David Robertson | The Open University (original) (raw)
Books by David Robertson
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The World Religions Paradigm has been the subject of critique and controversy in Religious Studie... more The World Religions Paradigm has been the subject of critique and controversy in Religious Studies for many years. After World Religions provides a rationale for overhauling the World Religions curriculum, as well as a roadmap for doing so. The volume offers concise and practical introductions to cutting-edge Religious Studies method and theory, introducing a wide range of pedagogical situations and innovative solutions. An international team of scholars addresses the challenges presented in their different departmental, institutional, and geographical contexts. Instructors developing syllabi will find supplementary reading lists and specific suggestions to help guide their teaching. Students at all levels will find the book an invaluable entry point into an area of ongoing scholarly debate.
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Papers by David Robertson
This article examines two categories in which claims of special knowledge are central: Gnosticism... more This article examines two categories in which claims of special knowledge are central: Gnosticism and conspiracy theories. In both cases, notions of what counts as 'religion' come into play in setting their boundaries, with only certain kinds of religious belief deemed as legitimate. Moreover, the category is privileged over the data. While these cases may be extreme, I contend that they point to a major failure of contemporary social sciences-a commitment to categories about data that leave us upholding the episteme that we should be critiquing.
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Temenos, 2020
A significant function of the category 'religion' is demarcating and insulating particular claims... more A significant function of the category 'religion' is demarcating and insulating particular claims of special knowledge-but too often, Religious Studies serves to mystify and defend this function, rather than critically analysing it. Drawing on categories in which claims of special knowledge are central, including Gnosticism, conspiracy theories, and esotericism, this paper will look at the history of Religious Studies scholars operating within epistemes which they should be critiquing. Yet a focus on multiple and overlapping knowledges, and competition over epistemic capital, suggests a possible future for the social-scientific study of religion.
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Method and Theory in the Study of Religion 32, 75-88, 2020
April DeConick's The Gnostic New Age demonstrates that scholarship of Gnosticism is still entrenc... more April DeConick's The Gnostic New Age demonstrates that scholarship of Gnosticism is still entrenched in an Eliadian phenomenological paradigm which essentializes an ahistorical sui generis "Gnosis". This approach is traceable to the Eranos Circle, particularly Carl G. Jung and Gilles Quispel, and builds certain philosophical and psychoana-lytical affinities into an ahistorical religious current. DeConick' comparison with New Age is tenuous, and misses the important fact that Gnosticism and New Age share specific genealogical antecedents. Interdisciplinary work needs to pay more attention to the theological and colonial implications of categories, or such problematic categories will continue to take root in the gaps between academic specialisms. Keywords gnosticism-New Age-spirituality-sui generis-phenomenology-Gilles Quispel 1 I would like to thank Carole Cusack and Jonathan Tuckett for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper.
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In 1974, Robert Fripp—leader of the progressive rock group King Crimson—had a spiritual experienc... more In 1974, Robert Fripp—leader of the progressive rock group King Crimson—had a spiritual experience in which " the top of [his] head blew off. " He became a student of J. G. Bennett, himself a former student of G. I. Gurdjieff, at Sherborne House in Gloucestershire, and remains a member of the Bennett Foundation to this day. When Fripp returned to the music industry, it was with an approach that favored disciplined and geometric compositions over the jagged improvisation of the earlier period. This article explores the influence of Gurdjieff and Bennett's teaching upon Fripp and his work, and his apparent attempts to realize the former's idea of " objective art " through his music. I pay particular attention to the development of Guitar Craft, in which Fripp applies Gurdjieff's techniques through the teaching of the guitar. I argue that Fripp's teaching is a little examined scion of the Gurdjieff lineage, and a case study of discrete cultural production.
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This article examines how millennial (and apocalyptic) prophecy in contemporary conspiracy theory... more This article examines how millennial (and apocalyptic) prophecy in contemporary conspiracy theory culture is both constructed from, and in turn produces, material things. Influential radio host and filmmaker Alex Jones (b. 1974), constructs his prophecies of imminent ''Fall of America,'' engineered by a shadowy cabal of Satan-worshiping socialists, from material things—ammunition purchases, birth certificates , chemtrails and extreme weather. At the same time, his prophecies in turn nurture an industry producing water filters, ''seed banks,'' and freeze-dried food for the ''preppers'' who would survive—material expressions of their millenarianism. These processes illuminate how material concerns actively construct worlds of belief, whether religious or apparently secular.
