kolleg Erfurt, Germany, Enno Friedrich, University of Rostock, Germany, Elena Malagoli, Max-Weber-Kolleg Erfurt, Germany, Anna-Katharina Rieger, University of Graz, Austria, Jörg Rüpke, Max-Weber-Kolleg Erfurt, Germany, Ramón Soneira Martínez, Austrian Archaeological Institute Vienna, Austria, Markus Vinzent, Max-Weber-Kolleg Erfurt, Germany.




Exploring the Ambivalence of Liquid Racism


Book Description

The ongoing migration ‘crisis’ in European countries (2015 to date) has fostered different stances and practices within European nation-states, ranging from xenophobia to solidarity. In this context, two contradictory discourses seem to coexist: the national racist discourse and the humanitarian, antiracist one. This volume brings together studies investigating diverse semiotic strategies through which liquid racism emerges, which consists of ambiguities and contradictory interpretations due to the fact that racist views infiltrate discourse intended as antiracist. The volume includes critical and pragmatic analyses of texts coming from various sources, such as news articles, parliamentary discourse, political cartoons, video clips, advertising campaigns based on personal stories, and jokes. It is an outcome of the research project “TRACE: Tracing Racism in Anti-raCist discoursE: A critical approach to European public speech on the migrant and refugee crisis” (HFRI-FM17-42, HFRI 2019-2022, Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation).




Monotheism and Pluralism


Book Description

Can monotheistic traditions affirm the comparable value of diverse religions? Can they celebrate our world's multiple spiritual paths? This Element explores historical foundations and contemporary paradigms for pluralism in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Recognizing that there are other ways to interpret the traditions, it excavates the space for theological parity.




Religious Imaginations


Book Description

Market globalization, technology, climate change, and postcolonial political forces are together forging a new, more modern world. However, caught up in the mix are some powerful religious narratives that are galvanizing peoples and reimagining – and sometimes stifling – the political and social order. Some are repressive, fundamentalist imaginations, such as the so-called Islamic Caliphate. Others could be described as post-religious, such as the evolution of universal human rights out of the European Christian tradition. But the question of the compatibility of these religious worldviews, particularly those that have emerged out of the Abrahamic faith traditions, is perhaps the most pressing issue in global stability today. What scope for dialogue is there between the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian ways of imagining the future? How can we engage with these multiple imaginations to create a shared and peaceful global society? Religious Imaginations is an interdisciplinary volume of both new and well-known scholars exploring how religious narratives interact with the contemporary geopolitical climate.




Matthew


Book Description

In this new critical commentary for the New Testament Library series, R. Alan Culpepper sets the Gospel of Matthew in the context of the competing Jewish and early Christian voices of the first century, bringing greater clarity to Matthew's own proclamation of the gospel and inviting readers to give up perhaps long-held assumptions about the book. In Culpepper’s treatment, Matthew emerges as a Gospel for a Jewish community, distinguishing itself from the Pharisees on one side and other early Christian traditions and leaders, especially Paul and his followers, on the other side. In this framework, Matthew calls his community to faithful observance of the law, a law-observant mission to both Jews and Gentiles, and repentance and the practice of forgiving in preparation for the coming judgment. Accordingly, Matthew takes readers back to an early period, before the separation of Jewish Christians from the synagogues. By taking seriously Matthew’s Jewishness, this volume also enables readers to hear the historical Jesus more clearly. Excursuses on Matthew’s social setting include Jesus as healer, Sabbath observance, Roman taxation, the Pharisees, the tithes, ancient weddings, and the Sanhedrin, as well as many shorter units on Second Temple Judaism, synagogues, and first-century Galilean society. The New Testament Library series offers authoritative commentary on every book and major aspect of the New Testament, providing fresh translations based on the best available ancient manuscripts, critical portrayals of the historical world in which the books were created, careful attention to their literary design, and a theologically perceptive exposition of the biblical text. The contributors are scholars of international standing. The editorial board consists of C. Clifton Black, Princeton Theological Seminary; John T. Carroll, Union Presbyterian Seminary; and Susan E. Hylen, Candler School of Theology, Emory University.