Religions and Discourse

ISSN: 1422-8998

«Religions and Discourse» explores religious language in the major world faiths from various viewpoints, including semiotics, pragmatics and cognitive linguistics, and reflects on how it is situated within wider intellectual and cultural contexts. In particular a key issue is the role of figurative speech. Many fascinating metaphors originate in religion e.g. revelation as a ‘garment’, apostasy as ‘adultery’, loving kindness as the ‘circumcision of the heart’. Every religion rests its specific orientations upon symbols such as these, to name but a few. The series strives after the interdisciplinary approach that brings together such diverse disciplines as religious studies, theology, sociology, philosophy, linguistics and literature, guided by an international editorial board of scholars representative of the aforementioned disciplines. Though scholarly in its scope, the series also seeks to facilitate discussions pertaining to central religious issues in contemporary contexts. The series will publish monographs and collected essays of a high scholarly standard.

62 publications

Higher Ed

What are the purposes of higher education? When undergraduates 'declare their majors,' they agree to enter into a world defined by the parameters of a particular academic discourse, a discipline. But who decides those parameters? How do they come about? What are the discussions and proposed outcomes of disciplined inquiry? What should an undergraduate know to be considered educated in a discipline? How does the disciplinary knowledge base inform its pedagogy? Why are there different disciplines? When has a discipline 'run its course'? Where do new disciplines come from? Where do old ones go? How does a discipline produce its knowledge? What are the meanings and purposes of disciplinary research and teaching? What are the key questions of disciplined inquiry? What questions are taboo within a discipline? What can the disciplines learn from one another? What might they not want to learn and why? Once we begin asking these kinds of questions, positionality becomes a key issue. One reason why there aren't many books on the meaning and purpose of higher education is that once such questions are opened for discussion, one's subjectivity becomes an issue with respect to the presumed objective stances of Western higher education. Academics don't have positions because positions are 'biased,' 'subjective,' 'slanted,' and therefore somehow invalid. So the first thing to do is to provide a sense, however broad and general, of what dinds of positionalities will inform the books and chapters on the above questions. Certainly the questions themselves, and any others we might ask, are already suggesting a particular 'bent,' but as the series takes shape, the authors we engage will no doubt have positions on these questions. From the stance of interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, or transdisciplinary practitioners, will the chapters and books we solicit solidify disciplinary discourses, or liquefy them? Depending on who is asked, interdisciplinary inquiry is either a polite collaboration among scholars firmly situated in their own particular discourses, or it is a blurring of the restrictive parameters that define the very notion of disciplinary discourse. So will the series have a stance on the meaning and purpose of interdisciplinary inquiry and teaching? This can possibly be finessed by attracted thinkers from disciplines that are already multicisciplinary, e.g., the various knids of 'studies' programs (Women's, Islamic, American, Cultural, etc.), or the hybrid disciplines like Ethnomusicology (Musicology, Folklore, Anthropology). But by including people from these fields (areas? disciplines?) in our series, we are already taking a stand on disciplined inquiry. A question on the comprehensive exam for the Columbia University Ethnomusicology Program was to defend Ethnomusicology as a 'field' or a 'discipline.' One's answer determined one's future, at least to the extent that the gatekeepers had a say in such matters. So, in the end, what we are proposing will no doubt involve political struggles.

31 publications

Writing About Women

ISSN: 1053-7937

This is a literary series devoted to feminist studies on past and contemporary women authors, exploring social, psychological, political, economic, and historical insights directed toward an interdisciplinary approach. The series is dedicated to the memory of Simone de Beauvoir, early pioneer in feminist literary theory. This is a literary series devoted to feminist studies on past and contemporary women authors, exploring social, psychological, political, economic, and historical insights directed toward an interdisciplinary approach. The series is dedicated to the memory of Simone de Beauvoir, early pioneer in feminist literary theory. This is a literary series devoted to feminist studies on past and contemporary women authors, exploring social, psychological, political, economic, and historical insights directed toward an interdisciplinary approach. The series is dedicated to the memory of Simone de Beauvoir, early pioneer in feminist literary theory.

22 publications

Westslavische Beiträge / West-Slavic Contributions

Die Buchreihe “Westslavische Beiträge“ präsentiert ausgewählte Studien aus dem Fachbereich der Slavistik. Es werden Monographien und Sammelbände zu literaturwissenschaftlichen Forschungen im Bezug auf die slawischen Sprachen veröffentlicht. Dabei erscheinen sowohl Bände in deutscher als auch in englischer Sprache. Herausgeber ist Professor Walter Schamschula. Die Reihe wurde eingestellt. Die Buchreihe “Westslavische Beiträge“ präsentiert ausgewählte Studien aus dem Fachbereich der Slavistik. Es werden Monographien und Sammelbände zu literaturwissenschaftlichen Forschungen im Bezug auf die slawischen Sprachen veröffentlicht. Dabei erscheinen sowohl Bände in deutscher als auch in englischer Sprache. Herausgeber ist Professor Walter Schamschula. Die Reihe wurde eingestellt. Die Buchreihe “Westslavische Beiträge“ präsentiert ausgewählte Studien aus dem Fachbereich der Slavistik. Es werden Monographien und Sammelbände zu literaturwissenschaftlichen Forschungen im Bezug auf die slawischen Sprachen veröffentlicht. Dabei erscheinen sowohl Bände in deutscher als auch in englischer Sprache. Herausgeber ist Professor Walter Schamschula.