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This introduction addresses a number of approaches to the emerging field of the study of conspira... more This introduction addresses a number of approaches to the emerging field of the study of conspiracy theories and new and alternative religions. Scholars can examine how certain religious groups have been the subject of conspiracy narratives created by the wider culture, and how conspiracy narratives are mobilized within religious groups such as Aum Shinrikyo, Scientology or others. Moreover, we can fruitfully examine secular conspiracy theories through ideas typically applied to religions, such as theodicy, millenarianism, and esoteric claims to higher knowledge. Most studies assume that conspiracy theories indicate pathology—paranoia or simply stupidity. Increasingly however, scholars have begun to interpret the term ''conspiracy theory'' as operating polemically to stigmatize certain beliefs and ideas. The field therefore offers a microcosm of broader trends in the interplay of knowledge and power. The study of both new and emergent religions and conspiracy theories comes of age only when we cease to think of them as necessarily deviant and irrational.
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For Religious Studies scholars and avid gamers, a call for papers on religion and video games see... more For Religious Studies scholars and avid gamers, a call for papers on religion and video games seems like the best of both worlds. However, in sitting down to reflect upon just what we might write about, it struck us that we had no idea what it is we're supposed to be discussing. What are the methodological and theoretical issues in writing about these topics? It seems to us that there are in fact three related (but not identical) areas for analysis: the “religious” responses gamers have to their games; how religions in games comment on religions “out there”; and, disinterested observation of the religions of fictional game worlds. Pursuing a broadly phenomenological methodology, this article will explore these three options of studying religion in video games using examples from a number of recent popular games. In particular, by drawing upon Alfred Schutz’s notion of provinces of meaning we wish to highlight that in certain respects the religions of video games can be no less “real” than the religions we find out here in the "meat-world".
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Book Chapters by David Robertson
Brill Handbook of Scientology
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Handbook of Conspiracy Theory and Contemporary Religion, 2018
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Interviews by David Robertson
A panel on the public impact and engagement of Religious Studies/Study of Religion/s led by commi... more A panel on the public impact and engagement of Religious Studies/Study of Religion/s led by committee members of the British Association for the Study of Religions, including Dr Stephen Gregg (Wolverhampton), Dr Christopher Cotter (Edinburgh), Dr Suzanne Owen (Leeds Trinity), Dr David Robertson (The Open University) and Dr Steven Sutcliffe (Edinburgh). A panel on the public impact and engagement of Religious Studies/Study of Religion/s led by committee members of the British Association for the Study of Religions, including Dr Stephen Gregg (Wolverhampton), Dr Christopher Cotter (Edinburgh), Dr Suzanne Owen (Leeds Trinity), Dr David Robertson (The Open University) and Dr Steven Sutcliffe (Edinburgh).
Issues discussed include why RS continues to be a “muted voice” in public discourse; minority religion and the law; podcasting; and new audiences for RS.
This was presented as part of the University of Edinburgh’s Religious Studies seminar series.
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19 March, 2012
This week we decided to do something a bit different. Every time David and Chris have conducted a... more This week we decided to do something a bit different. Every time David and Chris have conducted an interview, they have been asking the interviewees an additional question: “What is the Future of Religious Studies?” The result is this highly stimulating compilation of differing perspectives and levels of optimism on what has become one of the most hotly debated topics in the academic study of religion at the start of the second decade of the twenty-first century.
