Heidbrink, Simone
Religion in Ex-Position: Religious Studies on Display
This companion volume results from the exhibition Religion in Ex-Position (2014/2015), a teaching project, organised by lecturers of the Institute for Religious Studies at the University of Heidelberg (Germany) and museum experts in co-operation with the University Museum Heidelberg. It used various thematic key aspects and practical examples to address a multitude of approaches from the fields of Religious and Cultural Studies, e.g. a selection of approaches by historical and recent scholars of religion along with criticism of religion, the difficulty of defining religion and the different perspectives on religion. The result was a hands-on exhibition, focussing on theories and methods of the discipline of Religious Studies, whose history traces back to the early 20th century, illustrating the diversity and plurality of the study of religion.
The book consists of an exhibition catalogue, which presents the exhibits and installations on display including the accompanying texts, along with an essay collection, where different authors from a multitude of academic backgrounds discuss the exhibition as a whole or focus on certain aspects. The central question “How to research religion(s)?” invites readers to become acquainted with the scholarship of religion, to adopt different perspectives and to challenge views. At the same time it emphasises the importance of Religious Studies for culture and society nowadays.
