The Porcupine Tango: What Ethnography Can and Cannot Do for Theologians
Ethnography and theology are two contrasting life-activities, regulated by separate ideals. Like other sciences, ethnography is regulated by the ideal of ‘truth’. It gathers data about human communities, particularly their worldviews and their tacit social practices. New data correct old conclusions...
| Published in: | Ecclesial practices |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2016
|
| In: |
Ecclesial practices
|
| RelBib Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy CF Christianity and Science FA Theology ZB Sociology |
| Further subjects: | B
Ethnography
theology
regulative ideals
science
|
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | Ethnography and theology are two contrasting life-activities, regulated by separate ideals. Like other sciences, ethnography is regulated by the ideal of ‘truth’. It gathers data about human communities, particularly their worldviews and their tacit social practices. New data correct old conclusions, forcing ethnographers to discard the ideas with which they began their investigations. Following the regulative ideal helps them avoid placing their concerns about those of the people they study. Theologians (and others) can use ethnographic methods to gather data about congregational life, how people practice their religions, etc., but this practice itself is not ‘doing’ theology. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2214-4471 |
| Contains: | In: Ecclesial practices
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/22144471-00302003 |