Limits of Religious Analogy: The Example of Celebrity
Focusing on celebrities is often compared to a religious behavior, be it by the actors when describing their own practices or by scholars when using analogies with “cult”, “sacralization” or “sanctification”. Such comparisons appear to be both obvious and hardly convincing, since they merely evoke,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2014-02-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/3/1/71 |
| _version_ | 1798046163625050112 |
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| author | Nathalie Heinich |
| author_facet | Nathalie Heinich |
| author_sort | Nathalie Heinich |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Focusing on celebrities is often compared to a religious behavior, be it by the actors when describing their own practices or by scholars when using analogies with “cult”, “sacralization” or “sanctification”. Such comparisons appear to be both obvious and hardly convincing, since they merely evoke, without analyzing or explaining. Moreover, they ignore the normative effects—be they positive or negative—produced by any kind of religious analogy. This paper proposes several paths toward a reasoned use of comparison with religion: extending comparison to differences and not only to resemblances; passing from “religion” in general to the plurality of religions; deconstructing the said “religious” phenomenon into several functions depending on contexts; replacing discontinuous categories by continuous typologies and, finally, “religion” conceived as an original matrix by “religion” conceived as a contextual configuration. “Religion” thus appears as a common sense notion rather than as a conceptual instrument, and analysis may then fully develop without being restricted by religious analogies, while comparison may be used as a real tool. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T23:33:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0579b704354a4aea8dbfb64eab6febdc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T23:33:00Z |
| publishDate | 2014-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-0579b704354a4aea8dbfb64eab6febdc2022-12-22T03:57:03ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602014-02-0131718310.3390/socsci3010071socsci3010071Limits of Religious Analogy: The Example of CelebrityNathalie Heinich0Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), Paris 75006, FranceFocusing on celebrities is often compared to a religious behavior, be it by the actors when describing their own practices or by scholars when using analogies with “cult”, “sacralization” or “sanctification”. Such comparisons appear to be both obvious and hardly convincing, since they merely evoke, without analyzing or explaining. Moreover, they ignore the normative effects—be they positive or negative—produced by any kind of religious analogy. This paper proposes several paths toward a reasoned use of comparison with religion: extending comparison to differences and not only to resemblances; passing from “religion” in general to the plurality of religions; deconstructing the said “religious” phenomenon into several functions depending on contexts; replacing discontinuous categories by continuous typologies and, finally, “religion” conceived as an original matrix by “religion” conceived as a contextual configuration. “Religion” thus appears as a common sense notion rather than as a conceptual instrument, and analysis may then fully develop without being restricted by religious analogies, while comparison may be used as a real tool.http://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/3/1/71celebritycomparisoncultfunctionsreligion |
| spellingShingle | Nathalie Heinich Limits of Religious Analogy: The Example of Celebrity Social Sciences celebrity comparison cult functions religion |
| title | Limits of Religious Analogy: The Example of Celebrity |
| title_full | Limits of Religious Analogy: The Example of Celebrity |
| title_fullStr | Limits of Religious Analogy: The Example of Celebrity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Limits of Religious Analogy: The Example of Celebrity |
| title_short | Limits of Religious Analogy: The Example of Celebrity |
| title_sort | limits of religious analogy the example of celebrity |
| topic | celebrity comparison cult functions religion |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/3/1/71 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nathalieheinich limitsofreligiousanalogytheexampleofcelebrity |