Jesper Sørensen | Aarhus University (original) (raw)
Papers by Jesper Sørensen
Tidsskriftet Antropologi, 2006
In recent developments in anthropology and the science of religion, the concept of culture has be... more In recent developments in anthropology and the science of religion, the concept of culture has been criticised as being without any explanatory value. Thus, proponents of cognitive anthropology have argued that culture, instead of explaining anything by itself, is the thing in need of explanation. Dan Sperber and Pascal Boyer have independently argued that in order to understand the diffusion of cultural ideas, we need to pay close attention to two selective factors: domain-specific cognitive mechanisms and pragmatic relevancy. This theoretical development has been successful in demolishing any remnants of a reified concept of culture and has, in contrast to postmodernist critiques, supplied a scientifically viable alternative. Their approach should thus be endorsed, but in their eagerness to promote a purely cognitive approach, Sperber and Boyer have failed to explain the relative local success and stability of some representations in contrast to other equally cognitive optimal rep...
Tidsskriftet Antropologi, 2000
The concept of magic is one of the most contested concepts in anthropology. It has been criticise... more The concept of magic is one of the most contested concepts in anthropology. It has been criticised as an illusion created by early anthropology’s primitivist understanding of other – notably non-European – cultures. This has led to a general agreement to abandon the term, if not in praxis then theoretically. The author questions whether the concept should be abandoned and instead he proposes a reformulation based on the realisation that magic is a broad analytical category about which one cannot produce theories. Rather, theories must address the phenomena observed and categorised as magic. The author advocates a cognitive approach to magic and magical ritual based on the theory of “conceptual blending” proposed by linguist Gilles Fauconnier and literary Mark Turner. The theory of conceptual blending presents a new possibility to approach the explicitly metaphorical and metonymic content in magical practices and spells. Thus, magic is not based on a special type of causality, but ra...
Temenos - Nordic Journal of Comparative Religion, 2008
Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion, 2014
Within the last two decades, the cognitive science of religion has gained momentum, and this has ... more Within the last two decades, the cognitive science of religion has gained momentum, and this has led to a call for dedicated experimental studies addressing this level of explanation. However, what does such an experimental turn mean for the study of religion more generally? How does it affect what we study and the methods we use to study it? Does it alter with whom we cooperate, where we publish and what scholarly discussions we take part in? In this article, we discuss how the experimental study of religious phenomena changes the theoretical subject matter and how it involves a new relation between theoretical modeling, methodological reduction and generalization. We argue that, similar to all new approaches, an experimental methodology is likely to alter the study of religion in the short run, but in the longer perspective experimental approaches are likely to take their place beside other approaches that constitute the broader field of the academic study of religion.
Religionsvidenskabeligt Tidsskrift, 2018
English abstract: This article has a double focus. First, and in line with the special theme of t... more English abstract: This article has a double focus. First, and in line with the special theme of this issue, it will address and discuss the celebrated, later rebuked and finally almost forgotten ‘hero’ from our discipline’s historical cabinet of curiosity, the Dutch phenomenologist of religion and theologian, Gerardus van der Leeuw (1890-1950). Van der Leeuw’s work had its primary impact in the first part of the 20th century, but came to play a special role in Denmark when his Introduction to the Phenomenology of Religion was published in Danish in 1969 – a book which influenced a whole generation of Danish high school teachers. Second, taking my departure from van der Leeuws emphasis, I reevaluate the concept of mana in order to explore its relevance in the contemporary, academic study of religion. My point of departure is, that we need a concept covering broad notions of force. Further I argue that a rejuvenated notion of mana should build upon results from the cognitive sciences ...
Religionsvidenskabeligt Tidsskrift, 2021
Denne artikel leverer en oversigt over og en gennemgang af de konkrete politiske indgreb, som den... more Denne artikel leverer en oversigt over og en gennemgang af de konkrete politiske indgreb, som den danske regering foretog med henblik på at opdæmme smittespredning i de første måneder af COVID-19-pandemien i Danmark 2020.
Religionsvidenskapeligt Tidsskrift, May 14, 2021
Religion, Brain & Behavior, 2015
Religion, Brain & Behavior, 2013
Religionsvidenskabelig Skriftserie, 2022
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Study of Religion as a discipline is often characterized as suspended betwe... more ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Study of Religion as a discipline is often characterized as suspended between the centrifugal forces of the philologically informed specializations into specific religious traditions, and the centripetal force of phenomenology that establishes a morphology of religious phenomena independent of its historical manifestations. In this essay, I suggest an alternative conceptualization: Inspired by the cultural
immunology of German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk, I understand scientific disciplines as social interaction spheres defined by immune boundaries. Motivated by recent advances in theoretical biology, such interaction spheres can be conceived of as adaptive units that constantly modify their boundaries while maintaining integrity by means of immunizing strategies. These are primarily supplied by a perpetual re-engagement with, and re-interpretation and critique of the established conceptual models that
constitutes the lattice of the sphere. The perpetual engagement with disciplinary history thus constitutes an ‘immunization program’ that, simultaneously, re-invigorate the conceptual grid that upholds the discipline and protects it from ‘foreign take-over’ or dissolution.
