The secular and the global: rethinking the anthropology of Christianity in the wake of 1492

Elayne Oliphant

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    In this article, I call for anthropologists of Christianity to do more to address the ‘difference’ that 1492 has made in Christian institutions, practices, and social worlds. In so doing, I argue the most significant condition constraining critical analyses of Christianity is not modernity’s secularity, but, what Jared Hickman has called its ‘global’ condition. I push back against attempts to integrate Christian theology into anthropological analyses in ways that protect religious life from the violence and exploitation found in social worlds. Instead, I argue that analytical tools developed in political theology and theopolitics can help anthropologists to address how, following 1492, Christianity has often been accompanied by attempts to annihilate ontological difference. In addition, anthropologists of Christianity are well positioned to seek out those ‘incarnations’ that elide the eradication of difference.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)577-592
    Number of pages16
    JournalReligion
    Volume51
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 2021

    Keywords

    • 1492
    • anthropology of Christianity
    • difference
    • global
    • political theology
    • secular
    • theopolitics

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • History
    • Sociology and Political Science

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'The secular and the global: rethinking the anthropology of Christianity in the wake of 1492'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this