Comparative Theology: A Critical and Methodological Perspective

Description

In this first volume of Brill Research Perspectives in Theology, the field of comparative theology is mapped with particular attention to the tradition associated with Francis Clooney but noting the global and wider context of theology in a comparative mode. There are four parts. In the first section the current field is mapped and its methodological and theological aspects are explored. The second part considers what the deconstruction of religion means for comparative theology. It also takes into consideration turns to lived and material religion. In the third part, issues of power, representation, and the subaltern are considered, including the place of feminist and queer theory in comparative theology. Finally, the contribution of philosophical hermeneutics is considered. The text notes key trends, develops original models of practice and method, and picks out and discusses critical issues within the field. Intro Contents Comparative Theology: A Critical and Methodological Perspective Abstract Keywords Introduction Part 1: Defining, Exploring, and Mapping a Field The Old, the New, the Historical, and the Global Key Figures: Comparative Theology and Comparative Religion Comparative Theology and the Theology of Religions Comparative Theology as Theology and Method Comparative Theology and Ecclesial and Academic Structures Conclusion Part 2: Comparative Theology after Religion Introduction Deconstructing Religion Material and Lived Religion Rethinking Comparative Theology after ReligionPart 3: Discourses on Power and Representation Power and the Subaltern Whose Tradition? Whose Voices? Gender in Comparative Theology Comparative Theology as Subversive Queer Religious Identity and the Comparative Project Conclusion Part 4: Comparative Theology, Hermeneutics, and Interpretation Introduction Grounding Comparative Theology in Philosophical Hermeneutics Hermeneutics: Methods and Lenses Conclusion Concluding Reflections Critical Bibliography