DANSK RESUMÈ: Religionsvidenskaben karakteriseres ofte som udspændt mellem centrifugale kræfter, der udgøres af de filologisk forankrede specialestudier af bestemte religiøse traditioner, og den centripetale kraft, der udgøres af fænomenologiens etablering af en formlære, som beskriver religiøse fænomener uafhængigt af deres historiske manifestationer. I dette essay præsenterer jeg en alternativ karakteristik: Inspireret af den tyske filosof Peter Sloterdijks kulturimmunologi, foreslår jeg, at vi forstår videnskabelige discipliner som sociale interaktionssfærer defineret af en immungrænse. På baggrund af fremskridt i teoretisk biologi, kan disse sociale interaktionssfærer forståssom adaptive systemer, der konstant tilpasser deres grænser til omgivelserne samtidig med, at de opretholder deres sammenhængskraft gennem immuniseringsstrategier. Religionsvidenskabens immunsystem består primært af den konstante genlæsning, genfortolkning og kritik af de modeller og begreber, der danner sfærens skelet. Forskningshistorien udgør et vaccinationsprogram, der på én gang holder nutidens begrebsberedskab spændstigt og toptrænet og forhindrer såvel faglig forkalkning som disciplinens sammenbrud på grund af en fjendtlig overtagelse.
In this article, we present the historical and theoretical context informing the investigation in... more In this article, we present the historical and theoretical context informing the investigation into how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced religiosity in Denmark. We have chosen four foci, each of which contributes to the formation of a historical and theoretical context. First, we embed representations of death within a broad horizon informed by history of religion and cultural history. Beginning with early Christianity's ascent in a cult of the dead and, later, a cult of saints, to the change from burials inside the church to graveyards, we track the coinciding weakening of representations of the afterlife in the modern era. This naturally leads to a discussion of two prior cases in which an epidemic has elicited reactions from Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark: The Cholera epidemic of 1853 and the Spanish Flu in 1918-20. Then we expand our line of inquiry to a more general discussion of how major theories in the Study of Religion have modelled the relation between reli...
Baseret pa data fra vores sporgeskemaundersogelse undersoger vi i denne artikel, hvorledes og i h... more Baseret pa data fra vores sporgeskemaundersogelse undersoger vi i denne artikel, hvorledes og i hvilken udstraekning COVID-19 pandemien har pavirket danskerne brug af ritualer. Pa baggrund af en teoretisk redegorelse for forskelige ritualteorier, praesenterer vi en heuristisk model, der inddeler ritualer i 5 dimensioner: (1) ritualets formodede virkning; (2) ritualets erfarede betydning; (3) ritualets coping-potentiale; (4) ritualets evne til at skabe sammenhold; og (5) ritualets angstreducerende effekt. Disse fem dimensioner anvendes hernaest til at fortolke den kvantitative undersogelses resultater, hvor vi laegger saerlig vaegt pa nye instrumentelle handlinger som fx afspritnings rituelle egenskaber; pa aendringer i deltagelsen i bade kollektive og mere private ritualer samt i disses virtuelle versioner; og saerligt pa opblomstringen af virtuel faellessang som et sammenholdsritual. Vi konstaterer afslutningsvis, at COVID-19 pandemien kun i ringe grad har pavirket deltagerens hold...
Recherches sémiotiques / Semiotic Inquiry, 2005
Tidsskriftet Antropologi, 2006
In recent developments in anthropology and the science of religion, the concept of culture has be... more In recent developments in anthropology and the science of religion, the concept of culture has been criticised as being without any explanatory value. Thus, proponents of cognitive anthropology have argued that culture, instead of explaining anything by itself, is the thing in need of explanation. Dan Sperber and Pascal Boyer have independently argued that in order to understand the diffusion of cultural ideas, we need to pay close attention to two selective factors: domain-specific cognitive mechanisms and pragmatic relevancy. This theoretical development has been successful in demolishing any remnants of a reified concept of culture and has, in contrast to postmodernist critiques, supplied a scientifically viable alternative. Their approach should thus be endorsed, but in their eagerness to promote a purely cognitive approach, Sperber and Boyer have failed to explain the relative local success and stability of some representations in contrast to other equally cognitive optimal rep...
