Method Today - Redescribing Approaches to the Study of Religion - Brad Stoddard
22. Subjectivity and Meaning
Method Today - Redescribing Approaches to the Study of Religion - Brad Stoddard
Joshua Lupo
Florida State University
Description
In this essay, I argue that answering “no” to Kevin Schilbrack’s second question—“Does interpretation require access to people’s mental states?”—should not lead scholars to overlook the importance of subjectivity in a hermeneutic approach to religious studies. Drawing on the thought of Martin Heidegger, I contend that giving an account of subjectivity is necessary for understanding the dynamic ways in which norms operate within human communities and for articulating the grounds of scholarly critique.