Religionswissenschaftliche Operationalisierungen diskurstheoretischer Elemente im deutschsprachigen Raum

Abstract

The present article addresses the potential of discourse theory and its elements in religious studies. First, the focus is directed at the conceptual history in order to shed light on Foucault’s conceptualisation of discourse. Second, we discuss the dis- cipline-specific implementation of a modified discourse theory and its impact on methodology based on the examples provided by the German scholars H. Kippen- berg and K. von Stuckrad. This approach demonstrates that discourse theory can be conceived as a means to question the necessity of a definition of religion. The final section demonstrates the critical potential of discourse theory. In conclusion, discourse theory is a useful lens through which to gain further insight into the aca- demic discipline of religious studies, but ultimately, is not sufficient to replace a definition of religion applicable for further theorising.