Religious Narratives in Life-History Research

Authors

  • D. V. Myronovych Donetsk State University of Management

Keywords:

religious narrative, narrative identity, narrative community, religious conversion

Abstract

In this article we attempt to clarify the methodological basis of sociological analysis of the phenomena of religious experience through the prism of phenomenological perspective. The author describes conceptual frameworks for understanding personal religious experience in terms of narrative, narrative identity, and life history. The author suggests that the nature of religious experience devoid of universal character and closely related with specific features of categorization and interpretation of reality in each of the religious traditions. The paper argues that a particular religious tradition or a clearly defined religious community use the common narrative patterns. These common narrative patterns describe and prescribe certain models and rules of community inclusion. That is why the researcher’s task is the search of such «official» narrative models and patterns of argumentation in religious narrative.

References

1. Berher, P., Lukman, T. (1995), The social construction of reality. A Treatise on the Sociology of Knowledge, Moscow : Medium, 75 p.
2. Vakhshtain, V. (2013), Perception of reality: "McNaught's rules" and "Second Life", http://polit.ru/article/2013/01/28/ps_vakh_detective/
3. Zdravomyslova, E., Temkyna, A. (2002), Analysis of the narrative: the possibility of reconstructing sexual identity, In search of sexuality, St. Petersburg : Publishing House D. Bulanin, Pp. 549–558.
4. Zdravomyslova, E., Tomkyna, A. (2004), Analysis of the biographical narrative interview in the study of identity, Social identity: the ways of conceptualization and measurement, Krasnodar: Kuban State University, Pp. 200–222.
5. Ipatova, L. P. (2008), Modern features of the development of Orthodox religiosity, Traditions and innovations in modern Russia. Sociological analysis of interaction and dynamics, Moscow : ROSSPEN, Pp. 409–456.
6. Rozhdestvenskaia, E. Yu. (2012), Narrative identity in the autobiographical story, http://ecsocman.hse.ru/data/2012/02/29/ 1269104473/Rozhdestvenskaya.pdf
7. Salnikova, S. A. (2010), Multidimensional modelling as analytical strategy of religiosity measurement, Methodology, Theory and Practice of Sociological Analysis of Modern Society, Vol. 16, Pp. 222–229.
8. Tupakhyna, O. V. (2012), Religious biography as a form of narrativization of the vital world of believers (on the example of Orthodox Christians), http://jourssa.ru/sites/all/files/volumes/2012_1/Tupakhina_2012_1.pdf
9. Ulanovskyi, A. M., Matyukhina, A. B. (2010), Study of religious experiences and discourse (based on the study of Krishnaites), http://www.hse.ru/data/2010/05/14/1217166239/Ulanovsky%20Matyukhina%20Religious%20experience.pdf
10. Shiuts, A. O. (2003), On the multiplicity of realities, Sociological Review, No. 2, Vol. 3, P. 18.
11. Iarskaia-Smyrnova, E. R. (1997), Narrative analysis in sociology, Sociological Journal, No. 3, http://www.socjournal.ru/article/343

Downloads

Published

12.05.2018

Issue

Section

METHODOLOGY OF SOCIAL RESEARCHES