Religious belonging in the east asian context: An exploration of rhizomatic belonging

Daan F. Oostveen*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

This article explores the hermeneutical challenges to understand religious belonging and religious identity in the East Asian context. In East Asia, religious identities have not always been as exclusively delineated, as is the case in Western models of religious diversity, for example in the so-calledWorld Religions paradigm. Various theoretical frameworks are discussed in religious studies, sociology and anthropology of religion in China and East Asia, to acquire a better understanding of religious belonging. It is observed that two hermeneutical frameworks are used by scholars to discuss religious diversity: A hermeneutics of multiple religions and a hermeneutics of religiosity. The former analyses “religious belonging” as a “belonging to religious traditions”. In the latter, “religious belonging” is understood as transcending particular religious traditions. It is argued that we need to take another look at the philosophical concept of “multiplicity” to understand religious diversity and religious belonging. We can use the Deleuzian concepts of “rhizome” and “assemblage” to describe religious belongings in East Asia specifically and also religion in general. A rhizomatic thinking about religion enables us to reimagine the concept of religious belonging as rhizomatic belonging, and also, as is argued by Haiyan Lee andMayfair Yang, make it possible to subvert power structures inherent to religion.

Original languageEnglish
Article number182
JournalReligions
Volume10
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2019

Funding

Funding: My research on multiple religious belonging was funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) as part of their research program “Religion in Modern Society” (2013–2018). My PhD Research Fellowship at the Faculty of Philosophy at Renmin University of China in 2018 was funded by the Confucius Institute (Hanban).

FundersFunder number
Confucius Institute
Religion in Modern Society
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
Renmin University of China

    Keywords

    • Belonging
    • Buddhism
    • Daoism
    • Hermeneutics
    • Religion
    • Religiosity
    • Rhizome

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