Paper short abstract:

The failure of secularisation theories and the resurgence of the religious have prompted social scientists to speak of the postsecular turn. This more theoretical paper explores how anthropologists with faith commitments can contribute to the development of this new theoretical framework.

Paper long abstract:

In this more theoretical paper we discuss how anthropologists with faith commitments can contribute to shaping an emerging postsecular anthropology. Such an anthropology draws inspiration from the recently advocated postsecular turn that recognises the failure of secularisation theories and the resurgence of the religious in public life. While some anthropologists have started to look to theology for such an endeavour (e.g. Fountain 2013), we propose that a deeper anthropological engagement with secularism and religion is equally foundational in the formation of a postsecular anthropology (Asad 1993, 2003). We propose that a postsecular anthropology needs to dissolve the constructed dichotomy between religion and secularism in favour of a secular and religious symbiosis. This does not mean that the notions of the religious and the secular should be discarded but rather applied to discuss their dynamic relationship and symbiosis in various research situations. Accordingly, the religious can be addressed and taken seriously in its own right, rather than reducing it to a purely social function, for example.

The proposed result of such a development is that the religious—as encountered in research and as reflexively engaged with—becomes more accessible, meaningful and theoretically relevant. Furthermore, we argue that this leads to better relationships during field research and a deeper engagement with the phenomena being studied. It also increases the opportunity for anthropologists with faith commitments to exploit their particular standpoint and contribute to a growing plurality of different ontological and epistemological considerations without neglecting the secular heritage of anthropology.