Tidsskriftet Antropologi, 2000
The concept of magic is one of the most contested concepts in anthropology. It has been criticise... more The concept of magic is one of the most contested concepts in anthropology. It has been criticised as an illusion created by early anthropology’s primitivist understanding of other – notably non-European – cultures. This has led to a general agreement to abandon the term, if not in praxis then theoretically. The author questions whether the concept should be abandoned and instead he proposes a reformulation based on the realisation that magic is a broad analytical category about which one cannot produce theories. Rather, theories must address the phenomena observed and categorised as magic. The author advocates a cognitive approach to magic and magical ritual based on the theory of “conceptual blending” proposed by linguist Gilles Fauconnier and literary Mark Turner. The theory of conceptual blending presents a new possibility to approach the explicitly metaphorical and metonymic content in magical practices and spells. Thus, magic is not based on a special type of causality, but ra...
Temenos - Nordic Journal of Comparative Religion, 2008
Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion, 2014
Within the last two decades, the cognitive science of religion has gained momentum, and this has ... more Within the last two decades, the cognitive science of religion has gained momentum, and this has led to a call for dedicated experimental studies addressing this level of explanation. However, what does such an experimental turn mean for the study of religion more generally? How does it affect what we study and the methods we use to study it? Does it alter with whom we cooperate, where we publish and what scholarly discussions we take part in? In this article, we discuss how the experimental study of religious phenomena changes the theoretical subject matter and how it involves a new relation between theoretical modeling, methodological reduction and generalization. We argue that, similar to all new approaches, an experimental methodology is likely to alter the study of religion in the short run, but in the longer perspective experimental approaches are likely to take their place beside other approaches that constitute the broader field of the academic study of religion.
Religionsvidenskabeligt Tidsskrift, 2018
English abstract: This article has a double focus. First, and in line with the special theme of t... more English abstract: This article has a double focus. First, and in line with the special theme of this issue, it will address and discuss the celebrated, later rebuked and finally almost forgotten ‘hero’ from our discipline’s historical cabinet of curiosity, the Dutch phenomenologist of religion and theologian, Gerardus van der Leeuw (1890-1950). Van der Leeuw’s work had its primary impact in the first part of the 20th century, but came to play a special role in Denmark when his Introduction to the Phenomenology of Religion was published in Danish in 1969 – a book which influenced a whole generation of Danish high school teachers. Second, taking my departure from van der Leeuws emphasis, I reevaluate the concept of mana in order to explore its relevance in the contemporary, academic study of religion. My point of departure is, that we need a concept covering broad notions of force. Further I argue that a rejuvenated notion of mana should build upon results from the cognitive sciences ...
Religionsvidenskabeligt Tidsskrift, 2021
Denne artikel leverer en oversigt over og en gennemgang af de konkrete politiske indgreb, som den... more Denne artikel leverer en oversigt over og en gennemgang af de konkrete politiske indgreb, som den danske regering foretog med henblik på at opdæmme smittespredning i de første måneder af COVID-19-pandemien i Danmark 2020.
Religionsvidenskapeligt Tidsskrift, May 14, 2021
Religion, Brain & Behavior, 2015
Religion, Brain & Behavior, 2013
Religionsvidenskabelig Skriftserie, 2022
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Study of Religion as a discipline is often characterized as suspended betwe... more ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Study of Religion as a discipline is often characterized as suspended between the centrifugal forces of the philologically informed specializations into specific religious traditions, and the centripetal force of phenomenology that establishes a morphology of religious phenomena independent of its historical manifestations. In this essay, I suggest an alternative conceptualization: Inspired by the cultural
immunology of German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk, I understand scientific disciplines as social interaction spheres defined by immune boundaries. Motivated by recent advances in theoretical biology, such interaction spheres can be conceived of as adaptive units that constantly modify their boundaries while maintaining integrity by means of immunizing strategies. These are primarily supplied by a perpetual re-engagement with, and re-interpretation and critique of the established conceptual models that
constitutes the lattice of the sphere. The perpetual engagement with disciplinary history thus constitutes an ‘immunization program’ that, simultaneously, re-invigorate the conceptual grid that upholds the discipline and protects it from ‘foreign take-over’ or dissolution.
