... military dictatorship. They also con-tributed to the rise of a trade union and of the Workers... more ... military dictatorship. They also con-tributed to the rise of a trade union and of the Workers' Party, whose presidential candidate, Lula, himself a product of Church Base Communities, has twice come close to election. The indirect ...
In this article the authors develop a typology that maps the way in which contemporary exorcist p... more In this article the authors develop a typology that maps the way in which contemporary exorcist practices become ‘domesticated’. The typology is based on a comparison of Dutch charismatic Christians and Brazilian Spiritists, two religious contexts in which dealing with evil spirits takes a central place. The typology makes clear that the discourses surrounding demons and exorcism, including the medical discourse, are made up of different practical parameters of diagnosis and treatment, which are intrinsically linked to the use of language. Metaphorical and metonymical language form two extremes of the continuum in this respect, the former representing a ‘domesticated’ demonology and the latter referring to the untamed reality of the demonic world.
PentecoStudies: An Interdisciplinary Journal for Research on the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, 2010
This special issue of PentecoStudies is one of the results of an international conference held in... more This special issue of PentecoStudies is one of the results of an international conference held in Amsterdam 12-13 June 2008. Starting in 2004, a team of researchers from the VU University Amsterdam and Utrecht University had worked together in the research programme “Conversion Careers and Culture Politics in Pentecostalism: A Comparative Study in Four Continents.” The programme was funded by The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), as one of a set of research programmes with the suggestive ...
The usual options scholars have when dealing with religious truth claims—methodological atheism, ... more The usual options scholars have when dealing with religious truth claims—methodological atheism, theism and agnosticism—are criticized for being restricted to the contrast between science and religion. They represent researchers' perspectives that are not helpful in studying believers' truth claims. Furthermore, they are associated with positivist or neo-positivist approaches to religion. Methodological ludism is presented as an alternative point of departure that connects well with current constructivist approaches to religion. Methodological ludism invites fieldworkers to use their human capacity for play by identifying temporarily, in a serious way, with believers' claims of true knowledge. This posture is described and explored in a case study of a Dutch healer, Jomanda.
... military dictatorship. They also con-tributed to the rise of a trade union and of the Workers... more ... military dictatorship. They also con-tributed to the rise of a trade union and of the Workers' Party, whose presidential candidate, Lula, himself a product of Church Base Communities, has twice come close to election. The indirect ...
In this article the authors develop a typology that maps the way in which contemporary exorcist p... more In this article the authors develop a typology that maps the way in which contemporary exorcist practices become ‘domesticated’. The typology is based on a comparison of Dutch charismatic Christians and Brazilian Spiritists, two religious contexts in which dealing with evil spirits takes a central place. The typology makes clear that the discourses surrounding demons and exorcism, including the medical discourse, are made up of different practical parameters of diagnosis and treatment, which are intrinsically linked to the use of language. Metaphorical and metonymical language form two extremes of the continuum in this respect, the former representing a ‘domesticated’ demonology and the latter referring to the untamed reality of the demonic world.
PentecoStudies: An Interdisciplinary Journal for Research on the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, 2010
This special issue of PentecoStudies is one of the results of an international conference held in... more This special issue of PentecoStudies is one of the results of an international conference held in Amsterdam 12-13 June 2008. Starting in 2004, a team of researchers from the VU University Amsterdam and Utrecht University had worked together in the research programme “Conversion Careers and Culture Politics in Pentecostalism: A Comparative Study in Four Continents.” The programme was funded by The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), as one of a set of research programmes with the suggestive ...
The usual options scholars have when dealing with religious truth claims—methodological atheism, ... more The usual options scholars have when dealing with religious truth claims—methodological atheism, theism and agnosticism—are criticized for being restricted to the contrast between science and religion. They represent researchers' perspectives that are not helpful in studying believers' truth claims. Furthermore, they are associated with positivist or neo-positivist approaches to religion. Methodological ludism is presented as an alternative point of departure that connects well with current constructivist approaches to religion. Methodological ludism invites fieldworkers to use their human capacity for play by identifying temporarily, in a serious way, with believers' claims of true knowledge. This posture is described and explored in a case study of a Dutch healer, Jomanda.
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Papers by André Droogers