Gastvortrag Jørn Borup

„Decolonising the Study of Religion: Who Owns Buddhism?“

19.10.2023, 18:15 Uhr, Fischmarkt 2 / Konferenzraum 3. OG

Why is my curriculum white? Can outsiders understand insiders’ lived experiences, and should they? Who owns Buddhism? Who has the rights to interpret ‘religion’?

Decolonization’ in recent years has been an imperative with which to undo colonial effects by reform and social activism. In conjunction with the forces of social movements and ideals for Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion, decolonial agendas have made their way into academia and especially in the humanities have gained impact to the extent that a ‘decolonial turn’ has become a term used to signify the revision of the very foundations of knowledge production, claiming Western universalism to be based on privileged power configurations originating in coloniality. 

The study of religion has traditionally claimed universal legitimacy in its study of what we call religion(s). It has also been accused of being ingrained in coloniality and ‘white’ Western centrism, addressing its objects of inquiry through colonial knowledge, Enlightenment ideals, and classificatory models of ‘othering’ by proposed neutrality. In a decolonial perspective this tradition is seen as a manifestation of colonial legacy needing engaged scholarship and affirmative action, some even claiming ‘the death of religious studies’.

This presentation will contextualize the contours and challenges of a ‘decolonial turn’ in the study of religion (and Buddhism), critically discussing its relevance and risks.

Jørn Borup is Associate Professor in the Department of the Study of Religion at Aarhus University, Denmark.