6 publications

Comparative Literary and Film Studies: Europe, Japan and the Third World

ISSN: 0899-9902

1 publications

China, Europa und die Welt – Literaturen und Kulturen im Dialog / China, Europe and the World – Literatures and Cultures in Dialogue

ISSN: 2569-1961

In times of globalization and cultural contemporaneity, the series China, Europe and the World – Literatures and Cultures in Dialogue, is an intercultural forum for the communication of academic voices regarding the "China dialogue". It builds a world-wide bridge between scholars and varied academic traditions, continuing the dialogic research between and among Chinese, European, and those scholars from other parts of the world. As a research network, the series also serves as a platform for academic exchange in fields of cultural, literary, linguistic, translational and historical studies. Manuscripts within the series’ range of topics are welcome and will be published after peer review. Vol. 1 and 2 have been published in the series Chinesisch-deutsche Jahres- und Tageszeiten. Übersetzung – Vermittlung – Rezeption. In Zeiten der Globalisierung, aber auch der Erfahrung kultureller Identitäten versteht sich die Reihe China, Europa und die Welt – Literaturen und Kulturen im Dialog als ein interkulturelles Forum für die Vermittlung und den Austausch von Primärliteratur, Übersetzungen, Forschungsergebnissen, Rezeptionen und Kommentaren zum „China-Dialog". Sie schlägt eine Brücke zwischen interessierten Wissenschaftler/inne/n und einschlägigen Wissenschaftstraditionen in Fortführung des dialogischen Forschungsauftrags zwischen China, Europa und anderen Ländern auf der Welt. Schließlich präsentiert sie als Wissenschaftsnetzwerk eine Plattform für den akademischen Kulturaustausch mit Beiträgen aus den Bereichen der Kultur-, Literatur-, Sprach-, Übersetzungs- und Geschichtswissenschaft. Manuskriptvorschläge sind willkommen und können bei den Herausgebern eingereicht werden. Band 1 und 2 sind in der Reihe Chinesisch-deutsche Jahres- und Tageszeiten. Übersetzung – Vermittlung – Rezeption erschienen.

4 publications

Europe plurielle/Multiple Europes

The series «Multiple Europes» is multiple in two ways: it understands Europe in an interdisciplinary manner with a strong historical perspective, and it understands Europe as being inserted in transnational and global contexts. On both levels, the perspectives on Europe and the very role and understanding of Europe is multiple. The special emphasis of the series thus lies in understanding the pasts of Europe as well as its complex present. The history of Europe and the history of European integration have influenced each other in the past and will continue to do so in the future. There is an inbuilt tension in the relation between European history and the history of European integration. Europe signifies a space and semantics much broader and more complex than the EU. The relations between ideas of Europe, European history, global history and European integration need to be faced more openly. In order to do this, an open dialogue between academic disciplines is just as necessary as critical self-reflection within each discipline. Furthermore, European history was preoccupied with looking at itself and needs to be connected to global relations. La collection « Europe plurielle » tente d’’analyser à la fois la richesse du passé dont l’’Europe est issue et la complexité de son présent à travers une lecture transdisciplinaire, historique et globale – en un mot : plurielle. L’’histoire de l’’Europe et l’’histoire de l’’intégration européenne se sont influencées mutuellement dans le passé et continuent à le faire. Il existe, en effet, une tension inhérente entre elles. Mais le terme « Europe » renvoie à un espace et à un signifié bien plus amples et complexes que celui d’’« Union Européenne ». Par ailleurs, l’’histoire européenne s’’est trop longtemps penchée sur elle-même et doit à présent s’’articuler aux relations internationales en général. Les relations entre l’’idée de l’’Europe, l’’histoire européenne, l’’histoire mondiale et l’’intégration européenne doivent donc être abordées de façon plus large dans un dialogue interdisciplinaire qui intègre également une réflexion critique à l’’intérieur de chaque discipline. Tels sont les objectifs de la collection. The series «Multiple Europes» is multiple in two ways: it understands Europe in an interdisciplinary manner with a strong historical perspective, and it understands Europe as being inserted in transnational and global contexts. On both levels, the perspectives on Europe and the very role and understanding of Europe is multiple. The special emphasis of the series thus lies in understanding the pasts of Europe as well as its complex present. The history of Europe and the history of European integration have influenced each other in the past and will continue to do so in the future. There is an inbuilt tension in the relation between European history and the history of European integration. Europe signifies a space and semantics much broader and more complex than the EU. The relations between ideas of Europe, European history, global history and European integration need to be faced more openly. In order to do this, an open dialogue between academic disciplines is just as necessary as critical self-reflection within each discipline. Furthermore, European history was preoccupied with looking at itself and needs to be connected to global relations.

51 publications