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Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
The World Religions Paradigm has been the subject of critique and controversy in Religious Studie... more The World Religions Paradigm has been the subject of critique and controversy in Religious Studies for many years. After World Religions provides a rationale for overhauling the World Religions curriculum, as well as a roadmap for doing so. The volume offers concise and practical introductions to cutting-edge Religious Studies method and theory, introducing a wide range of pedagogical situations and innovative solutions. An international team of scholars addresses the challenges presented in their different departmental, institutional, and geographical contexts. Instructors developing syllabi will find supplementary reading lists and specific suggestions to help guide their teaching. Students at all levels will find the book an invaluable entry point into an area of ongoing scholarly debate.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
This article examines two categories in which claims of special knowledge are central: Gnosticism... more This article examines two categories in which claims of special knowledge are central: Gnosticism and conspiracy theories. In both cases, notions of what counts as 'religion' come into play in setting their boundaries, with only certain kinds of religious belief deemed as legitimate. Moreover, the category is privileged over the data. While these cases may be extreme, I contend that they point to a major failure of contemporary social sciences-a commitment to categories about data that leave us upholding the episteme that we should be critiquing.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Temenos, 2020
A significant function of the category 'religion' is demarcating and insulating particular claims... more A significant function of the category 'religion' is demarcating and insulating particular claims of special knowledge-but too often, Religious Studies serves to mystify and defend this function, rather than critically analysing it. Drawing on categories in which claims of special knowledge are central, including Gnosticism, conspiracy theories, and esotericism, this paper will look at the history of Religious Studies scholars operating within epistemes which they should be critiquing. Yet a focus on multiple and overlapping knowledges, and competition over epistemic capital, suggests a possible future for the social-scientific study of religion.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Method and Theory in the Study of Religion 32, 75-88, 2020
April DeConick's The Gnostic New Age demonstrates that scholarship of Gnosticism is still entrenc... more April DeConick's The Gnostic New Age demonstrates that scholarship of Gnosticism is still entrenched in an Eliadian phenomenological paradigm which essentializes an ahistorical sui generis "Gnosis". This approach is traceable to the Eranos Circle, particularly Carl G. Jung and Gilles Quispel, and builds certain philosophical and psychoana-lytical affinities into an ahistorical religious current. DeConick' comparison with New Age is tenuous, and misses the important fact that Gnosticism and New Age share specific genealogical antecedents. Interdisciplinary work needs to pay more attention to the theological and colonial implications of categories, or such problematic categories will continue to take root in the gaps between academic specialisms. Keywords gnosticism-New Age-spirituality-sui generis-phenomenology-Gilles Quispel 1 I would like to thank Carole Cusack and Jonathan Tuckett for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
In 1974, Robert Fripp—leader of the progressive rock group King Crimson—had a spiritual experienc... more In 1974, Robert Fripp—leader of the progressive rock group King Crimson—had a spiritual experience in which " the top of [his] head blew off. " He became a student of J. G. Bennett, himself a former student of G. I. Gurdjieff, at Sherborne House in Gloucestershire, and remains a member of the Bennett Foundation to this day. When Fripp returned to the music industry, it was with an approach that favored disciplined and geometric compositions over the jagged improvisation of the earlier period. This article explores the influence of Gurdjieff and Bennett's teaching upon Fripp and his work, and his apparent attempts to realize the former's idea of " objective art " through his music. I pay particular attention to the development of Guitar Craft, in which Fripp applies Gurdjieff's techniques through the teaching of the guitar. I argue that Fripp's teaching is a little examined scion of the Gurdjieff lineage, and a case study of discrete cultural production.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
This article examines how millennial (and apocalyptic) prophecy in contemporary conspiracy theory... more This article examines how millennial (and apocalyptic) prophecy in contemporary conspiracy theory culture is both constructed from, and in turn produces, material things. Influential radio host and filmmaker Alex Jones (b. 1974), constructs his prophecies of imminent ''Fall of America,'' engineered by a shadowy cabal of Satan-worshiping socialists, from material things—ammunition purchases, birth certificates , chemtrails and extreme weather. At the same time, his prophecies in turn nurture an industry producing water filters, ''seed banks,'' and freeze-dried food for the ''preppers'' who would survive—material expressions of their millenarianism. These processes illuminate how material concerns actively construct worlds of belief, whether religious or apparently secular.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
