PROGRAMME AND ABSTRACTS - Università degli Studi di Messina

sanctuaries visited and maintained by the people living and working nearby, as they can be
found in horrea, streets, and neighbourhoods. Looking at such examples the question derives,
how religion functions within these contexts and in how far being part of such communities
may offer different options for personal religious experiences – or may restrict them. As it
comes to an increase of social pluralism, one also has to ask for the changes, religion
undergoes, and the impact of and from the tendencies towards “local religions”.
Wed 16 th , 9.40, Classroom 5
Mehmet Aydin, Selçuk University of Konya, Turkey
L'histoire des religions au début de 20ème siècle dans l'Empire Ottoman
The studies of “History of Religions”, having been an important discipline in the History of
Islam, began to be important again in the late XIXth. and early XXth. Centuries in the otoman
Madrasas. The studies of History of Religions in the Otoman Madrasas relied on two important
sources: The first is the writings of the kind of “Milal va Nihal” (Monographs on Religions and
Sects), while the second is such Works as Chantepie de la Saussaye by E. Durkhaim. At that
period, the studies of Raffaele Pettazzoni were not known yet in Turkey, though he already
published his “La Religione Primitiva in Sardegna” in Rome in 1912. The fact that such studies
were not known to the Turkish scholars is due to the fact that the general studies in the field of
History of Religions were the focus of interest at that time. So the writings of R. Pettazzoni
came to be known only in the late 1940s.
Tue 15 th , 9.40, Classroom 8
Jurij A. Babinov, University of Opole, Poland
Tomas Bubík, University of Pardubice, Czech Republic
Various Historical Constructions and Deconstructions of the History of Religions
History of science indicates that each scientific discipline and theory cannot exist without
cognitive models and stereotypes it generates. The history of religions was, during its own
history, undoubtedly formed by certain philosophical and worldview ideas (scientism,
positivism, historicism, scientific atheism and religious views). A good way to demonstrate the
use of stereotypes in the history of religions is the example of the Czech religious study during
the 20th century. For example religions of India were not merely studied, but simultaneously
evaluated using stereotypes typical for the European colonialism period such as the western
search for a doctrine in the “oriental chaos”, emphasis on the western cultural and biological
activity as opposed to the perceived oriental passivity, or the criticism of Indian cast system for
the sake of criticism of Catholic hierarchy. On one hand, the functioning of science and human
thinking is basically dependent on stereotypes but, simultaneously, it is necessary to critically
validate and deconstruct them as well together with the previous scientific results. This
contribution concentrates on a critical analysis of the various usages of the historical method in
European scientific reflection of religions, especially Indian religions, Islam, Christianity and
Buddhism.
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Wed 16 th , 11.00, Classroom 13