Topics in American Religion (369-0-22)

Topic

Recycling Religion: From Ebay to Etsy’

Instructors

James Stuart Bielo

Meeting Info

University Hall 118: Tues, Thurs 9:30AM - 10:50AM

Overview of class

Material culture is integral to the practice of religion, from making an identity public to being socialized into a tradition. While the sacred stuff of religion is often treasured by individuals and communities, it is also often discarded. This course examines the after lives of religious material culture, how things circulate through curated collections, capitalist markets, and donation piles. Diverse materials are divested in diverse ways: unwanted inheritance after death, downsizing, institutional de-accession and closure, donating surplus gifts, and so on. Through closely analyzing sacred waste across cultures and religious traditions, we will ask how the circulation of religious material culture reflects and re-creates issues of identity, culture change, memory, erasure, and power relations. Students will critically engage with professional scholarship in religious studies and related disciplines focused on the study of material culture and waste. And, students will design and conduct original research on a sacred waste topic of their choosing.

Learning Objectives

• Explain and apply religious studies perspectives on material religion;
• Compare and contrast different expressions of sacred waste;
• Situate material culture flows in local cultural and transnational contexts;
• Design, conduct, and present empirical research related to sacred waste.

Teaching Method

Class Attributes

Ethical and Evaluative Thinking Foundational Disci
Ethics & Values Distro Area