DANSK RESUMÈ: Religionsvidenskaben karakteriseres ofte som udspændt mellem centrifugale kræfter, der udgøres af de filologisk forankrede specialestudier af bestemte religiøse traditioner, og den centripetale kraft, der udgøres af fænomenologiens etablering af en formlære, som beskriver religiøse fænomener uafhængigt af deres historiske manifestationer. I dette essay præsenterer jeg en alternativ karakteristik: Inspireret af den tyske filosof Peter Sloterdijks kulturimmunologi, foreslår jeg, at vi forstår videnskabelige discipliner som sociale interaktionssfærer defineret af en immungrænse. På baggrund af fremskridt i teoretisk biologi, kan disse sociale interaktionssfærer forståssom adaptive systemer, der konstant tilpasser deres grænser til omgivelserne samtidig med, at de opretholder deres sammenhængskraft gennem immuniseringsstrategier. Religionsvidenskabens immunsystem består primært af den konstante genlæsning, genfortolkning og kritik af de modeller og begreber, der danner sfærens skelet. Forskningshistorien udgør et vaccinationsprogram, der på én gang holder nutidens begrebsberedskab spændstigt og toptrænet og forhindrer såvel faglig forkalkning som disciplinens sammenbrud på grund af en fjendtlig overtagelse.
In this article, we present the historical and theoretical context informing the investigation in... more In this article, we present the historical and theoretical context informing the investigation into how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced religiosity in Denmark. We have chosen four foci, each of which contributes to the formation of a historical and theoretical context. First, we embed representations of death within a broad horizon informed by history of religion and cultural history. Beginning with early Christianity's ascent in a cult of the dead and, later, a cult of saints, to the change from burials inside the church to graveyards, we track the coinciding weakening of representations of the afterlife in the modern era. This naturally leads to a discussion of two prior cases in which an epidemic has elicited reactions from Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark: The Cholera epidemic of 1853 and the Spanish Flu in 1918-20. Then we expand our line of inquiry to a more general discussion of how major theories in the Study of Religion have modelled the relation between reli...
Baseret pa data fra vores sporgeskemaundersogelse undersoger vi i denne artikel, hvorledes og i h... more Baseret pa data fra vores sporgeskemaundersogelse undersoger vi i denne artikel, hvorledes og i hvilken udstraekning COVID-19 pandemien har pavirket danskerne brug af ritualer. Pa baggrund af en teoretisk redegorelse for forskelige ritualteorier, praesenterer vi en heuristisk model, der inddeler ritualer i 5 dimensioner: (1) ritualets formodede virkning; (2) ritualets erfarede betydning; (3) ritualets coping-potentiale; (4) ritualets evne til at skabe sammenhold; og (5) ritualets angstreducerende effekt. Disse fem dimensioner anvendes hernaest til at fortolke den kvantitative undersogelses resultater, hvor vi laegger saerlig vaegt pa nye instrumentelle handlinger som fx afspritnings rituelle egenskaber; pa aendringer i deltagelsen i bade kollektive og mere private ritualer samt i disses virtuelle versioner; og saerligt pa opblomstringen af virtuel faellessang som et sammenholdsritual. Vi konstaterer afslutningsvis, at COVID-19 pandemien kun i ringe grad har pavirket deltagerens hold...
Recherches sémiotiques / Semiotic Inquiry, 2005
... TITLES IN THE SERIES Modes of Religiosity: A Cognitive Theory of Religious Transmission By Ha... more ... TITLES IN THE SERIES Modes of Religiosity: A Cognitive Theory of Religious Transmission By Harvey Whitehouse Magic, Miracles, and Religion: A Scientist's Perspective By Ilkka Pyysiainen Why Would Anyone Believe in God? ...
Theoretical And Empirical Investigations of Divination and Magic: Manipulating the Divine, 2021
In Theoretical and Empirical Investigations of Divination and Magic ten leading scholars of relig... more In Theoretical and Empirical Investigations of Divination and Magic ten leading scholars of religion provide up-to-date investigations into the classic domains of divination and magic. Spanning historical, anthropological, cognitive, philosophical and theoretical chapters, the volume’s authors invite the reader to explore how divinatory practices and magical rituals, both apart and in interaction, can be reconceptualized in line with 21st century scholarship.
Following an introduction addressing the ever-pertinent discussion of the status and epistemological value of the categories inherited from our scholarly predecessors, the volume includes analyses of divinatory and magic practices in particular historical areas, as well as comparative, theoretical and philosophical discussions, making this an indispensable volume for anyone interested in broader comparative approaches to magic and divination.
Contributors are Lars Albinus, Edward Bever, Gideon Bohak, Corby Kelly, Lars Madsen, Anders Klostergaard Petersen, Jörg Rüpke, Jesper Frøkjær Sørensen, Jørgen Podemann Sørensen, Dimitris Xygalatas.
Theoretical and Empirical Investigations of Divination and Magic: Manipulating the Divine , 2021
Draft of the Introduction appearing in Theoretical and Empirical Investigations of Divination and... more Draft of the Introduction appearing in Theoretical and Empirical Investigations of Divination and Magic: Manipulating the Divine. Please refer to published version: https://brill.com/view/title/14677