Theorizing lived religion: introduction

Abstract

The introduction to this special issue describes the emergence of the lived religion approach in relation to other approaches within the study of religion and sociology of religion as a way of going beyond the emphasis on texts and institutions, on the one hand, and the focus on the fate of religion in modern times, on the other hand. It also introduces the aim of this special issue, namely 'theorizing' lived religion. To do this, the authors summarize how the founders of this approach have conceptualized the topic of 'lived religion', adjacent approaches, and the theoretical underpinnings of their work. The authors propose three directions to develop the contribution a lived religion approach might make to theorizing: 1) explicating what is meant by 'religion' by drawing on work that studies religion as a category; 2) explicating how concepts and theories are developed based on lived religion research, with particular emphasis on the way tensions between modernist, disenchanting epistemologies and the enchanted, supernatural worlds of practitioners may inform theory and methodological reflection; 3) anchoring the doing of research, emphasizing the full research cycle in religious studies programs so that students have a solid basis for learning how to move back and forth between carrying out original research and conceptual/theoretical work.

Meaning Making in a Retirement Migrant Community: Religion, Spirituality, and Social Practices of Daily Lives

“…Edmondson, 2015), and not limiting research on this topic to more dominant quantitative approaches using measurement instruments, such as the Meaning in Life questionnaire (Steger et al, 2006). It also resonates with the emerging literature about lived religion, in the sense that through studying this engagement, it is possible to examine how meaning making is practiced-quite alike how the study of lived religion focuses on the practice of religion (Knibbe and Kupari, 2020).…”

A Place of One’s Own: Pilgrimage and the Reinterpretation of Culture in Russia’s Ural Region

“…Thereby, they can preserve the memory of historic personages and events, are able to revive the pilgrimage as a religious custom with all of its accompanying practices, and can possibly pass this custom on to the next generation. The process may be perceived as a manifestation of a lived Muslim culture, a term that refers to the concept of lived religion in the social sciences (Orsi 2002;McGuire 2008;Knibbe and Kupari 2020). As an approach, lived religion pays special attention to how religion is being practised in the everyday lives of people.…”

When God came to Town - Urban Development and Religious Practices in early medieval Odense, Denmark

“…In this article, religion is understood as 'lived religion', in contrast to institutional or state religion (Knibbe and Kupari 2020). Lived religion is defined as religion shaped by repeated daily practices encountered, expressed and experienced in various environments -public and private, sacred and secular -as it permeates every aspect of society.…”