Wiesgickl S (2025)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2025
Book Volume: 33
Pages Range: 25-49
Journal Issue: 1
Global religious history has traditionally overlooked the questions surrounding “nature”. This essay utilizes three theoretical perspectives (Escobar, Bennett, von Stuckrad) to explore the necessity of a political ecology and demonstrate how the so-called new materialism enhances the discussion of non-human actors. At the heart of this investigation is the theoretical concept of the assemblage, which is commonly employed in historical studies and anthropology. Assemblages are understood as collections that serve as entry points for contaminations and expressions of polyphony. This addition to discourse-critical studies can illuminate excluded subject positions and consider the (self-)positionings of non-hegemonic actors. This thesis is exemplarily tested using archival materials from indigenous communities in Northeast India. Methodological conclusions are drawn, culminating in a discussion on how to successfully incorporate non-human actors into genealogical research. The article posits that a critical interpretation of global entanglements can broaden its analytical framework by integrating non-human actors, thereby contributing to dismantling prior essentialized perceptions of the “sacred” and the imperial connection between indigenous communities and nature.
APA:
Wiesgickl, S. (2025). Globale Religionsgeschichte, Natur und nicht-menschliche Akteure. Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft, 33(1), 25-49. https://doi.org/10.1515/zfr-2025-0010
MLA:
Wiesgickl, Simon. "Globale Religionsgeschichte, Natur und nicht-menschliche Akteure." Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft 33.1 (2025): 25-49.
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