On Sabır and Agency

This article focuses on the pious practice of sab?r (patience) within the context of the weaving neighborhoods in Konya, Turkey. Through an ethnographic analysis of the everyday politics of the practice of sab?r, which is central to labor relations, this article adds to and complicates feminist analyses of labor politics and the economy by highlighting the interconnected nature of ethical religious practice and labor politics. Additionally, I argue for the need to go beyond the question of whether women have or lack agency as subjects in feminist analyses of labor politics and relationships, and instead point out the need for the empirical examination of specific, contextually-bound practical conditions through and within which women cultivate various forms of ethical action and subjectivities. In pointing out the importance of a project that analyzes operations of power with a keen awareness of context, this essay presents an ethnographically grounded discussion of pious practice within the context of Konya's weaving neighborhoods, underscoring the effects of the coexistence of exploitation and empowerment on the construction of women weavers’ selfhoods.     

Institutional Governance of Minority Religious Practices: Insights from a Study of Muslim Practices in Danish Schools

An increasing number of studies are concerned with the ways in which the religious practices of Europe's minority populations are accommodated on the political, national and local levels. In this article, I present a case study of Muslim practices in Danish schools. The study is an investigation of how and why six selected practices are governed in Danish schools: halal food, fasting, prayer, head scarves, holidays and mosques. The results underline the importance of the specific practice in question for the way in which it is governed: some practices are easily accommodated, while others are rejected outright by the schools. Furthermore, the study demonstrates how governance of Muslim practices is developed in the absence of national regulation and against the prevailing ideals in the Danish public debate. In fact, the governance developed seems to be a direct response to the number of Muslim children in school and in line with general school ideals of inclusion. However, the results also indicate that more direct involvement by local or national authorities might push schools to be more exclusive with regard to Muslim practices.     

反思欧洲科学的三个维度及其现代意义

反思欧洲科学有三个不同维度的含义 :第一维度是纯粹知识的维度 ;第二是亚文化共同体的维度 ;第三是文化理性的维度。这三个维度不仅含义不同 ,而且对文化的实际意义差别也很大。在科学发展的过程中 ,科学的角色首先是作为纯粹的知识而出现的 ;当着科学发展成为一种专家的事业时 ,科学的实际存在就演变为科学家的亚文化共同体 ;当着科学成为全民族的教育和国民参与的目标时 ,科学就成为了整个民族的文化理性。我们强调第三维度的科学概念 ,这一概念经常为学术研究所忽略 ,然而正是科学作为文化理性的一种形态改变了欧洲的历史 ,使欧洲文明从一种基督教的文明 ,理性化为一种科学主义的文明。由于科学的排他性 ,科学理性即重塑了欧洲的文明的传统 ,也摧毁了世界的其它文明传统     

Regional Religions?: Extending the “Semi-involuntary” Thesis of African-American Religious Participation

This research examines religious affiliation and church attendance among African-Americans in three different regions of the United States to evaluate the thesis that the Black church represents a semi-involuntary institution shaped by historical dynamics of segregation in the rural South. We extend the analyses of others who have found the rural South to have distinctive church participation patterns by examining two nationally representative data sets (the 1972–1996 General Social Surveys and the 1984 National Alcohol Study). We explore both level and type of church attendance of African-Americans, and how patterns differ by region. Further, we refine prior analyses by (1) differentiating between members of historically White and conservative churches from those in the black mainline, (2) examining racial segregation, and (3) focusing on the type of church attendance (rather than just overall level). Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and logistic regression models support the thesis that the rural South exhibits some distinctive patterns that make the semi-involuntary institution notion a useful concept, although patterns not predicted by the thesis are also found. The semi-involuntary thesis is also used to illuminate some church attendance patterns observed outside the rural South.     

试论希腊化宗教之特征

希腊化时代是人类历史上第一次文化大融合的时代,也是一个专制而又动荡的时代,这一背景决定了希腊化宗教具有以下几个方面的特征：一、世界主义;二、神秘主义;三、帝王崇拜;四、宗教解构了哲学。从这四个方面可以看出,希腊化宗教为基督教的产生奠定了基石。     

“圣人观”和“上帝观”对中西政治文化的影响

东方的儒家文明和西方的基督教文明是具有代表性的两种文明,二者对各自文化圈的政治生活具有重要影响."圣人观"和"上帝观"作为两个文明的核心观念,在许多方面存在显著差异,由此决定了东西方社会的政治思想行为,形成了双方各自的政治文化特色.     

法门内外--论卡夫卡的《诉讼》

卡夫卡《诉讼》中的一切都笼罩在"法"之中,但小说中的"法"又不是一个内涵单一确定的概念,它包含着三个层面含义首先,因为没有其他人控告约瑟夫·K,所以约瑟夫·K的原告就是他自己了.约瑟夫·K的自我控告了约瑟夫·K,正如卡夫卡的自我控告了卡夫卡.其次,卡夫卡作为一个熟悉法律,并以法律为职业的作者,在小说中描写司法黑幕、揭露法律问题,应当是十分自然的事情.再次,卡夫卡决不是无神论者,他有着非同寻常的宗教意识和宗教情怀,因此,从宗教意义解读《诉讼》是完全必要和不可或缺的.当然,小说中"法"的内外界限常常是不确定的、变化的,可以说,小说中的世界就是法门内外的世界,也就是卡夫卡自己的世界.     

儒家人文信仰的完成——朱熹《四书集注》的思想信仰分析

以《四书》为代表的早期儒学奠定了儒家人文信仰的基础,而理学家朱熹通过重新诠释《四书》完成了儒家的人文信仰。一方面,朱熹以更加理性主义思想方法与概念体系建构以"天理"为中心的哲学体系,以解决人文准则与终极实体之间的内在联系;另一方面,朱熹的理论又是一种宇宙目的的象征性表达,包含着生命体验的终极关切,故明显具有信仰的特征与宗教的功能。     

Identities Within Identities: Queering the Priestly Woman

It has been part of the Christian tradition that a convert is given a new name and thus a new identity when accepted into the faith. This new identity is meant to signify the overcoming of brokenness in a salvation event that unifies, celebrates, and reorients all the former selves under Christ. But for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people it is not the Christian identity but the Queer identity that brings wholeness. This discovery is traced in this essay through the journey of a lesbian Episcopal priest.     

邪教特征论

本文从披着宗教外衣反宗教 ;宣扬“末世论” ,制造社会恐慌 ;非法聚敛钱财 ;对教徒进行精神控制 ;秘密结社 ,危害社会 ,对抗政府等五个方面 ,对古今中外的邪教、特别是“法轮功”的本质特征进行了剖析。