“Does American Religious History Have a Center?” Reflections
The three essays presented in this session raise issues that remind me of two classic representations of the problem of interpretation. In the Japanese film Rashomon , four differing and incompatible accounts of the same event are presented by the central characters, leaving the viewer to wonder whi...
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2002
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0009640700095767 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0009640700095767 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0009640700095767 2024-03-03T08:49:21+00:00 “Does American Religious History Have a Center?” Reflections Williams, Peter W. 2002 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0009640700095767 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0009640700095767 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Church History volume 71, issue 2, page 386-390 ISSN 0009-6407 1755-2613 Religious studies History Cultural Studies journal-article 2002 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0009640700095767 2024-02-08T08:43:16Z The three essays presented in this session raise issues that remind me of two classic representations of the problem of interpretation. In the Japanese film Rashomon , four differing and incompatible accounts of the same event are presented by the central characters, leaving the viewer to wonder which, if any, is the “true” version. Similarly, in the “Doubloon” chapter of Melville's Moby Dick , Captain Ahab nails a Spanish gold coin to the mast as a potential reward for the first man to spot the white whale; subsequently, each member of the crew gazes at the doubloon and falls into his own unique chain of associations that it evokes. Each of these fictional situations evokes the dilemma of the historian in general and the religious historian in particular: how can I deliver an accurate, persuasive, and satisfying account of my material, given the inevitable differences in perception and value that separate me not only from my professional peers but from the vast numbers of individuals and groups whose account might well be different from mine? As Stephen Stein indicates, the dilemma is not purely “academic,” since our students expect a coherent narrative from us, and will inevitably go away frustrated if we simply give them fragments that seem to form no discernible whole. Article in Journal/Newspaper White whale Cambridge University Press Ahab ENVELOPE(-62.178,-62.178,-65.434,-65.434) Captain Ahab ENVELOPE(-57.617,-57.617,-62.000,-62.000) Church History 71 2 386 390 |
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Cambridge University Press |
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English |
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Religious studies History Cultural Studies |
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Religious studies History Cultural Studies Williams, Peter W. “Does American Religious History Have a Center?” Reflections |
topic_facet |
Religious studies History Cultural Studies |
description |
The three essays presented in this session raise issues that remind me of two classic representations of the problem of interpretation. In the Japanese film Rashomon , four differing and incompatible accounts of the same event are presented by the central characters, leaving the viewer to wonder which, if any, is the “true” version. Similarly, in the “Doubloon” chapter of Melville's Moby Dick , Captain Ahab nails a Spanish gold coin to the mast as a potential reward for the first man to spot the white whale; subsequently, each member of the crew gazes at the doubloon and falls into his own unique chain of associations that it evokes. Each of these fictional situations evokes the dilemma of the historian in general and the religious historian in particular: how can I deliver an accurate, persuasive, and satisfying account of my material, given the inevitable differences in perception and value that separate me not only from my professional peers but from the vast numbers of individuals and groups whose account might well be different from mine? As Stephen Stein indicates, the dilemma is not purely “academic,” since our students expect a coherent narrative from us, and will inevitably go away frustrated if we simply give them fragments that seem to form no discernible whole. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Williams, Peter W. |
author_facet |
Williams, Peter W. |
author_sort |
Williams, Peter W. |
title |
“Does American Religious History Have a Center?” Reflections |
title_short |
“Does American Religious History Have a Center?” Reflections |
title_full |
“Does American Religious History Have a Center?” Reflections |
title_fullStr |
“Does American Religious History Have a Center?” Reflections |
title_full_unstemmed |
“Does American Religious History Have a Center?” Reflections |
title_sort |
“does american religious history have a center?” reflections |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2002 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0009640700095767 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0009640700095767 |
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ENVELOPE(-62.178,-62.178,-65.434,-65.434) ENVELOPE(-57.617,-57.617,-62.000,-62.000) |
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Ahab Captain Ahab |
geographic_facet |
Ahab Captain Ahab |
genre |
White whale |
genre_facet |
White whale |
op_source |
Church History volume 71, issue 2, page 386-390 ISSN 0009-6407 1755-2613 |
op_rights |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0009640700095767 |
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Church History |
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71 |
container_issue |
2 |
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386 |
op_container_end_page |
390 |
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