From Respected Religion Scholar Expert to Cartoon Character

Reflections in the Wake of the Danish Muhammad Cartoon Crisis and Three Decades as Expert to the Media

verfasst von: Tim Jensen
Abstract: Respected scholar, expert, public opinion maker, oracle, under-cover politician, charlatan, cartoon character - all roles "out there" waiting for scholars sharing knowledge with a wider public. Scholars of religion trying to carve out more room in the public arena for a nonreligious, scientific approach to religion always risk digging their graves as (respected) scholars. What's worse, they also risk digging the grave for a valuable and respectable, as well as publicly valued and respected academic, scientific study of religion. The scholar popularizing scientifically based knowledge, not least via the mass media (daily newspapers or public television), may "become" political and controversial to such a degree that s/he becomes a problem for the scientific study of religion, the community of scholars of religion, and the university with which s/he is affiliated. The otherwise valuable engagement threatens the reputation of science as being something valuable, "pure" and "neutral," elevated above the dirty business of politics and power. In spite of the risks, the engaged scholar, it is, however, also argued, actually can help to strengthen the position, inside and outside the academy, of scientifically based knowledge and of the critical, analytical, scientific study of religion.
Organisationseinheit(en): Institut für Religionswissenschaft
Externe Organisation(en): University of Southern Denmark
Typ: Artikel
Journal: Changing Societies and Personalities
Band: 3
Seiten: 333-352
Anzahl der Seiten: 20
ISSN: 2587-6104
Publikationsdatum: 06.01.2020
Publikationsstatus: Veröffentlicht
Peer-reviewed: Ja
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete: Soziologie und Politikwissenschaften, Sozialpsychologie, Kultur und Raum
Elektronische Version(en): https://doi.org/10.15826/CSP.2019.3.4.081 (Zugang: Offen)
: Details im Forschungsportal „Research@Leibniz University“

BibTeX

@article{c6514715574e42aab52bd9359a6958c1,
title = "From Respected Religion Scholar Expert to Cartoon Character: Reflections in the Wake of the Danish Muhammad Cartoon Crisis and Three Decades as Expert to the Media",
abstract = "Respected scholar, expert, public opinion maker, oracle, under-cover politician, charlatan, cartoon character - all roles {"}out there{"} waiting for scholars sharing knowledge with a wider public. Scholars of religion trying to carve out more room in the public arena for a nonreligious, scientific approach to religion always risk digging their graves as (respected) scholars. What's worse, they also risk digging the grave for a valuable and respectable, as well as publicly valued and respected academic, scientific study of religion. The scholar popularizing scientifically based knowledge, not least via the mass media (daily newspapers or public television), may {"}become{"} political and controversial to such a degree that s/he becomes a problem for the scientific study of religion, the community of scholars of religion, and the university with which s/he is affiliated. The otherwise valuable engagement threatens the reputation of science as being something valuable, {"}pure{"} and {"}neutral,{"} elevated above the dirty business of politics and power. In spite of the risks, the engaged scholar, it is, however, also argued, actually can help to strengthen the position, inside and outside the academy, of scientifically based knowledge and of the critical, analytical, scientific study of religion.",
keywords = "Cartoon crisis, Islam, Methodological neutrality, Public intellectual, Public sphere, Social engagement, Study of religion",
author = "Tim Jensen",
note = "Funding Information: The work was supported by the grant of the Russian Science Foundation (No. 17-18-01194)",
year = "2020",
month = jan,
day = "6",
doi = "10.15826/CSP.2019.3.4.081",
language = "English",
volume = "3",
pages = "333--352",
journal = "Changing Societies and Personalities",
issn = "2587-6104",
publisher = "Ural Federal University",
number = "4",
}