This introduction addresses a number of approaches to the emerging field of the study of conspira... more This introduction addresses a number of approaches to the emerging field of the study of conspiracy theories and new and alternative religions. Scholars can examine how certain religious groups have been the subject of conspiracy narratives created by the wider culture, and how conspiracy narratives are mobilized within religious groups such as Aum Shinrikyo, Scientology or others. Moreover, we can fruitfully examine secular conspiracy theories through ideas typically applied to religions, such as theodicy, millenarianism, and esoteric claims to higher knowledge. Most studies assume that conspiracy theories indicate pathology—paranoia or simply stupidity. Increasingly however, scholars have begun to interpret the term ''conspiracy theory'' as operating polemically to stigmatize certain beliefs and ideas. The field therefore offers a microcosm of broader trends in the interplay of knowledge and power. The study of both new and emergent religions and conspiracy theories comes of age only when we cease to think of them as necessarily deviant and irrational.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
For Religious Studies scholars and avid gamers, a call for papers on religion and video games see... more For Religious Studies scholars and avid gamers, a call for papers on religion and video games seems like the best of both worlds. However, in sitting down to reflect upon just what we might write about, it struck us that we had no idea what it is we're supposed to be discussing. What are the methodological and theoretical issues in writing about these topics? It seems to us that there are in fact three related (but not identical) areas for analysis: the “religious” responses gamers have to their games; how religions in games comment on religions “out there”; and, disinterested observation of the religions of fictional game worlds. Pursuing a broadly phenomenological methodology, this article will explore these three options of studying religion in video games using examples from a number of recent popular games. In particular, by drawing upon Alfred Schutz’s notion of provinces of meaning we wish to highlight that in certain respects the religions of video games can be no less “real” than the religions we find out here in the "meat-world".
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
A panel on the public impact and engagement of Religious Studies/Study of Religion/s led by commi... more A panel on the public impact and engagement of Religious Studies/Study of Religion/s led by committee members of the British Association for the Study of Religions, including Dr Stephen Gregg (Wolverhampton), Dr Christopher Cotter (Edinburgh), Dr Suzanne Owen (Leeds Trinity), Dr David Robertson (The Open University) and Dr Steven Sutcliffe (Edinburgh). A panel on the public impact and engagement of Religious Studies/Study of Religion/s led by committee members of the British Association for the Study of Religions, including Dr Stephen Gregg (Wolverhampton), Dr Christopher Cotter (Edinburgh), Dr Suzanne Owen (Leeds Trinity), Dr David Robertson (The Open University) and Dr Steven Sutcliffe (Edinburgh).
Issues discussed include why RS continues to be a “muted voice” in public discourse; minority religion and the law; podcasting; and new audiences for RS.
This was presented as part of the University of Edinburgh’s Religious Studies seminar series.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
19 March, 2012
This week we decided to do something a bit different. Every time David and Chris have conducted a... more This week we decided to do something a bit different. Every time David and Chris have conducted an interview, they have been asking the interviewees an additional question: “What is the Future of Religious Studies?” The result is this highly stimulating compilation of differing perspectives and levels of optimism on what has become one of the most hotly debated topics in the academic study of religion at the start of the second decade of the twenty-first century.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
![Research paper thumbnail of Podcast with Carole M. Cusack on Invented Religions (Religious Studies Project, 30 January 2012 [with Christopher Cotter])](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/38752385/thumbnails/1.jpg)
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The Religious Studies Project, 4 May 2020
Happy May the Fourth! Today we bring you a special episode of The Religious Studies Project to ce... more Happy May the Fourth! Today we bring you a special episode of The Religious Studies Project to celebrate 2020’s International Star Wars Day. After the release of Star Wars film in 1977, it became obvious that creator George Lucas had tapped into something profound. Over the next few decades, Star Wars became a behemoth worth billions of dollars and a multi-media franchise spanning film, television, video games, comic books, novels, theme parks, toys, and much more. Since 2012, the RSP has touched on Star Wars many times, most often in discussions of invented, fictional, or hyper-real religions. Enjoy the selections from six different episodes as we learn why this franchise and other popular cultural institutions are important sites for the production of identity and the construction of the category of religion.
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