Overview
How do religions generate identities? How does religious identity affect law, politics, economics and violence? We explore these questions in reference to Buddhists, Hindus, Islamist militant groups, yogis, and others.
Discussions of religious identity appear everywhere in the media. Yet, what is religious identity, and how does it differ from other types of identity? How does it influence politics and society? Under what circumstances might religious identities contribute to war and violence? How ought we to think about and approach religious identity in the contemporary world? This paper explores these questions using case studies from Asia, New Zealand, Europe and North America.
The paper follows two directions of inquiry. After examining the concept of identity, the first half of the paper explores how particular 'technologies' of religion (e.g. ritual, myth, symbols, bodily practices) influence the formation of identity. The second half of the paper examines the links between religious identity and politics, law, society, economics and war. Classes will combine lecture and discussion and will link together theory with a variety of important, real-world case studies.
About this paper
| Paper title | Religion and Identity (Advanced) |
|---|---|
| Subject | Religious Studies |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Not offered in 2025 (Distance learning) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $1,040.70 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- One 200-level RELS or RELX paper
- Restriction
- RELS 414
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music, Theology
- Contact
Associate Professor Ben Schonthal: ben.schonthal@otago.ac.nz
- More information link
View more information on the Religion website: www.otago.ac.nz/religion
- Teaching staff
Lecturer: Associate Professor Ben Schonthal
- Paper Structure
- This paper covers the following topics:
- Theories of religious identity
- Links between myth, ritual, belief, and piety and identity
- Religious conflict and religion-based 'othering'
- Religious 'rationalisation'
- Multiculturalism
- Religious syncretism, hybridity and 'new' spiritualities
- Commodification and commercialisation of religion
- Written reflection 10%
- Debate assignment 20%
- 2000-word essay 30%
- Final exam 40%
- Teaching Arrangements
The Distance Learning offering of this paper is taught remotely.
Campus: Weekly videoconferenced lectures.
Distance students are also invited to join weekly videoconferences. Recordings will be available on Blackboard for students who cannot attend live.- Textbooks
- No textbook required. A coursebook has been developed for this paper.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Ethics, Research, Self-motivation.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
- By the end of this paper 300-level students should be able to:
- Describe multiple ways of understanding religious identity and how it differs from other types of identity
- Compare and contrast how distinct technologies of religion - ritual, myth, symbol and practices of the body - shape religious identity
- Analyse the ways in which contemporary legal and political institutions affect how religious identity is understood and regulated
- Confidently use key theories and concepts in the academic study of religion
- Design a cogent, persuasive, original research paper that identifies a clear research question, draws upon independent research and uses appropriate primary and secondary materials
- Draw upon scholarly sources and the arguments of peers to engage responsibly and collegially in sophisticated academic discussion on religious identity