Decolonizing Knowledges, Undisciplining Religion
The article engages in the undisciplining of the study of religion and proposes two central concepts/approaches for how to do so: the pluriverse and materiality. But what is undisciplining? And is it needed? To frame the undisciplining of the study of religion and render visible how I conceive of it...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/3/374 |
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| author | Nina Hoel |
| author_facet | Nina Hoel |
| author_sort | Nina Hoel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The article engages in the undisciplining of the study of religion and proposes two central concepts/approaches for how to do so: the pluriverse and materiality. But what is undisciplining? And is it needed? To frame the undisciplining of the study of religion and render visible how I conceive of it as a needed practice, the article discusses the relationship between knowledge, materiality, power, and transformation. This relationship is concretized by prioritizing critical decolonial perspectives from the South African context. Here, I center materiality and the material effects of colonial discourse and epistemology as critical entry points. I also highlight the importance of embodied approaches to knowledge, illustrated through decolonial feminist engagements with post-qualitative methodologies. Informed by these critical insights, I unpack the concept of the pluriverse and highlight its epistemic and methodological relevance for the undisciplining of the study of religion. (Re-)turning to materiality, I foreground materiality as a creative and critical knowledge framework and argue for the varying ways it may function for rethinking and undisciplining the study of religion. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-82d72daaf6d4410c80e8059da9d01505 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj-art-82d72daaf6d4410c80e8059da9d015052025-08-20T01:49:03ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442025-03-0116337410.3390/rel16030374Decolonizing Knowledges, Undisciplining ReligionNina Hoel0Faculty of Theology, University of Oslo, 0371 Oslo, NorwayThe article engages in the undisciplining of the study of religion and proposes two central concepts/approaches for how to do so: the pluriverse and materiality. But what is undisciplining? And is it needed? To frame the undisciplining of the study of religion and render visible how I conceive of it as a needed practice, the article discusses the relationship between knowledge, materiality, power, and transformation. This relationship is concretized by prioritizing critical decolonial perspectives from the South African context. Here, I center materiality and the material effects of colonial discourse and epistemology as critical entry points. I also highlight the importance of embodied approaches to knowledge, illustrated through decolonial feminist engagements with post-qualitative methodologies. Informed by these critical insights, I unpack the concept of the pluriverse and highlight its epistemic and methodological relevance for the undisciplining of the study of religion. (Re-)turning to materiality, I foreground materiality as a creative and critical knowledge framework and argue for the varying ways it may function for rethinking and undisciplining the study of religion.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/3/374the study of religiondecolonizing knowledgesmaterialitySouth Africathe pluriversepost-qualitative methodologies |
| spellingShingle | Nina Hoel Decolonizing Knowledges, Undisciplining Religion Religions the study of religion decolonizing knowledges materiality South Africa the pluriverse post-qualitative methodologies |
| title | Decolonizing Knowledges, Undisciplining Religion |
| title_full | Decolonizing Knowledges, Undisciplining Religion |
| title_fullStr | Decolonizing Knowledges, Undisciplining Religion |
| title_full_unstemmed | Decolonizing Knowledges, Undisciplining Religion |
| title_short | Decolonizing Knowledges, Undisciplining Religion |
| title_sort | decolonizing knowledges undisciplining religion |
| topic | the study of religion decolonizing knowledges materiality South Africa the pluriverse post-qualitative methodologies |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/3/374 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ninahoel decolonizingknowledgesundiscipliningreligion |