|
|
Article: Syncretism/Anti-Syncretism: The Politics of Religious Synthesis.
- Article from:
- Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute
- Article date:
- June 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Royal Anthropological Institute. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Stewart and Shaw's intention, as stated in their useful introduction, is to promote but also explore syncretism as an analytical category by examining not only 'the politics of religious synthesis' but also 'the competition between discourses about syncretism' (p. 2). They note that the uneasiness towards the term that is evident in contemporary anthropology may be due to the fact that it evokes the existence of an essential 'purity' or 'authenticity' in contrast to which it is defined. However, they assert that an examination of religious syntheses and discourses of syncretism - as well as of the anti-syncretic actions of those concerned to defend religious boundaries - ...